Also called: Late-Night Writer, Sitcom Writer
Writes jokes, sketches, and scripts for sitcoms, late-night shows, and sketch shows.
A late-night writer pitches 50 jokes about today's news by noon, writes a sketch, then watches the host perform it that evening.
WGA minimums apply; staff jobs are rare and late-night shows are shrinking.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Degree common; many come from improv, sketch, or college humor magazines.
Ways in: 4-year college, Self-taught, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: English, Theater, Screenwriting.
Growing slowly. Late-night TV is contracting; streaming comedy varies.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI generates joke drafts and punch-ups, cutting some staff; union rules and the need for original, timely voices keep rooms alive.
Classes: Creative writing, English literature, Theater, Speech and debate.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-3043.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.