Top 11 Stand-Up Comedians

By CJ Tiernan

Laughter is famously the very best medicine. It adds some levity and perspective to life. Life is too short to push through day in and day out without stopping to laugh at the absurd things all around us. In my opinion, stand-up comedy is best when the comedian taps into something we all see and experience and subverts it or looks at in a way that none of us have thought about. It is a satisfying thing to hear because not only are we Rolling On The Floor Laughing Out Loud (ROTFLOL) but we also feel seen. Below is a list of my Top 11 favorite comedians I've ever listened to.

1. John Mulaney

Best Album: New in Town (2012)

Dominick D, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

While his self-titled sitcom did NOT become the hit that Jerry's Seinfeld did, his stand-up is second to none. Mulaney is a master story teller. His most recent work has reflected on the mistakes of his youth (lots of drugs and alcohol) but his early work as a naive, bright-eyed, bushy tailed man about town is unparalleled. He has great observational humor but my favorite is just his recounting of stories from his perspective with respect to the other characters thoughts and feelings as well. It is masterful.

2. Brian Regan

Best Album: I Walked on the Moon (2004)

I vividly remember on a church mission trip out to Montana from Iowa, listening to Brian Regan for the first time. My friend AK-47 (not his given or legal name) had me listen on his iPod (remember those?) to "Brian Regan: Live." It was a game changer. He is my favorite in the observational humor vein. His style can be brash, loud, and simple-minded but his observations are second to none. I have endlessly quoted his routines since I first heard them and will recommmend his work to anyone and everyone I meet. You can't top him. He walked on the moon.

3. Mitch Hedberg

Best Album: Strategic Grill Locations (1999)

Ah, Mitch Hedberg. Gone too soon. He is the master of the one-liner. With respect to the greats that came before him like Henry Youngman and Steven Wright, Mitch is the best. He is part ridiculous, part brilliant and all of his jokes and observations come across with humility as though they are throw-aways. There are very few comedians in the history of being funny for a living to ever generate anywhere near the laughs-per-minute rate of Hedberg.

4. Jerry Seinfeld

Best Album: I'm Telling You for the Last Time (1998)

Seinfeld is a technician. His ability to find the perfect word or phrase to maximize a joke and then emphasize the words just right is untouchable. He is one of the first if not the first you think of when you think of observational humor. Just as he and Larry David did on the show, he is so in tune with the world around him and able to use snippets of reality to twist in to comedy gold. Gold, Jerry, Gold!

5. Bo Burnham

Best Album: Inside (2021)

Bo is a musical comedian. He is the head of the class in the subject. He can jump from genre to genre effortlessly and can switch from the impressively poignant and profound to the lowest common denominator. He is also probably the one that I've seen address mental health in the most impressive manner of any comedian. He was also a wunderkind and is the only one on (fun! 3 straight words that start with "on") my list to be younger than me.

6. Steve Martin

Best Album: Let's Get Small (1977)

Yes, I'm aware that there were comedians before Steve Martin. However, I see Martin as the O.G. He was an absurdist maestro and would showcase his other skills as a banjo player and magician in his acts. His autobiography "Born Standing Up" is the best non-fiction book I've ever read. He is today's Renaissance Man, having been a stand-up comic, an author, an actor, a screenwriter, a director, a magician, a Grammy-winning banjo player, and creating and starring in a TV show. He has also looked the same since like the '70s so there may be witchcraft involved.

7. Kumail Nanjiani

Best Album: Beta Male (2013)

Nanjiani is one of the most charming comedy performers. He is great at observational humor but also, because he is originally from Pakistan, he is able to have self-deprecating, culture-clash observations that sometimes leave himself as the humor source. Ever since I first heard his bit about the drug "Cheese," I pronounce the word "heroin" in the manner he pronounces it (don't worry, it's not like heroin comes up in daily conversation. I, uh, don't roll with that flavor of crowd).

8. Aziz Ansari

Best Album: Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening (2010)

Aziz is an incredible ball of energy. His incredulity at the way other people behave in his stories is so endlessly delightful. He also offers a sing-song delivery that is so deliciously quotable. I'm often triggered by everyday things and words to think of some of his stories and observations. Talking about thread counts on sheets: "this lady's like 'I got 700 back at my house. It's like sleeping in lotion.'"

9. Nate Bargatze

Best Album: The Tennessee Kid (2019)

All of Nate Bargatze's humor seems to come from how dumb he is. Most one-trick-pony comedians don't work for me, but his style is so endearing and humble and his affect is charming. It works. I loved watching him on SNL, because it seemed like he finally jumped the shark and people got to know him and see him (also his patriotic sketch was a killer). He has such an understated delivery that it feels like he doesn't know how funny he is (even though he is literally making people laugh for a living so, he probably knows).

10. Louis C.K.

Best Album: Live at Beacon Theater (2011)

His story telling is incredible. He is able to take you to a time and place where something happened to him or around him, and he just perfectly paints a hilarious picture. His health and appearance are big pieces of his work, and he is so in-tune with his observations of the world. I like when he breaks down the transgressions of someone around him. He takes a mundane action and successfully paints it as absurd. His bit about people wanting to do "their favorite thing" is one I think about all the time. It helps me laugh instead of screaming

11. Demetri Martin

Best Album: These Are Jokes (2006)

Demetri Martin is one of the weirdest comedians I've ever seen. He does his comedy very straight-faced, but with absurd content. He has done comedy alongside drawings and while using the guitar and even used Will Forte as a back-up vocalist. The ideas that come from this man's mind are wild and the world is a better place for having him in it. He is a one-of-a-kind and had to be included on the list.

Final Thoughts

Comedy is subjective. What makes one person laugh, may not work on someone else. I have listened to 100s of stand-up comedy specials and these 11 people are my favorites that I've ever head. I know that my list is not the same as everyone else. I think that is fun and cool and unique, but obviously I'm also opening myself up to be called racist or sexist. So be it. We all have biases. I'm a human and am not immune to inherent bias. I stand by my list. Please include the comedians you feel I've failed to include on my list in the comments. Thanks!