You are more likely to get heckled by a random drunk in the audience on open mic night than you would as a headliner for a national tour.
You may be just as funny in both situations, even if much less polished, but as a rookie trying to make a name for yourself, you are more open to attacks from the crowd than an established star.
You become more open again as a star in decline. As a has been. As a washed-up version of a main eventer.
This is because people pay to see the star succeed (i.e., entertain them) and pay to see a comic trying to get their footing or keep what they have left fail. Watching people struggle is just as entertaining as watching them succeed, in a sick twisted sense.
Have you noticed this on you way up, or down? Email me at jclevelandpayne@gmail.com and we can go deeper.