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
Brann 0-1 Bologna 2026 Europa League late Italian steal
Useful info. Fortunate me I found your website unintentionally, and I am stunned why this twist of fate didn’t came about earlier! I bookmarked it.
Hi my family member! I want to say that this post is amazing, nice written and include approximately all important infos. I’d like to look more posts like this.
Just about all of the things you claim is astonishingly precise and it makes me wonder the reason why I had not looked at this with this light before. This article really did switch the light on for me as far as this issue goes. However at this time there is one particular point I am not too comfortable with so while I attempt to reconcile that with the core idea of the issue, permit me observe what the rest of the subscribers have to say.Nicely done.
Thanks for any other informative website. The place else may just I am getting that kind of information written in such an ideal means? I’ve a venture that I’m just now operating on, and I’ve been on the glance out for such info.
Only wanna remark that you have a very nice website , I enjoy the pattern it actually stands out.
Hiya, I am really glad I’ve found this info. Nowadays bloggers publish just about gossips and internet and this is actually frustrating. A good website with interesting content, this is what I need. Thanks for keeping this website, I will be visiting it. Do you do newsletters? Can not find it.
Dead composed content, Really enjoyed reading.
I have been exploring for a bit for any high quality articles or weblog posts on this kind of house . Exploring in Yahoo I at last stumbled upon this web site. Studying this info So i’m glad to convey that I have a very just right uncanny feeling I came upon exactly what I needed. I so much indisputably will make sure to do not omit this website and give it a look regularly.
I’ve recently started a blog, the information you offer on this site has helped me tremendously. Thanks for all of your time & work.