Archive for the Comedy Category

Top 10 Most Hilarious Louis C.K. Bits Ever (Well, as of 2017)

Posted in Comedy, Lists with tags , , , , , on 04/03/2026 by Kurt Orzeck
Louis CK, without doubt one of the funniest people on the planet

Whether you love or loathe Louis C.K. – a comedic entertainer so polarizing that there isn’t much room in between – no one can dispute his status as one of the biggest comics of the 21st century. For proof, look no further than how he survived a sex scandal that would’ve put the nail in the coffin of just about any other comic’s career.

Supplying more evidence that his equally raunchy and philosophical sense of humor renders him a teflon comedian, Louis C.K. will notch one of the biggest milestones of his career next month. As he notified subscribers to his email newsletter on Thursday, the ultimate comic’s comic will headline the Netflix Is a Joke festival showcase at the 17,500-capacity Hollywood Bowl. His missive also revealed that he has a new comedy special, Louis CK: Ridiculous, coming at a to-be-determined date this summer.

“My show at the Hollywood Bowl on May 5th will be the very last show of this tour which has taken me around the world and will likely be my last full-scale comedy headline type show for a looong time. I hope you can make it,” Louis C.K. said in a rare instance of sincerity devoid of any wise-crackery.

With that in mind, this writer dug up an out-of-print 2017 list of Louis C.K.’s best routines, non sequiturs and one-liners that preceded the controversy that became ubiquitous in conversations about comedy a mere five months after Monsters & Critics published the piece. Today we’re resurrecting it for your amusement – or disgust, in which case you don’t have to click “continue reading.”

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Top 10 Songs About Dogs: A Tribute to Kristi Noem

Posted in Comedy, Lists with tags , , , , , , , , , , on 03/05/2026 by Kurt Orzeck
Dog Noem GIF by GIPHY News

Have you noticed an extra bounce in your dog’s step today? Chalk it up to them hearing the news about the firing of U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. The first Trump regime to be fired in his second term is an avowed dog killer, a corruption queen, a cosplay doofus and an all-around nitwit.

The sociopathic Noem also relished joining ICE as they invaded cities and terrorized residents. In honor of her outrageously sickening and shameful acts, here are 10 songs that likely aren’t on her Spotify list and provide a fitting sendoff to Noem:

1. “I Wanna Be Your Dog” (Stooges)

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Happy Birthday, Dave Grohl!

Posted in Comedy with tags , , , , , , , on 01/14/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

“Don’t tell me how to make a record. I was in Nirvana. I was in the greatest rock and roll band of the ’90s. We changed the course of rock music. … Give me a carton of Marlboros. Fuck you, man, I was in Nirvana, you asshole. I’m on RCA, dammit. Don’t you know who I am? I’m a millionaire.”
Dave Grohl of Nirvana (and Foo Fighters, and Queens of the Stone Age, and Them Crooked Vultures, and Mondo Generator, and Sound City Players, and Backbeat Band, and Scream).

Billionaire Bloat on a Boat: European Cruise With Sax Player Dave Koz Costs Up to $17,698.60

Posted in Comedy, Essays with tags , , , , , , on 01/09/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Feast your eyes on that lovely smile. Those pearly whites. The jacket made out material that could probably fund health care coverage for 100 Americans. (That’s conjecture, but you get the drift.) Meet Dave Koz, the prolific jazz saxophonist who, since launching his career in 1990, has never won a Grammy. Don’t get him wrong, though: He’s a hard “worker,” in that he appears to have had a lot of cosmetic work done to his physical appearance.

Don’t knock The Bad Penny for pointing this out; The Kozman is proud of his accomplishments. In May 2020, he raved to no one in particular about his beauty in a textbook-oblivious Facebook post, saying, “Well, it’s been 3 years since I actually saw my full face. Today was the day to shave. 😊 Not sure if I’ll keep it this way, but man, my face feels like a baby’s bottom…SO good! What do you say, beard or no beard?!”

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Another Oxymoronic Creed News Headline

Posted in Comedy, News with tags , , on 11/13/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

It only took Creed less than two months to confound us once again with a self-owning update:

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On Tyranny: David Cross Scolds ‘Heroes’ Louis CK, Bill Burr for Playing Saudi Arabia Comedy Fest

Posted in Comedy, Features, News, On Tyranny, On Tyranny with tags , , on 10/02/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Well, at least someone in the now-ludicrously successful world of comedy is standing up for human rights. David Cross, in a Monday newsletter to his fans, expressed disappointment that many of his peers are performing for the “depraved, awful people” attending the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia, whose authoritarian leadership mandates observance of Sharia law and carries out mass executions despite condemnation by international human-rights groups.

Notably, Cross pointed out the hypocrisy of comedians who regularly bemoan so-called “cancel culture” for participating in a comedy festival staged by a royal family that bans free speech in the country they rule. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman infamously directed the assassination of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in October 2018.

The Riyadh Comedy Festival began Friday and concludes a week from today. Other participants include Dave Chappelle, Aziz Ansari, Jimmy Carr, Russell Peters, Whitney Cummings, Pete Davidson, Tom Segura, Andrew Schulz, Bobby Lee, Sam Morril, Jo Koy, Gabriel Iglesias and Kevin Hart, among others.

Burr said on his Monday Morning Podcast that at least the festival’s attendees were “happy,” and called performing at the festival “one of the top three best experiences I’ve had,” according to Rolling Stone.

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The Most Oxymoronic Album Title in Recent Memory Is …

Posted in Comedy with tags , , on 09/25/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

From the press release issued Tuesday:

“The first collection to feature stadium-shaking anthems from all four Creed albums, including ‘One Last Breath,’ ‘Higher,’ ‘With Arms Wide Open’ and ‘My Sacrifice.’ Digital edition out today; vinyl and CD available November 21 via Craft Recordings. Band closes out a triumphant 2025 with five-date CREEDMAS tour.”

Lord have mercy.

Much, much worthier of a listen is David Cross’ unforgettable bit on Scott Stapp, which appeared as a “hidden track” on Cross’ It’s Not Funny album:

Did David Yow Tell His Version of ‘The Aristocrats’ on The Jesus Lizard’s ‘Lady Shoes’?

Posted in Comedy, Essays with tags , , on 09/05/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

If you’re even fairly familiar with raunchy comedy, “The Aristocrats,” an ever-evolving running joke so dirty that comics used to only tell it to each other behind closed doors, probably rings a bell. The jape varies in length, vulgarity, structure, plot and tone, depending on whichever comedian is telling their version of it. But baked into the joke are, unwaveringly, graphic scenes of a family engaging in scatological, sordid and smutty behavior during an audition in a misguided effort to win over an agent to book their stage act. And the punch line always remains the same, with the family revealing at the end of the audition that their stage name is “The Aristocrats.”

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Doppelgängers: Louis CK’s and David Cross’ Nearly Identical Jokes on Male Rollerbladers

Posted in Comedy, Doppelgängers, Essays, Features with tags , on 08/31/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Louis C.K. and David Cross were roommates in the ’90s, so it’s not shocking that they came up with nearly the exact same bit on men with mustaches rollerblading in public with a sense of superiority to those they passed on the sidewalk.

From David Cross’ comedy album Shut Up, You Fucking Baby (2002):

From Louis C.K.’s first full-length broadcast special, Shameless (2007):

This post is dedicated to Dan Stevenson.

3 Youngish, Anti-Bro Comics You Should Know: Jack Tucker, Connor O’Malley, Chris Fleming

Posted in Comedy, Videos with tags , , , on 08/30/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Jack Tucker (Zack Zucker):

Connor O’Malley:

Chris Fleming: