Atsuko Okatsuka is a comedian, actor and stand-up author based in Los Angeles. In 2022, she was named one of 'Top 10 Comedians to Watch' by Variety and was chosen as 'Best Debut' in the New York Times comedy category that same year. She was also the second Asian woman to have a comedy show on HBO.
Kyle Harris Gordon works as a comedian, actor, musician, singer‑songwriter and YouTuber in the United States. He rose to fame by creating musical pieces that feature humorous personas and spoof well‑known songs spanning different periods.
Born on March 23, 1980, Russell Howard is an English entertainer who works as a comedian, television presenter, radio presenter, and actor. Dave and Ninette Howard are the parents of Russell Howard, and he grew up with twin younger siblings, Daniel Howard and Kerry Howard, who arrived in 1982. Daniel Howard has epilepsy. Russell attended several schools including Bedford Modern School, Hanham High School, Perins School, and Alton College. Following this, Russell Howard pursued higher education, studying economics at the University of the West of England. Prior to his widespread recognition as a comedian, he was commissioned by BBC Radio 1 in 2004 to write, sing, and perform on The Milk Run , and frequently collaborated with other comedians as part of the Chocolate Milk Gang. From November 2006 to July 2008, he co-hosted The Russell Howard Show on BBC Radio 6 Music. He also appeared on Mock the Week . A significant portion of his career involves ten seasons of the show *Russell Howard’s Good News*, which began on BBC Three before transitioning to BBC Two; during its final two seasons on BBC Two, it achieved record-breaking ratings for BBC Three entertainment programs and drew an average audience exceeding 3 million viewers per episode. In 2011, Russell Howard first appeared on American television as a guest on *Conan*, and he subsequently hosted the two-season travel series *Russell Howard & Mum: Globetrotters*, which proved to be Comedy Central’s highest-rated new program. He has released four stand-up DVDs, including Russell Howard Live (2008) and Wonderbox (2014). His *Respite* tour encompassed performances in over 24 countries across five continents, while his *Round the World* tour established a Royal Albert Hall record previously belonging to Frank Sinatra and Barry Manilow. This tour was released as a Netflix special called Recalibrate . In 2021, Russell Howard released a two-part Netflix comedy special titled *Lubricant*, which ranked as the second most popular stand-up special of that year, and its production was chronicled in the film *Until the Wheels Come Off*. Currently, Russell hosts a podcast called 'Five Brilliant Things' and is touring with a new stand-up show starting in late 2026 and extending into 2027, emphasizing a live experience with no phones or distractions. He also hosts The Russell Howard Hour on Sky One since 2017.
John Crist, a comedian born in Lilburn, Georgia, performs in the United States. He rose to prominence by crafting sketch comedy clips for YouTube, with titles like “Every parent at Disney,” “Millennial International: Sponsor a Millennial Today,” “If golf and soccer switched announcers,” and “Weather Man MELTS down on live TV.” Throughout his career he has opened for Jeff Foxworthy, Dave Chappelle, Seth Meyers, Tim Hawkins and Anjelah Johnson.
A Moroccan-Canadian, Gad Elmaleh was born in Casablanca, Morocco, on April 19, 1971, and works as a stand-up comedian, actor, screenwriter, and director. He is known throughout France, Morocco, the United States, and the wider French-speaking world. His name, "Gad," signifies "luck" in Hebrew, while "Elmaleh" translates to "the salty" in Arabic, reflecting his Jewish/Arabic heritage. Elmaleh’s comedic journey began early; from age five, he performed on stage with his father, David Elmaleh, announcing his mime routines. He attended French schools in Casablanca and later moved to Montreal, Quebec, in 1988 at the age of 17. There, he studied humanities at Cégep de Saint-Laurent and political science at the University of Montreal for a year. He then pursued acting training at Cours Florent in Paris in 1992. His career truly took off with his first one-man show, Décalages , which premiered in 1997 at the Théâtre Trévise. Elmaleh is recognized for popularizing the American stand-up comedy format in France, with his performances rapidly becoming well-liked; his show, *La Vie Normale*, premiered at the Olympia in 2001 and was subsequently released on DVD. His comedy is described as Sephardic and Arab, creating a hybrid style. Elmaleh’s work extends beyond stand-up. He has starred in films such as Coco (2009), Priceless (2006), La Doublure (2005), and Midnight in Paris (2011). (2004) and Les Aventures de Tintin . His one-man shows, including L'autre c'est moi (2005), featured improvisation and audience interaction, attracting over 300,000 spectators between 2006 and 2007. Papa est en haut , premiered in Montreal in 2007 and sold over one million tickets. He gained further international recognition after appearing on Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee in 2013. In 2017, he released his French stand-up special Gad Gone Wild on Netflix, performing in both English and French. He currently lives between New York and Los Angeles. Throughout his career, Elmaleh has received considerable recognition. In 2007, TF1 viewers voted him 'funniest man of the year.' He was also knighted by the Order of Arts and Letters and the National Order of Quebec. For seven weeks running, he filled the Olympia theater in Paris, followed by another seven weeks of sold-out shows at the Palais des Sports, which holds 3,800 seats. Beginning in 2015, Elmaleh maintained a residency at Joe’s Pub in New York City for more than fifty sold-out performances, and concluded with a significant comedy tour throughout the United States, finishing with a sold-out event at Carnegie Hall in February 2017. As of June 2024, he has two sons, Noé and Raphaël, and is also a grandfather. He recently performed a show called 'Lui-même' in Montreal in July 2024.
Russell Dominic Peters is a Canadian comedian born on September 29, 1970, in Toronto, Ontario. His parents, Eric and Maureen Peters, immigrated to Canada from India and are of Anglo-Indian descent. He grew up in Brampton, Ontario, after moving there at age four. Frequently featured in his comedic performances is his father, who holds the position of applied physics professor at the University of Toronto. Russell Peters has been performing comedy for nearly three decades. Peters began his stand-up career in Toronto in 1989. He attended Chinguacousy Secondary School and North Peel Secondary School, where he faced bullying due to his ethnicity and learned boxing for self-defense. Early in his career, he received advice from comedian George Carlin to perform whenever possible. A pivotal moment came in 2004 with a performance on Comedy Now! that went viral on YouTube, significantly boosting his popularity. He sold out Toronto's Air Canada Centre in 2007, selling over 16,000 tickets in two days and nationally sold 30,000 tickets. Drawing upon techniques like audience interaction, vocal impressions, and narratives centered on family, self-discovery, migration, and the commonplace, his humor seeks to foster shared laughter among viewers. Russell Peters has achieved considerable success and recognition throughout his career. In 2009, he achieved a record for comedy ticket sales in the United Kingdom at London's O2 Arena; furthermore, on May 15, 2010, he delivered the biggest stand-up comedy show ever staged in Australia, attracting a crowd of 13,880. During May of 2012, he established attendance records for a solo stand-up comedian at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. He has released several comedy albums including Outsourced (2006), Red, White and Brown (2008, 2009), and The Green Card Tour: Live from the O2 Arena (2011). Notable specials include Almost Famous (2016) and Deported (2020). He won a Gemini Award in 2008 for hosting the Juno Awards, and received a Peabody Award and an International Emmy Award in 2016 for producing Hip-Hop Evolution . The business magazine Forbes placed him in third position on their global list of top-earning comedians in 2013. He has also appeared in films and TV shows. Currently, he is touring with his RELAX World Tour, which began in November 2024, and visited Detroit’s Music Hall on October 1, 2024. Russell Peters continues to tour extensively across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
Alan Graham Carr hails from England and works as a comedian, broadcaster, writer and TV personality. He first attracted attention in 2001 when he took home both the City Life Best Newcomer of the Year prize and the BBC New Comedy Award. Over the next several years he built his reputation on the Manchester stand‑up scene, eventually gaining wider recognition as the co‑host of The Friday Night Project alongside Justin Lee Collins from 2006 to 2009. The partnership spawned a brief entertainment series titled Alan Carr’s Celebrity Ding Dong in 2008. Carr later fronted the acclaimed talk‑show Alan Carr: Chatty Man, which ran from 2009 until 2017.
Katia Follesa, born Katiuscia Follesa on January 12, 1976, in Giussano, is an Italian comedian, television presenter, actress, and radio host. Her mother is Sicilian and works as a hotel administrator, while her father is Sardinian and a chef. Before pursuing a career in entertainment, she worked in a financial holding company. She has a younger sister who does not work in the entertainment industry. Katia Follesa gained recognition in the 2000s as part of the comedic duo Katia & Valeria. The comedic duo Katia & Valeria, formed in 2001 with Valeria Graci, quickly rose to prominence through appearances on Zelig starting in the early 2000s. They also performed on Colorado Café and MTV Italia, and continued their work on Zelig off and Zelig Circus from 2004 to 2011. Follesa’s acting credits include roles in Buona la prima! (2007), Vacanze di Natale a Cortina (2011), and Benvenuti al Nord (2012). She has also collaborated with Maccio Capatonda on Ma anche no (2011) and co-hosted Salsa rosa on Sky Italia's Comedy Central channel in 2010. The duo Katia & Valeria dissolved in February 2012. Since the 2010s, Follesa has hosted numerous television programs on Rai and Mediaset, including Junior Bake Off Italia (2017-2019) and Cake Star - Pasticcerie in sfida. She also co-hosted Quanto manca on Rai 2 from 2014 to 2019, and 90 Special on Italia 1 in 2018. Throughout her career, she has worked as a radio host and appeared in various film and television productions, notably Social Family (2020), a docu-comedy chronicling her experiences alongside her former spouse, Angelo Pisani. She frequently collaborates with Angelo Pisani on theatrical tours, such as Finché social non ci separi (2018-2022). At the 78th Venice International Film Festival in 2021, she was awarded the accolade of Best Female TV Personality. Currently, she co-hosts a night of the Sanremo Music Festival in 2025.
Akim Omiri, born on 14 September 1985 in Le Havre, works as a stand-up comedian, e video content for the web, writes chronicles and runs radio programs.
Oliver Pocher, ein deutscher Komiker, Entertainer und Fernsehmoderator, startete seine berufliche Laufbahn mit Teilzeitjobs im Radio und als DJ. 1998 trat er erstmals im Fernsehen auf, und zwar in der Sendung von Bärbel Schäfer. Später übernahm er die Moderation verschiedener Formate, unter anderem „Rent a Pocher“ und „Die Oliver Pocher Show“.
Born on April 18, 1958, in Montreuil, Laurent Baffie is a humorist, short film director and French author. Often referred to as simply Baffie, he began his career as an extra in variety shows hosted by Maritie and Gilbert Carpentier. He left school at the age of sixteen, initially pursuing accounting training before transitioning to theatre. His father, Marcel Baffie, was a World War II resistance fighter deported to Buchenwald. Baffie’s comedy style is characterized by hidden cameras, quick wit, biting humor, musical references, and animal-related content, earning him the nickname "the sniper." From 1985, he wrote skits for Jean-Marie Bigard’s show La Classe on France 3, developing a close professional relationship with him. He hosted radio shows including Vas-y, fais-nous rire on Fun Radio in 1990 and Ze Baffie Show on Skyrock in 1993. He also created C'est quoi ce bordel on Europe 2 in 1999 and presented a Sunday show on Europe 1 from 2007 to 2011, reusing concepts from C'est quoi ce bordel . He appeared on Thierry Ardisson’s shows like Double Jeu , Tout le monde en parle (1999-2006), and Salut les Terriens (2016). Baffie is best known for his play TOC TOC (2005), about OCD, which has achieved significant international success. The Spanish translation, done by Julián Quintanilla in 2010, led to eight seasons and over 1500 shows in Spain. TOC TOC also ran for nine years in Argentina, attracting over 1.7 million viewers, and had more than 1000 performances in Mexico. He has written and directed other plays including 'Sexe, Magouilles et Culture générale' (2001), 'Un point c'est tout!' (2008), 'Les bonobos' (2011), 'Sans filtre' (2014), and 'Jacques Daniel' (2016). He directed the film Les Clefs de bagnole in 2003. Currently, he performs a one-man show called "Oh putain Laurent !" and produces content on the internet. He is retiring from television at age 67, making way for younger talent, and recently announced a new one-man show called 'Oh putain Laurent !'. He has four children.
A Swiss performer, Hazel Brugger works as a slam poet, comedian, cabaret artist, and television presenter. Born on December 9, 1993, in San Diego, California, she holds Swiss, German, and US citizenship. Her father, Peter Brugger, is a Swiss neuropsychologist, while her mother is an English teacher originally from Cologne, Germany. Having been raised in Dielsdorf, close to Zürich, she has two older brothers. Brugger began her performance career at age 17, starting with poetry slams in Winterthur, Switzerland, and eventually winning the Swiss Poetry Slam Championship in October 2013. From 2014 to 2017, she wrote a bi-weekly column for Das Magazin , and previously contributed to Hochparterre and TagesWoche from 2013 to 2014. She hosted the 'Hazel Brugger Show and Tell' in Zürich from 2015 to 2017, and debuted her first cabaret program, 'Hazel Brugger passiert,' in November 2015. Her second solo program, 'Tropical,' premiered in February 2019 and subsequently toured Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. A recording of 'Tropical' was released on Netflix as a special in December 2020. From 2016 onwards, Brugger has served as a correspondent for the German program heute-show, which is a political satire show. She received the Salzburger Stier Kabarett Award for Switzerland in 2017, becoming the youngest recipient. She is married to Thomas Spitzer since 2020 and they co-host the YouTube series 'What's up, Europe?' and run the production company Viel Spaß GmbH. They previously hosted the podcast 'Nur verheiratet' from early 2021 until December 2022, and now host 'Hazel Thomas Hörerlebnis,' with new episodes released weekly. She has received numerous awards including a Bambi Award in Comedy in 2025 and the German Comedy Award in 2020. She is currently touring with her fifth stage program, 'Good Evening Europe,' which is expected to include around 60 shows through Germany, Austria and Switzerland until Spring 2027.
Albania
1
Armenia
2
Argentina
36
Austria
27
Australia
52
Azerbaijan
1
Bangladesh
1
Belgium
13
Bulgaria
57
Benin
2
Bolivia
1
Brazil
27
Belarus
2
Canada
125
Democratic Republic of the Congo
3
Switzerland
17
Cote d'Ivoire
1
Chile
15
Cameroon
1
China
8
Colombia
4
Cuba
4
Czech Republic
7
Germany
188
Denmark
17
Dominican Republic
1
Algeria
2
Ecuador
2
Estonia
5
Egypt
10
Spain
74
Ethiopia
1
Finland
15
France
214
United Kingdom
365
Georgia
1
Ghana
3
Greece
18
Guatemala
1
Croatia
2
Haiti
1
Hungary
7
Indonesia
23
Ireland
31
Israel
10
India
47
Iraq
3
Iran
6
Iceland
4
Italy
136
Jamaica
1
Japan
37
Kenya
3
Korea, South
20
Kazakhstan
3
Lebanon
5
Sri Lanka
1
Lithuania
1
Latvia
1
Morocco
17
Myanmar
1
Malta
1
Malawi
2
Mexico
28
Malaysia
7
Nigeria
19
Nicaragua
2
Netherlands
2
Norway
12
Nepal
3
New Zealand
9
Peru
2
Philippines
35
Pakistan
7
Poland
8
Portugal
7
Qatar
1
Romania
1
Serbia
4
Russia
9
Saudi Arabia
4
Sweden
101
Singapore
3
Slovenia
4
Slovakia
2
El Salvador
1
Syria
1
Thailand
2
Tunisia
4
Turkey
5
Taiwan
1
Ukraine
11
Uganda
7
United States
213
Uruguay
4
Uzbekistan
1
Venezuela
5
Vietnam
1
South Africa
3
Zimbabwe
1
