The holidays are over and not only are we having to contend with January, the gloomiest month, but we’re dealing with another January in ‘unprecedented times’… We at Ticket Squeeze love a good laugh, so we’ve decided to look into some of the most exciting breakthrough voices on the comedy scene and spread the joy! Here’s a list of the up-and-coming comics you need to catch this year:
Josh Johnson
A writer on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and a former writer and performer on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Josh Johnson is also making waves in his own stand-up career. His easy-going, smooth, and understated delivery has seen him perform his stand-up on both Comedy Central and Netflix, as well as earn the title of New York’s Funniest Comic at Caroline’s during the New York Comedy Festival. After touring with Trevor Noah three years ago, he’ll be supporting him again in 2022 on the Back to Abnormal Tour.
Tickets: https://www.ticketsqueeze.com/performers/josh-johnson
Rory Scovel
Rory Scovel is a human roller-coaster. Zany, left-field, and almost unbearably confident, he builds his own hype on stage and then instantly exceeds it. He has opened for comedians such as Louis C.K., Nick Swardson, and Daniel Tosh, and in 2017 released the Netflix special Rory Scovel Tries Stand-Up for the First Time, which was produced by rock star Jack White. Robbie, an eight-episode Comedy Central scripted television series produced, co-written, and starring Scovel, premiered on May 7, 2020.
Tickets: https://www.ticketsqueeze.com/performers/rory-scovel
Aaron Aryanpur
A semifinalist in both Comedy Central’s Up Next Talent Search and NBC’s Stand Up for Diversity in 2013, Aaron Aryanpur’s 2016 debut comedy album In Spite Of reached number 10 on the Billboard comedy chart number one on the iTunes comedy chart. Hugely relatable to dads and husbands everywhere, he is the co-host of the excellent podcast Minivan Men with Maz Jobrani (Axis of Evil Comedy Tour) and Al Madrigal (The Daily Show).
Tickets: https://www.ticketsqueeze.com/performers/aaron-aryanpur
Jak Knight
The voice of DeVon on the Netflix animated series Big Mouth (he is also a writer and consulting producer on the show), Jak Knight has made huge strides in the world of comedy at just 26-years-old. Named a Comic to Watch by both Comedy Central and Time Out LA, and a New Face at the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival, he’s toured with some huge names, including Dave Chappelle, Hannibal Buress, Moshe Kasher, Eric Andrew and Joel McHale, and rocked the main stage at the Oddball Comedy Festival with Amy Schumer and Aziz Ansari.
Tickets: https://www.ticketsqueeze.com/performers/jak-knight
Jesus Trejo
Jesus Trejo made his stand-up special debut on Showtime in 2020 with Stay at Home Son, which covers his life as the live-in carer for his two elderly parents. He has had memorable appearances on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, The Late Late Show with James Cordon, and Adam Devine’s House Party on Comedy Central. He’s also making waves as an actor in the role of Mr. Trujillo on the Netflix series Mr Iglesias, and in roles on Alone Together (Freeform) and Teachers (TV Land) and recently on Gentrified (Netflix). He embarks on his debut international comedy tour, the Empty Calorie Tour, this year.
Tickets: https://www.ticketsqueeze.com/performers/jesus-trejo
Brian Simpson
Named a New Face 2021 at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival, Brian Simpson’s unique take on comedy is getting him noticed. The host of the podcast BS with Brian Simpson, he was a foster child and has been a marine, giving him a relaxed, no-nonsense hilarity that’s hard to resist. Simpson debuted in the third season of Netflix’s The Stand Ups in December 2021 and guaranteed to blow up over the next year.
Tickets: https://www.ticketsqueeze.com/performers/brian-simpson-comedian
Jeff Wright
Currently a WGA Award-Nominated writer and performer for NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers, Jeff Wright has also become a viral TikTok sensation, but stand-up will always be his first love. Charming and charismatic, his astute observations give him the expert ability to make characters out of almost anything (streaming services, vaccines) with hilarious results. This satirical sketch star is on the cusp of becoming a huge household name – now’s the time to catch him live!
Tickets: https://www.ticketsqueeze.com/performers/jeff-wright
Mo Amer
An instantly likeable on-stage presence, Palestinian-American stand-up Mo Amer is best known for his Netflix comedy specials Mo Amer: The Vagabond (2018) and Mohammed in Texas (2021), and his role as one third of the comedy trio Allah Made Me Funny. A regular tour-mate of Dave Chapelle, he has the comedian’s seal of approval. He also stars in the Hulu sitcom Ramy and is set to star in the 2022 DC Comics film Black Adam.
Tickets: https://www.ticketsqueeze.com/performers/mo-amer
Alex Hooper
Equal parts silly and dark, Alex Hooper came to public attention on season 13 on America’s Got Talent and was subsequently called back for season 15. A self-described ‘human cartoon’, his exuberant dress matches his joyful attitude to life. He has appeared on Comedy Central (Roast Battle 2, Corporate) and his 2018 album Hugs. Drugs. Pugs. hit number one on Amazon and number three on iTunes Best Selling Comedy Records.
Tickets: https://www.ticketsqueeze.com/performers/alex-hooper
Steve Gillespie
Self-deprecating and sharp in equal measure, Steve Gillespie has opened for some of the best in the biz, including Dave Attell, Jim Breuer, Tom Segura, Kyle Kinnane, Tom Green, Harland Williams, Doug Benson, Emo Phillips, and Gilbert Gottfried. With his recent appearance on Conan, the world has started paying attention to this rising star and his critically acclaimed second album Alive on State reached the top spot on iTunes.
Tickets: https://www.ticketsqueeze.com/performers/steve-gillespie
Nore Davis
A contemporary of Amy Schumer, Nore Davis is an expert in quick-witted social observations. He’s appeared on Inside Amy Schumer, Conan, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central Featuring, and in many videos on College Humor. His second comedy album, Too Woke, was named one of the Top Ten Best Comedy Albums of 2018 by Vulture. Davis is currently working with Comedy Central for his own show called In Between with Nore Davis.
Tickets: https://www.ticketsqueeze.com/performers/nore-davis
Alex Edelman
Since winning the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Newcomer at the 2014 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Alex Edelman has had international success touring three shows: Millennial (2014–2015), Everything Handed to You (2015–2016), and Just for Us (2018–2020). He found success in the UK, appearing on television shows such as The John Bishop Show, Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled, Live from the BBC, and Roast Battle, as well as having a BBC Radio 4 comedy series called “Alex Edelman’s Peer Group”. In the US, he has written for The Great Indoors (2016–2017) and Teenage Bounty Hunters (2020). Edelman was the head writer and executive producer of Saturday Night Seder, a virtual celebrity Passover seder held during the COVID-19 pandemic that was hosted by Jason Alexander and featured Nick Kroll, Josh Groban, Rachel Brosnahan, Idina Menzel, Debra Messing and Bette Midler.
Tickets: https://www.ticketsqueeze.com/performers/alex-edelman
Joel Kim Booster
Joel Kim Booster has been named as a Comic to Watch by Variety, one of Vulture’s 20 Comedians You Should and Will Know, and as one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in Hollywood & Entertainment. Gay, Asian, and living with bipolar disorder, much of his work relates to breaking down stereotypes. Kim Booster has made appearances on Conan, The Late Late Show with James Corden, Netflix, and more, and as a regular panellist on the NPR show Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me!. He has written for the shows Billy on the Street, Big Mouth, and The Other Two and appeared in his own Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents special in 2017. He currently co-hosts Quibi’s Singled Out remake alongside Keke Palmer.
Tickets: https://www.ticketsqueeze.com/performers/joel-kim-booster