Joshua Turek
Who Joshua Turek is
Joshua Turek is a comedian and poet, a trained actor and screenwriter whose philosophical comedy rants, such as the Catcalling Construction Worker with a Heart of Gold and the Existential Car Salesman, have drawn more than a billion views on TikTok. He has appeared on Hulu and Comedy Central, headlines comedy clubs across the United States, and hosts the Turek Books Podcast for Ninth Planet Audio, in which comedians and other guests talk about the books they love.
His first poetry collection, On the Outside Looking Up, was published in 2024 and sold out its first printing in three weeks, and Ugly Whimsy followed in April 2026. His track Role Playing was played on SiriusXM's Raw Comedy channel in March 2025.
At a glance
- Podcasts
- Turek Books Podcast
- Books
- On the Outside Looking Up and Ugly Whimsy
- On screen
- Benjamin
- Official site
- joshuaturek.com ↗
On stage
No dated show on D.O.C.'s Comedy Calendar right now — their own site has their dates: joshuaturek.com ↗.
Lineups belong to the rooms and the comedians, and can change; each listing has the last word. Their nights on the Comedy Calendar →
Specials, shows and podcasts
On screen
- Benjamin screenwriter, film directed by Bob Saget, 2018
Podcasts
- Turek Books Podcast host, Ninth Planet Audio
Books and writing
- On the Outside Looking Up book, 2024
- Ugly Whimsy book, 2026
Their stand-up
Joshua Turek wrote Benjamin, the 2018 comedy film that was the last Bob Saget directed; it premiered at the Beverly Hills Film Festival and was the first film distributed exclusively by Redbox.
Career timeline
- 2018Benjamin (screenwriter, film directed by Bob Saget, 2018) On screen
- 2024On the Outside Looking Up (book, 2024) Book
- 2026Ugly Whimsy (book, 2026) Book
Questions and answers
Where is Joshua Turek performing next?
No date is on D.O.C.'s Comedy Calendar right now; their own site has their dates: joshuaturek.com ↗.
What podcast do they host?
Turek Books Podcast.
Have they written a book?
Yes:On the Outside Looking Up and Ugly Whimsy.
What TV shows and films are they in?
Benjamin.
The full SUCDb record
The full record — the career in order, the specials and credits, and the sources for each — is on SUCDb, with a button to add them to your D.O.C., your twelve.
Sources
- Official site (About) ↗ A large cult following on social media with his viral comedy videos, over 1 billion views on TikTok alone; a trained actor and screenwriter; host of the…
- Official site (home, live shows) ↗ 'Stand up Comedy and Poetry Performance Dates' (as of 8 October 2026)
- Apple Podcasts — Turek Books Podcast ↗ Ninth Planet Audio, updated weekly: 'Comedian and Poet Joshua Turek invites guests to grab a few books off their shelves'; episode of 8 April 2026: his new…
- Specs' Twelve Adler Museum Cafe — Joshua Turek reads Notes To Old Friends & Other Poems ↗ Sunday 23 August 2026, 6 pm, San Francisco: a comedian and poet with a large cult following on TikTok and Instagram; philosophical comedy rants like the…
- xmplaylist — Raw Comedy (archived 23 March 2025) ↗ SiriusXM's Raw Comedy channel: 'Role Playing' by Joshua Turek, played 23 March 2025 (00:19 UTC) (as of 8 October 2026)
- Wikipedia — Benjamin (2018 American film) ↗ Written by Joshua Turek and directed by Bob Saget; 2018 comedy film; Saget's final film as director; premiered at the Beverly Hills Film Festival; first film…
Updated 9 October 2026 · the record checked 8 October 2026