JOKE INSPIRATION LIST.

Check out our joke inspiration list before heading to your next open mic.

For new comedians it can be difficult to know what you should write jokes about. For more experienced comedians it can be easy to get writers block and not be able to think of any fresh ideas. Below is a list of 80 joke prompt ideas for comedians to get out of your head and start thinking funny.

Nail your next open mic night with these creative joke prompts.

  1. Break your life up into 6 periods of your choosing. Try to summarize your each life period in one sentence. Write as many jokes as you can for each period.
  2. Find out what hashtags are trending. Use one of these to inspire a joke.
  3. Free write for an entire notebook page. Don’t edit yourself. Then, pick out a phrase or idea. Write a joke inspired by this idea..
  4. Give yourself a pep talk. Write a joke inspired by the pep talk.
  5. Go back to your first ever Facebook profile image, and a write a joke inspired by it.
  6. Go through old set lists and find a joke you don’t tell any more. Try to rewrite this joke.
  7. Go to Craigslist and write a joke about something that is for sale.
  8. Go to Rotten Tomatoes or IMDB. Write a joke inspired by the title of a recent movie at the box office.
  9. Go to your bookshelf. Pick out any book. Turn to a random page. Write a joke inspired by a random word or phrase on that page.
  10. Go to your Facebook newsfeed and write a joke inspired by someone else’s status update or news story.
  11. Go to your medicine cabinet and write a joke about something in the cabinet.
  12. If you were filthy rich, what would you write jokes about? Make jokes from the POV of the über rich person.
  13. Imagine you have jury duty for the most mundane trial. What was the crime? Write a joke about it.
  14. Imagine your smart home is really smart. It starts to make fun  of you. Make some jokes about yourself from the POV of the ‘smart’ objects in your house.
  15. Look at the apps on your phone. Write a joke about one of the apps.
  16. Look back into the photos on your phone, find a random photo, and write a joke inspired by the photo.
  17. Look in your contacts in your phone and count to the 30th name down. Write a joke about a memory with this person.
  18. Look up Google reviews for a place you enjoy. Write a joke inspired by other people’s reviews.
  19. Make a grocery list, write a joke about one of the items on the list.
  20. Make a joke about the items you wouldn’t put on a sandwich or pizza.
  21. Make a joke about today’s news headlines but pretend you have just arrived from outer space or the future.
  22. Make a list of silly words. Write a joke using  one of these words.
  23. Make a list of things you love. Write a joke about one of these things.
  24. Make a list of things you wish you learned in school. Write a joke about one of these.
  25. Make up a few inspirational quotes. Write a joke inspired by your quote.
  26. Pick a person from history you admire; write a joke about it.
  27. Pretend you are an animal. Write as many jokes as you can about humans from the perspective of this animal.
  28. Someone gives you an ‘award’ for the worst thing you do. Write an acceptance speech for the award.
  29. Think about one of your last calls with a parent, sibling, or grandparent and write a joke about something you talked about.
  30. Think about something funny that happened today; write a joke about this incident.
  31. Think about something in your childhood home that you had strong feelings about; write a joke about it.
  32. Think about something normal that happens in your life, and exaggerate it to write a joke about it.
  33. Think about something that annoys you. Write a joke about this thing.
  34. Think about the most embarrassed you’ve been in the last year, write a joke about it.
  35. Think about your favourite place to go as a kid and write a joke about it.
  36. Think of a about a memorable time at you had on holiday. Think of a random celeb or famous person. Imagine that celeb was on your holiday and not you. Write a joke about your experience from their perspective.
  37. Think of an interaction with a stranger at a shop or on the street and write a joke inspired by the conversation.
  38. Think of something you shouldn’t have done but did anyway. Make a joke about it.
  39. Think of something you think is disgusting. Pretend you love it now. Write a list of all the things there are to love about this object or experience. Use the list to inspire a joke.
  40. Think of the first song that comes to your head; get inspired by a lyric.
  1. Think of the silliest outfit you own, and create a character that would wear this outfit. Write a joke inspired by the experience.
  2. Think of the worst advice you can give someone. Use the advice as inspiration for a joke. Alt: write a joke as if you are the kind of person who would give this advice.
  3. Think of your favorite book or movie, pick a character and write a joke about the character or in their voice.
  4. Try to remember a dream you have had and write a joke about something that happened in the dream.
  5. Use the internet to give you a random word, and write a joke using this word.
  6. Visit Groupon’s website. Write a joke about an item for sale.
  7. What are you hungry for right now? Write a joke about this food item.
  8. What are you looking forward to in your near future? Write a joke about this.
  9. What is an interesting fact you know? Write a joke about it.
  10. What is in the drawer, closet, or cupboard closest to you? Write a joke about one of these items.
  11. What is something that is ‘wrong’ with you? Write about how that is an advantage.
  12. What is something you don’t believe in? Write a joke about this.
  13. What is something you wish you’d known about sooner? Write a joke about this.
  14. What is the fanciest place you have ever been? Write a joke about this.
  15. What is the last topic you would want to write a joke about? Write a joke about it.
  16. What is your favourite word? Write a joke about this word.
  17. What is your least favourite word? Write a joke about this word.
  18. What would you tell yourself 15- 20 years ago; write a joke about it as your present day self.
  19. What’s something you wish you could tell your boss, or an authority figure? Write a joke about this.
  20. What’s the strangest thing in your purse or wallet? Write a joke about this.
  21. Write a bad ‘Dad’ joke. Make it really cringe. Repeat.
  22. Write a joke about an unlikely animal duo, like a bird and an alligator.
  23. Write a joke about something you heard in a podcast.
  24. Write a joke about spending the day with either your favorite or least favorite fictional character.
  25. Write a joke about spending the day with either your favorite or least favorite historical figure.
  26. Write a joke about what you are wearing right now.
  27. Write a joke about your favorite animal. Then write a joke from the animal’s point-of-view.
  28. Write a joke about your favourite country and your least favorite country.
  29. Write a joke about your least favorite subject in school.
  30. Write a joke about your least favourite place to go as a kid.
  31. Write a joke about your phone or laptop background image.
  32. Write a joke as if you were the president of your country. What would the president make jokes about? Write as many jokes as you can from the POV of the president.
  33. Write a joke from the afterlife (as if you’re dead).
  34. Write a joke inspired by a holiday in your birth month.
  35. Write a joke inspired by a little-known holiday.
  36. Write a joke inspired by a random Tiktok video.
  37. Write a joke inspired by an advert or commercial you have seen recently.
  38. Write a joke inspired by photos in your Instagram newsfeed.
  39. Write a list of words you associate with sex. Use as many of the words as you can to write clean jokes.
  40. Write down a word that starts with the first letter of your first name, and a word that starts with  the last letter of your last name. Now write a joke that combines these two things.