People want you to fail just so they can feel successful

Nigerian comedian Desktalkter shared his frustrations on the Honest Brunch podcast, revealing some of the challenges he’s faced in the industry.

“It shocks me how I’ve won Best Comedian for five years, yet I’m still doing shows without any sponsors. I send proposals, and companies agree to support, but nothing happens,” he said. “Then, I tried to speak to some senior colleagues for help, but that didn’t work either.”

He continued, explaining a troubling encounter involving fellow comedian Basketmouth. “Someone called me and asked what happened between me and Basketmouth, and I said, ‘Nothing.’

But he told me to go and beg because something happened back in 2015. It’s been years and still, no one’s heard from me about it. So, now I’ll explain everything, so people can understand the true colours of this industry.”

Desktalkter also shared a cautionary story about his promoter in London. “A promoter there warned me, saying, ‘Be careful of the people in London promoting your show, because they might not have your best interests at heart.’

And I thought to myself, ‘Why should it be like this among fellow comedians?’”

He added, “I believe everyone wants success, but not everyone is rooting for your success. Some people’s dream is to make sure you don’t succeed. And when you fail, they feel like they’ve accomplished their goal.”