Today's Comedians: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Jo Koy, another I had never heard of. He's funny, to me.

Bert doesn't induce laughter in me either, but he seems like an okay guy. I like Whitney Cummings and find her fascinating to listen to, but I also don't find her standup particularly funny—I like her personality more than anything else, disorders and all.

I tend to gravitate toward genuinely weird female comedians. Jordan Jensen is an example of this. I also love Ali Macofsky and find her voice and low-energy delivery fucking hilarious.

Nikki Glaser is good for a few laughs, but her "I'm really slutty" act can get tiring after a while.

Trevor Noah's 2022 show I Wish You Would is very funny. I'm surprised.

Women aren’t funny.

I disagree with Jerry Lewis. I guess Amy Schumer is a rip-off artist but the 2023 Netflix standup I just watched is very funny. Wanda Sykes is funny. In the past Sarah Silverman and Joan Rivers made me laugh. Moms Mabley and Lawanda Page. And so on

They’re all woke now. 🚬

I can't fucking stand Amy Schumer.

Bill Burr, Norm MacDonald, and Sebastian Maniscalco.

R1 funny as hell. Never heard of him before, either.

And Jo Koy seems to be a raging success playing huge arenas.

R9 "Today's comedians" implies LIVING comedians. Norm Macdonald died 2 years ago, Dora Dumbfuck.

I hate slob comedians. Beer, pussy, sports, pussy, beer, menstruation.

The Bad: Any comedian over 45 who recycles punch-down jokes from the 80s and feigns shock at the public's reaction forty years later.

Openly gay Fortune for the win!!!

Something shorter from 7 years ago =

Today’s PC culture doesn’t allow funny. Everyone has to walk on eggshells as to not offend the perpetually offended.

[quote] Any comedian over 45 who recycles punch-down jokes

And here’s our resident scold.

From 5-3-14

I love Kathleen Madigan!

I love Leanne Morgan and her Netflix special is hysterical. But if you aren’t from the South, don’t bother.

To the Fortune Feimster stan - you have a UNIQUE definition of "today"!

Wanda Sykes’ most recent Netflix standup special is hilarious.

I agree with R9, except take out Norm for John Mulaney and add Tom Segura.

For me, Anthony Jeselnik is head and shoulders above his peers -- a distinctive sensibility and delivery, and really smart. (His take on "wokeness" in the link below is surprising and refreshing.)

I like Josh Sneed. I just recently saw this Video of him. Pretty darn funny! Especially the bit about hillbillies in Gatlinburg, TN.

R22 You attack me but leave R23 the Wanda-stan alone?

Debra DiGiovanni is hilarious.

I like Heather McDonald.

This chick:

Have you heard...Heather McDonald and Justin Martindale are feuding.

Jackie the Jokeman Martling

I love Ms. Pat.

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog

Anjelah Johnson is pretty funny! This bit on Asian nail salons is on the money!

I'm not from the South, and I'm not a middle-aged woman—her two target audiences—but Leanne Morgan's new Netflix special makes me LOL.

Recently discovered Leah Sampson, and she cracks me up.

She has great material and her delivery is going to get her a big sitcom or movie gig before too long.

Bo Johnson is deadpan-cute and clever.

Another cute Bo Johnson clip.

He's good with crowd work, and his Instagram clips are universally enjoyable.

I've been trying to turn people on to Rory Scovel her for awhile. He's got a few specials. He's smart, weird, a bit of a loose cannon, and also really cute without being so cute that he's not funny anymore.

The first several minutes of his show "Rory Scovel Tries Stand Up For The First Time" took me by surprise. I was laughing my ass off right out of the gate. The first words that come out of his mouth already had me rolling. You just have to watch to see what I'm talking about.

He will take a premise and push it so far, for so long, you can't believe it. He just gnaws on a premise like a dog with a bone. ( Jim Gaffigan does this too, but Rory is way edgier and weirder.). And it just gets more funny and absurd the longer he persists. Seriously, he's very smart and funny. And weird. I adore this guy.

Here's another special Rory Scovel did, it's free on youtube. It follows him as he embarks on a five-night residency in which he has no pre-planned material. What he comes up with each night is fucking hysterical and beautiful and bizarre. Different mood every night. He is a master of crowd work.

"Who here has done anal?"

Kathleen Madigan is a genius. Leanne Morgan destroys me, she's just so adorable and funny.

[quote]The Bad: Any comedian over 45 who recycles punch-down jokes from the 80s and feigns shock at the public's reaction forty years later.

Reminds me of Nick Dipaolo. Very lazy comedian but maybe he's updated his act.

Tim Heidecker!!! I highly recommend, if you can wrap your mind around the idea of someone pretending to be a standup comedian for an hour and a half. I mean this in the best way possible. Tim is a beloved and seminal comedian in his own right for his work on the batshit absurd "Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!" on Adult Swim as well as other series, films and live performances.

Here, he gets super meta as he totally roasts the cocky cynicism and unselfaware egotism of a mainstream middle of the road comedian. Just a complete sendup of the concept of the standup comic.

John Early has a very entertaining new special out now. He sings, he jokes, and he's gayer than ever.

I fucking LOVE Kate Berlant. She is a GODDESS

Very few standups make me laugh. As mentioned, Anthony Jezelnik is excellent even though I know all his stuff is fake, his punchlines elicit a laugh from me.

I'm so glad I discovered Leanne Morgan a few months ago. I'm not her core demographic, but love her. PLEASE watch her Netflix special, I want her to get another one.

These are the only 2 specials over the past few years that have made me LOL the most for the entire hour. Like OP, I turn most others off after 10-15 of not even smiling once.

Prior to Cole Escola's crossing over into television, he was one of my favorite NYC area gay comics, lounge singers and video content creators.

Jim McCue. Very quick witted.

R48, what do you mean by "even though I know all his stuff is fake"?

Kathleen Madigan is funny as hell, she always delivers. Love her.

[quote]I love Leanne Morgan and her Netflix special is hysterical. But if you aren’t from the South, don’t bother.

I'm a New Englander and I watched her Netflix special and thought she was very funny.

[quote]For me, Anthony Jeselnik is head and shoulders above his peers -- a distinctive sensibility and delivery, and really smart.

And he's gay, too!

Who are they all related to in snow business?

R23 Wanda Sykes just has a funny vibe about her naturally. From her voice to her facial expressions. She’s hilarious.

OP wants approval because it takes her 10 minutes to know if a comic is good.

I have the hook ready after the first 20 seconds.

r51 Jezelnik's premises and jokes are all lies, there's no truth in them.

r54 he is dating a female photographer named Liz Vig. I know someone on here a few years ago said they saw him on Grindr and then saw that his location changed matching up to his tour over the following months, but he ain't gay.

OK, R58, I guess. But I don't think anything about Jeselnik's act indicates that he wants you to take his jokes as accurate statements of his actual views and life choices. One could say the same about a great many other comics.

r58 he's gay.

I congratulate R35 and several others, up thread, for managing to stop time. And for being 60... but looking 45! Because the concerts you are posting are 15 years old.

Great joke for a thread about "Today's Comedians".

The funniest comic today is Totie Fields!

Well R61 The OP didn't give an exact time frame so everyone is just posting their own interpretations of "today".

Today can mean modern ere of several decades (post 2000 hence Wanda S. being mentioned), recent (most of the above posts) or those becoming household names now (like Fortune F. & her Arnold S. connection).

Well that's certainly what is happening so good point.

BK is MAGA trash. Why is is allowed to be posted here Muriel?

DL has embarrassed itself.

When a thread on "today's comedians" brings up Anthony Jesenik, Wanda Sykes, Fortune Feimster, and Cole Escola.

If those are tops on your recommendation list, you need to get out there. Which is easy to do. These are 30-second clips on social media, elders.

But Rory Scovel tho

R2 is the best newbie here. Will keep an eye on her.

I love Jim Gaffigan.... he's my spirit animal

I just watched Sebastian Maniscalco's Is It Me from 2022. Which is entirely based on being incredulous about woke culture. I found it appalling, but often accurate satire and damned if I didn't laugh a several times.

Lord have mercy, R65 -- Anthony Jeselnik's first big-time success was an album in 2010. We're not talking about Henny Youngman here.

Who is a good comedian to recommend my friend who’s a 77-year-old man? Thank you.

I vote for Jessica Kirson R71. She's scary and funny. I like her riffs on Old Jewish People in Florida...l.

Breeders like those Joe the Plumber-types who talk about beer, pussy, farts and the wife's menstrual cycle. Baritone voice mandatory.