stand-up comedy

18 Stories

John Mulaney on His Life: It's 'Like a Tornado Picked Me Up'

Comedian talks with GQ about stormy past few years, from drugs to life with Olivia Munn, kids

(Newser) - "Once such a consummate urbanite that you half expected to see a pigeon on his head and his pockets stuffed with takeout menus, today he looks every inch a suburban dad, in his white lace-up Vans, olive jeans, long-sleeve shirt." That's how Brett Martin describes John Mulaney...

Chappelle Rips on Trans, Disabled People in New Netflix Show

Comedian says he's done with trans jokes in new Netflix special, then pokes fun of them again

(Newser) - Dave Chappelle's most recent controversy involved comments he made regarding the Israel-Hamas war, but he's now returning to a source of previous backlash. The 50-year-old comedian had taken heat in the past for remarks about the transgender community in his Netflix special The Closer, but that didn't...

Andrew Dice Clay Still Takes Stage After Diagnosis

Comedian announces he has Bell's palsy

(Newser) - Andrew Dice Clay has a new bit in his standup act that's not intended to be funny. The comedian has announced that he has Bell's palsy, People reports. The condition temporarily paralyzes facial muscles, usually on one side. The cause isn't known, and there's no treatment,...

Crowd Unaware as Comic Literally Dies Onstage

Ian Cognito was performing at a club in England

(Newser) - "Imagine if I died in front of you lot here," veteran comic Ian Cognito told the crowd during a set Thursday in the English town of Bicester. A few minutes later, the 60-year-old did, in fact, die in front of the crowd, reports the BBC . For a few...

Louis CK Addresses Scandal in New Routine

He is unapologetic in San Jose

(Newser) - Louis CK just went there. The comedian has avoided talking about his own scandal as part of his controversial return to stand-up venues, but the Daily Beast reports that ended in San Jose on Wednesday. "I like to jerk off, and I don't like being alone," the...

Pete Davidson in Stand-Up Set: Should I Get Louis CK Tattoo?

Not out of admiration, though, 'SNL' star jokes in 2 Mass. standup shows, which also covered Ariana

(Newser) - The last part of 2018 was a volatile one for Pete Davidson: He split with Ariana Grande , found himself at the center of controversy for mocking a former Navy SEAL , and deleted his Instagram account after a concerning post in which he hinted at suicide . The 25-year-old SNL star decided...

200 People Storm Out of Schumer Show

Over what else these days—Donald Trump

(Newser) - Some folks who went for the comedy, not the politics—which is often fair game in comedy, especially during an election year—didn't take too kindly to Amy Schumer's remarks about Donald Trump during a Sunday show at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. Per the Tampa Bay Times ...

Sources: Chris Rock Making $40M Return to TV

2 stand-up comedy specials will air on Netflix

(Newser) - Chris Rock has been missing from the small screen for eight years, but the comedian's fans will be pleased to hear that not everybody hates Chris: He's cut a comeback deal for two stand-up comedy specials on Netflix for what sources tell the Hollywood Reporter is a record-smashing...

Andy Kaufman's Back, and He's Going on Tour

At least, his hologram is, along with Redd Foxx's

(Newser) - Forget about Taylor Swift, Sam Smith, and Nicki Minaj. The hot concert tour for 2016 features two comedic geniuses we haven't seen onstage in a very long time: Andy Kaufman and Redd Foxx. Well, not the actual deceased comedians (though you never know with Andy Kaufman), but their holograms,...

Louis CK on SNL: Finally, Too Much?

The comic actor makes light of child molestation, racism

(Newser) - Louis CK gave a predictably polite, sensitive monologue yesterday on the closing night of SNL's 40th season—making light of racism, child molestation, and the Israel-Palestine conflict. "Child molesters are very tenacious people," CNN quotes him as saying. "From their point of view, it must be...

At This Comedy Club, It's 38 Cents a Laugh

Barcelona venue using facial-recognition tech to spot guffaws

(Newser) - Audiences beware: If you laugh too much at this comedy club, you'll pay for it—literally. Barcelona's Teatreneu is using facial-recognition technology to charge visitors by the laugh, the BBC reports. Come to the club, and the seat in front of you will have a tablet tracking your...

Dane Cook Returns to Comedy

Comic talks about grief over his parents' deaths, return to road

(Newser) - Ready or not, world, Dane Cook, standup comedian is back. It's been four years since the controversial comic went on tour. In the middle of that drought, in 2011, he told Amy Kaufman at the LA Times that he'd essentially retired. (Though apparently, he did get on stage...

Can Judge Have Comedy Career? Court to Rule

Vince Sicari has appeared on reality TV

(Newser) - Municipal Judge Vince Sicari has seen success in a very different field: As a comedian and actor, he's primed audiences for Stephen Colbert and appeared on ABC's What Would You Do? But tomorrow, things could change, compliments of the state Supreme Court. That's because New Jersey state...

Specter: Romney Changes Positions Like a Porn Star

Seems the old senator is still trying to be funny

(Newser) - If Arlen Specter told a joke in the woods and there were no one there to hear it, well, at least there would be a lot fewer of us holding our heads and groaning. The former senator, who's spent his voter-mandated retirement ostensibly dabbling as a comedian , is now...

Which Candidate Handles Hecklers Best?

Comedians assess Santorum, Romney, Gingrich's techniques

(Newser) - Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, and Rick Santorum have all had their share of hecklers this election season (Ron Paul has largely emerged unscathed)—but who's the best at shutting them down? At Slate , David Weigel asked two stand-up comedians to evaluate each candidate's strategy:
  • Santorum tends to launch
...

Arlen Specter Does Stand-Up Comedy at Helium Club in Philadelphia
 Arlen Specter Does Stand-Up 
Dec 28, 2011 12:07 PM CST

Arlen Specter Does Stand-Up

Yes, really

(Newser) - Arlen Specter has a new gig, and to hear him tell it, it’s a logical progression from his old one. “I’ve been in comedy now for 30 years,” he told the audience at the Helium Comedy Club in Philadelphia. “It’s sit-down comedy.” Yes,...

Louis CK Makes a Cool Million off Web Video

And comedian is giving more than half of that to charities, employees

(Newser) - The wild success story of Louis CK and his self-produced comedy album gets even wilder : The album, available via his website for just $5, sold 200,000 copies as of Tuesday, grossing the comedian a cool million ... in just 12 days. A quarter of that money will go to the...

Louis CK Makes $200K in 4 Days on Web Video

Comic bypasses studio and sells concert from his website

(Newser) - Comedian Louis CK has scored nice profits by taping, producing, and distributing his stand-up special by himself and without the help of a network or studio. In what he calls an "experiment" to cut out the middlemen and keep prices low, CK hired a camera team to tape two...

18 Stories