Comedy Writer From Winnetka Files Lawsuit Against Conan O'Brien


Watch the video: A recent lawsuit by a Chicago-area man against Conan O'Brien shows that some comedians consider joke-stealing to be no laughing matter.


Alex Kaseberg, a freelance comedy writer from Winnetka, accuses Conan O’Brien of using jokes he posted on Twitter and has filed a lawsuit against the late-night comedian.

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We talk with comedian Dwayne Kennedy, Curtis Flagg, the director of operations at Chicago’s Laugh Factory; and Anne Libera, the director of comedy studies at Columbia College Chicago about the ethics of comedy and how jokes are shared among comedians. 

In the Conan clip below, a joke about New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is one Kaseberg alleges was originally his own:

Another Conan clip from a show in June includes a joke delivered by O'Brien about Caitlyn Jenner. Kaseberg also claims this was his joke, and that it was stolen:

Jokes in question that Kaseberg posted to his Twitter account:

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