By John Q. Hosedrinker 
The Laugh Camp Comedy Club in St. Paul, Minnesota, has canceled six sold-out shows by comedian Ben Bankas following viral videos of him mocking the death of Renee Good. The club cited safety concerns due to “heightened threats, increasing media attention, and civil disorder,” and will be refunding all ticket holders. Owner Bill Collins stated the venue lacked the necessary resources to ensure safety. Bankas, who made offensive remarks about Good during previous performances, has not yet commented on the cancellations.
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Comedian Ben Bankas’ Minnesota shows canceled after he mocked Renee Good’s death. This whole situation is a bit of a train wreck, isn’t it? It seems like a comedian, Ben Bankas, made some incredibly insensitive jokes about the death of Renee Good, which has led to his scheduled shows in Minnesota being canceled. It’s hard to imagine what could be considered funny about someone’s murder, but apparently, Bankas thought he could make it work. The details are pretty grim; it sounds like he used her last name as the punchline, made fun of her partner, and even suggested she should have been killed sooner. Not exactly the stuff of comedic genius, to put it mildly.
Bankas, after the initial fallout, posted a video expressing his disappointment about not being able to perform, citing concerns about security. The irony here is thick – he’s upset about not being able to entertain, and the reason is because of the extremely offensive content he produced. You’d think a comedian, whose job is to elicit laughter, would understand the importance of reading the room. This, apparently, wasn’t the case. And the comments, they do not hold back, labeling Bankas as a “ghoul” and a “colossal piece of shit.” Ouch.
The overall sentiment is that Bankas’ “comedy” isn’t funny and comes across as simply hateful. A lot of the commentary points out that this is not about free speech; it’s about being a cruel, bitter individual. Most people are expressing disbelief that anyone would pay to see such material and the suggestion that this type of “comedy” is specifically targeted at a certain demographic. It’s suggested he may find a new audience amongst the right-wing podcast circuit. There’s also the predictable, but not necessarily relevant, references to the comedian appearing on right-wing platforms like Fox News or the Joe Rogan podcast.
The situation also raises some interesting questions about the nature of comedy itself. Many people are stating that Bankas is just punching down, targeting the vulnerable rather than using humor to critique power. True comedy, it’s argued, should punch up. The common criticism is that he’s just regurgitating the same old tropes and slurs to an audience that’s happy to hear them, rather than actually being funny.
It’s clear that this is a career-damaging move. There’s a strong consensus that these jokes were beyond the pale and that the shows getting canceled is a direct consequence of his actions. Several people point out that the type of jokes Bankas made were not only unfunny but also likely a reflection of his own personal worldview. Others were left wondering how anyone could find humor in such a thing.
A significant portion of the conversation seems to believe that he might try to capitalize on this controversy to boost his profile. The possibility of him appearing on conservative media outlets is also mentioned, where he might try to portray himself as a victim of cancel culture. This has been a well-trodden path for comedians who have found themselves in similar situations.
This entire affair is a masterclass in how *not* to build a successful career in comedy. It’s hard to imagine Bankas being in a good place anytime soon, given the level of disgust expressed and the cancellation of his performances. The overall feel is one of astonishment that anyone would think this was a good idea, and the general feeling is that it is deserved.