Signature Bits: Comedy’s ‘Stairway’

By the peak of their career, every comedian should have their signature bit. The one joke that can get cheers and an extended applause break from the just from the start of the set-up. It’s what they’re most known for and can go back to when in desperate need for a laugh. It’s their “Stairway to Heaven.”  Here’s ten famous comics and the jokes they are most known for.

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Louis CK:  Cell Phones & Flying

“Will you give it a second?, it’s going to space!”

No one can hone in on something that everyone does quite like Louis CK. Listen to Louie’s signature bit as you back into a corner and act like you’ve never yelled at your phone for not fulfilling all of your hopes and desires.

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George Carlin:  7 Dirty Words You Can’t Say On Television

“But if you’re with the Bishop’s wife at lunch it’s best not to ask for the goddamn lettuce”

Carlin put himself in the history books with his biting commentary on language and the 7 words you can’t say on television. This bit and Carlin are synonymous with each other and still ring true today.


Richard Pryor: Freebasing and Catching on Fire

“I dipped my cookie in the milk and the shit blew up”

Richard Pryor was one of the most honest comedians who ever lived and was able to take experiences that most people would look back on with pain and regret and turn them into comedic magic. One of his most famous bits does just that and comes from his most well-known special.

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Chris Rock: Nigga’s vs. Black People

“Tired of this shit man! Tired, tired tired of this shit!”

Although this biting social commentary that established Rock as a fixture in the comedy world, it has since been retired by the comedian amid controversy over the use of the word nigga.

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Eddie Murphy: Ice Cream

“You don’t have no ice cream! You didn’t get none! You didn’t get none!”

Eddie Murphy was the biggest comedian in the 1980’s and his stand-up was known for it’s edgy humor and topics everyone in the audience could relate to. Who didn’t lose their minds when the ice cream  drove around the block as a kid?

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Brian Regan:  Stupid In School

“The big yellow one’s the sun!”

Nobody covers everyday events and makes them funny quite like Brian Regan. Covering all these topics while being clean is no easy task but Regan can slay an audience doing just that. Competing in the school spelling bee and science fair as a lackluster student is where Regan really shined.

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Jim Gaffigan: Hot Pockets

“Hey, I’ve got an idea! How bout’ we fill a pop tart with nasty meat?”

From his hit stand-up special “Beyond The Pale”, Jim Gaffigan hit it big with a bit on Hot Pockets of all things. The ever-expanding bit has been Gaffigan’s signature joke and continues to perform it as an encore.

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Bill Hicks: It’s Just A Ride

“The World is like a ride in an amusement park”

The late Bill Hicks was different from other comedians of his time and his signature bit from his stand-up is actually more of a philosophy actually. Recorded at the end of his ‘Revelations’, Hicks shares his thoughts on the point of life and what it all means.

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Woody Allen: I Shot A Moose

“There’s a law in New York state against driving with a conscious moose on your fender, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday”

Woody Allen’s most signature bit may also be the most famous stand-up bit ever and it still holds up nearly 50 years later. Those poor, poor, Burkowitzes.

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Patton Oswalt:  KFC Famous Bowls

“A failure pile in a sadness bowl”

The signature bit of Patton Oswalt is simply talking about the most horrifying item on KFC’s menu but it can also be seen as a basic reflection of America itself. We love crap, especially when it’s piled on top of more crap.

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