Good stand up comics for family
April 7, 2023 12:07 PM Subscribe
This question pops up every few years but given how poorly some comedy ages I think it's worth asking again. I want to introduce my kids (14/12) to stand up comedy. They're old enough that some swearing isn't the end of the world but sex/drug comedy is too much to explain. Classics are great, but more recent/topical comedy would be awesome as well. Suggestions?
Ok maybe not Pete Holmes, I think I got confused with his overall vibe, and/or his semi-autobiographical character in Crashing
posted by supercres at 12:20 PM on April 7, 2023
posted by supercres at 12:20 PM on April 7, 2023
Mitch Hedberg? I think he's more surreal than offensive, my 14 year old self would have loved him. I think I remember a few drug jokes, but not many.
posted by Gorgik at 12:26 PM on April 7, 2023 [10 favorites]
posted by Gorgik at 12:26 PM on April 7, 2023 [10 favorites]
I’d say Jim Gaffigan and Demetri Martin.
posted by FencingGal at 12:27 PM on April 7, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by FencingGal at 12:27 PM on April 7, 2023 [7 favorites]
I've enjoyed Nate Bargatze recently; he specifically says he keeps his sets clean. I think he's hilarious.
posted by LKWorking at 12:33 PM on April 7, 2023 [16 favorites]
posted by LKWorking at 12:33 PM on April 7, 2023 [16 favorites]
From the UK, Tim Vine and Milton Jones are great one-liner comics that are family-friendly. Some of the cultural references might not land, of course, but IMO they're both great.
posted by parm at 12:40 PM on April 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by parm at 12:40 PM on April 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Brian Regan is funny clean and holds up.
posted by mcgordonliddy at 12:47 PM on April 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by mcgordonliddy at 12:47 PM on April 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
Just watched and loved Sheng Wang's Netflix special. I can't recall anything risque in it, but you might want to give a watch beforehand just to make 100% sure. For sure most and maybe all of it is non-dirty, non-political, family-affectionate, and very very funny. (There might have been some weed references and now that I think of it, there were some jokes about testicles hanging low, but not sexual references.)
posted by fingersandtoes at 12:52 PM on April 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by fingersandtoes at 12:52 PM on April 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
If you have Sirius XM radio, "Laugh USA" is all family-friendly standup.
Check out Myq Kaplan, Joe Zimmerman, Steve Simeone, Gary Gulman, Wendy Liebman, Josh Gondelman....
posted by tristeza at 12:54 PM on April 7, 2023
Check out Myq Kaplan, Joe Zimmerman, Steve Simeone, Gary Gulman, Wendy Liebman, Josh Gondelman....
posted by tristeza at 12:54 PM on April 7, 2023
I feel like a lot of Tig Notaro would maybe work? Or at least is clean enough to give it a shot, if they’re on her wavelength.
Some of Reggie Watts, as some of what’s funny about him is his surrealism, and the way he really physically commits to his humour.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 1:04 PM on April 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Some of Reggie Watts, as some of what’s funny about him is his surrealism, and the way he really physically commits to his humour.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 1:04 PM on April 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Jon Mitchell's suggestion of looking for more surrealist artists is a good one. I had all of Steve Martin's albums by that age; his stuff is more cerebral and I don't recall that he worked very blue. Emo Philips first album was a frequent companion on my paper route. Have you introduced them to Monty Python?
posted by mimi at 1:13 PM on April 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by mimi at 1:13 PM on April 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
I suspect you’ve already considered this— Eddie Izzard is a family favorite here, and appropriate for even the younger-uns.
posted by Silvery Fish at 1:13 PM on April 7, 2023 [17 favorites]
posted by Silvery Fish at 1:13 PM on April 7, 2023 [17 favorites]
Another "surreal" option would be Steven Wright; I had his album I Have A Pony when I was about that age. (A sample.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:25 PM on April 7, 2023 [11 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:25 PM on April 7, 2023 [11 favorites]
I’ll nth Nate Bargatze and add Ryan Hamilton (Happy Face) and some Mike Birbiglia.
We’ve had more success with finding smaller clips than whole specials or finding old Comedy Central specials (e.g., Mitch Hedberg), which tend to be cleaner.
posted by statsgirl at 1:37 PM on April 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
We’ve had more success with finding smaller clips than whole specials or finding old Comedy Central specials (e.g., Mitch Hedberg), which tend to be cleaner.
posted by statsgirl at 1:37 PM on April 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Robin Williams, "A Night at the Met." Has a brief section on why he had to give up alcohol, but even that is funny to a 14-year-old ("You just pissed on a dumpster, it's Miller Time!") and it's all beyond hilarious.
posted by Melismata at 2:04 PM on April 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Melismata at 2:04 PM on April 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Oh, and nthing Steven Wright. He just came out with a second album, "I Still Have A Pony."
posted by Melismata at 2:05 PM on April 7, 2023
posted by Melismata at 2:05 PM on April 7, 2023
Dry Bar Comedy on YouTube has lots to choose from, and I can't recall any of them being too blue or risqué.
posted by kate4914 at 2:35 PM on April 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by kate4914 at 2:35 PM on April 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
I love Naomi Ekperigin and I think my sardonic teen self would have too. Most of her material is about fairly "grown-up" topics but not "adult" in the sex/drugs sense. She has a recent half-hour on Netflix in The Standups series.
posted by doift at 2:39 PM on April 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by doift at 2:39 PM on April 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
Josh Sundquist is pretty family friendly, especially with older kids. The linked video is about as rough as he gets.
posted by SamanthaK at 2:40 PM on April 7, 2023
posted by SamanthaK at 2:40 PM on April 7, 2023
James Acaster! Tons of clips of him on YouTube.
posted by oneirodynia at 2:41 PM on April 7, 2023 [9 favorites]
posted by oneirodynia at 2:41 PM on April 7, 2023 [9 favorites]
Gabriel Iglesias is awesome. And he has a TV show based in a school that your kids might like too. I'm on spotty internet so I can't find links right now, sorry.
posted by CathyG at 2:47 PM on April 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by CathyG at 2:47 PM on April 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
James Acaster has a great bit where a child owned him via cabbages, pretty sure I saw it on Would I Lie To You. Any kid would love it, I think.
posted by phunniemee at 4:37 PM on April 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by phunniemee at 4:37 PM on April 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Is Jackie Kashian clean? I think she is -- and she is funny and sensible, a nice Midwestern lady who makes you laugh a lot.
She has a special called "This Will Make a Great Horcrux" for free on YouTube, among other content.
If your kid can stand a bunch of roared "JAYZUS"es and some F words, the Irish comedian Dara O'Briain is one of the funnest comics I have ever seen. You can't believe the way he works the crowd into every single show Just amazing.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:03 PM on April 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
She has a special called "This Will Make a Great Horcrux" for free on YouTube, among other content.
If your kid can stand a bunch of roared "JAYZUS"es and some F words, the Irish comedian Dara O'Briain is one of the funnest comics I have ever seen. You can't believe the way he works the crowd into every single show Just amazing.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:03 PM on April 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
Seconding Gary Gulman. His bit on cookies is a great starter. Also the state abbreviations extended joke. Also, you could listen to the last few years of the Bullseye podcast end-of-the-year comedy special and find people you like there.
posted by umbú at 8:03 PM on April 7, 2023
posted by umbú at 8:03 PM on April 7, 2023
I came here to say Gary Gulman too! He is effortlessly clean in his comedy. He does talk about his depression sometimes.
(At those ages, your kids know more about sex and drugs than you think, I'm sure)
posted by tiny frying pan at 4:51 AM on April 8, 2023
(At those ages, your kids know more about sex and drugs than you think, I'm sure)
posted by tiny frying pan at 4:51 AM on April 8, 2023
Tom Papa
posted by poppunkcat at 5:31 AM on April 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by poppunkcat at 5:31 AM on April 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
I agree with many of the above suggestions.
Jim Gaffigan is pretty clean.
Brian Regan has mostly worked clean, but his latest comedy seems to be getting more mean-spirited. "I've had it with his uncaring ways!"
While I love Maria Bamford, some more recent material had some things that were fairly sexual.
Pete Holmes is also pretty clean, with a "youth pastor" vibe, for better or for worse.
Tig Notaro is also wonderful, though there is likely going to be material about cancer and her wife and such. And her barefoot family at the New Orleans airport...
Steven Wright, yes. Cerebral and surreal and clean. Mitch Hedberg? LOTS of drug references, very surreal, but he is so obviously wasted most of the time, it can be hard to listen to.
I'd look back to the late 50s early 60s. There were a ton of comics then, that had to work clean. Bob Newhart was known for "phone conversations" humor, Shelley Berman did these as well, and if you wanted to be on the Tonight Show, you had to be pretty clean.
Most of the recent comics I have watched, all have some content that doesn't fit your criteria.
posted by Windopaene at 5:10 PM on April 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
Jim Gaffigan is pretty clean.
Brian Regan has mostly worked clean, but his latest comedy seems to be getting more mean-spirited. "I've had it with his uncaring ways!"
While I love Maria Bamford, some more recent material had some things that were fairly sexual.
Pete Holmes is also pretty clean, with a "youth pastor" vibe, for better or for worse.
Tig Notaro is also wonderful, though there is likely going to be material about cancer and her wife and such. And her barefoot family at the New Orleans airport...
Steven Wright, yes. Cerebral and surreal and clean. Mitch Hedberg? LOTS of drug references, very surreal, but he is so obviously wasted most of the time, it can be hard to listen to.
I'd look back to the late 50s early 60s. There were a ton of comics then, that had to work clean. Bob Newhart was known for "phone conversations" humor, Shelley Berman did these as well, and if you wanted to be on the Tonight Show, you had to be pretty clean.
Most of the recent comics I have watched, all have some content that doesn't fit your criteria.
posted by Windopaene at 5:10 PM on April 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
You might find some good recommendations in my AskMe from last year, smart, funny, GENTLE, non-edgy comedy (I certainly did).
Nthing Emo Phillips and Steven Wright and Bob Newhart.
posted by kristi at 9:40 PM on April 10, 2023
Nthing Emo Phillips and Steven Wright and Bob Newhart.
posted by kristi at 9:40 PM on April 10, 2023
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posted by supercres at 12:15 PM on April 7, 2023 [1 favorite]