Based on the way things are going in Great Britain these days, it becomes harder to accept where things are headed in that nation. A new level of exclusionary policies has been revealed, and it only adds to the downward spiral. They are arresting people over social media posts. Instead of fighting crime, they went for a restrictive gun ban, and when that led to a drop in shootings, but not violence, they next went with a knives and corrosive substance ban. The country is a petri dish for wokeness and dystopia.

So, when we see a story of this nature with a bizarre, new restriction in place, we are not at all surprised by the move. This is made all the more perplexing as it involves stand-up comedians, and so we are not sure how much of this is going to benefit the gag-meisters. After all, the speech restrictions especially apply to comedians in the British realm. A Scottish comic was arrested for a video he posted insisting his girlfriend’s dog is a Nazi. In Canada, comedian Mike Ward was cited for making jokes about a young boy with an affliction – he was brought before the Human Rights Tribunal and faced a possible ruling to pay tens of thousands in “moral damages.”

This eyebrow-raising news item carries with it a cloud of ambivalence. A popular comedy club in London has issued a new restriction: It will no longer allow people to gain entry if they have had facial botox injections.

Top UK comedy club bans audience members with botox after ‘numerous complaints’ https://t.co/ojBsDMl2Gh

— The Independent (@Independent) March 7, 2025

The club’s owner, citing concerns from those on stage, has said the preponderance of expressionless audience members has led him to make this decision:

“Our incredibly talented comedians are fed up with performing to reactionless faces,” said Mark Rothman, owner of Top Secret Comedy Club. “I've had numerous complaints from performers who find it increasingly challenging to gauge audience engagement and bounce off their reactions.”

What's next--a sign posted outside clubs, making this declaration, with apparently a new stricture in place that demands a 2-drink minimum joined by a 2-injection maximum? We have yet to see any social backlash from those suffering from dermal anxiety or Adverse Appearance Reductive Phenomenon (AARP). So far, no reports have been seen of instances from those expressing shock at this announcement.

It just feels as if this might be a misguided move on the part of the club owner. Considering that, for years now, the comedy industry has been under fire over those who have had adverse reactions to particular comedians, lashing out at those who are incapable of displaying a reaction will instead invite more of those aggrieved complaints.

This is probably a cagey move on the part of Mr. Rothman. He surely is banking on the fact that anyone who would be excluded by his policy cannot exactly get in his face and express their displeasure, after all.