Just for Laughs turmoil cans plans for Windsor comedy showcase

The timing of turmoil at Just for Laughs is anything but funny to a pack of Windsor-area comedians.

Tuesday would have been the day a roster of stand-ups from the city were announced to take the stage at a local Just For Laughs (JFL) showcase – giving them the chance to take the stage in front of a scout from the iconic Canadian festival.

Instead, it was the day the comedy company announced it would be scrapping its 2024 season and seeking protection from creditors.

"I cried a little,” Windsor comedian Jen Richardson said. “I mean just when we were about to announce, the rug gets swept from underneath you."

Richardson, a producer with Gang’s All Here comedy, had worked for months to bring the showcase to town.

She learned about the situation with JFL when someone sent her an online article – she’s since learned that the scout who was supposed to come to town for the showcase has been let go as part of the company’s restructuring.

She said they had already booked his hotel in the city, with the show planned for March 19.

“It’s disappointing,” said Richardson. “And it's a little scary because JFL in my mind is comedy and so what's going to happen?”

The future of Just for Laughs remains unclear, but Richardson says the local comedy community will survive.

"We're all just going to keep working really hard and just keep getting better,” she said.

CJ Erwin, a stand-up born and raised in the Windsor area, was one of the 10 who would’ve performed in the showcase.

He said he, like many Canadians, grew up with JFL content on TV.

Getting to perform for a scout and maybe make it to the festival presented a life changing opportunity.

"You feel like you have a chance at something and then it's just, never mind."

He says the timing of it all, JFL’s restructuring on the day they thought they’d announce the showcase, is pure comedy in itself.

“It's actually hilarious how you couldn't write it better,” Erwin said.

He hopes the show can go on, even if it isn’t the showcase it was supposed to be.

In the meantime he, Richardson and the rest of the roster can be seen at any number of comedy shows around town.

Richardson recommends following Gang’s All Here comedy on Instagram or Facebook to find one.