London Comedy Club Bans Guests With Botox
- Editor OGN Daily
- Mar 14
- 1 min read
The move is sure to raise (or, possibly, not) some eyebrows.
One of the most popular comedy clubs in London has banned guests with Botox from its venues. The Top Secret Comedy Club in Covent Garden claims that “frozen faces from Botox impact the entire atmosphere” and hinder the comedian's performance.
Botox injections are getting more and more popular in the UK, much to the chagrin of comedians. Botox injections can leave people with a “frozen face”, unable to crack a smile, which spells trouble for would-be funny men. "I've had numerous complaints from performers who find it increasingly challenging to gauge audience engagement and bounce off their reactions,” says Top Secret’s owner Mark Rothman.
“We hope trialing this ban will help move the needle and get facial reactions back into the room - for the benefit of our comedians and the audience,” adds Rothman.
One of Top Secret's regular acts says: "Performing to an audience with frozen faces can be incredibly tough. Comedy is a two-way street - we feed off the energy and reactions of the crowd.” Another, tongue firmly in a non-botoxed cheek says: “My face barely moves on the stage - I wouldn’t want to see the same thing staring back at me.”
As of now, audience members will be vetted on entry, with door staff trained to ID Check and “Expression Test” to detect Botox. Publicity stunt? No sir, says Rothman. “We’re dead serious about the ban, and if you're surprised, we need to see that! We are looking forward to welcoming faces old and new, that can still move, in our venue soon.”