AY Makun Reveals the Friendship Era Is Over as Artistes Demand Millions for Comedy Show Appearances

AY Makun says some Nigerian artistes now ask for up to N200m to perform at comedy shows. Here’s why he’s urging fans to come for the jokes, not just music.

You buy a ticket to a comedy show, and somewhere in your mind, you expect a few big musicians to show up too. AY Makun says that expectation has become very, very expensive.

The comedian revealed that some Nigerian artistes now ask for as much as N200 million to perform at a comedy show. That’s not a typo.

He shared this in a video, and his message to fans was simple: please come for the comedy.

AY reminded everyone that AY Live has hosted just about every big name you can think of. Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, Olamide, Phyno, Psquare and more have all performed at his shows in Lagos, Abuja and other cities.

Back then, it was mostly about friendship. Everyone was rising together, so a reasonable fee and a lot of goodwill were enough.

“The industry has changed,” AY said. Nigerian musicians are global stars now. They earn from streaming, international endorsements and deals paid in foreign currency, so they don’t need comedy stages to get seen anymore.

Then he dropped the numbers. “You could approach one artiste today, and they ask you for 200 million; another asked me for 120 million.” Even an artiste who hasn’t become famous yet wanted 80 million, he said.

And that’s just the musician. Someone still has to pay for the venue, sound, screens, security, publicity, production and the comedians’ staff. AY put it bluntly: “Sometimes, the fee that just one artiste is asking for covers the entire cost of production.”

That’s a lot of money riding on one guest.

AY was clear that he isn’t criticising the music industry. The partnership, he said, helped both sides. Musicians don’t always get regular live shows where their core fans can come see them, so comedy nights gave them a stage too.

But he wants fans to remember why comedy shows exist in the first place. To laugh.

Maybe that’s the takeaway. Go for the jokes. If a big musician shows up too, that’s a bonus.