5 Comedians to Watch If You Don’t Want Trauma in Your Comedy
2023/08/14

Jim Gaffigan

A family-friendly classic comic, Gaffigan is stand-up's vaguely annoyed and usually hungry doughy dad. The patriarch of an extremely Irish-Catholic clan of seven, Gaffigan is clean, clever and never so deep in his feelings that his airy playfulness is out of reach.

Kristen Schaal

Best known for her work on beloved sitcoms such as , and , Schaal is also a veteran, vaudevillian stage performer whose distinct, upbeat stage presence is as palpable in her stand-up as it is in her acting.

Brian Regan

Another Irish-Catholic comic with an act as clean as his haircut, Regan began his career on in 1991 and has remained exactly as broadcast-friendly as his first TV spot in the three decades since. Regan's infectious energy couples with his observational ability to smile at the simple stuff for a consistently upbeat comedy experience.

Ali Wong

Easily the most crass comic here, Wong is unshy about exposing every part of her personal life, down to her deep desire to pursue many extramarital affairs in the same room as expressed in her 2022 special .

Despite this dirty earnestness, Wong is not a wallower — she mocks her own personal problems with the same dynamic viciousness as she skewers the rest of the world.

Nate Bargatze

Bargatze's Nashville twang betrays the deceptive charm and whimsicality in his so-called "deadpan" comedy as he wonders at the world with complete exasperation. Yet another clean-cut Christian with a wife and kids, Bargatze's earnestness and playfully practical mind make his comedy both comforting and completely unpredictable.

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