Comedians


Comedy veteran Steve Byrne has seemingly done it all and continues to push himself to accomplish even more. Starting over 20 years ago and cutting his teeth in all the major clubs in NYC, including the Comedy Cellar, he then ventured off to Los Angeles, began working at the Comedy Store and Hollywood Improv, and his career really took off. After becoming a regular on the late-night talk show circuit and even doing "The Tonight Show" ten times, Steve racked up multiple hour specials on Comedy Central, Netflix, and Showtime. In 2012, he starred in, produced and wrote the TBS hit show "Sullivan & Son", which ran for 3 seasons. Through the show, he cultivated a deep appreciation for storytelling, and in 2019 released his first film, "Always Amazing", a documentary about comic/magician the Amazing Johnathan. In 2020, Steve wrote and directed the indie feature "The Opening Act", his love letter to stand-up comedy, that garnered critic and audience ratings on Rotten Tomatoes at 82 and 83% Fresh. In 2022, he released his fifth hour special, "The Last Late Night", on Amazon Prime, his most innovative work to date and rated 5/5 stars – an hour special disguised as a late-night talk show. Steve continues to tour relentlessly, work on material, and is currently casting his next film that he wrote and will direct towards the end of this year.
Chris Distefano is one of today's biggest and most beloved names in comedy. Chris quickly rose to success after being named the funniest person on MTV for his show-stopping performances on the "Guy Code/Girl Code" series. From there, he went on to star in IFC’s "Benders", co-host the Netflix gameshow "Ultimate Beastmaster", and even have his own CBS sitcom. Outside of TV, Chris has become one of the most respected and flat-out funniest comedians in the stand-up world. Fresh off his appearances on "The Late Show with David Letterman" and "Late Night with Seth Meyers" in 2019, Chris released his first special, "Size 38 Waist", on Comedy Central, which perfectly encompassed both his Brooklyn-born edge and nice-guy charm. Chris’ second full-length special, "Speshy Weshy", premiered on Netflix in May of 2022 to wide acclaim. When Chris isn’t on stage delivering his gut-busting jokes, you can catch him in his element in the comfort of his own couch where he records his wildly successful podcasts, “Chrissy Chaos” and “Hey Babe”, the latter of which he co-hosts with "Impractical Jokers"' Sal Vulcano. Both podcasts are among the most popular on all streaming platforms and have massive followings on Patreon. In 2022, Chris was selected by Jimmy Kimmel to host Jimmy’s latest TV venture, "Super Maximum Retro Show", which is currently available to stream on ViceTV.A big sports fan, Chris has been fortunate to host episodes of shows including MLB’s "Off The Bat" and MSG's "The Brackets", and was invited by the New York Mets to throw the first game pitch in 2021. Chris has a fearless, yet endearing stage presence, and his natural ability to connect with audiences around the world has made him a household name in not just comedy, but all of entertainment. Since becoming the first stand-up comedian to sell out both the world-famous Radio City Music Hall and the Theater at Madison Square Garden on consecutive nights in September 2023, Chris continues to travel the world on a sold-out comedy tour, entertaining thousands by poking fun at the world – and himself – with his uniquely warm energy
Judy has had stand-up specials on HBO, Comedy Central and LOGO. She was a part of Netflix's Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration. She is the author of Yes I Can Say That: When They Come For The Comedians, We Are All In Trouble, a critically acclaimed book about free speech and cancel culture which debuted as the number one comedy release on Amazon and was featured in the New York Times Book Review. Judy is also host of the hit podcast, Kill Me Now with Judy Gold. Judy TV acting credits include, City On A Hill (Cassndra Kassell), FX’s Better Things (Chaya). Showtime's The First Lady (Elizabeth Read). Judy also guest stars as Sophie in the much-anticipated Apple TV+ drama series Extrapolations. Other guest stars include Hulu’s Life and Beth, and Season 2 of Peacock’s Girls 5 Eva. She has had recurring roles on Comedy Central's Awkwafina, Netflix’s Friends from College and TBS’ Search Party. Her recent film credits include Love Reconsidered and the upcoming She Came To Me, and Eternal Buzz. Judy is one of the main subjects in the Hulu documentary Hysterical. She has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Tonight Show. From 1999-2010, Judy was the host of HBO’s At the Multiplex with Judy Gold. Judy also won two Emmy awards for writing and producing The Rosie O’Donnell Show. She was also a writer on the final season of Better Things. Judy has written and starred in two critically acclaimed, Off-Broadway hit shows: The Judy Show – My Life as a Sitcom (Outer Critics Circle Nomination), and 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother (GLAAD Media Award – Outstanding NY Theater, Drama Desk Nomination – Actor). Judy received rave reviews as Gremio in The Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park all-female production of The Taming of The Shrew. She also co-starred in Off-Broadway’s Clinton! The Musical, and Disaster! The Musical. Judy has made numerous appearances on The View, The Today Show, The Drew Barrymore Show, and on MSNBC, CNN and NewsNation as free-speech advocate. She often pops up on The Food Network, but please do not mention Chopped All Stars or Rachel vs. Guy to her. Judy’s three albums, Conduct Unbecoming, Kill Me Now and Judith’s Roommate Had a Baby are available wherever you get your music. You can also check out her website, JudyGold.com or follow her on Twitter, Instagram or Tik Tok - @jewdygold
Chuck Nice is a Philadelphia native and a 18 year veteran of stand up comedy with a rich history in television and radio. For eight years he provided comic relief to the Radio Chick show, bringing the funny to New York’s radio air waves. From that time until present, Chuck has been equally busy making a name for himself on the small screen. He is the host of Buy Like A Mega Millionaire on HGTV, The Juice on Veria Living and The Hot Ten on Centric. Chuck is seen regularly on the Today Show, has guest hosted Joy Behar’s Say Anything and Co-hosted The View. Chuck maintains his radio presence as the co-host of Star Talk Radio with Dr. Neil Degrasse Tyson where he provides humorous commentary on one his favorite subjects...science.
Dante Nero is a comedian, born and bred in Brooklyn, New York. A trained martial artist, Nero dabbled in various fields before turning to comedy. He earned a fencing scholarship to SUNY New Paltz, before working for a phone company and serving as a bouncer and an exotic dancer. In 2001, Dante turned to a different sort of performance: stand up comedy. He quickly made a name for himself, working with established and successful comics like Tracy Morgan and Mike Epps. He co-hosted The Black Phillip Show with Patrice O’Neal, a relationship advice show on Sirius XM Radio. Dante has appeared on The Opie & Anthony Channel, Hot 97, and Chappelle’s Show. An accomplished actor, Dante has appeared on Z Rock on IFC, Damages on FX, and the popular series Fringe on FOX. Recently, Nero had a role in the NBC crime drama, The Blacklist.
Michael is a Senior Correspondent on "The Daily Show". Previously, he hosted and was the co-executive producer on "The Comment Section" for the E! Network. He is well known from his numerous late night appearances on "The Tonight Show", "Conan", "Seth Meyers", and "@midnight". Michael co-hosted Fox Sports "1’s Crowd Goes Wild" opposite Regis Philbin, and was a regular Correspondent for "The Soup Investigates" with Joel McHale. His one-hour Comedy Central stand-up special, "Michael Kosta: Detroit. NY. LA." is now streaming on Paramount+ and YouTube. Michael is a former pro tennis player, and is now a frequent contributor on "The Tennis Channel" and hosts a weekly podcast called "Tennis Anyone with Michael Kosta". Watch his videos online at @MichaelKosta.
Peter Grosz started his comedic career in Chicago at iO Chicago, the Annoyance Theater and The Second City. He’s written for Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers and Amy Sedaris. You’ve seen him in Veep, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Menu, The President Show, Search Party, Key and Peele, Inside Amy Schumer and more. He’s been a panelist on NPR’s Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me for 12 years and yes, he was the guy in the driver’s seat in those Sonic commercials.
Mark Normand is one of the most in-demand comedians working today. His self-produced Youtube special, "Out to Lunch" has over 11 million views! He also co-hosts two very popular podcasts, "Tuesdays with Stories" with Joe List and "We Might Be Drunk" with Sam Morril. Mark has also done a Comedy Central HALF HOUR special, has appeared on TBS’s CONAN 4 times, Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Showtime’s “Live at SXSW”, INSIDE AMY SCHUMER, TruTv, Best Week Ever, MTv, Last Comic Standing, @Midnight and released an album with Comedy Central records titled “Still Got It” (it’s not bad).
Brittany Carney began comedy in Washington, DC, and is now based in New York, where she performs around the city. Her 2021 Comedy Central: Featuring is available on YouTube. She is a staff writer for That Damn Michael Che on HBO max.
Atheer Yacoub is a Brooklyn based comedian and writer, whose comedy is inspired by her Palestinian-Muslim upbringing in Alabama. Atheer has a half-hour special on Comedy Central Arabia and has been featured on AXSTV's Gotham Comedy Live. She has written for the Emmy award-winning channel BRIC TV on The Breakdown and Passport Control. She's also the co-creator of the sketch comedy show Muslim Girls DTF: Discuss Their Faith, which won Series Fest Best Independent Comedy Writing. Atheer also co-hosts The No Fly List podcast which features funny conversations with other comedians, artists, and interesting people of color. She has been featured in numerous comedy festivals and tours domestically and internationally. Come watch her record her first comedy album!
Rachel Williams is a stand up comedian from Long Island, NY who started her comedy career right out of college. Now you can catch her performing stand up almost every night all over the city. She’s been on SiriusXM, a part of the 2022 New York Comedy Festival and a featured performer at the 2023 Rogue Island Comedy Festival. See all her most recent work @wachelrilliams on all social media platforms.
Seaton Smith is a comedian & actor. In late 2014 Seaton made his television debut as ‘Motif’ on Fox's Mulaney. Soon after in 2015 he had a breakout performance on “late night with seth meyers.” then he got real lucky appearing in Inside Amy Schumer. In the season 5 finale of HBO “Girls.” and Hulu's Difficult People. All while also being a regular guest on the comedy central’s nightly show. Vulture named him one of the 50 comedians you should know in 2015: " he’s bursting with energy in a way that sets him apart in a overcrowded stand-up scene." Chortle.com says Seaton “offers a mesmerizing, livewire performance, full of joy and amazing comic energy”. "A naturally effervescent stage presence. As spirited as he is cerebral…one to watch." Time Out New York In September 2015 under the legendary comedy record comedy new wave Seaton released his debut album bologna meat. Which laugh button reviewed: Smith’s humor is smart, energetic, and refreshingly clever as he fiddles with unique views on the world…continuously brings something new and exciting to stale topics.” He’s performed at over 200 colleges across the country and he has headlined shows across the world, appearing in international comedy festivals the Montreal just for laughs, Melbourne Comedy Festival, and the Iveagh Gardens Comedy Festival in Dublin. I got platinum miles yo! – Seaton Smith once said. Originally starting in Washington DC, he now lives in NYC.
CORINNE FISHER is a stand-up comedian, writer, director & actor originally from Union, NJ and currently residing in New York City. Most recently, she directed the debut comedy special from her and her longtime comedy partner, Krystyna Hutchinson. The special is set to air in February 2022. The duo is most known for co-creating and co-hosting their groundbreaking, genre-creating GUYS WE F*CKED: The Anti Slut-Shaming podcast — a vulnerable firsthand look into modern female sexuality from a comedic perspective — which began tearing up charts in December 2013. Over eight years later, the show boasts millions of listeners nationally and internationally and has inspired dozens of female-led comedy/sexuality shows. The podcast has hit #1 on the iTunes comedy charts multiple times and has been featured in Vogue, Interview, Esquire, The Huffington Post, The Daily Beast, Splitsider, Mother Jones, Perez Hilton, Elle, A.V. Club, E! News, People, US Magazine, Bust, CNN, and The Village Voice as well as on Sirius Radio, and NBC’s Last Call with Carson Daly. High-profile guests include Amanda Knox, Amber Rose, and Fran Drescher. The podcast was also turned into a book by HarperCollins entitled F*CKED: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That’s Screwed and the duo was asked to give a TEDx talk exploring topics from their show. Corinne first made a splash in the comedy scene with her debut one-woman show Corinne Fisher: I STALK YOU (Dir. David Crabb) which had a run at The Peoples Improv Theater in the Summer of 2010 and was a featured show in Time Out New York. Since then, she has been a regular on the stand-up scene selling out shows at world-famous clubs like The Comedy Store, New York Comedy Club, The Stand, and Caroline’s on Broadway and theaters such as The Wilbur in Boston, the Athenaeum in Chicago, and the Tribeca Performing Arts Center in New York City. Fisher has also been selected to perform at the prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in both Montreal and Toronto, Moontower Comedy Festival, Boston Comedy Festival, and cult favorite Skankfest. She’s been seen on FOX’s LAUGHS and her show with fellow comic Katie Hannigan THE COMEDIENNE PROJECT (Dir. Ted Alexandro) was selected for the NYC Fringe Festival. Fisher remains an innovator in podcasting, having co-created the WITHOUT A COUNTRY podcast which she currently co-hosts with comedian Shayne Smith, a weekly news shows that covers stories using a slew of sources from various political perspectives. She also previously co-hosted and co-created TWO LESS LONELY GIRLS, a podcast for adult Justin Bieber fans with comedian Rosebud Baker. Right now, Corinne is working on writing and producing several projects including the cartoon series MYSTERY SQUAD GALS created by Ryan Duff. In an unexpected plot twist, she also took over her Dad’s baseball card and horror collectibles store, Perfectly Centered, in 2021.
Comedian Tom Cotter has taken the comedy scene by storm since finishing as runner-up and becoming the Breakout Star from Season 7’s "America's Got Talent." He lost to a dog act, but don’t hold that against him; Tom was the first comedian ever to be a finalist on the show and was the highest finishing human being on the show that year. In August 2013, AGT asked Tom back to perform as a special guest star (along with Train) and then again to host “The Season 8 AGT Snapple Viewing Party.” In January 2019 Tom was again invited back to the AGT stage - this time to perform against the best of the best “Got Talent” performers from other years and around the world in “America’s Got Talent: The Champions.” In one the most talked about sets of the entire competition, Tom received a STANDING OVATION from the adoring crowd. Tom's other numerous television and radio credits include "The Tonight Show,” “Last Comic Standing,” his very own "Comedy Central Presents... Tom Cotter, "The Howard Stern Show, Comics Unleashed, multiple appearances on CBS’ "The Late Late Show" and Celebrity Host of “Gotham Comedy Live” on AXS-TV. You can find Tom headlining all of America's most famous comedy clubs including The Comedy Cellar, The Improv and Caroline's On Broadway just to name a few. Tom has also been featured at the Montreal "Just For Laughs" Festival, the HBO Comedy Arts Festival and headlining "America's Got Talent Live" show at the Palazzo, Las Vegas. And recently, Tom was on the dais and took part in the Friars Club Roast of Boomer Esiason at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. Tom is also a regular on Fox News Channel and co-starred on an episode of CBS’ “The Good Wife.” In addition, Tom has performed in a wide variety of venues from Alaska to China. His appeal is truly international as he was summoned to London to tour and perform on British Television, and won The Seattle International Stand-Up Comedy Competition and Boston Comedy Festival as The Boston Herald noted “winning by the largest margin of victory in the history of the event.” Tom came out with his first book, “Bad Dad: A Guide to Pitiful Parenting” (Willow Street Press) in February 2016 which is a collection of jokes, gags, one-liners and pithy bad advice for fed-up parents everywhere. It is this kind of versatility that has allowed Tom to excel in other areas of showbiz as well. So whether it be comedy, voice-overs, or acting, Tom Cotter gives it everything he's got. "If laughter is the best medicine, I yearn to be drugged."
Samantha Santos is a NYC based stand up comedian and podcaster. She has her “Soft Launch” Podcast Every Wednesday.
Originally from Atlanta, GA, Michael is a New York-based stand-up comedian and actor who just made his television acting debut as a series regular in the new FOX comedy ANIMAL CONTROL opposite Joel McHale. He also just made his late-night tv debut on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and this past summer was honored as a New Face at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal. He’s been featured multiple times on “This Week at the Comedy Cellar” on Comedy Central, as well as “Stupid Questions” with Chris DiStefano and “Pause with Sam Jay” on HBOMax. He also has a feature set for Comedy Central Digital, and in 2019 he was a finalist in the "New York's Funniest Stand Up" competition for New York Comedy Festival. You can also hear him on his podcast In The Minivan. See him while you still can, because the boy rides a bike with no helmet in New York, and we’re not sure how long he’s going to last.
Ophira Eisenberg is a standup comic and host of NPR’s nationally syndicated comedy, trivia show Ask Me Another where she interviews and plays silly games with Sir Patrick Stewart, Terry Crews, Awkwafina, Roxane Gay, Jessica Walter, Nick Kroll, Tony Hawk, Sasha Velour, Julia Stiles, Lewis Black, Uzo Aduba, Ethan Hawke and more. She has appeared on Comedy Central, This Week At The Comedy Cellar, The Late Late Show, The New Yorker Festival, Kevin Hart’s LOL Network, HBO’s Girls, Gotham Live, The Today Show, and VH-1, and more Her comedy special Inside Joke is available on Amazon and iTunes. She also is a regular host and teller with The Moth and her stories have been featured on The Moth Radio Hour and in their best-selling books, including the most recent: Occasional Magic: True Stories About Defying the Impossible. Ophira’s own comedic memoir, Screw Everyone: Sleeping My Way to Monogamy was optioned for a feature film.
Juan is a stand up comedian, writer and occasional nude model. His comedy has been described as "Larry David meets Sofia Vergara", a thing he takes as a big compliment. He is a long time writer and performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater and a former on screen talent for FLAMA, Univision's bilingual digital platform where his viral videos were viewed over 20 million times. He has written for McSweeney's and his work was featured in Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, Latina Magazine, Time Out NY and The New York Times. He is originally from Uruguay (the other Paraguay).
Alingon Mitra is a stand up comedian known for his tight jokes, original thoughts, and affable presence. Making his television debut on NBC's Last Comic Standing, Alingon finished first in the public vote 5 weeks in a row to win the comic comeback contest and perform on the finale. He has since been invited to do stand up on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Conan, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and Adam Devine's House Party on Comedy Central. In addition, he wrote for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and Adam Ruins Everything. Alingon went on to be named one of the "New Faces of Comedy" at Montreal's Just for Laughs Comedy Festival. He also won both the Boston Comedy Festival and the "Funniest Comic in New England" contest in the same year. Alingon was a writer for the humor magazine The Harvard Lampoon and can now be found on Twitter, on Facebook, or in bed.
Mia Jackson is a Georgia peach (that's Georgian for “native”), currently living in New York. In 2017, she was selected as a New Face by the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival and Atlanta's Creative Loafing named her the Critic's Choice Best Stand-Up in the city. She has toured nationally with Amy Schumer and is a featured comic at festivals and clubs across the country. Her first stand up special aired as part of Unprotected Sets on EPIX in 2018. Mia has appeared on Comedy Central's This Week at the Comedy Cellar, NBC's Last Comic Standing and HBO Max. Her Comedy Central half hour special debuted in November 2019.
A comedian since 2013, Raj Suresh tells jokes about cats, being Indian, race, politics and more and has performed in most of the United States and overseas, too. His debut album aired on SiriusXM and his new special will release mid-2023. He lives in New York City with his girlfriend and their cat/small tiger named Mr. Jack.
Jiaoying Summers is a stand up comedian, Asian Hall of Fame inductee and social media comedy queen with over one billion online views and counting. She is a sold out national headliner. She recently starred in Netflix is a Joke Festival's Women in Comedy Show. Her 30-minute comedy special HOT GIRL SUMMERS is streaming on Peacock TV and Prime Video. Jiaoying is also an award-winning actress, CEO of Summers Group, and philanthropist empowering women and children and helping causes that touch Asian American communities. She was recently featured on BBC, CBS aNews, FOX News 5, NBC4, NBC Bay Area, KRON4, The LA Times, LA Confidential, San Francisco Chronicle, Yale Daily News, NHK World Japan and Vogue. She is the owner of The Hollywood Comedy in Los Angeles and focuses on producing shows that promote representation in comedy. “A major voice on the national comedy scene.” - Vogue International "Her name and survival story have one thing in common — a refusal to fade into the background." - The LA Times "[Summers is] amplifying the Asian American perspective through her work [with] uncensored, unapologetic comedic stylings." - San Francisco Chronicle Jiaoying Summers has been named one of “The Women Running The [Comedy] Scene in L.A.” -The LA Times