We are living in the midst of a comedy renaissance; Social media has transformed the comedy scene and made stand-up comedy accessible to virtually everyone, from podcasts and crowd-work clips to specials and live-shows. Finding your favorite comedian that you can rely on for a laugh is an essential escape from the absurdity of our world. As sad as it is, at times all we can do is laugh about it. But beyond the smart social commentary and thought provoking material some stand-up provides, there is also plenty of raunchy, vulgar and kinda stupid humor to enjoy as well. All content serves its purpose and everyone knows farts are funny. Here’s VALLEY’s intro to stand-up for anyone looking for a laugh.

Disclaimer: Comedians are known to dance the line between what is offensive and socially acceptable to say. Some comedians’ comedy may not be for you and that’s okay!! The point is to find someone whose content makes you think and laugh, not piss you off.
We’ve categorized these stand-up comedians based on general vibe and the common themes of their content but we recommend looking into all of them!
Relatable Women Who Don’t GAF
- Nikki Glaser (VALLEY interviewed her for the Spring 2023 print article “The Fine line of a Punchline.” Read the article here!)
- Whitney Cummings
- Hannah Berner
- Chelsea Handler
- Ali Wong
- Amy Shumer
- Jenny Slate
Awkward, Fun and Sometimes Gross
- Jordan Jenson
- Ian Fidance
- Robby Hoffman
- Jessica Kirson
- Atsuko Okatsuka
- Theo Von
Men That Are Dirty Yet Witty
- Sam Morrill
- Mark Normand
- Andrew Santino
- Stavros Halkias
- Shane Gillis
- Chris Distefano
- Bobby Lee
P.S. There are so many more stand-ups out there then the list below for you to discover, these are just some of VALLEY’s favs!

Stand-Up Here at PSU
Beyond the celebrities we know and love there is also a stand-comedy scene right here in State College! Blue Brick Theatre: Home of Happy Valley Improv showcases local stand-up comedians and open mic nights on Fridays from 6:30-9:00 p.m. and is located at 209 W Calder Way. Wise Crackers Comedy Club hosts touring stand-up comedians on Fridays and Saturdays starting at 8 p.m. and is located at 112 W College Ave.

TV Over Stand-Up
If stand-up comedy isn’t your thing but you still enjoy comedies, here’s VALLEY’s must-watch list of a mix of recently released and classic TV shows for when you need a laugh (warning: Some of these will also make you cry).
- Saturday Night Live (duh)
- Shrinking
- The Sex Lives of College Girls
- GIRLS
- Insecure
- Broad City
- Curb Your Enthusiasm
- It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
- Abbot Elementary
- Jury Duty
- PEN15
Let VALLEY know your personal favorite stand-up comedians or comedy shows @VALLEYmag on all socials!
Related
Opinion: How A Comedy Special Changed My Perspective on Love
Looking for a Laugh? Try These Netflix Comedy Specials
The Power of Female Comedy

It’s really a cool and helpful piece of information. I am glad that you simply shared this helpful information with us. Please stay us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.
Hello There. I found your blog using msn. This is an extremely smartly written article. I will make sure to bookmark it and return to learn extra of your helpful information. Thanks for the post. I’ll definitely comeback.
Hey there, You have done a fantastic job. I will certainly digg it and in my opinion recommend to my friends. I’m sure they’ll be benefited from this site.
I would like to thnkx for the efforts you have put in writing this blog. I am hoping the same high-grade blog post from you in the upcoming as well. In fact your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my own blog now. Really the blogging is spreading its wings quickly. Your write up is a good example of it.
There is noticeably a bundle to know about this. I assume you made certain nice points in features also.
Hey very cool site!! Man .. Beautiful .. Amazing .. I will bookmark your blog and take the feeds additionally…I am glad to find so many helpful info here in the post, we want work out extra techniques on this regard, thank you for sharing. . . . . .
This is the correct weblog for anyone who desires to search out out about this topic. You notice a lot its virtually onerous to argue with you (not that I truly would want…HaHa). You undoubtedly put a new spin on a topic thats been written about for years. Nice stuff, just nice!
I just could not depart your website before suggesting that I really loved the usual information a person provide on your guests? Is gonna be back steadily in order to investigate cross-check new posts.
I will immediately grab your rss as I can not find your email subscription link or newsletter service. Do you’ve any? Kindly let me know in order that I could subscribe. Thanks.
Very interesting subject, regards for putting up.