Woke Seattle comedy club CANCELS four comics who didn't align with areas 'progressive values'

A comedy club in Seattle has canceled four comedians after the venue decided their acts did 'not align with the neighborhood's progressive values.'

It might seem like a bad joke, but the Capitol Hill Comedy Bar, known for promoting the voices of the queer community, had booked comics Jim Florentine, Dave Smith, Luis Gomez and Kurt Metzger for some upcoming shows before scrapping them.

But Florentine, known for his edgy and outspoken style, is among the foursome whose shows were scrapped. He is now predicting the club will ultimately close down following the decision. 

'We got this email saying, listen, we did some research, and you basically can't come to the club,' Florentine told KOMO. 

'There was a whole thing about, we were a progressive area, and we checked with the community and your values, and my values don't align with the other comics.' 

A Seattle comedy club canceled four comics, including Jim Florentine, center, citing their comedy misaligned with 'progressive values'

The Capitol Hill Comedy Bar, pictured, said the decision was based on concerns expressed by the community about the upcoming shows 'not aligning with the neighborhood's ethos.'

The comedians were informed of the change by the club's booker, Jes Anderson, who explained in a letter that the decision was based on concerns expressed by the community about the upcoming shows 'not aligning with the neighborhood's ethos.'

The club promotes 'vibrant voices of the queer community' with a weekly 'Queers to the front' open mic night. 

Among his standup, Florentine was the voice behind a mentally disabled teenage character named 'Special Ed' on a prank call show on Comedy Central called 'Crank Yankers.'

Florentine describes his act as being silly and non-political' but believes his straightforward approach and willingness to address controversial topics, including transgender issues, played a role in the decision.

'I speak my mind on stage, I'm edgy, I don't kiss the audience's a**. I'll talk about the transgender stuff,' he told the New York Post.

The comedians were informed of the change by the club's booker, Jes Anderson, who explained in a letter that the decision was based on concerns expressed by the community about the upcoming shows 'not aligning with the neighborhood's ethos.'

The neighborhood, recognized as an 'LGBTQ+ epicenter,' gained national attention in 2020 during protests when it was declared the 'Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone'

An aerial view of a Black Lives Matter mural in Seattle, in what was first referred to as the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, which encompassed several blocks around the Seattle Police Departments East Precinct

'Given the feedback and to avoid any potential negative impact on both our club and the artists involved, as well as to maintain the harmony within our community, we believe the most responsible course of action is not to move forward with the shows,' Anderson wrote in a letter to the comics. 

 The neighborhood, recognized as an 'LGBTQ+ epicenter,' gained national attention in 2020 during protests when it was declared the 'Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone.'

Florentine expressed his amusement at the idea of the club checking with local residents before inviting comics to perform.

'I didn't know you had to check with the neighborhood. I called my friends that own comedy clubs around the country and said 'I'm coming in a couple months, you gotta check the neighborhood and see if they're OK with me performing there,' he joked. 

He believes the club may have reconsidered after watching his work or listening to his non-PC podcast.

'A million things could have popped up where they said 'hey, we don't want this guy,'' he said. 'Usually what happens is a club will research you before they book you, [and decide] we don't want that type of comedy – a lot of places won't book you and you'll never even know. But in this case, they booked us,' Florentine said.

Florentine, center, known for his edgy style and voicing a Crank Yankers character, believes his outspokenness on controversial topics led to the snub 

Florentine says he bears no grudges towards the Capitol Hill Comedy Bar (pictured) but does not believe it will last much longer if it continues to operate with such restrictions

Despite his willingness to adapt his act when performing in more liberal locales, he believes comedy has a role to play in pushing boundaries.

'That's why I got into comedy, to push boundaries,' Florentine stressed.

'Like sometimes you toe the line with something and think 'oh that went a little too far'… That's the goal as a comic: try to find where that line is and just ride it.'

Florentine says he bears no grudges towards the Capitol Hill Comedy Bar but does not believe it will last much longer if it continues to operate with such restrictions.

'If that's the way they're going to run their business, I don't see how they're going to stay in business that long.'

The other comedians involved also had their own views on the situation with Gomez speculating local comics may influenced the decision, while Metzger criticized the club for practicing groupthink and similarly predicting its failure.