Whether you’re an OG YouTube lover, a passive TikTok scroller, or an avid comedy podcast consumer, you’ve likely laughed out loud at a Joe Santagato snippet or soundbite. From humble beginnings filming YouTube videos in his mom’s basement, to cohosting the viral podcast The Basement Yard with his best friend Frank Alvarez, to headlining the New York Comedy Festival at Madison Square Garden this fall, Joe’s journey has been nothing short of electric.
Joe is perhaps best known as the founder of Santagato Studios and cohost of The Basement Yard, which boasts millions of followers and subscribers. Every week, Joe and Frank hilariously debate, discuss, and deep-dive…about what? Well, that surely varies. They first hit the road in 2024 to bring the hilarity of The Basement Yard to cities around the globe.
We recently sat down with Joe to discuss the evolution of his career, The Basement Yard‘s epic tour, and his career-defining show at Madison Square Garden this November.
1.
If you had to summarize The Basement Yard in one tweet, what would it say?
Joe: It would probably say, “I have no idea what this is, but it’s something.” We’ve been doing the show for a while, and it’s funny because we’re not trying to make it anything, but then you meet people and they tell you why they like it. I’m figuring out what the show is by listening to other people and how they digest it.
2.
You’re working alongside your best friend, Frank, and you have many other close friends (and family members) as part of Santagato Studios. What are some of the inherent challenges of working with close friends and loved ones? What are some of the most rewarding aspects?
Joe: It’s easier to start with the rewarding things. It’s very rewarding to have set up a company where these are my close friends, and we are making a living doing this. They can provide for their families because everything is so successful at the moment. I know what it’s like to want to do something creative, and I had the luxury of living at home at the time when I started this journey, so I didn’t need to provide for a family. That obviously raises the stakes. When I started, I wasn’t making any money from YouTube. But then I got a job that was adjacent — I was working for a company called Elite Daily, so I was able to learn about editing and producing. It kept this dream alive, so the most rewarding feeling is knowing I’ve gotten to the place where I can now provide that for other people and their families. And everyone seems to be pretty happy, so that’s the most rewarding thing by far.
A challenging part is that it’s hard to see myself as a boss. And I don’t walk around like that. But it’s difficult because there are times when there is a job that needs to get done. It’s not just one big party all the time. I don’t like being in a position where I have to be like, “Hey, we’ve got to reel this in and get this thing done.” It may just be my own insecurity thinking I’m the “bad guy” because I’m making people do their job or something. It’s much easier to tell people what they need to be doing when you don’t have a connection with them. But when it’s your friends that you’ve known your entire life, that can be uncomfortable. A lot of people say you shouldn’t get into business with your friends for whatever reason, but it’s worked out for me and our group, and I don’t really have any complaints. I wouldn’t have done anything differently.
3.
When you set out to create content and bring laughs to people through your videos online, what did you envision for your future as a content creator?
Joe: I’ll be honest with you: no vision whatsoever. It’s the truth. I could lie and say that I had this grand plan, but that was just not the case. When I first started making content, I did it because I liked doing it. No one was really making a career of it back then. This was like 2011. I remember I had 100,000 subscribers, and thought, “This is an enormous number of people.” So, I was going to keep doing it because I had no idea what it could turn into. Back then, I thought, “If I just build an audience, someone’s going to give me an opportunity, whatever that may be.” And that never happened!
But I think the dream that I’m currently living was only thought up maybe four years ago. That’s when I knew I wanted to start expanding, and I had to delegate a lot of stuff because I was the person who did everything. It was very hard for me to give that up. But there’s just no possible way to scale without help from other people. Eventually, they will find your voice.
About four years ago, I thought of this plan to build a space where we could do shows, and we could also create content on YouTube, like I used to do. And then we started hiring, very slowly. We just hired two more people in the last year — a videographer and a photographer/editor. It doesn’t feel like a grand plan.
As you move forward in an industry like this, where nothing is promised, you have to continuously adapt; otherwise, I don’t think people will care. You can’t just do the same thing forever and ever.
Follow the excitement in what you’re doing. Things happen, like the live shows. That’s not something we thought of until it was an opportunity that came across my desk. But it’s not this giant plan. Certainly not from the beginning. When I was 19, I had no idea what I was doing!
4.
From touring nationally, to internationally, to selling out Radio City twice, to your upcoming show at Madison Square Garden in November, you’ve gone from behind the camera to in front of thousands of fans. What’s it like transitioning from recorded content to live shows?
Joe: For a while, we put the live shows off just because I wanted it to feel like the right time. This felt like the right time because the show was in such a great place, and it was growing tremendously. It felt like people wanted it. Some people were doing live podcast shows, and I was researching what those would look like, and I wanted to do something that felt completely different. So, we worked on what the show would look like. And admittedly, the first shows that we did, we had a very rough idea of what the show was going to be. We called it The Basement Yard Experience because we wanted it to feel like an experience for the people in the crowd and not just like they were coming to watch me and Frank talk to each other. We had people write stuff in, and we would put them on cards, and then we would read them. Sometimes people would have conversations with us during the show. The first couple of shows were just that. I don’t even know how the hell we made that last an entire show. I can’t wait to do shows in those cities again so that they’re better!
As you’re going out on stage, you get more comfortable. You have some time; you can fill a little bit more space. Some jokes work, so then you can formulate those into an extended bit. And now I feel like the show’s in a great place. It feels very different from any show that I’ve seen, so I’m very happy with it now. You’re getting a bit of everything. There is still that card portion. It’s the last part of our show that is maybe 25 minutes long now. But then there’s over an hour of everything else.
How do you handle the nerves?
Joe: Before the first show, I was very nervous. I talked to a lot of my stand-up comedian friends before our first show, and I almost felt like I had to go up there and pretend that I deserved to be there. There were like 1,500 people at our first show, and they’re all screaming my name. And for me to walk out like, “Here I am!” just didn’t feel genuine. But you have to put on a performance, and you can’t look nervous because then people notice and they get distracted. Now, I feel much more comfortable experimenting, doing jokes I’ve never done before, or talking to people in the crowd.
Can you describe the way you feel when you step on stage for each new show?
Joe: Once you step out there, that anxiety completely goes away. And it feels like the crowd is kind of carrying you through the entire show. These are fans of ours, and they want to be there. They want to see the show. They want to laugh. So, it’s not exactly the toughest audience you’re ever going to be in front of. They’ve given us this confidence by carrying us through all these shows.
Also, you don’t have a choice. You step out there and you’re like, “What am I going to do now? Walk off? I can’t, so I might as well get comfortable.” Even for something like Radio City, that was very helpful, because it’s Radio City! You could think about it and say, “What the fuck is going on? We’re doing Radio City. There’s going to be all those people out there, and all my friends and family are going to be out there!” But then you do it. Now it doesn’t matter the size of the venue. I’ve been in a position where I felt nervous and undeserving of the moment, and I still went out there and was able to get through it. Now, I am better at this thing. It’s maybe a bigger moment, but it’s still the same feeling. I still have the same exact feeling every time I walk out. I’ve been there before, so I know that I’ll get through it.
5.
Do you and Frank have any pre-show rituals? If so, what are they?
Joe: Frank is more of a ritual person. He will always make a tea in the green room, and I would say like 95% of the time, he’ll have a little bit of tequila when Ahmed is opening the show. As for me, I don’t think I have any pre-show rituals. There are things that I have to do in preparation for the show. But I think it makes me more comfortable to treat it like it’s “just another show.” We have to go out there, and we have a job to do.
6.
What’s been the most unexpected part of performing for live audiences and touring around the globe? What’s been frustrating, rewarding, etc.?
Joe: The first show that we did was in Montclair, New Jersey. It wasn’t the loudest show that we’ve ever done, but it felt like the loudest thing I’ve ever heard. I think there were 1,500 people. I remember walking out on stage and being like, “Wow, it is so loud.” And I wasn’t expecting that at all. Not that I wasn’t expecting people to cheer, but the volume, holy shit.
Also, I’ve heard performers say this before, but I can’t see anybody. Well, you can; you have the option to look at people, but I never look at anyone. As I’m looking around, I’m not looking at anyone. It’s weird now thinking about it — everyone’s looking at me when I’m out there and talking, but I’m not looking at any of them. Even in a giant room, someplace like Radio City, it doesn’t feel bigger than a venue that holds 2,000 people because I can’t see anyone! It wasn’t until they turned the lights on that I could see, holy shit, there’s a lot of people here. But the lights are in your face, so you see like 30 rows, and that’s it. It’s kind of cool in a way, and it keeps you grounded when you’re up there. It doesn’t feel like this giant moment because it’s similar to other shows that we’ve done.
As far as frustrating…some venues don’t have a great HVAC system. So, it’s hot. We just did a show in Detroit, and it was steamy in there. But I don’t think there’s anything super frustrating about performing. I always tell our guys that if we have fun, we have a good show. So, just have fun, because there’s no faking that.
7.
Who were the people/what were the shows you felt most inspired by before you took the leap and began creating content for yourself? In other words, who or what are your comedic inspirations?
Joe: The only person that I could point to as far as digital content is Jenna Marbles. I met Jenna before I was anything, and this girl was so nice to me. She was someone who’s obviously been YouTube royalty forever. I met her at one of these events; I think it was in Florida. I had spoken to her briefly through DMs, and I didn’t know if she would even remember who I was. We’re at this thing, and she’s fuckin’ Jenna Marbles, so everyone who’s there — all these YouTubers — are like, “Whoa, this girl!” And then I come walking into the room, and I’m not anything at the time, and she just stops everything, yells my name, and walks up to me. And everyone’s like, “Who is that?” But she was super nice to me. She gave me her phone number, and that meant a lot.
We never did do a video together. It was never anything like that. She never asked me for anything. I never asked her for anything. It was just the fact that this person, who was very successful and who everyone wanted to talk to, was super chill and cool towards me. That’s how I have to treat this moving forward because now that I’ve been on the internet for so long, there are certain creators who would look at me sort of that way.
As far as other inspirations, the list is probably endless. Anything that has ever made me laugh sticks with me. I also have hilarious friends who can’t do this whole “camera” thing, and they’ll never get any sort of credit for being funny! There are times when someone will say something, and it makes me laugh, or it makes me think, and I’m like, okay, I could write a joke around this concept. They always make jokes that I’m stealing their material! I actually have done that before. My cousin said something funny, and I was like, “I’m gonna do that on stage tonight.” And I wrote a joke around that concept, and I did it on stage, and I was like, “Dude, your joke killed.” It was funny. I tried to Venmo him $50.
Do you know that you and Frank have created a sort of “language” of The Basement Yard that informs the way your fans speak?
Joe: There are times when I’ll see people who’ll post screenshots of them talking to their friends, and they’re using shit that we’ve said on the show before, and that’s not something I ever really considered. This thing has a life of its own that I am not aware of at all. I’m very disconnected from, I guess, the “societal impact,” if you want to call it that. Even now, doing the shows, showing up, and seeing people in the seats is already crazy. But then I’m seeing people custom-make shirts with a joke that I don’t even remember making, but it clearly had some sort of impact on them. To see it in person is so interesting.
Frank and I actually recorded an episode yesterday, and we were talking about this. We’re not actors. We’re just us. When we’re recording the show, we’re being us. But people are watching that, and they’re watching something else. They’re creating something else that isn’t necessarily me. I’m not trying to be overly humble about it, but when people meet me and they want to take a picture with me, it’s so hard to feel deserving because I don’t even know what we’re doing. We’re trying to be ourselves, and then people are viewing it as something for them.
8.
Like you said, you’re not an actor. You’re famous for being you. You’re a personality, your own brand. How do you find ways to balance your personal and professional lives?
Joe: When I’m working, I’m working, and I take that very seriously, but when I’m not, I’m not. I’ve been doing this long enough that I’ve been experimental with how I’m going to grow an audience or how I should engage with an audience. And for a while, I felt a pressure to always be on and always be posting something. Like, I’m going somewhere and I’m tagging a location and I’m taking a picture of a water bottle for no reason. Now I’m more intentional with the things that I post. I was doing a lot of that brainlessly.
I think that a lot of people post without thinking about why. You’re posting a picture of this drink. Why are you doing it? “It looks nice.” Okay, keep going. And then eventually you get to, “I’m posting it because I want some sort of attention.” Then I’m looking to see how many views it got, and it’s like, what the fuck am I doing? After doing that a bunch and feeling like it was taking away from my experience in some way, I closed off my life a lot more. I completely closed off my life for a bit because it felt like I wanted to protect my real life. I love my life. The people in it — they’re incredible. The internet, in my experience, has been amazing, but it’s equally terrifying. You’re one little thing away from people making a call on your entire existence and being like, “Oh, I knew it. Piece of shit forever!” Also, it’s scary if you give a lot of yourself to the internet.
I don’t feel pressure anymore to be like, well, people need to know who I am. They need to know what’s going on in my life, where I am, the kind of things I’m interested in, and what my hobbies are. I don’t want to feel like I’m compromising my personal life for the internet, like I’m living my personal life for the internet, or I’m posting things for the internet. I’d rather they be very separate.
9.
If you were compiling a soundtrack of your life, give me a couple of songs that would definitely be on it.
Joe: There are two songs that I feel like I have to put on there. One of them is “Best Day Ever” by Mac Miller. I love that song. I’ve always felt this connection with Mac Miller. We were both born in ’92, and when he was coming up, I wasn’t coming up, but I wanted to be doing something. I was always fascinated with this kid because he was my age and he was doing all of this stuff. I was able to watch his rise, and I was actually feeling like, man, I’m proud of this dude, and I’ve never met him. I’ve never talked to him.
We just talked about this on a podcast recently, but he’s one person who stands out so much in my mind that I felt like we would be such good friends. He seems like my kind of dude. He put out that mixtape Best Day Ever at the perfect time for me. And I am not someone who is impacted by music, honestly. But for whatever reason, that song and that mixtape did it, and it’s something that I can listen to that’s like a time machine. I can be 18 again, just wanting something so badly and not knowing what the hell it is.
Another song that I would listen to when I was feeling dramatic is “Your Hand in Mine” by Explosions in the Sky. Those two songs are always constant. Those are my time machines. I’ll listen to those songs when I need to motivate myself, and they bring me back to a time when I’m like, “Let’s listen to this song and let’s be 18 again.” It helps me; it honestly does.
10.
Pretend you’re Taylor Swift for a second. What would you title this era of your life/career?
Joe: “1992.” Well, I mean, everyone loves 1989, right? And I do feel like that was a turning point in her career, that album. Obviously, she was very successful before that, but I feel like 1989 was like, okay, now we’re taking it to another level. So my answer would be “1992,” the year I was born. Because it really does feel like my life is now changing. The number of people who recognize me, the number of eyes we’re getting on the show, the number of people at the live shows, and now doing MSG. These last two years have really been life-changing years. This is something very different now.
11.
What’s the content you’re consuming in your downtime?
Joe: My whole TikTok…there’s a lot of dog videos. I like cooking content. Honestly, as someone who doesn’t cook that often, I do like watching it. Doomscrolling, just by itself, is also the answer. But I like a mix of stuff, but for the most part, it’s animal videos and travel videos. Like, here’s this beautiful hill in Switzerland! I also like educational stuff. Now, with the way that content is being created, you can learn something that’s pretty important, and it’s in a 30-second video, which I will stick around for. Just a mixture of those things: animals, landscapes, and education.
12.
I know you watch a bit of reality TV. I saw those Love Island tweets! If you and Frank had to appear on any reality TV show (not just as contestants, but as guests, mentors, hosts, etc.), which show would you choose and why?
Joe: I was going to say Fear Factor, but then I’m like, I don’t know. I know Frank would probably do better with the bug shit because I don’t love bugs. But the stuff that’s like, “Walk across this building to that building,” and whatever, I could do that. I could figure that out. The only thing is, I don’t know who would handle the eating portion. Like if they said, “Eat this fucking raw testicle,” I don’t know who’s going to eat that, me or him.
There was actually a time when we applied to be on a show. They did a reboot of Legends of the Hidden Temple. So Frank’s like, “Dude, let’s sign up for this.” So he signed us up for it. We didn’t get it.
I’ll tell you what we wouldn’t be good at: The Amazing Race. No, no, no. At that point, people would be like, “These guys hate each other.” There’s no way. If we had to do The Amazing Race and, god forbid, someone makes a mistake…forget it.
13.
Do you have any dream guests you’d be absolutely stoked to have on The Basement Yard?
Joe: Yesterday, we were recording, and we were talking about how Taylor Swift was on the New Heights podcast. We were kind of like, “Why did she do that?” She definitely didn’t have to. This was a choice. I wonder what the intention behind it was. You are promoting your album. This is your job. She’s a billionaire. She doesn’t need another dollar. It doesn’t matter. So maybe there’s just less pressure now? I don’t know. But we were talking about that, and I was like, “Dude, imagine we got an email from Taylor Swift’s people being like, ‘Oh, she would love to come on the show.'” I was like, “I would put a down payment on a $40-million house at that point because if she comes on your show, it’s like, forget it, dude. Your life’s changed.” Isn’t that crazy to think about? If Taylor Swift goes on a podcast, any podcast, it’s a wrap.
You know what’s funny? The Kelce brothers are such guys’ guys, and I think I would like them. I’ll be honest with you; I would say it’s easier to find people I would dislike in entertainment. A lot of people are just too wrapped up in it. They like it too much, and it’s kind of weird. You’re not your job. You’ve got to be you. You’ve got to be a regular person. They seem like normal dudes who obviously are phenomenal football players, but now they’re in a position where they’re in entertainment essentially, and they just seem like normal guys.
14.
Have you been starstruck when a celebrity you admire has reached out to you to tell you they’re a fan of the pod?
Joe: This just happened. There’s this artist… I know everyone does this, but I, and he can attest to this, knew him before fucking everybody. I’m saving his name to be dramatic, obviously. I talked to him very early on in his career, and I was always a massive fan. I would put his music in videos just because it was all I listened to. To this day, he’s probably my most consistently listened-to artist over the last however many years. The answer is Jon Bellion. He’s a New York guy. He’s from Long Island.
I don’t really remember how I found him, but we would talk sometimes. Then we lost contact for years. And recently I hit him up, saying, “Dude, I love the new album. It’s amazing.” For anyone who is reading, if you haven’t heard of Jon Bellion, definitely go listen to him. Guy’s amazing. Anyway, but then he was like, “Dude, I see the clips of you and your boy, and you guys are so fucking funny.”
I’m going to his show soon, and I’m super excited. And it’s cool to have those moments with people that you really respect, especially as someone who felt like we had a similar journey. We met when we were smaller. I think he just got signed to a record label at that time. We didn’t keep in contact. We weren’t best friends or anything like that. But now we’ve had this meeting again and were like, “Hey, look how far we’ve kind of come in that time.”
15.
You’ve been very vocal throughout your journey in telling people who want to make videos, do comedy, start a pod, etc., to just get out there and do it. What are some tips you have for those people who are considering taking the leap?
Joe: The hardest part is figuring out what you actually like. Don’t like something because you think that it has a good return. Creatively, don’t like something because you think that’s a good path, and you can make a lot of money doing that. A lot of the things that I do, I feel like I’m drawn to, and I don’t have a choice. I’m not really thinking about big picture stuff yet. And that’s why earlier, when we were talking about “the big plan” or whatever, I’m not thinking about that. I’m following this excitement and this energy. It’s bringing me to the next step. Once you can find something that excites you and something that you can’t ignore, you will figure it out. And if you’re lucky like me, along the way, you figure out how to be good at loving the thing that you liked. Okay? I really believe that.
We just announced that we’re launching a new show for Danny LoPriore on our network, and I told him the same thing. I’m like, “Dude, you want this to be successful? I only need you to care about it. That’s it. All I need you to do is care about it, and we’re going to go through the motions, and it’s going to take some time. But when you really care about something, you figure it all out.”
It’s cool, too, because you can see people’s intention very clearly when they are following something that they love and are putting the work into. You don’t have time to talk about it. You don’t have time to go seek outside validation. So when you see people who are constantly like, “Oh, I was in 15 meetings yesterday,” or they’re just talking a lot about it, it’s like they’re wasting time. You don’t really like your thing the way that I like my thing. It almost feels like I have a leg up because I know I like my thing so much more than that person likes theirs. They’re clearly spending a lot of time liking the validation.
Starting a new show, a new podcast, it’s all about the launch. But launching a show means nothing. If no one watches in a year, it was pointless. The only way that you can keep it going in a year is if you give a shit. You can’t ride the high of the first thing. Your intentions have to be there. You have to give a shit. That’s it. It really feels like the only thing that’s been consistent is that I care. I care a lot.
16.
What do you hope your fans get out of listening to The Basement Yard?
Joe: I hope they get whatever they need from it. Like I said earlier about the Mac Miller mixtape: He wasn’t making that for me to get what I got from it. But I took the thing that he made and made it something for me, and it meant a lot to me. And I don’t think that he was in there putting those songs together purposefully for me for this exact reason, but he was making something to go out to the public and get interpreted. Someone could have listened to that album and felt something completely opposite from what I felt. I feel the same way about what we’re doing. I don’t think we’re changing the world by any means, but I think people can find some sort of comfort, laughter, or a sense of camaraderie from it. I hope that people get whatever they need from it. We’re going to keep doing it. We’re going to put it out, and if they’re interpreting it in some way that is meaningful to them, I hope they can continue to get that.
17.
What do you have in store for fans going into 2026? Are there any new projects to tackle, or will you and Frank focus on your roots as video and podcast creators?
Joe: I think that after the tour is over, we can spend a lot of time working on the studio as a whole. I believe in our team to expand it and put out really good content. From listening to the fans, I feel like I have a good idea of what they would be interested in.
We’re not a big collaborative bunch; we like to do things in-house. I think that could change. I think that there could be more collaborative efforts in a way that is still true to the studio’s vibe. It’s never going to be something that’s an easy money grab, especially at this point. I feel like we have such a responsibility to make sure that we’re being true to ourselves after being given this opportunity. I would never have a person come into the studio that I felt like we didn’t vibe with.
There is a chance that there would be another show on the horizon, but the studio is the main focus. Obviously, we’ll continue to record The Basement Yard. I would also like to venture into stand-up comedy. I really enjoy being up there and doing jokes. Obviously, it’s a difficult skill, but the only way you’re going to get better at it is if you keep doing it. So that’s something I could venture into at some point next year, too. But studio first, then maybe that as well. I’m very excited about the future, and we do have plans for new stuff! I think people will be excited and like what’s coming.
You can follow Joe on TikTok and Instagram, and check out The Basement Yard on YouTube or anywhere you listen to podcasts.
You can see Joe and Frank on their tour, or catch them performing at Madison Square Garden as part of the New York Comedy Festival on Nov. 13.