I have lived in two different comedy scenes and spent time traveling through dozens of others. I'm here to tell you: The best local show in your town is just the best local show in your town- so don't freak out if you're not on it. Every city has a display that becomes the goal of new comics. A show that is "the best" acts as some marker that tells people, "You're in, kid!".
It's easy to get caught up in the culture surrounding shows like that because it feels good to be part of what is popular. The downside to these shows is that, more often than not, we are having too much fun to recognize shitty behavior until something terrible happens.
Because sometimes those local heroes running the best show in town are not so great.
Some shows are run by ignorant people, like someone who still doesn't get why their joke about the worst thing you've ever heard isn't working.
Some shows are run by shady people, like someone who gets paid but won't pay their performers. [a real thing you will experience until you quit comedy or die]
Some shows are run by gross people, like someone who rarely books women and, when they do, introduces them as "a beautiful lady that would never fuck me, but did in my dream last night!" [a real thing that was said about me as I went onstage]
Some shows are run by struggling people, like someone who isn't dealing with their drinking problem, and you watch basically almost die every week. [a real thing you shouldn't ignore if you notice it.]
Sometimes the person running the show does something truly fucked up, like physically harm another person-level fucked up. Usually, this comes after all the other things we ignored because no one thought it was their place to say something. It's complicated to navigate comedy scenes because they are a space with many unwritten rules. Half of us treat it like a frat, and the other half treat it like a job, but either way, there isn't anyone to report to. Bad behavior slips through the cracks all the time because who wants to be the person complaining about everyone's favorite show?
There are shows I stopped supporting because of the things I see happening at them, and for a long time, I was anxious that it would hurt my success, but the thing I have learned is...it didn't. Every show that has a booker I'm at odds with over their sexual harassment, their racist jokes, whatever it may be, is still running their show, and I am still telling my jokes. We just don't do it together.
My point is: Just because it's a popular place doesn't mean it is a space you must support. Don't be afraid to confront bad behavior and if you're scared to, try bringing it up to a peer first. They have also noticed more often than not, and maybe together, you can do something about it. People will always use their position to get away with stuff, and just because you can't guarantee it will stop doesn't mean you shouldn't try. If it doesn't work and some sad loser that treats people poorly gets mad at you, there will always be other shows, so don't just settle for "cool" shows in your scene, demand that they be good ones too.