Photo: Xenia Bogarova on Unsplash
Get ready to laugh out loud.
By Jaycee Levin — Written on Oct 25, 2019
I love going to comedy shows and I have been going for a long time. My first comedy show that got me really interested in comedy was in 2013, when I saw Bo Burnham, Pete Holmes, and Nick Kroll at The Largo Theatre in Los Angeles. I also used to pay five dollars for a musical improv show every week that Donald Glover, also known as Childish Gambino, was in.
I have been listening to Bowen Yang, the newest cast member on Saturday Night Live, on his podcast, "Las Culturistas," since before he even became a writer for SNL.
I go to so many shows that I tend to be pretty good at spotting rising comedians before they become famous.
It can be very exciting to watch someone’s career blossom before your eyes, and It really makes you feel like a proud mom. It can also feel rewarding for you to get the opportunity to support someone because you believe in their talent, even if the world hasn’t caught on to it yet!
It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to become a successful and recognizable comedian, and a lot of comedians are more underrated than they should be, so it can feel powerful to try to change that! There is also a nice sense of community when you see a comedian perform at a smaller venue and on a smaller scale because it feels more intimate.
When the comedian that you have loved for a long time finally becomes famous, you get bragging rights to say that you have been following them since the beginning. However, It can be difficult to find out which comedian’s humour you connect with because there are so many talented comedians out there. So you might be wondering, where should I begin?
Let me tell you about the comedians to pay attention to in 2019:
1. Catherine Cohen
We are absolutely addicted to our Queen, Catherine Cohen! She is a comedian who tends to sing sassy songs about her love life. Cohen is the epitome of a millennial and she uses that to her advantage by really stepping into that character when she is performing.
She hosts a weekly show, called Cabernet Cabaret at Club Cumming as well as hosting the popular Foreverdog podcast, “Seek Treatment,” alongside her best friend Pat Regan. She just finished performing sold out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and also made her Late Night debut on Late Night with Seth Meyers.
So keep your eye out for Catherine Cohen because she is bound to be a celebrity, which is exactly what she wants.
2. Brandon Scott Jones
You can see Brandon Scott Jones as a new recurring cast member on NBC’s The Good Place, playing the role of gossipy pop culture writer, John Wheaton. He played Rebel Wilson’s gay best friend in the movie Isn’t it Romantic?
Before all of that, BSJ was an improviser at the Uprights Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York. He was on the team Grandma’s Ashes and Assscat 3000. Since he recently started doing more television and film work, he now resides in Los Angeles and currently does shows at the UCB locations there!
3. Pat Regan
Pat Regan, cohost of the podcast, “Seek Treatment,” is definitely a comedian you should pay attention to. Regan had a show at the Duplex called Unsuccessful by Choice where he contemplated his future as the first gay man in history to be unsuccessful.
His stand up sets heavily consist of him talking about pop culture, from teaching people about Fergie to explaining the Kardashian family tree, even. Not to mention, his Twitter feed is incredibly amusing. Pat Regan is sweet, hilarious, and lovable. You will definitely be glad you found out about him.
4. Brent Weinbach
Brent Weinbach is a stand up comedian based in Los Angeles. He is known for his unique personality and delivering his jokes in a monotone manner. Every joke he tells always goes the unexpected route and will make you laugh before you even know why you are laughing!
Brent Weinbach is most notably known for making funny viral videos like "Gangster Party Line" and "Mind Jack." He also helped create and direct Pound House, the popular web series, with his collaborator, DJ Douggpound. Brent Weinbach is a delight and we can’t wait to see what he has in store!
5. Andrew Michaan
Andrew Michaan is a comedian, actor, and writer. He currently puts on and co-hosts a monthly show called Good Looks at Uprights Citizens Brigade Franklin. He is known for being a writer on the television series Magic for Humans and acting in the show Adam Ruins Everything.
He has started to gain more recognition since he started to host his own podcast called “Podcast but Outside,” alongside Cole Hersch. Him and Hersch set up the podcast outside in busy locations and interview strangers passing by. It is a recorded podcast and can be found on YouTube, however clips of it have been going viral on social media sites like Facebook.
6. Larry Owens
Larry Owens is a New York theatre performer with an amazing voice. Owens studied improv and acting in Chicago at the School at Steppenwolf. He recently starred in the successful off-broadway show, A Strange Loop.
When Owens performs stand up, he blends his jokes with songs and always puts on a show-stopping performance. It is also fun to see how he seamlessly weaves pop culture topics throughout his set. He performs around New York City at places like Carolines on Broadway and Union Hall. Larry Owen’s voice is worth hearing live.
7. Sarah Squirm (Also Known As Sarah Sherman)
Sarah Squirm’s comedy is on the brink of being too unique and monstrous, and that is exactly what she aims to bring. She garnered attention by leading a horror themed comedy group called "Helltrap Nightmare." The group has performed all across the country, putting on a silly and spooky variety show. In the show, Sarah Squirm, along with her team members, address topics like body image and being yourself. It is a fun show due to their wacky costumes, visuals, and decorations.
When Squirm does stand up on her own, she tends to make jokes that involve poking fun at herself but her optimism always shines through.
8. Patti Harrison
Patti Harrison is a trans actress and comedian who has appeared on numerous television shows like The Chris Gethard Show, Search Party, and Hulu’s Shrill, starring Aidy Bryant. She is known for performing jokes on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon about Trump’s transgender military ban.
It doesn’t stop there because she also writes for the cartoon comedy show Big Mouth, alongside well-known comedian Nick Kroll, one of the creators of the show. Patti Harrison is a rising comedian to pay attention to for sure and I can’t wait to see how she continues to pave the way for transgender representation in comedy.
9. Mekki Leeper
Mekki Leeper has performed in the New Faces showcase at the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal and on Up Next, Comedy Central’s yearly list of comedians to pay attention to. Leeper was born and raised in Philadelphia but recently moved to Los Angeles to focus more on his comedy career. His special, Control Room, is now streaming on Comedy Central.
He has started to gain some attention but, surprisingly, he is still only in his early 20s. Leeper started to dabble more in writing and directing when he worked on a web series called Resolutions, produced by Comedy Central. He wrote for The White House Correspondents Dinner in 2017 and now is a writer for Comedy Central’s Crank Yankers.
Leeper has done stand up on Late Night with James Corden and I can’t wait to see where all of his hard work takes him.
10. Demi Adejuyigbe
Demi Adejuyigbe is a comedian who masters making comedic content for social media and digital platforms. He gained a lot of recognition for making a parody song about the films nominated for the 2017 Oscar Awards, from the perspective of Will Smith, who he impersonates pretty well. Although, Adejuyigbe has been reaching pivotal moments of success for a while — right under our noses.
From 2014 to 2017, Demi Adejuyigbe was a co-host of the "Gilmore Guys" podcast alongside Kevin T. Porter. Each podcast episode consisted of them reviewing an episode of Gilmore Girls and they analyzed the plot and sometimes questionable fashion trends present in the early 2000s. The "Gilmore Guys" podcast became a hit and they ended up recording 237 episodes, doing live sold out shows, and this eventually landed them a role on Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, which was a miniseries released to Netflix in 2016.
Adejuyigbe will continue making big splashes and we can’t look away!
11. Emmy Blotnick
Emmy Blotnick is a stand up comedian and writer who currently resides in New York. She has performed stand up comedy on Conan, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and she has her own special on comedy central.
Blotnick was even spotlighted on Comedy Central’s Comics to Watch as well as being Just For Laughs New Face in 2018. She used to be a writer for Colbert’s Late Night Show, The President Show, and @midnight.
She often performs at popular New York comedy clubs like the Comedy Cellar and Village Underground. When she performs stand up, she comes off as smart and a little weird, but in the best way. It’s refreshing to see her laugh at her own jokes sometimes as she recounts a crazy story, like what happened when she ended up googling the girl group Fifth Harmony and went on a Wikipedia deep dive. Check her out!
12. Sonia Denis
Sonia Denis is a comedian from Chicago who is now based in New York. Her upbeat stand up routines show off her wonderful attitude and charming personality. Vulture named her as one of their Comics to Watch.
Sonia Denis is currently on the show The New Negroes which airs on Comedy Central. She co-starred on the web series Brown Girls, which was Emmy Nominated. Denis has also been in the television show High Maintenance and the Netflix Film Set it Up. You can read her humorous writing pieces in The New Yorker and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency.
When Sonia Denis is performing, it just feels familiar and friendly like you are catching up with an old friend.
13. Debra DiGiovanni
Debra DiGiovanni is a Canadian comedian who currently resides and performs in Los Angeles. She packs a lot of jokes into her set by telling them at a quick pace. It won’t be hard to keep up with her though because she carries her infectious energy and charming personality onto every stage she steps out on.
So check out her special, called Single Awkward Female, or her album, called Lady Jazz. DiGiovanni also made an appearance on Conan. She is bound to turn your frown upside down when you are having a bad day!
14. Ana Fabrega
Ana Fabrega is a rising comedian and most notable recognized as the breakout star from Fred Armisen’s show Los Espookys on HBO. Before Los Espookys, she was on off-beat comedy shows like The Chris Gethard Show, At Home with Amy Sedaris, and Portlandia. Fabrega lives in New York and performs at comedy clubs all around the city, where she showcases her observational and creative thinking.
Julio Torres, her co-star on Los Espookys, often makes an appearance at her shows around New York. Ana Fabrega was given the title as Just for Laughs New Face in 2017 and we can totally see why!
15. Megan Gailey
Megan Gailey is a comedian who has lived all over the states, ranging from Indiana, Chicago, New York City, and currently, Los Angeles. She is incredibly relatable on stage and maybe that stems from her adventurous traveling habits, but either way it is a pleasure to watch. She is not afraid to say what she feels and tell personal stories on stage.
Gaily appeared on The Conan O’brien Show, @midnight, and has her own Comedy Central Half Hour Special. She has taken the stage at SXSW and Bridgetown Comedy Festival. "Let’s Talk About Texts!" Is a popular podcast that she currently hosts and we can’t wait to see where life takes her next.
Jaycee Levin is a writer who covers pop culture, relationship, and astrology topics.