The Comedians Call It: 22 Great Comics Tell Us Who Will Be the Next Big Thing

For a week we’ve been talking about who was great, who excelled and who out performed everyone in 2014. But 2014 is sooooooo 2014. What really matters is who is going to kill it, crush it, wrap it up and take it home in 2015. We wanted to know who is going to be the big ticket next year and so we went to the people who know best- their closest friends and competitors, other stand up comics. If these guys know anything, we can prepare for Joe List- the Highlander- to continue to destroy over the next 12 months until he has conquered everything he surveys.

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Yannis Pappas (@YannisPappas)

In 2015 without a doubt, its going to be Dan Soder’s year.  And Nate Bargatze.  It’s going to be huge for Nate even though if you watch his comedy you might think he had a head injury.  But he’s still hilarious.  So those are my two picks to blow up.

Todd Barry (@ToddBarry)

I think the comedian who should blow up this year is a guy named Ian Edwards. Some of you may know him, I know him. I don’t like him personally…no I do he’s fine.  But he’s been around for awhile, and he makes me laugh.  And I think more people should know about him. Ian Edwards.  He owes me a favor now.

Seth Herzog (@TheZog)

I think the comedian who is going to break out in 2015 is Rory Scovel.  He is super original, really fun to watch and his fan base is growing exponentially.

Gary Gulman (@GaryGulman)

I think the comedian, comedienne, are we supposed to put ienne at the end of women comedians? Cause I’m picking a woman and I think its going to be Maria Bamford. I don’t throw this word around– I think she’s a genius and the work she does is very important and really edgy– it’s so personal.  Everytime I hear her, I’m blown away, and inspired. She’s inspired and inspiring. So Maria Bamford.

Kurt Metzger (@KurtMetzger)  

The comedian that I think should break out is Joe List.  That guy’s long overdue and as far as I understand he doesn’t even have management. And the guy is great.  I mean its criminal that this guy doesn’t have more going on for them.  Joe List is my hot pick of 2015.

Jimmy Shubert (@JimmyShubert)

The comedian I think is most likely to bust out this year. I think D.C. Benny, Big Jay Oakerson and myself.I think I’d like to bust out myself, but those are my picks. I don’t know if you can vote for yourself but I just did, so suck it.

Jenny McCarthy (@JennyMcCarthy)  

Hey this is Jenny McCarthy from Dirty Sexy Funny. And I think the standout comedian of the year of 2015 will be April Macie.  She’s been on our tour, Dirty Sexy Funny and without a doubt she has been hitting a home run in every theater we go to. She’s the bomb.

Vic Henley (@VicHenley)

I believe that the 2015 breakout comedian is going to be an old old dinosaur friend of mine by the name of D.C. Benny.  He was on Last Comic Standing last season, he got a lot of heat off that. He’s hilariously funny. He’s completely different because he tells stories, and not a lot of guys do that.  So he can do characters, he does stories, it’s not necessarily set up punch line. Funny funny dude. Great great veteran.  And maybe like Tom Cotter, a few years ago that busted out on America’s Got Talent. Hopefully one of those- how long you been doing this- the old 25 year overnight sensation success story. So I’m saying DC Benny 2015.  Go hear him, go hear him tell some stories and who knows you might see me on the show with him.

Ari Shaffir (@AriShaffir)

Well of course you gotta say Big Jay. It’s a crime more people don’t know him. And the crime is that he’s horrible at promotion. But beyond him I’d say Miss Pat. You gotta look at Miss Pat, a hilarious black comic from Indianapolis. She’s going to be all over it this year.

J.B. Smoove (@ohsnapJBSmoove)

Here’s who I think is going to pop this year. Sometimes you gotta go with the underdog man, the cat whose gonna come from left field. I’m gonna go with my man Lil Rel. I’m gonna give this young cat some shine right now. He opened up for me on my special. I seen the cat in Chicago when he was coming up. I’m gonna say Lil Rel. I’m gonna give this guy his checkpoint. I call it a checkpoint. Cause we all need a checkpoint. Lil Rel do your thing baby. Have a good next year, it’s gonna happen baby, cause JB Smoove already threw it out to the universe.   I’m going to say congrats right now because it’s gonna happen brother. And thank me later. Peace.

Gilbert Gottfried (@RealGilbert)

I think George Gobel is going to be bigger than ever. If you’ve seen his latest appearances on the Merv Griffen show, you know what I speak.  So watch out folks for George Cobol.

Reggie Watts (@ReggieWatts)

I believe the breakout comedian of 2015 is going to be Kate Berlant because she’s brilliant, and sincere and completely unpredictable.

Joe List (@JoeListComedy)

The comedian I think is going to breakout in 2015 is Sarah Tollemache.  Cause she’s hilarious and she’s wonderful and she’s been at it a long time and she deserves it…..and she’s sitting right next to me right now.

Dan Soder (@DanSoder)

Just like I called Joe List winning the Highlander, I’m calling Joe List to have the breakout year of 2015. Easily one of the funniest guys in New York right now. He’s hilarious. Every joke has about 35 punchlines in it. He writes more punchlines than he does nervously blink, which if you’ve ever seen him face to face, you know it’s a lot.  And also, just to hedge my bets, I’m also going to say Big Jay. It’s going to be a big year for Big Jay. Gonna be a big year for Big Jay I got personal investment in the boy so I’d like to see him do well.

Joe DeRosa (@JoeDeRosa) 

I know he’s gonna be surprised to hear me say it, but I’m going with Dan Soder. I know Dan says I never say anything nice about him, I know he thinks I’m mean to him all the time, but my pick for this breakout comedian in 2015 is Dan Soder with that giant stupid fucking head of his. I hope it happens Dan. I hope you get to the top of this comedy mountain this year so finally somebody can shove you off of it, and we can watch you tumble down and split that cranium like Humpty Dumpty. Oh I’d love to see it Dan, and I’d love to watch all your managers and reps scramble to put your giant stupid fucking head back together again. Dan, you’re talented and I don’t like it.  Happy New Year.

Big Jay Oakerson (@BigJayOakerson) 

The comic I think is going to break out in 2015 is Nate Bargatze.  Nate Bargatze is a good friend of mine, one of the most hilarious people i know. He’s been on the Tonight Show a whole bunch of times, and I just went to the taping of his first hour special on Comedy Central. He’s the only person I know who is squeaky clean and at the same time undeniably hilarious straight across the board. A very unique talent, and I think 2015 is going to be his year.

Dan St. Germain (@DSGermain)

I’m going to say this– and he opened for me.  And when I say breakout I don’t mean Bill Burr or Chelsea Peretti who I thought had the best specials of 2014.  I’m not talking about anybody famous. My opener Tim Dillon is great and so funny and I hope he gets Montreal this year and I hope he gets his first late night set.  I’m rooting for him and I think everyone else will too because he does something very different on stage. And I think he deserves the credit.

Todd Glass (@ToddGlass)

I want the people who are listening to know you are trying to coerce me into who I think is going to break out. I will not say anybody else, I this is my year and I quite frankly don’t think anybody else is going to break out. Nobody. And I hate to say it because I’m a big fan of comedy. And I think this is a great year, there’s a lot of new funny people.  It’s very exciting. Comedy is awesome right now, it’s only going to get better but this year I think its my year.  And maybe if I had to say somebody else, hmmm, Whitmer Thomas.  Funny guy, works out of Los Angeles, just worked with him in Chicago. And you can tell sometimes people have funny in their bones.  That’s my way I like to say it.  The truth is, whose going to break out. There’s so many that I see lately that I don’t even know all their names.  I have to know Whitmer Thomas’ name because I’ve known him for a little while. But there’s like a ton of new guys, Ian Karmel, guys like Rob Gleason that are funny, they’re productive, they know what they’re doing they’re out here and they’re not fucking around. And I think there’s going to be a few this year.

Tommy Johnagin  (@TommyJohnagin)

The comedian I think is going to break out in 2015 is Joe List. He had a killer set on Letterman in 2014 and he’s been killer funny for several years, and I know it and now everybody else is going to know it, and I shouldn’t say killer so much.

Tom Segura (@TomSegura)

The comedian who I think is going to break out is Joey Coco Diaz. That guy is so underrated.  He should be a household name. He’s a felon but a loveable one and I feel like we’re really going to see big things for him coming in up 2015. He’s the funniest person you can be around, and you should definitely listen to his podcast, get all his albums, he’s hysterical. I think there’s actually a few more. I think you’re going to see the same kind of thing from Ari Shaffir. Of course I think Christina Pazsitsky is going to blow up.  I’m a little biased but I believe that it’s true. She has new stuff coming out that’s hilarious. And a very well known guy that I think is going to go even to another level actually thought is Burr. By no means is not known, he’s very well known, but I think you’re about to see him go into comedy super stardom this coming year.  

Christina Pazsitsky (@ChristinaP)

I think its Jessica Kirson. She is the funniest human being alive and I can’t believe she hasn’t broken out yet. Check her out!

Jason Nash (@JasonNash)

The comedian that will break out in 2015 is Fez. I’m expecting a big year from Fez. I think he got a lot of heat this year from several people including myself. I wish him nothing but the best. I’ve been hearing a turnaround in his voice over the last few months and that’s it. It’s going to be the Fez and Nash show in 2015.

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See You in 2015!

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