David Cross Says There’s “No Reason” For Stand-Up Specials To Cost A Fortune

Comedy legend David Cross says that he once dropped nearly a quarter-million dollars on a comedy special, which seems like a bit of an overpay now that you can get so many sets for free on YouTube.

On April 7th, Cross released his newest hour of stand-up comedy, The End of the Beginning of the End, for free on YouTube through his partnership with the rapidly rising independent comedy distributor 800 Pound Gorilla Media. This is now the third Cross special that’s streaming on the 800 Pound Gorilla Media YouTube channel, where the company continues to amass an impressive public library of quality stand-up content – artists like Nick Offerman, Kyle Kinane, Pete Holmes, Jimmy Carr and many, many more have lent out full specials for free viewing.

Long after the streaming revolution first sent subscription companies into a spending frenzy over stand-up specials, a new business model for long-form comedy favors YouTube over paid platforms, so long as the comic in question can keep a low overhead.

Cross recently spoke to Cracked about The End of the Beginning of the End, the economics of stand-up comedy in 2026, the legacy of Mr. Show and his favorite memories from Cracked history:

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