Tony Hinchcliffe built the stage where any comic can pull a minute from a bucket. D.O.C.'s 2026 Promote the Promoter award turns the spotlight back on him: Kill Tony has 2.82M subscribers on YouTube and climbing. Subscribe, binge the best of it and let's get it to four million.
Read on Kill Tony's own YouTube channel on 10 November 2026. D.O.C. reads both counts every day; when the channel reaches each goal, the clock shows exactly how long the climb took. YouTube rounds subscribers (views are exact), so these are the day's figures, not a live counter.
Every comic needs a stage. Tony Hinchcliffe built one anyone can walk onto: put your name in the bucket, and if it's pulled you get one minute in front of the live room and everyone watching on YouTube, then a sit-down with the panel.
He came up the way most comics do. He moved to Los Angeles in 2007, started at the open mics at The Comedy Store and worked its phones and cover booth before he became a paid regular (D.O.C.'s Binge Watch honoree, Adam Ray, answered the same phones). In 2013 he started Kill Tony there with Brian Redban. It moved to Austin and now records at the Comedy Mothership, with arena nights at Madison Square Garden and the LA Forum in 2024.
Promote the Promoter is D.O.C.'s thank-you to the people who build stages for comics. Comics who came through his bucket now headline theatres, play Saturday Night Live and lead D.O.C.'s Hardest Working standings. Meet six of them below.
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The newest full episode: 1.3 million views in its first day. A new one goes up every week, with a new set of names from the bucket.
The channel's seven most-watched episodes, ranked by YouTube's own view counts on 10 November 2026: 80.9 million views between them. Shane Gillis is on six of the seven. Mark each one off as you go; your list stays on this device.
31.7M views2:26:53Two impressions, one stage: the channel's most-watched episode by more than three to one.
9.5M views2:34:45The bucket goes to the Garden, with Joe Rogan and Shane Gillis on the panel.
8.9M views2:19:31Two weeks before No. 1, with Shane Gillis on the panel again.
8.3M views2:10:55Three headliners on one panel, reacting to the bucket in real time.
7.9M views1:42:07A music star on the comedy panel: the oldest episode in the Top 7.
7.4M views2:02:45The newest of the Top 7: ten months old and already past seven million.
7.2M views2:05:26Shane Gillis and Matt McCusker, the two hosts of a podcast of their own, on one panel.
6.6M views1:41:44
5.4M views2:03:56Adam Ray's Dr. Phil takes the panel: the bridge between this page and his Binge Watch Award.
Every video links to Kill Tony's own channel. The Top 7 are its most-watched videos by YouTube's view counts on 10 November 2026. Kill Tony is made for adults: expect explicit language and themes. Thumbnails are served by YouTube. An independent D.O.C. recognition page, not an official Kill Tony promotion.
Promoting the promoter means finding the comics too. Six who came through Kill Tony, each with their D.O.C. page (tour dates, specials, where they've played) and their own site.
From Memphis, now in Austin. He has played clubs and arenas up to Madison Square Garden, tours with the Killers of Kill Tony and hosts The William Montgomery Show.
He started at open mics in Orlando in 2021 and moved to Austin, where Kill Tony made his name. He joined Saturday Night Live as a featured player in 2025.
His tours at home sold 13,000 and then 20,000 tickets. In Austin he is a paid regular at the Comedy Mothership and a Kill Tony regular, and he has played Europe, Asia, Australia and North America.
He has opened for Joe Rogan and Tony Hinchcliffe, is in the Netflix special Kill Tony: Mayhem at Madison Square Garden (2025) and hosts The Hans Kim Podcast.
One of the first Door Guys at the Comedy Mothership, he was named a Kill Tony regular in 2024 and played its sold-out nights at Madison Square Garden and the Kia Forum.
He delivers his punchlines through a text-to-speech app, earned a Golden Ticket on Kill Tony, reached the America's Got Talent finals in 2023 and led D.O.C.'s Hardest Working standings on 10 November 2026.
Six of the many, chosen for their documented time on the show, not a ranking. Each fact is from their D.O.C. record and its sources; none of them has endorsed D.O.C.
Art lovers learn to see brushwork. A Kill Tony episode packs six comedy crafts into two hours. Learn to spot them and every bucket pull gets funnier, because you can see how it's made.
Stand-up with no warm-up: the premise in the first line, a laugh in the first ten seconds, out on the strongest joke. A great minute is an act cut to the bone.
Where to see itEvery bucket pull in the newest episode. Count the seconds to the first laugh.After the minute the comic sits down with the panel, and has to stay funny as themselves, answering questions they didn't write.
Where to see itThe talk after any set. The comics who become regulars are often the ones who win this part.Tony's own craft: an insult built on something true that turns at the end. He wrote for the Comedy Central Roasts of James Franco, Justin Bieber and Rob Lowe.
Where to see itThe Roast of Tom Brady (Netflix, 2024) and The Roast of Kevin Hart (2026), where he roasted from the dais.A real person caught in voice and point of view. The best ones say something true about the person and hold up in a live conversation.
Where to see itNo. 1 in the Top 7: Shane Gillis's Trump and Adam Ray's Biden, side by side. Then Dr. Phil in #663.Comedy made in the moment by the panel, built on what the comic just said. Nobody on the panel knew the set was coming.
Where to see itAny guest panel in the Top 7: Joe Rogan, Mark Normand and Ari Shaffir riffing off strangers.Regulars come back with a new minute week after week. Follow one across a year of episodes and watch a comic's act being built in public.
Where to see itAny of the six comics above. Their D.O.C. pages list what they've made since.Pick an episode from the Top 7 and tick each thing as you catch it. Your card stays on this device.
Subscribing is a great start. But YouTube doesn't simply hand every video to every subscriber. It tries to match videos with people who will actually enjoy them.
Subscribing makes it easier to follow new uploads and find a show again. The subscriber number is a public milestone, but it is not the same as the number of people watching right now.
YouTube looks at how people respond to videos: whether they choose to watch, how long they stay and whether they seem satisfied. Watch time and retention matter, but they're not the only signals.
Don't click a two-hour episode just to register a click if you already know you're leaving. Add it to Watch Later and enjoy it when you have time. Listening while cooking or driving is fine when you're actually enjoying the show. Don't leave videos running unattended, muted or on loop to push the numbers. A short watch isn't a strike against the show; YouTube looks at how viewers respond overall.
If you want more, subscribe on YouTube. It's free, and it keeps each Monday's episode in front of you.
A two-hour show deserves the time. Save it for later rather than clicking away.
Like it if you liked it. Leave a real comment about the set you loved. Thoughtful signals beat copy-paste comments.
Send someone the set you know they'll love, with the time in the link. That is how audiences grow.
Based on YouTube's recommendation guidance, search and discovery guidance and fake engagement policy. No one outside YouTube can promise rankings or recommendations.
D.O.C.'s spotlights are free: we pick an honoree, build the push and send our readers to subscribe, binge and share, then cheer every milestone. It's free. No fee, nothing to buy, no pay-to-play. Ever.
Two spotlights so far: Adam Ray's Binge Watch Award for a comic, and Promote the Promoter for the man who built the bucket.
Want to be in the running? Keep your D.O.C. page and your dates up to date. And never pay anyone to promote you: here's how to spot the ones who ask ↗
Nine moves from the show's road that any comic can copy, each with the fact behind it.
A new episode every Monday night since 3 June 2013: more than 790 of them.
Do it: pick a rhythm and never miss it. A show people can set their week by builds an audience that comes back.
The bucket gives a comic one minute, called without warning, in front of the live room and the cameras.
Do it: keep your best sixty seconds ready at all times. Open on the premise, end on your strongest line.
After the minute, the panel interviews the comic, and comics who do well can become regulars.
Do it: know your story and tell it well. Who you are between the jokes is part of the act.
Tony worked the phones and cover booth at The Comedy Store before he became a paid regular there.
Do it: take the job in the room. Watch every set, be reliable, and be there when a spot opens.
Kill Tony began in 2013 at The Comedy Store and played Madison Square Garden and the LA Forum in 2024.
Do it: don't wait to be booked. Start a show, give it a format and give other comics stage time.
The channel has posted 654 videos since December 2015; full episodes run about two hours, and the newest drew 1.3 million views in a day.
Do it: post the whole show, not just the highlights. Fans who find the long version become regulars.
All seven of the most-watched episodes have big-name guests: Shane Gillis is on six, Joe Rogan on three.
Do it: invite comics bigger than you. Every guest brings their own fans and leaves with yours.
Kam Patterson went from Orlando open mics in 2021 to Kill Tony to Saturday Night Live in 2025.
Do it: when a set goes viral, have the next set ready, your dates posted and your page current.
The regulars tour together as the Killers of Kill Tony; Ahren Belisle has 85 shows in 43 cities booked from November 2026 to May 2027.
Do it: package a night with your scene. A group show sells where one new name can't yet.
D.O.C. is timing Kill Tony's climb from 2.82M to four million. Time yours the same way: put in your numbers once a week (from YouTube Studio or your channel page) and watch your pace.
Kept only in this browser. Nothing is sent anywhere.
For the working comic: the things you control. Make a video that earns its title, reaches the right viewer and gives them a reason to watch another.
Use show + episode + guests or name + premise + city naturally. “KT #680 – Madison Square Garden (Night One) – Joe Rogan + Shane Gillis” tells viewers what they're getting. “This Was Crazy!!!” doesn't.
A clear face, a strong reaction or a recognisable scene. Small screens first. Never promise a guest or a joke that isn't in the video.
Start with a genuinely funny or intriguing moment. Get the viewer into the room fast; long intros lose a cold audience.
Name the comedians, the room or city, the guests and the date. Put the show and channel links near the top. No keyword stuffing.
Fix comedy names in the captions. On long shows, chapters for each set let people jump to the comic they came for.
Playlists of related videos, end screens, cards and a pinned comment lead viewers to a natural next watch.
Shorts and highlights can introduce a set or a character; link to the full show. Shorts views don't turn into full-show viewers on their own.
Tag real guests, link their official channels and make appearances easy to find. If you did a minute on a show, link the episode and the time.
Natural terms in the title, what you say, the captions and the description. Tags play only a small part.
A clear website and a D.O.C. profile with your live dates, official video links and your name spelled the same everywhere, so fans who find a clip can find a show.
Don't judge a video by subscribers gained alone. Compare like with like over time. One weak upload doesn't sink a channel, and there's no magic length or hour.
YouTube's own guides: how search works · thumbnail and title tips · tags · recommendations and publishing · YouTube Analytics.
2.82 million on 10 November 2026, by YouTube's own rounded count, with 827,282,523 views across 654 videos since the channel opened on 15 December 2015. D.O.C. reads both every day on the race to four million.
Kill Tony #672 (15 July 2024), with Shane Gillis as Donald Trump and Adam Ray as Joe Biden: 31.7 million views on 10 November 2026, more than three times any other episode.
By YouTube views, the seven most-watched are #672, #680 (Madison Square Garden, night one), #670, #702, #625, #751 and #731: 80.9 million views between them. Shane Gillis is on six of the seven. The Top 7 is above.
At this update, Kill Tony #793 with Big Jay Oakerson, Zac Brown and Mike Finoia, out on 9 November 2026: 1.3 million views in its first day. A new episode goes up every week.
A comic puts their name in a bucket. If it's pulled, they get one minute in front of the live room and everyone watching on YouTube, then an interview with Tony Hinchcliffe and the panel. Comics who do well can become regulars.
Tony Hinchcliffe started Kill Tony with Brian Redban at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles on 3 June 2013. It moved to Austin and records at the Comedy Mothership, with arena nights at Madison Square Garden and the LA Forum in 2024.
Among the comics the show made: William Montgomery, its longest-serving regular; Kam Patterson, who joined Saturday Night Live in 2025; Ari Matti; Hans Kim; Casey Rocket; and Golden Ticket winner Ahren Belisle. Each D.O.C. page has their tour dates.
D.O.C.'s 2026 thank-you to the people who build stages for comics, given to Tony Hinchcliffe for Kill Tony. It is free: D.O.C. sends its readers to subscribe and binge, and times the climb from 2.82 million to four million subscribers. The first D.O.C. spotlight went to Adam Ray.
Updated · the counts are YouTube's own, read on 10 November 2026
Today the target is four million subscribers. When Kill Tony gets there, the goal moves to five million. That's what D.O.C. does: celebrate the people who give comics a stage, and keep bringing them a bigger audience.
