What Happened At The Mark Normand Show? A Viral Stunt That Still Doesn't Make Sense
Many stand-ups would tell you it's dangerous to perform comedy because some people just don't like it when others speak truth to power. That ethos appeared to be exemplified during a recent set from Mark Normand when a strange man in a yellow beanie came up on stage with him and was promptly escorted out. The incident was uploaded to X, formerly known as Twitter, and it quickly went viral, amassing over 21 million views in just over a day of being posted.
Anyone know what happened here? pic.twitter.com/wdwk9lpyXc
— Blind Mike (@BlindMike_) January 25, 2024
As seen in the video, the man is taken offstage and followed by a woman walking across the stage. Normand seems as baffled as everyone else, chalking it up to a "weird swinger sex party thing." However, things appear to take a turn when Normand himself is taken off stage, and then a producer takes the mic to ask everyone in the crowd to evacuate. It seems like a scary situation all around, but now the venue, the New York Comedy Club, has posted an explanation on Instagram. Apparently, it was a stunt for ... reasons?
After confirming no one was hurt, the post reads, "The disruption was part of a filming by [HiHi], the producers that rented out the venue for the night." The venue also stated it would make things right for patrons escorted out by treating them to a free show. While that's an explanation, it doesn't exactly make sense. What was the goal? Why make people uneasy at a comedy show? Perhaps HiHi needs to leave the pranks and stunts to the comedians.
Mark Normand issued his own statement on the stunt
Then again, perhaps HiHi was onto something because now everyone's talking about Mark Normand. He's a pretty successful comedian, having done sets on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" and "Conan." He also had a Netflix special, titled "Soup to Nuts," come out in 2023, which could easily rank among the funniest stand-up specials to air on Netflix. His name's now everywhere, but naturally, he also had to respond to the incident, albeit in a far cheekier manner than the New York Comedy Club.
Normand posted a statement to Instagram stories, which the New York Post reuploaded. It's close to the previous declaration about how it was a stunt from HiHi, but he adds, "I had no prior knowledge that this was going to happen." As a comedian, he couldn't help but have a little fun, and off to the side, he mentions how the post came from his publicist. If it's true Normand wasn't in the know, it's a bit disappointing that he wasn't able to finish his set. On the other hand, Normand has plenty of tour dates in the near future, and people may be inclined to buy tickets now to see if anything else out of left field happens at a future show.
But if you'll allow us to get a bit conspiratorial, there may be something more going on here. Perhaps the stunt wasn't to promote Mark Normand at all. Maybe it's all in the name of ... Amazon Prime Video's "Mr. & Mrs. Smith." Come with us down the rabbit hole ...
Hihi is the name of the organization on Prime Video's Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Mark Normand's Instagram post includes a link to HiHi's social media profile. The entity has remained quiet about the incident, and honestly, it's shrouded in a lot of mystery. If one goes to HiHi's page, they'll find pictures of luxury vehicles and stunning landscapes. Additionally, the Instagram stories are filled with videos of random people talking about risks they've taken in life. What is this company, and what is the endgame?
It's worth noting that in Prime Video's "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," which comes out on February 2, the entity that recruits the titular couple is codenamed "Hihi." The remake deviates from the 2005 film in many ways, including having the characters played by Donald Glover and Maya Erskine working for the same organization. And this isn't the first time HiHi has bled into real life.
HiHi was also behind another viral stunt where Tyra Banks sat between a couple of furries at a New York Knicks game. And if one goes to Donald Glover's Instagram stories, they'll find posts on both the Normand and Banks stunts. Has this all just been viral marketing to promote a new Donald Glover show? It's kind of seeming that way, even if it requires leaping through a few hoops to find the connection between each incident and "Mr. & Mrs. Smith." Even if the new series and the Mark Normand stunt are related, what do they have to do with each other? Will HiHi conduct other weird events in the show? The viral marketing may end up working because people will just have to tune in to find out.