Bullseye with Jesse Thorn The secret to writing great jokes, from Daily Show alum Elliott Kalan
Jan 30, 2026
Elliot Kalan, comedy writer and former head writer for The Daily Show and MST3K, and author of Joke Farming. He explains his shift from waiting for inspiration to a repeatable joke-writing process. He breaks jokes into parts like voice and structure. He talks about writing for other voices, handling tragic news sensitively, and choosing timeless over topical comedy.
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Build A Reliable Joke-Writing Process
- Develop a repeatable joke-writing process so you don't rely solely on sudden inspiration.
- Writing on demand reduces anxiety and prevents burnout from waiting for sporadic ideas.
From Foraging To Farming
- Move from 'foraging' to 'farming' by creating conditions that generate jokes consistently.
- Farming means sowing seeds and reaping results rather than waiting for random inspiration.
Use Notebooks For Seeds, Not Finished Jokes
- Use a notebook to capture observations, confusing moments, and partial ideas—not finished jokes.
- Revisit and process these seeds later to grow full jokes.
