Absurdist comedians
50 absurdist comedians, A to Z: each with the line from their SUCDb record or the published source that says so, and their next date where they have one.
- 50comedians on the list
- 20with a date on the Comedy Calendar
- 10with a special on record
- 13hosting a podcast
On stage soon
The next date for the 8 on this list with a show coming up, the soonest first (20 in all).
- 13NovAdam FriedlandNew York Comedy Festival, New York, NY
- 13NovEddie IzzardThe Bill Murray, London, United Kingdom
- 14NovBlair SocciThe Comedy Store, Los Angeles, CA
- 14NovBrian ReganThe Palazzo Theatre at The Venetian Resort, Las Vegas, NV
- 15NovJaneane GarofaloThe Stand, New York, NY
- 16NovHarland WilliamsThe Comedy Store, Los Angeles, CA
- 19NovGary GulmanElgin & Winter Garden Theatres, Toronto, ON
- 19NovPatton OswaltThe Paramount, Huntington, NY
Absurdist comedians, A to Z
Each is here because their record or a published source says so, beside their name. 20 of them have a date on the Comedy Calendar.
- He created and hosts The Adam Friedland Show, a comedy talk show that pairs loose, free-flowing interviews with surreal character sketches and has made him a well-known figure in alternative comedy; GQ has called him the… Official site ↗ Next: 13 November 2026 · New York Comedy Festival, New York, NY →
- Alexei Sayle is an English stand-up comedian, actor and author, born in Anfield, Liverpool, in 1952 and best known for his influential part in the alternative comedy movement of the 1980s. British Comedy Guide ↗
- Rudick's stand-up combines Midwestern charm with high-energy absurd humor, and his videos have drawn tens of millions of views and more than 100,000 followers across social media. Official site (Bio) ↗
- Comedian and writer known for a dry, existential and absurd style. aparnacomedy.com ↗ Next: 24 November 2026 · The Lyric Hyperion, Los Angeles, CA →
- Ardal O'Hanlon is an Irish stand-up comedian, actor and novelist, a founding figure of Dublin's contemporary comedy scene, whose punchy, absurdist stand-up won the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year in 1994. Official site (Bio) ↗
- Arthur Smith is an English comedian and writer from Bermondsey, one of the alternative comedy stand-ups of the 1980s, and he still works a room much the way he did then. Wikipedia ↗
- Babs Gray is a Los Angeles stand-up comedian, podcaster and writer whose intense yet goofy stage presence has made her a rising star of the alternative comedy scene. Aspecialthing Records ↗
- American stand-up comedian, writer and host originally from Crossville, Tennessee. comedyworks.com ↗ Next: 25 November 2026 · The Comedy Catch, Chattanooga, TN →
- Los Angeles-based stand-up comedian and actor whose special is Live From The Big Dog. youtube.com ↗ Next: 14 November 2026 · The Comedy Store, Los Angeles, CA →
- Bob Mills is a comedian who started on the London comedy scene in 1985 after discovering the alternative comedy circuit. Chortle ↗
- He has made two comedy and music series for BBC Radio 4, The Big Booth and Boothby Graffoe In No Particular Order, appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in 2003 and Stewart Lee's The Alternative Comedy Experience in 2013… Wikipedia ↗
- Stand-up comedian known for sophisticated writing and physical comedy and for maintaining a broad multigenerational audience. brianregan.com ↗ Next: 14 November 2026 · The Palazzo Theatre at The Venetian Resort, Las Vegas, NV →
- His own site describes an act that joins magic, absurd humor, poetry and music with stand-up, and his show I för långt borta land was broadcast on SVT 2. Official site ↗
- Casey Crawford is an absurdist stand-up comedian from South Dakota, now living in Boston, known for short, intricate one-liners about his life and travels in the line of Steven Wright and Emo Phillips. Boston Comedy Festival — History ↗
- Casey Rocket is a stand-up comedian, now based in Chicago, whose comedy began in the pool halls of South Georgia before he moved on to the Atlanta comedy scene. caseyrocketcomedy.com ↗ Next: 25 November 2026 · Comedy Mothership, Austin, TX →
- Che Durena is a Toronto-based stand-up comedian with more than a decade on stage who is best known for viral videos that built a large online following. improv.com ↗ Next: 20 November 2026 · Brea Improv, Brea, CA →
- Corde Snell is a California stand-up comedian with roots in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Central Coast and Los Angeles. improv.com ↗ Next: 29 November 2026 · San Jose Improv, San Jose, CA →
- David Correos is a New Zealand stand-up comedian known for confronting, experimental and absurd stand-up, called by The Spinoff one of New Zealand's most thrilling comedy minds. NZ International Comedy Festival - Awards ↗
- Born to Punjabi parents, he builds his act around cultural identity, travel mishaps and everyday absurdities, in a style The Gazette called brilliantly ignorant absurdist comedy. The Gazette — 'Brilliantly ignorant' comic DJ Sandhu brings absurdist humor to Colorado Springs (6 May 2026) ↗ Next: 4 December 2026 · JP's Comedy Club, Gilbert, AZ →
- Donny Vostok is a comedian with 16 years of alternative comedy behind them, known for an unusual, strange style. Glasgow International Comedy Festival ↗
- British stand-up comedian, actress and activist known for rambling, surreal, stream-of-consciousness monologues. chortle.co.uk ↗ Next: 13 November 2026 · The Bill Murray, London, United Kingdom →
- Stand-up comedian and author known for literate observational comedy and long-form personal work. youtube.com ↗ Next: 19 November 2026 · Elgin & Winter Garden Theatres, Toronto, ON →
- and runs a YouTube channel where the deadpan instructional videos — how to open a gate, how to generate electricity from a fleece — carry the same glorious anti-comedy. Wikipedia ↗
- Hari Kondabolu came up in Seattle's alternative comedy scene; a 2006 set at the Bumbershoot festival, which he calls his big break, caught the eye of a booker for HBO's comedy festival, and he played the HBO U.S. Comedy Arts… Official bio ↗
- Harland Williams is a Canadian-American stand-up comedian and actor from Toronto, known for the films Dumb and Dumber, RocketMan, Half Baked and There's Something About Mary. straight.com ↗ Next: 16 November 2026 · The Comedy Store, Los Angeles, CA →
- Huge Davies is a British stand-up comedian known for dark, deadpan and surreal material delivered with a customised keyboard strapped to him on stage. Official site (About) ↗
- Ian Coppinger is an Irish stand-up comedian and improviser who came out of Ireland's alternative comedy boom of the 1990s and has since played comedy festivals in Edinburgh, Melbourne, Montreal, Glasgow, Galway, Dublin, Adelaide… Galway Comedy Festival 2026 ↗
- American comedian and actress who began in stand-up in the mid-1980s and was a pioneer of the Los Angeles alternative comedy scene in the early 1990s, later co-creating the long-running Eating It show at New York's Luna Lounge (1995–2005). Wikipedia ↗ Next: 15 November 2026 · The Stand, New York, NY →
- Jo Brand is an English stand-up comedian, writer and actor who rose to fame on the alternative comedy scene of the 1980s, making her first television appearance on Channel 4's Friday Night Live. British Comedy Guide ↗
- Kevin Day is a British stand-up comedian, comedy writer and sports presenter who came up through the alternative comedy boom of the late eighties and early nineties, playing rooms like The Comedy Store in London. Wikipedia ↗
- Kevin Gildea is an Irish stand-up comedian, writer and actor and a pioneer of Irish alternative comedy, who started out in the sketch group Mr Trellis with Barry Murphy and Ardal O'Hanlon and with them founded Dublin's Comedy Cellar. Galway Comedy Festival ↗
- His act mixes anti-comedy, music and his interactive stage game Dog Toy or Sex Toy?. Official site ↗ Next: 5 December 2026 · Great Falls Comedy Club, Auburn, ME →
- Stand-up comedian, writer and filmmaker who wrote for Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Chris Rock Show before hour specials such as Shameless, Chewed Up and Hilarious and his FX series Louie (2010–2015) made him one of the… flavorwire.com ↗
- Stand-up comedian, actor and bestselling author known for highly personal, experimental comedy. mariabamford.com ↗ Next: 2 December 2026 · Lafayette Comedy at Club 337, Lafayette, LA →
- Mark Gagnon is a stand-up comedian and a co-host of the podcast Flagrant with Andrew Schulz, Akaash Singh and AlexxMedia, which began in 2017 as Flagrant 2. markgagnonlive.com ↗ Next: 17 December 2026 · Mic Drop Comedy Detroit, Detroit, MI →
- Mark Thomas is a British stand-up comedian, one of the few to carry the political standard of alternative comedy, with observational material built around anti-corporate investigations. Chortle ↗
- After moving to New York in 2019 she was soon playing Brooklyn's alt-comedy scene more than three nights a week; New York magazine named her one of the comedians to know in 2019, and in 2020 The New York Times called her sketch… Official Linktree ↗
- Michael Clarke is an absurd comedian, actor and poet. Chortle ↗
- Noel Fielding is a surreal comedian, writer, actor and artist, one half of The Mighty Boosh, whose stand-up show Voodoo Hedgehog was nominated for the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2002, won Time Out's award for… British Comedy Guide ↗
- Stand-up comedian, actor, writer and voice performer with a long catalog of comedy albums, specials and screen work. netflix.com ↗ Next: 19 November 2026 · The Paramount, Huntington, NY →
- Paul Hilleard is a Welsh stand-up comedian from Pontypridd, an offbeat storyteller whose dry, surreal comedy draws on the post-industrial Valleys town he grew up in. BBC — New Comedy Awards 2025, the grand final ↗
- Stand-up comedian, writer and actor best known for eight seasons on Saturday Night Live. netflix.com ↗ Next: 19 November 2026 · The Stand, New York, NY →
- Rik Mayall was an English comedian, actor and writer, born in Harlow, and a pioneer of alternative comedy in the 1980s. Wikipedia ↗
- Ryan Goodcase is a stand-up comedian raised in the Midwest, known for his dry delivery and tightly written jokes. avalonuk.com ↗ Next: 20 November 2026 · Rooster T. Feathers Comedy Club, Sunnyvale, CA →
- Samantha Hale is a stand-up comedian born and raised in Los Angeles who created and hosts Horror Nerd, a monthly horror-themed stand-up show at the Hollywood Improv. heavenofhorror.com ↗ Next: 27 November 2026 · Hollywood Improv, Los Angeles, CA →
- Shane Gillis is a stand-up comedian, actor and podcaster from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, now based in Austin, Texas, who has co-hosted Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast with Matt McCusker since 2016. netflix.com ↗
- Steven Wright is a stand-up comedian, actor and writer from the Boston area known for his lethargic voice and deadpan, surreal one-liners. theglobeandmail.com ↗
- Their show mixes stand-up, mime, theatre and song, with absurd humour, tenderness and sincere self-mockery. Namur is a Joke ↗
- Tom Towelling is a stand-up comedian from Birmingham whose act mixes alternative comedy with songs, dancing and crowdwork. Soho Theatre ↗
- Trevor Lock is an English comedian and playwright from Northamptonshire known for circuitous, surreal stand-up that turns a room of strangers into the show itself. Wikipedia ↗
More lists of stand-up comedians
- British stand-up comedians 302
- Canadian stand-up comedians 108
- Irish stand-up comedians 58
- Australian stand-up comedians 100
- New Zealand stand-up comedians 103
- Clean stand-up comedians 100
- New York City stand-up comedians 521
- Los Angeles stand-up comedians 390
- Austin stand-up comedians 39
- Nashville stand-up comedians 22
- Stand-up comedians with Netflix specials 178
- Stand-up comedians with HBO specials 91
- Stand-up comedians with Comedy Central specials 210
- Female stand-up comedians 939
- Comedians from California 88
- Comedians from Florida 21
- Comedians from Georgia 25
- Comedians from Illinois 61
- Comedians from Maryland 15
- Comedians from Massachusetts 43
- Comedians from Michigan 26
- Comedians from Minnesota 17
- Comedians from Missouri 22
- Comedians from New Jersey 51
- Comedians from New York 170
- Comedians from Ohio 29
- Comedians from Pennsylvania 43
- Comedians from Texas 32
- Comedians from Washington 17
- Storytelling comedians 381
- Observational comedians 199
- Crowd work comedians 109
- One-liner comedians 82
- Political comedians 70
- Character comedians and impressionists 145
- Musical comedians 80
- Dark comedians 33
- Deadpan comedians 106
- High-energy comedians 154
- Confessional comedians 98
The list of stand-up comedians, A to Z → · Every night on the Comedy Calendar →
Updated