The funniest stand-up comedy acts coming to Philly in 2024
Sam Jay is hot off of her HBO comedy special and run of talk shows, and Philly’s own Todd Glass is hosting a ‘ridiculously intimate’ evening.
Philadelphia is a funny town. It’s the place that raised comedy legends like Kevin Hart, Tina Fey, and Bob Saget. It also has drum line Elmo, rotisserie chicken-eating man on an abandoned pier, and at one point, Philly Jesus.
At the center of the laughs is a stand-up comedy landscape encompassing the indie stand-up scene at local bars and iconic venues like Helium Comedy Club. In 2024, a slew of comics are coming to Philly to ring in the new year with laughs.
Here are some of the best stand-up comedy acts you should see in Philadelphia in early 2024.
Sam Jay is coming hot off the heels of her titular talk show series, HBO’s PAUSE with Sam Jay, which finished its second and final season in summer 2022, and her first HBO stand-up special, Sam Jay: Salute Me or Shoot Me, which aired a few months ago. The Atlanta comedian and Emmy award-winning writer from her time at NBC’s Saturday Night Live is ready to shut down Punchline Philly with laughter in January. Listen to Jay navigate relationships and harness the power of empathy.
💵 $25-$30, 📅 Jan. 18-20, 📍 33 E. Laurel St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19123, 🌐 punchlinephilly.com
Atsuko Okatsuka exploded into the mainstream with her first HBO comedy special, The Intruder, which aired last year to favorable reviews and went viral on social media. Her comedic delivery transitions from deadpan to goofy (and back again), as she explains what it’s like learning social skills from her grandmother and the pain of sending her husband to the grocery store. Catch her live for three nights at Punch Line Philly.
💵 $38, 📅 Jan. 25-27, 📍 33 E. Laurel St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19123, 🌐 punchlinephilly.com
Philly’s Todd Glass will be hosting “A Ridiculously Intimate Evening” in collaboration with local indie stand-up darlings Next in Line Comedy at NoLibs’ Bourbon & Branch in February. Glass grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, where he started stand-up during high school in the ‘80s. He has appeared on countless late-night talk shows and was doing a podcast before it was cool. He’ll perform for four nights before heading out on tour with Jim Gaffigan.
💵 $30, 📅 Feb. 21-24, 📍 705 N. Second St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19123, 🌐 nextinlinecomedy.com
Joanne McNally hails from Ireland, where she has crafted her stand-up for the last decade, leading one-woman shows, crushing late-night TV appearances, solving the world’s problems on Comedy Central’s Comedians Solve World Problems, and selling out Irish arenas with her podcast, My Therapist Ghosted Me, with Vogue Williams. She’ll be at Helium Comedy Club for two nights on her U.S. tour for the first time since the pandemic.
💵 $27, 📅 Feb. 28-29, 📍 2031 Sansom St., Philadelphia Pa. 19103, 🌐 philadelphia.heliumcomedy.com
If you don’t know Marlon Wayans from White Chicks or Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, then maybe you know him from his ‘90s WB sitcom The Wayans Brothers opposite his brother Shawn. No matter how you know Wayans, this comedy movie icon is a must-see when he comes to Live! Casino in March.
💵 $50, 📅 March 8, 📍 900 Packer Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19148, 🌐 philadelphia.livecasinohotel.com
There truly aren’t any words in the English language to describe Connor O’Malley’s humor. The former Late Night with Seth Meyers writer has worked his way through official comedy channels, appearing on Netflix’s I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson and Comedy Central’s Broad City. He has also carved out his own path by releasing fever-dream-like videos on YouTube that poke fun at American materialism and conspiracy theories or are just pure absurdity — like restarting the Irish mob. He’s in Philly for three nights at Helium Comedy Club.
💵 $22-$30, 📅 March 21-23, 📍 2031 Sansom St., Philadelphia Pa. 19103, 🌐 philadelphia.heliumcomedy.com
Margaret Cho is known for her groundbreaking role in stand-up comedy and for helming what is considered television’s first comedy show featuring an East Asian family, ABC’s All-American Girl in the ‘90s. Her comedy tackles race and sexuality and often points out the challenges of politics and society. Cho will make you laugh as easily as she can make you reflect on the world we live in. She’ll be at the Fillmore in Fishtown for one night only.
💵 $40, 📅 March 29, 📍 29 E. Allen St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19123, 🌐 concerts.livenation.com