Comedians


Now a massive star in Ireland, native New Yorker, Des moved from Queens to Ireland in his mid-teens in 1990. He first came to prominence with his extraordinary TV series The Des Bishop Work Experience (2004), where he lived on minimum wage in a series of different jobs in Ireland. Mixing this documentary footage with stand-up, the series became one of the most talked-about of the year, and propelled Des into national stardom. In 2006, he embarked on his second critically acclaimed TV series, Joy In The Hood, where he taught stand-up comedy in disadvantaged areas in four major Irish cities. Another hugely successful live tour followed including invitations to the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal and the Melbourne Comedy Festival in Australia. Des’s most recent project took him to Beijing, China in 2013 to learn Mandarin and he has been living there for the past 18 months. He is now fluent and the show, Breaking China was another major hit for broadcaster RTE in 2014 and he also made a half hour radio documentary about the rise of Stand Up in China for the BBC World Service called “Stand up for China”. His live show again opened at the Edinburgh Festival where he played to over 5,000 people and included an invitation to perform at the Soho Theatre in London and a return to Barrow Street in New York.
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.
Beau McDowell is a stand-up comedian and former co-host of the "Losers with a Dream" podcast alongside comedy legend Lisa Lampanelli. Beau performs regularly on the East Coast, and is known for his big personality, big stature, and even bigger sense of humor about his former struggles with substance abuse, family codependency, and his search for self-acceptance. Beau’s ability to approach serious, and sometimes heartbreaking, experiences with levity and warmth differentiate him as a comedian on the rise with something new to say. Find him on Instagram @beaumcdowellcomedy!
Carmen Lynch has appeared on a string of late night TV shows including The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and Conan. She has also appeared on Inside Amy Schumer, That Damn Michael Che, Life & Beth and the documentary Hysterical. Carmen also tours doing stand up in Spanish, has a podcast on SiriusXM called The Human CentiPOD in English and another podcast in Spanish titled Podria Ser Peor. Her two comedy specials (one in English and one in Spanish) will be released later this year. For dates to her tapings and other road gigs check out carmenlynch.com/tour/ and IG/TikTok @carmencomedian.
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
Tyler is an actor, stand-up comedian and viral content creator based in NYC. He has performed stand-up on America’s Got Talent, been a guest star on NBC’s Chicago Med, TV Land’s YOUNGER and STARTUP on Netflix. Tyler is known for his viral content with over 200 million views on his online videos. He was named “The Best New Impressionist” by the New York Times and “NY’s Funniest Comedian” at the NY Comedy Festival. He has been on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and co-starred alongside Gina Carano in the movie Terror on the Prairie on The Daily Wire. Tyler is a regular at the Comedy Cellar and is currently touring his stand-up comedy around the country!
Big Jay Oakerson is one of the most beloved and easily recognizable comedians working today. His laid-back style and dirty delivery are the signature marks of his comedy. Jay’s career spans two decades, starting in Philadelphia as a “comic’s comic” before rising mainstream fame in New York. Constantly touring the country, Jay has been a part of some of the biggest comedy festivals including Moontower, Bonnaroo, RockStar Energy Drink's Mayhem Fest, Gathering of the Juggalos, Funny or Die’s Oddball Festival. He has wowed audiences at the prestigious Just For Laughs Montreal festival an impressive four times, both on The Nasty Show and with his solo show, The American Storyteller. Most recently, he has been playing yearly on the hit Vegas sold out festival SkankFest, which Jay helps produce. Every week, Jay co-host's “The Bonfire” alongside Bob Kelly on Radio Sirius XM 95 Monday through Thursday 6-8pm EST. He is also the co-host of two wildly popular podcasts “Legion of Skanks” with Luis J. Gomez and Dave Smith and “The SDR (Sex, Drugs & Rock & Roll) Show” with Ralph Sutton both on The Gas Digital Network. On the screen, Jay has been featured on “This Is Not Happening” with Ari Shaffir, “Comedy Underground” with Dave Attell, FX’s Emmy winning “Louie”, “Inside Amy Schumer”, and “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” & Conan O’Brien. Longtime fans of Jay’s will also remember him as Neil, the sexually ambiguous owner of a NYC rock club, on IFC’s “Z-Rock”, and from his appearances on Comedy Central's “Premium Blend”, “Comedy Central Presents” and “Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn”. Jay’s debut hour special "Big Jay Oakerson: Live At Webster Hall" premiered on Comedy Central in 2016 and was filmed at the legendary music venue in New York City to provide the perfect heavy metal vibe for the show. Jay's comedy is raw, compelling and honest to the core, as he takes viewers on a journey of brutal truths. His second special premiered in 2018 as part of “The Degenerates” on Netflix and filmed in Las Vegas. Jay has also recorded 3 comedy albums on Comedy Central Records, “The Crowdwork Sessions: What’s Your F@#king Deal?! Volumes 1 & 2” which captures Jay’s raunchy, off-the-cuff essence with a full hour of crowdwork; and Jay’s first album, “An American Storyteller”, a one-hour onslaught of unbridled raunchy rock n' roll hilarity. This year, Jay released his newest hour, “Dog Belly” on YouTube already garnering over 1.7 million views. The long-awaited special was executive produced by Ari Shaffir and shot during 2022’s SkankFest. In this special, Jay dives deep into his own life, ranging from his own sexual insecurities to being called a Nazi as a Jewish man.
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.
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.
Mike Cannon is a New York City-based comedian, podcaster, writer, and actor. He has headlined at some of the world’s most iconic venues – including a sold-out performance at Gramercy Theatre in his hometown of NYC – and worked as a contributing producer, writer and panelist for ViceTV's "Super Maximum Retro Show" hosted by Chris Distefano in 2023. He also co-hosts of "Chrissy Chaos" podcast, also with Chris Distefano In 2022, Mike released two independently produced hour specials on Youtube – "Mike Cannon's Huge Mistake", a crowd work special on edibles, and "White Privilege Homeless" – both of which received wide praise from fans, comedians, and critics alike. His debut comedy special, "Life Begins", was released on YouTube in January 2020 and earned a spot on "Laugh Button"’s Top 35 Comedy Specials of 2020. The album version of "Life Begins" was released in February 2020 by 800 Pound Gorilla Records, and was recognized as one of "Interrobang"’s Top 11 Albums of 2020 as well as one of Sirius/XM Raw Dog Radio’s Top 10 Comedy Albums of 2020. Mike’s first comedy album, "I Think It Just Kicked In", debuted at #1 on the iTunes comedy charts and has over 5 million streams. Outside of stand-up, Mike has made a name for himself in both acting and writing. He earned critical acclaim for his performance as lead character Mike in the feature film Timing, which is available on Amazon Prime, and he can be seen on the popular Barstool Sports series "Friday Night Pints" and "Answer The Internet", "Stupid Questions with Chris Distefano" and "The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore" on Comedy Central, as well as Blake Griffin’s "Double Cross", "Greatest Ever", and "Top Funniest", all on TruTV. Additional appearances include "Failosophy" and "Money From Strangers" on MTV, "Red Eye" on Fox, and MSG’s "The Bracket". He was a contributing writer and performer on MTV2’s "Guy Code", co-host of Cosmopolitan Magazine’s series "Sexy vs Skanky", and a featured performer on VH1’s "Why Am I Still Single?" In addition to "Chrissy Chaos", Mike hosts two digital series, "Heads Up with Mike Cannon" and "Mike Takes Edibles". He co-hosted "Here’s the Scenario" podcast with fellow comedians Mike Feeney and Brendan Sagalow, as well as hosted "Irish Goodbye Podcast" and the popular weekly web series "The Weed News with Mike Cannon". Mike is a regular guest on Sirius/XM Radio, including recurring features on "The Jim Norton and Sam Roberts Show", KFC Radio, Barstool Radio, "Barstool Breakfast", and "The Bonfire with Big Jay Oakerson and Dan Soder and Bennington". When he’s not on his nationwide tour, he plays all the major New York City clubs, including the Comedy Cellar and New York Comedy Club. It makes no difference to him whether he’s performing in a club, bar, casino, elevator (done that twice), parking lot, rooftop, on a fake beach in front of a freight train, or in technically-legal underground speakeasies; comedy is his life. Mike is dedicated to making the majority of you laugh and the rest of you confused, yet oddly satiated.
Skye Grayson began working in fashion and film in New York City as a teenager. She attended Columbia University, and started producing and performing stand-up comedy a year after college. She has performed at venues including Stand Up New York and Greenwich Village Comedy Club.
Aric Grooms is cofounder and CEO of "Very Good Comedy Show"! He regularly headlines with the show across the country, and has appeared in the NY Comedy Festival. When the 2020 pandemic shut down stand-up stages, Aric shifted focus to creating and starring in festival-winning films "MidLife" and "God's Will", which are currently available on streaming platforms. While he now calls New York City home, Aric will always be a Southern Ohio Boy (S.O.B.) at heart! This shines through on stage as he weaves tales of his simple beginnings into his commentary on the day-to-day rat race that is NYC Trained as an Evangelical minister and married to a Jewish clergywoman, Aric has lots to say about religion and family! His years of ups and downs with relationships and congregations – not to mention raising four energetic, independent children – provides an endless supply of entertaining tales!
Born and raised in New York, Kevin Herrera is known for his comedic wit. Kevin has always been the “clown” with not only with his friends, but also within his large Hispanic family. Kevin’s unfiltered, raw comedy is inspired by his triumphed life experiences. Life experiences that to most would likely break an individual, Kevin was able to take his humor and flourish. He has always had a love for comedy as it has been his solace and plays an imperative role in the person that he is today. Kevin soon took a more creative approach with his organic comedic trait and animated persona, by expanding his comedy and producing relatable skits on social media for the everyday married couple and parent. Currently at 1.5 million followers on TikTok and 340k on Instagram, Only Raising Kings continues to grow beyond what he could ever imagine. Kevin is also the creator of The Lunchroom, a podcast that gives the uncensored perspectives of how the everyday man thinks in real life situations. Now as a social media influencer, Kevin wanted more, he knew he was ready to not only share his humor but his life story.
LUCAS ZELNICK is a stand-up comedian born, raised, and based in New York City, who challenges his cushy upbringing through punch-heavy material. Lucas’s stand-up clips have exploded online, where he has received over 100M views and 500K+ followers across Instagram and TikTok. In 2022, Lucas established a strong baseline for himself as a touring comedian, selling out 8 shows at Zanies Chicago. That same year, he appeared in SF Sketchfest and as a guest on Amazon Prime Video’s Sports Talk. 2023 was a breakout year for Lucas: he headlined the New York Comedy Festival, taped a secret set with Don't Tell Comedy, and taped his Comedy Central debut for Season 14 of Comedy Central Stand-Up Featuring. For no particular reason, he also holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Michael Rapaport is an American actor and comedian. He has appeared in over sixty films since the early 1990s, and starred on the sitcom The War at Home. He also appeared in Boston Public, Friends, Prison Break, Justified, and Atypical. Some of his notable film roles include True Romance (1993), Higher Learning (1995), Metro (1997), Cop Land (1997), Deep Blue Sea (1999), The 6th Day (2000), Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001), Big Fan (2009), and The Heat (2013). He also directed the award winning documentary Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest (2011).” He’s also the host of the world wide phenomenon “I Am Rapaport Stereo Podcast”
Jake Velazquez is an NYC native and comedian, born and raised in Riverdale. Raised by an East Village artist and renowned musician, his comedy consists of his unconventional upbringing, his divergent ethnicities and edgy observations that could only come from a seasoned New Yorker. He has been featured on New York Comedy Festival's New York's Funniest 2023, NY Comics to Watch 2022, and Red Clay Comedy Festival. Jake has also been the opening act for Jordan Jensen since 2022 and is a regular at New York Comedy Club.
Maria Heinegg is a comedian, writer and actress who has been seen on Bravo, Spike TV and heard on Sirius radio. She's been featured in the New York Comedy Festival, Bridgetown Comedy Festival, High Mud Comedy Festival and Brooklyn Comedy Festival. Maria has opened for Tig Notaro, Gina Yashere, Dan St. Germain, Brooke Van Poppelan and Mike Lawrence. She's written for XOJane, HuffPo, Milk.XYZ, CollegeHumor and I Can Has Cheezburger?. She hosts "The Worst Thing Podcast" on iTunes and cohosts and produces Butterscotch Comedy 1st Thursdays in Ft. Greene with Courtney Fearrington. She's steady tweeting at (@mariaheinegg). Maria loves children crying in Santa pictures, pad thai and holding your dog.
Giulio Gallarotti is a New York City-based stand-up comedian, actor, host and podcaster. He made his Netflix stand-up comedy special debut on "Pete Davidson Presents: The Best Friends" in June 2022. His podcast, "Oops," is regularly listed on the iTunes top charts. He has appeared on TV shows such as Peacock’s "Bupkis", Hulu's "Ramy", "AXS Gotham Comedy Live" and MTV's "Totally Clueless/Girl Code", as well as Comedy Central and SiriusXM radio. Giulio is an avid traveler which he has documented in several projects including "Places You Can Go", filmed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and "Standup in Rwanda: It's Not So Different". In Afghanistan, he started a school system in a rural area that now employs seven faculty members and teaches over 400 boys and girls. Giulio performs regularly at comedy clubs in NYC and across the country.
RICK YOUNGER is a comedian and actor who you've undoubtedly seen in numerous national television commercials and stand up comedy appearances on “It’s Showtime at the Apollo” and AXS TV’s, “Gotham Comedy Live”. Film credits include Ordinary World and Morning Glory. He’s appeared on TV in the Woody Allen Amazon Series, "Crisis in Six Scenes", HBO's "Girls", "Blue Bloods", "Law & Order: SVU", “The Last O.G.”, and “The Other Two” on HBOMAX.  Rick has also been on Broadway where he originated the role of Mr. Duvall in Mean Girls the Musical. Instagram/Twitter: @RickYounger
Fresh off the boat into New York from Omagh, Northern Ireland, Aaron McCann burst onto the Irish comedy scene in 2012. Aaron has opened for some of the biggest names in comedy including Shane Gillis and Daniel Sloss. In 2023 Aaron teamed up with fellow comedian Colin Geddis to form “the bomb squad podcast” which has quickly become one of the biggest podcasts to come out of Northern Ireland selling out live shows together across Ireland and the UK.
Emily Walsh is a comedian who performs nightly in bars and comedy clubs across New York City. Originally from Boston, MA, Emily moved to New York City after college to pursue her dream of painting scenery for theatre, film and television. She still paints because comedy doesn’t provide healthcare. Emily recently headlined a sold out Stand Up NY as part of their Headliner Series. She won 1st place in the Comedy Mob Festival at Stand Up NY in 2018, with 200+ comedian submissions, 2nd place in the She Devil Comedy Festival in 2019 at Broadway Comedy Club, and has been named Comic of the Week on Jackie Kashian and Laurie Kilmartin’s podcast the Jackie and Laurie Show. Festival credits include HBO’s Women in Comedy Festival, Gilda’s Laughfest, the Out of Bounds Festival in Austin, and the Cape Fear Comedy Festival, Oak City Comedy Festival, Maine Comedy Festival, and the Rogue Island Comedy Festival. She hosts and coproduces a bi-monthly show in the East Village called Keeping It Fresh as well as coproducing a show called Isn’t She Funny every week in Brooklyn. Her mom is very supportive of her comedy, and really wants her to write a tv show called “Lady Seinfeld.” So look out for that.
Kevin, originally from Philadelphia – now in New York City, is a stand up comic who is on stage every night telling jokes. He is quickly becoming an audience favorite with his easy going yet straight forward point of view. His jokes topics include everything from daily interactions with strangers to how his self esteem is so low that he is no longer in his own dreams. In 2015 Kevin made his television debut on ‘Gotham Comedy Live” on AXS TV and was also selected to participate in the Boston Comedy Festival.
Rachel Feinstein is a nationally touring comedian and actress. AV Club says “Feinstein’s acute observations create silly, sympathetic characters keeping her subtly, exquisitely attuned to her audience. She has appeared on LIFE & BETH for Hulu. Rachel also recurred on the Steven Soderbergh Amazon series RED OAKS and on Judd Apatow’s HBO comedy CRASHING. Her past credits include TRAINWRECK, TOP FIVE, THE NIGHTLY SHOW WITH LARRY WILMORE, HBO’s LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER, co-hosting THE VIEW on multiple occasions, and several appearances on INSIDE AMY SCHUMER for which she won a WGA award. You may also remember Rachel co-hosting alongside Shaq on UPLOAD WITH SHAQUILLE ONEAL. Feinstein has also lent her voice to Adult Swim’s VENTURE BROTHERS and the phenomenally successful GRAND THEFT AUTO video game franchise.