Hot Jokes: A Comedy Special

Transitioning from six-second internet loops to a 45-minute stage set is a notoriously clunky pivot, but this debut special captures a creator working through that exact friction in real-time.

Filmed in Ontario, Canada, and self-released on his personal website in December 2017, the hour is heavily shaped by the sudden collapse of Vine—the platform that originally made his name. The centerpiece of the set is a storytelling bit about the death of the app, which was written in a hurry after Twitter announced the service’s termination right before his tour began. Aside from the internet post-mortems, the material relies on lighthearted puns, goofy wordplay, and early versions of the observational style that would later define his YouTube commentary.

At this point in his career, Conner was still straddling the line between a traditional stand-up and an online personality. He had recently released his debut comedy album, Cuppla Jokes, in 2016, which hit the top spot on the iTunes comedy chart and peaked at number six on Billboard. But Hot Jokes was his first attempt to package his stage persona into a standalone video release.

Conner eventually wiped the release from his website and the broader internet. Fans regularly hunt for archives of the lost media, speculating that he grew self-conscious of his early material as his writing style evolved. What remains of it in clips shows a younger comic finding his footing, relying on straightforward puns and hometown stories about Hamilton, Ontario, to carry the room.