Hot Breath! Comedy Network
A podcast and YouTube channel for aspiring comedians, featuring interviews with pros and a monthly clean comedy contest.
Hot Breath! is a two-format show focused on the nuts and bolts of a comedy career. One format is long-form interviews with working comedians and industry figures, dissecting topics like joke writing, ticket sales, and work-life balance. The other is a monthly, live-streamed 'Clean Comedy Contest,' where Byars showcases finalists and facilitates a real-time audience vote, creating a community hub for new talent.
“Unlike many comedy podcasts that are purely conversational, Hot Breath! is explicitly educational, focusing on actionable career advice. The addition of the interactive monthly clean comedy contest provides a unique community-building and talent-discovery platform.”
Who hosts this show
Hot Breath! is a podcast and media network hosted by Atlanta-based stand-up comedian Joel Byars. With over 400 episodes, the show serves as a guide to comedy mastery, featuring in-depth interviews with established comedians about their craft and career. Byars, who started comedy in 2010, also performs regularly, teaches comedy classes, and has shared the stage with veterans like Ron White and Brian Regan.
Credentials & credits
- Stand-up comedian
- Host of award-winning Hot Breath! Podcast
- Co-author of “The Comic's Playbook”
- Writer for Comedy Central's Roast Battle at Just for Laughs Festival
- Founder of Joel Byars Comedy Class
- Performed at Just for Laughs Festival
Other ventures
- Clean Comedy Contest
- Joel Byars Comedy (personal YouTube channel)
- The Comics Playbook (book)
- Comedy writing classes and consulting
- Big Laugh Comedy (network partner)
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United States
- Region
- usa
When new episodes drop
- 01June Clean Comedy Contest FinaleJun 29, 2026 · 39 min
- 02May Clean Comedy Contest FinaleJun 1, 2026 · 1h 00m
- 03
- 04April Clean Comedy Contest FinaleMay 4, 2026 · 1h 20m
- 05Garrett Abdo Explains Why Comedy Clubs Still Pay The SameApr 16, 2026 · 11 min
- 06
- 07Clean Comedy Contest FinaleMar 30, 2026 · 1h 08m
- 08Live Write10 Club - Learn Joke Structure and Get Live FeedbackMar 26, 2026 · 47 min
Notable episodes
- 01Starting Comedy Late, Building a Career and Juggling Family First | Dustin Nickerson Full Interview
A prime example of the show's interview format, focusing on the practicalities of balancing family life with a comedy career.
- 02Stand Up, Ticket Sales, and Why Funny Is Not Enough | Garrett Abdo Full Interview
Features a comedy club owner's perspective on the business, highlighting the show's focus on the financial realities of comedy.
- 03June Clean Comedy Contest Finale
Showcases the channel's other major format: a live, interactive contest for up-and-coming clean comedians.
What you'll be asked on this show
Joel Byars' interview style is that of a dedicated student of the craft. He often opens by framing the conversation around a personal vulnerability or a specific challenge he's facing, creating an immediate rapport (e.g., discussing his own guilt as a new father when interviewing another comedian dad). He provides detailed, laudatory introductions that show he's done his homework on the guest's career. His questions are process-oriented, focusing on the 'how' of building a career: balancing family, managing the business side, and navigating financial risks. He probes for the mechanics behind success, not just the funny anecdotes.
The show alternates between two distinct styles. Interview episodes are structured and well-researched, with Byars acting as a student of his guests' careers. The monthly contest finales are loose, informal live streams where Byars engages with the YouTube chat, manages technical hiccups in real-time, and serves as a cheerful MC.
Questions the host keeps coming back to
3 cataloguedIf you're going on this show as a guest, expect some version of each of these. Each note explains when the host reaches for it.
personal
2- Q.01
“How did you balance the demands of a comedy career with family life when you were starting out?”
This question is often used early on, particularly with guests who are parents, to explore the foundational work-life choices a comedian makes.
- Q.02
“Was there a 'sink or swim' moment where you or your family questioned the decision to pursue comedy full-time?”
This question probes for the financial and emotional risks taken early in a guest's career.
process
1- Q.01
“What role does your spouse or partner play in the business side of your comedy?”
Asked after a guest discusses their work, this surfaces the support systems and business structures behind the scenes.
Signature segments
- · Monthly Clean Comedy Contest
- · "Hot brother and sisteren, welcome to the show..."
- · "Welcome back to Hot Breath, the show where you learn comedy from the pros."
- · Live Write10 Club
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
The show books working comedians, from rising talents to established headliners (Dustin Nickerson, Garrett Abdo) and industry veterans who can speak to the process and business of comedy.
- Dustin Nickersonon Starting Comedy Late, Building a Career and Juggling Family First | Dustin Nickerson Full Interview
- Garrett Abdoon Stand Up, Ticket Sales, and Why Funny Is Not Enough | Garrett Abdo Full Interview
- Sandy Bernsteinon May Clean Comedy Contest Finale
- John Beelon May Clean Comedy Contest Finale
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The show does not appear to have external sponsors, but the host actively promotes his own paid offerings, including a Patreon, comedy writing courses, and one-on-one set reviews. The audience is a highly specific niche of aspiring comedians, making it a prime target for comedy-related products and services.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
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People also ask
- What is the host's real name?
- The host is Joel Byars, a stand-up comedian based in Atlanta.
- What is the format of the Hot Breath! podcast?
- The channel features two main formats: long-form interviews with professional comedians about their careers, and monthly live-streamed 'Clean Comedy Contests' where the audience votes for a winner.
- Is the podcast still running?
- Yes, as of mid-2026, the channel is actively posting new interviews and monthly contest finales.
- How can I participate in the Clean Comedy Contest?
- Aspiring comedians can sign up for the monthly contest via cleancomedycontest.com. Participants are given two weeks to write a new 60-second set based on a theme.
- What is the show about?
- It's an educational resource for aspiring comedians, providing insights into the craft and business of stand-up through interviews and community events.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · medium confidence
- [01]Hot Breath! Comedy Network - YouTubeyoutube.com
- [02]Meet Joel Byars of Joel Byars Comedy in Decatur - Voyage ATLvoyageatl.com
- [03]Stand-Up — Joel Byarsjoelbyarscomedy.com
- [04]Clean Comedy Contest — Joel Byarsjoelbyarscomedy.com
- [05]Developing a Clear Vision for Your Creative Career with Joel Byars - Heather Paradyheatherparady.com
- [06]About Us | The Comics Playbookthecomicsplaybook.com
- [07]Comedian and Podcaster Joel Byars - Business RadioXbusinessradiox.com
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