Sebastian Maniscalco Defended By SiriusXM Amid Backlash

Sebastian Maniscalco taking over a SiriusXM comedy channel has caused an uproar with some comedians … but the radio company is defending the famous comedian against the backlash, TMZ has learned.

The comedian took over Raw Comedy Channel earlier this year, which was a channel that focused on spotlighting a wider pool of lesser known comedians.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ … SiriusXM regularly reviews how its channels are performing and decided to pursue a new creative direction for the comedy channel while keeping comedy programming on the platform.

The move comes as comedians including Margaret Cho, Michelle Wolf and other comedians have publicly called out SiriusXM and Sebastian over changes to the channel and the removal of lesser-known working comedians from its lineup. The issues center on lesser-known comedians losing an avenue to promote their work and losing out on residual money from the channel.

We’re told the programming mix on Sebastian’s Comedy Radio is different, but it’s viewed as an evolution of what Raw Comedy offered. Our sources say the decision was also part of an effort to continue featuring comedy on SiriusXM, with some voices previously heard on the platform expected to remain involved.

The change results from a collaboration between SiriusXM and Sebastian … who now has a larger role in shaping the channel’s creative direction.

A SiriusXM spokesperson tells TMZ … “SiriusXM works together with our creative partners to program the best possible experience for our listeners.”