Comic Strip Live
Encyclopedia
The Comic Strip Live is the oldest stand-up comedy showcase club in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 and the world. Located at 1568 Second Avenue (between 81st and 82nd Streets).

Beginnings

Before emerging as venue spotlighting only stand up comedians, the club originally featured singers, magicians and novelty acts.

Present

Primarily a showcase club, the Comic Strip encourages performers to consistently write, perform and perfect new material. Once a year the club holds an "Audition Lottery," where aspiring newcomers line up to be given a date to try out their routine on "Audition Night" Mondays. If they do well, the club's talent coordinator passes them. "Passing" means getting a chance to work late night, where you perfect your act this occurs weeknights after the regular show has ended. Chris Rock used to clean tables to get extra stage time and Colin Quinn was a bartender at the club as well. Superstar Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...

 told Liz Smith
Liz Smith (journalist)
Mary Elizabeth "Liz" Smith is an American gossip columnist. She is known as The Grand Dame of Dish.- Early life and career :...

 of the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...

, "When you are a kid starting out as a stand-up comic, you don't dream about the cover of Time Magazine. You dream about the 9 o'clock spot on Saturday night at the Comic Strip."http://www.comicstriplive.com In January 2007, Comic Strip Live started a new blog named "Tales From the Strip"http://clearblogs.com/talesfromthestrip.

Guinness World Record

From June 3, 2008 through June 5 the Comic Strip Live broke the Guinness World Record for the Longest Continuous Stand Up Comedy Show finishing at slightly beyond the 50-hour mark. The entire event was hosted by William Stephenson and included performances by Dave Attell
Dave Attell
Dave Attell is an American stand-up comedian and the host of Comedy Central's Insomniac with Dave Attell and The Gong Show with Dave Attell.-Stand-up beginning:...

, Judah Friedlander
Judah Friedlander
Judah Friedlander is an American actor and comedian, known for his trademark trucker hats, oversized glasses and unkempt appearance, which he retains in many of his screen roles.-Early life:...

, Ted Alexandro
Ted Alexandro
Edward "Ted" Alexandro is a stand-up comedian from New York City. He has appeared on most late night talk shows and has had his own half hour specials on Comedy Central.- Biography :...

, Tony Rock
Tony Rock
Tony Rock is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He is the younger brother of comedian Chris Rock....

, Jeffrey Ross
Jeffrey Ross
Jeff Ross is an American stand-up comedian, insult comic, actor, director and author.-Early life:...

, Mike Birbiglia
Mike Birbiglia
-Professional work:Birbiglia has released three albums, including My Secret Public Journal Live, which was named one of the best comedy albums of the decade by the Onion AV Club....

, Judy Gold
Judy Gold
Judy Gold is an American stand-up comic and actor. She won two Daytime Emmy Awards for her work as a writer and producer on The Rosie O'Donnell Show...

, Rich Vos
Rich Vos
Richard Ira "Rich" Vos is an American comedian. Originally from Plainfield, New Jersey, Vos has been a working stand-up for decades. Colin Quinn described Vos in his early days as a "Jersey Hack"....

, Greg Giraldo
Greg Giraldo
Greg Giraldo was an American stand-up comedian, television personality, and retired lawyer. Giraldo was best known for his appearances on Comedy Central's televised roast specials, and for his work on that network's television shows Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, Lewis Black's Root of All Evil, and...

 and more.

Notable alumni


  • Adam Sandler
    Adam Sandler
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  • Angel Salazar
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  • Aziz Ansari
    Aziz Ansari
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  • Barry Weintraub
  • Ben Bailey
    Ben Bailey
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  • Buddy Bolton
  • Bobcat Goldthwait
    Bobcat Goldthwait
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  • Carol Leifer
    Carol Leifer
    Carol Leifer is an American comedian, writer, producer and actor whose career as a stand-up comedian started in the 1970s when she was in college. David Letterman discovered her performing in a comedy club in the 1980s and she has since been a guest on Late Night With David Letterman over...

  • Caroline Rhea
    Caroline Rhea
    Caroline Gilchrist Rhea is a Canadian stand-up comedian and actress who was the original host of the reality television show The Biggest Loser on NBC until she was replaced by Alison Sweeney after the end of the third season...

  • Chris Rock
    Chris Rock
    Christopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...

  • Colin Quinn
    Colin Quinn
    Colin Edward Quinn is an American stand-up comedian and writer best known for his five years in the cast of Saturday Night Live, as the sidekick/announcer of MTV's late 1980s gameshow Remote Control and as host of Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn on Comedy Central from 2002–2004.-Early years:Quinn was...

  • Cory Kahaney
    Cory Kahaney
    Cory Kahaney is an American comedian. She competed in the first season of NBC's reality television show Last Comic Standing.Cory was a grand finalist and runner-up in season one of NBC's Last Comic Standing. She has had her own comedy specials on both Comedy Central and HBO...

  • Dan Naturman
    Dan Naturman
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  • Dane Cook
    Dane Cook
    Dane Jeffrey Cook is an American stand-up comedian and film actor. He has released five comedy albums: Harmful If Swallowed; Retaliation; Vicious Circle; Rough Around The Edges: Live From Madison Square Garden; and Isolated Incident. In 2006, Retaliation became the highest charting comedy album...

  • Damon Wayans
    Damon Wayans
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  • Darrell Hammond
    Darrell Hammond
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  • Dan Allen
  • Dave Attell
    Dave Attell
    Dave Attell is an American stand-up comedian and the host of Comedy Central's Insomniac with Dave Attell and The Gong Show with Dave Attell.-Stand-up beginning:...

  • Dave Chappelle
    Dave Chappelle
    David Khari Webber "Dave" Chappelle is an American comedian, screenwriter, television/film producer, actor, and artist. Chappelle began his film career in the film Robin Hood: Men in Tights in 1993 and continued to star in minor roles in the films The Nutty Professor, Con Air, and Blue Streak. His...

  • D. C. Benny
  • Dennis Wolfberg
    Dennis Wolfberg
    Dennis Wolfberg was an American stand up comedian and actor.Wolfberg became a fixture on "The Tonight Show" and starred in an HBO special in early 1992...

  • D.F. Sweedler
  • Eddie Brill
    Eddie Brill
    Eddie Brill is an American comedian, writer, and actor who started his career in Boston, Massachusetts. He is also the warm-up comedian and talent coordinator of Late Show with David Letterman. He tours frequently, performing in the US as well as England, Ireland, France, Australia, Amsterdam, and...

  • Eddie Murphy
    Eddie Murphy
    Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....

  • Ellen DeGeneres
    Ellen DeGeneres
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  • George Carlin
    George Carlin
    George Denis Patrick Carlin was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author, who won five Grammy Awards for his comedy albums....

  • George Wallace
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  • Jeffrey Ross
    Jeffrey Ross
    Jeff Ross is an American stand-up comedian, insult comic, actor, director and author.-Early life:...

  • Jeff Stilson
    Jeff Stilson
    Jeff Stilson is an American stand-up comedian.He has appeared on Late Night with David Letterman, The Tonight Show, Comedy Central, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and is a regular guest on The Panel in Australia. He has also won two Emmy awards and received 14 nominations as a comedy...

  • Jerry Seinfeld
    Jerry Seinfeld
    Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...

  • Jim Breuer
    Jim Breuer
    Jim Breuer is an American stand-up comedian, actor and radio host. He is most noted for his time as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and starring in the 1998 cult "stoner comedy" Half Baked, alongside Dave Chappelle....

  • Jimmy Fallon
    Jimmy Fallon
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  • Wayne Federman
    Wayne Federman
    Wayne Federman is an American comedian, actor, author, and comedy writer. He is noted for his numerous stand-up comedy appearances in clubs, theaters, and on television; his biography of "Pistol" Pete Maravich; and his supporting comedic acting roles in The X-Files, The Larry Sanders Show, Curb...

  • Jim Gaffigan
    Jim Gaffigan
    James Christopher "Jim" Gaffigan is an American stand-up comedian and actor.-Early life:Gaffigan was born in Chesterton, Indiana and attended La Lumiere School in La Porte, Indiana. He is the youngest of six children and often jokes about growing up in a large family. He attended one year at...

  • J.J. Ramirez
  • Joe Bolster
  • Joe Piscopo
    Joe Piscopo
    Joseph Charles John "Joe" Piscopo is an American comedian and actor best known for his work on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:...

  • Joe Vega
  • John Bush
  • John Henson
    John Henson
    John Morris Henson is an American comedian, talk show host, and actor. He is the co-host of ABC's Wipeout, a prime-time series game show now in its fourth season.-Biography:...

  • Jon Fisch
  • Jon Stewart
    Jon Stewart
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  • Johnny Lampert
  • J. R. Havlan
  • Judah Friedlander
    Judah Friedlander
    Judah Friedlander is an American actor and comedian, known for his trademark trucker hats, oversized glasses and unkempt appearance, which he retains in many of his screen roles.-Early life:...

  • Judy Gold
    Judy Gold
    Judy Gold is an American stand-up comic and actor. She won two Daytime Emmy Awards for her work as a writer and producer on The Rosie O'Donnell Show...

  • Kevin Brennan
    Kevin Brennan (comedian)
    Kevin Brennan is a stand-up comedian and former writer for Saturday Night Live. He frequently performs at the Comedy Cellar and the Comic Strip Live in Manhattan...

  • Kevin James
  • Kevin Nealon
    Kevin Nealon
    Kevin Nealon is an American actor and comedian, best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1986 to 1995, acting in several of the Happy Madison films, for playing Doug Wilson on the Showtime series Weeds, and providing the voice of the title character, Glenn Martin on Glenn Martin,...

  • Kerri Louise
    Kerri Louise
    Kerri Louise is an American stand-up comedian. Louise was a finalist on the second season of Last Comic Standing and has appeared on television programs such as Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and The View...

  • Kerry McNally
  • Larry Miller
    Larry Miller (actor)
    Lawrence J. "Larry" Miller is an American actor, voice artist, comedian, podcaster, and columnist.-Early life:Miller was born in Valley Stream, New York, attended Valley Stream South High School graduating in 1971. He attended Amherst College...

  • Lizzy Cooperman
  • Louis C.K.
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    Louis Szekely , known professionally as Louis C.K., is a stand-up comedian, television and film writer, actor, producer, and director...

  • Macio
  • Mario Cantone
    Mario Cantone
    Mario Cantone is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor, with numerous appearances on Comedy Central including Chappelle's Show. He also played Anthony Marentino on Sex and the City...

  • Mike Birbiglia
    Mike Birbiglia
    -Professional work:Birbiglia has released three albums, including My Secret Public Journal Live, which was named one of the best comedy albums of the decade by the Onion AV Club....

  • Mike Britt
  • Modi
  • Nancy Parker
  • Patton Oswalt
    Patton Oswalt
    Patton Oswalt is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor and voice actor. He is best known for portraying Spencer Olchin in the popular sitcom The King of Queens, voicing Remy from the film Ratatouille and Thrasher from the Cartoon Network original series Robotomy.-Early life:Oswalt was born...

  • Paul Reiser
    Paul Reiser
    Paul Reiser is an American stand-up comedian, actor, television personality, author, screenwriter and musician. He is most widely known for his role on the long-running television sitcom Mad About You.-Early life:...

  • Phil Nee
  • Ray Ellin
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    Ray Ellin is an American comedian, talk show host, producer, writer, director.Ellin hosted and wrote for the syndicated shows "The Movie Loft," "Premium TV," and "BrainFuel TV." Ellin currently hosts the web-based talk show "LateNet with Ray Ellin," seen on www.dailycomedy.com...

  • Ray Romano
    Ray Romano
    Raymond Albert "Ray" Romano is an American actor, writer and stand-up comedian, best known for his roles on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond and in the Ice Age film series. He recently starred in the TNT comedy-drama Men of a Certain Age.-Early life:Romano was born in Queens, New York to Italian...

  • Rich Hall
    Rich Hall
    Richard "Rich" Hall is an American comedian, writer and musician.-Early life and career:Hall was born in Alexandria, Virginia and grew up in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He is part Cherokee Indian...

  • Rick Shapiro
    Rick Shapiro
    Rick Shapiro is a Los Angeles-based comedian. He first gained attention in the stand-up scene based around the Lower East Side in New York. He was a mainstay in the underground comedy scene for years, performing a regular Wednesday night set at the Sidewalk Cafe in New York until his role on...

  • Richard Pryor
    Richard Pryor
    Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor was an American stand-up comedian, actor, social critic, writer and MC. Pryor was known for uncompromising examinations of racism and topical contemporary issues, which employed colorful vulgarities, and profanity, as well as racial epithets...

  • Robin Williams
    Robin Williams
    Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...

  • Rodney Dangerfield
    Rodney Dangerfield
    Rodney Dangerfield , was an American comedian, and actor, known for the catchphrases "I don't get no respect!," "No respect, no respect at all... that's the story of my life" or "I get no respect, I tell ya" and his monologues on that theme...

  • Sarah Silverman
    Sarah Silverman
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  • Spanky
  • Steven Scott
    Steven Scott
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  • Susie Essman
    Susie Essman
    Susan "Susie" Essman is an American stand-up comedian, actress, writer, television producer, and voice artist. She is best known for her role as Susie Greene on the HBO television sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm...

  • Sunda Croonquist
    Sunda Croonquist
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  • Ted Alexandro
    Ted Alexandro
    Edward "Ted" Alexandro is a stand-up comedian from New York City. He has appeared on most late night talk shows and has had his own half hour specials on Comedy Central.- Biography :...

  • TOM-E
  • Tom Cotter
    Tom Cotter
    Tom Cotter is an American comedian. He has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Late Show and Last Comic Standing. In 2003, Cotter filmed his own half-hour special for Comedy Central. Cotter has won several comedy competitions. In 1994, he won Seattle's International Stand-Up...

  • Tony Rock
    Tony Rock
    Tony Rock is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He is the younger brother of comedian Chris Rock....

  • Vanessa Hollingshead
    Vanessa Hollingshead
    Vanessa Hollingshead is an American actress and stand-up comedian who has performed on many comedy programs including Comedy Central Presents, Live At Jongleurs and The Jim Breuer Show. She has also acted in a number of films, including a small role in the 1999 film, Ghost Dog: The Way of the...

  • Veronica Mosey
  • Vinnie Brand
  • Wanda Sykes
    Wanda Sykes
    Wanda Sykes is an American writer, stand-up comedian, actress, and voice artist. She earned the 1999 Emmy Award for her writing on The Chris Rock Show. In 2004 Entertainment Weekly named Sykes as one of the 25 funniest people in America...

  • Wali Collins
  • William Stephenson
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