I was on maternity leave and, looking back, I may have been having a manic episode. I'd had a long string of admin jobs that I hated. Usually, it was the case that I didn't know what my job was and nobody else did either. When I was 29, I thought: I haven't really done anything creative or put myself out there. Here I am with two kids, what am I doing? So I signed up for an open mic night.
Is This Thing On? is much more about a relationship than it is about comedy, which is probably a good thing, given how difficult it is to make movies about stand-up. Fictional comics on screen tend to skew toward being tortured truth-tellers or delusional sociopaths or both, but Alex Novak, played by Will Arnett, is neither. He's a finance guy who recently split from his wife of 20 years, and who stumbles into an open mic night on a whim
Get ready for the return of HellaFunny comedy night to Temescal with a series of pop-up live comedy shows at unique spots all across the bay. This HellaFunny comedy show takes place at the just-opened Mesa Maguey, an upscale agave bar and Oaxacan restaurant that's a perfect date-night spot with lots of delicious plates around $20 and under. It's a 70+ minute show with 4-5 comics on the bill with credits like Cobbs, Punchline, SF Sketchfest, ABC and NBC.
I am no stranger to cancel culture. I was cancelled after 9/11 simply for being Middle Eastern, as Arab terrorists were behind the attacks on the twin towers. This is despite the fact that I am not Arab, nor am I, contrary to popular opinion, a terrorist. In certain circles there have been calls to boycott my UK tour Namaste, a show in which I try to explore the nuances of the complex geopolitical landscape of the Middle East.
He describes his work as coming from a place of authenticity built on real experiences rather than scripted performances. When you come see me do stand-up, it's me up on stage it's not a fictional character, Piven said. These are absolutely drawn from my real life, but at the root of them, they're all coming from a place of authenticity.
A Seattle native now suffering in Southern California, Dustin Nickerson is an in demand comic on the rise. In 2020, he released his debut comedy special Overwhelmed which is currently one of the highest rated specials on Amazon Prime Video. In addition, he's been featured on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central and Netflix on Kevin Hart's Hart of the City, The Late Late Show with James Corden, and is a regular on After Midnight with Taylor Tomlinson.
Emily's comedy can be described as silly, naughty and strangely relatable; you'll find yourself laughing weeks later when something she described happens exactly as she said. Originally from the Midwest, Emily Van Dyke loves best friend tattoos and telling inappropriate stories at baby showers. Based in San Francisco, Emily is a local favorite in Northern California, she has been featured on Don't Tell Comedy and her first comedy album, Feeling Myself, is out on all platforms.
In addition, he's been featured on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central and Netflix on Kevin Hart's Hart of the City, The Late Late Show with James Corden, and is a regular on After Midnight with Taylor Tomlinson. Online, his stand-up clips and jokes have received hundreds of millions of views and his podcast, Don't Make Me Come Back There, has over 3 million downloads.
Edgy, raw and dirty, he has been seen on Comedy Central, and is a regular on Sarah and Vinnie's morning radio show on Alice 97.3. He has toured all over the world, and he is a regular at the Montreal Comedy Festival and the Edinburgh Comedy Festival. He has also appeared in the feature films Mrs. Doubtfire and Star Wars - The Phantom Menace. Warning - This show is not for the easily offended!
Headliner: Shawn Felipe The winner of the prestigious 2025 San Francisco Comedy Competition hosts is first headlining gigs since winning! Honolulu, Hawaii comedian, now based in San Francisco, actor, and personality, Shawn Felipe is known for his laconic and clever real-life stories as they expand internationally. His live stand-up comedy stretches around the globe from the USA to countries overseas such as Singapore, Canada, Japan, Korea, and the Middle East.
Coit Comedy is a stand-up comedy show every last Thursday of every month in the basement of historic bar Columbus Cafe in North Beach featuring the best comedians in the bay and free Golden Boy Pizza. Many of the comics you can expect to see you will have seen at Cobbs, SF Punchline, Vice Land, Comedy Central and more. Every ticket requires a 1 drink minimum and includes the show and free Golden Boy Pizza (pepperoni and cheese while it lasts).
Joe's debut one-hour special, titled You Let Me Down, premiered on Comedy Central in 2017, which he wrote, performed and directed. He recurred on AMC's Better Call Saul as crooked veterinarian Dr. Caldera and currently hosts the heavily followed podcast We'll See You In Hell, where he and Patrick Walsh review genre movies. From 2020 through 2024 DeRosa co-hosted the wildly popular Taste Buds-a food debate show-with Impractical Jokers Sal Vulcano, which was distributed through DeRosa and Vulcano's co-owned No Press Productions Network.
The images "draw on Simon's own photography, even using his camera," Ashby added. "The aim was to reveal a side of [him] which people may not have encountered before: something freer, perhaps more open. That sense of freedom feels central to the spirit of this new show. And for the design, I painted the title by hand to give it an organic, personal touch: something natural, imperfect, alive."
A 30-year veteran of comedy stages around the world, Auggie Smith has been seen on Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing, and can be heard regularly on The Bob and Tom Show. His long career has included being voted Club Comic Of The Year at the Aspen Comedy Festival and winning both the prestigious Seattle and San Francisco International Comedy Competitions.
When (my children) were in middle school, they did say, 'Um, hey, can you, like, not talk about us? Because our friends, you know, their parents let them see things that you do and then, you know, they joke on us.'
Featuring a hand picked rotating cast of top comedians from the Bay Area and beyond with credits like HBO, Netflix, Late Night, and more, Mirthquake offers a night of non-stop laughter that will leave you feeling uplifted and refreshed. Hosted by the hilarious trio of Ben Kolina (Doug Loves Movies podcast, SF Sketchfest), Andrew Holmgren (VICELAND, SF Weekly best comedian winner), and Jesse Hett (Cobb's Comedy Club, Punch Line Comedy Club), each show promises to be a unique and unforgettable experience.
Johnny Taylor, Jr. is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor, and podcaster from Sacramento, California. Taylor has released two comedy albums and a charity single on Stand Up! Records. His debut, 2014's Tangled Up in Plaid, reached No. 7 on the iTunes comedy chart. His 2018 followup album and video Bummin' with the Devil reached No. 1 on both the Amazon and iTunes comedy charts.
Edelman, who won an Obie and a Special Tony for his stand-up show "Just For Us," about attending a meeting of Nazis as an Orthodox Jew (it became the HBO original comedy special "Alex Edelman: Just For Us," for which he won an Emmy), is back on the road and adding new dates for his current show, "What Are You Going to Do."
Josh Kornbluth has established himself over the years as one of the Bay Area's best storytellers. His mostly autobiographical comedic solo shows have found him musing on everything from taxes and religion to his once-promising career in math and his powerful connection to Ben Franklin. Now he's back at The Marsh theater in Berkeley with his latest show, What Is to be Done? which has been such a hit it is now on its third extension.
LOS ANGELES -- Searchlight Pictures' "Is This Thing On?" stars Will Arnett and Laura Dern as a couple in a struggling marriage. The dramedy - directed, produced, and with a screenplay by Bradley Cooper - follows Alex (Arnett), who is "seeking new purpose in the New York comedy scene." In the newly released trailer, Alex begins his stand-up comedy set with "I think I'm getting a divorce. What tipped me off was that I'm living in an apartment on my own. Yeah, and my wife and kids don't live there, so... That was probably the- the biggest clue."
One of the best stand-up comedians working today, Rachel Feinstein is coming to The Room at The Clubhouse Hamptons in East Hampton (174 Daniels Hole Road) this Wednesday, August 27 from 811 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.). Presented by Governor's Comedy Club, Feinstein's show will be new material following the release of her hit Netflix special Big Guy, released in May of 2024, where she shared many stories of her NYC firefighter husband, her wacky parents and young daughter.
