Just For Laughs Takes Lemons and Makes Lemonade This Year Promising Broadest Reaching Festival Ever
With travel limitations still in place, the annual Just for Laughs Festival has figured out how to overcome obstacles to expand the reach of the annual comedy mammoth. This year the show will go on with physical and online components, three live and in person locations, and the return of all of Just for Laughs signature events.
Live shows will take place in Montreal, New York City and Los Angeles this year with hubs in all three locations. And this year will mark the return of The Just for Laughs Award Show, New Faces, The Nasty Show, The Alternative Show, Variety’s 10 Comics to Watch and Kevin Hart’s LOL. JFL will also incorporate some of the shows popular in its other festivals like IN Conversation, and a larger New Faces Canada.
The core of the festival will take place July 26-31 and stream for free!
The Just for Laughs Award Show
The Award show will stream on Wednesday July 28th and will honor comedy’s best and brightest. Four of the awards have been announced. Dave Chappelle will be honored as the Comedy Person of the Year award for his continuing domination of all things comedy. Kristin Wiig and Annie Mumolo will be honored as the Comedy Writers of the Year for their hit series Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar.
Additionally the writers and cast of Warner Bros. Television’s acclaimed comedy Ted Lasso are being honoured with this year’s Comedy Series of the Year Award. Ted Lasso co-creator Bill Lawrence and co-creator/star Jason Sudeikis will be accepting this JFL Award on behalf of the extraordinary creative team and cast. And comedian, actor, and writer, Bowen Yang is being honoured with the Breakout Comedy Star of the Year Award at this year’s JFL Awards. Yang is currently a featured player on NBC’s Saturday Night Live, where he wrote for one season before moving on-screen.
Variety’s 10 Comics to Watch
Variety’s annual 10 Comics to Watch is back this year with a panel conversation airing for free online at hahaha.com as of Saturday, July 31.
The 10 Comics selected this year are Mo Amer who released a phenomenal Netflix special in 2018, (and you’ll see him next alongside Dwayne Johnson in “Black Adam” for New Line and DC), Josh Johnson who just put out a Comedy Central hour presented by Trevor Noah, Hannah Einbinder who stars opposite Jean Smart in the acclaimed HBO Max series “Hacks,” Natalie Palamides who blew minds with “Nate – A One Man Show” in 2020, Quinta Brunson – known for her work on the first season of HBO’s “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” also the star of the upcoming ABC series “Abbott Elementary,” Ayo Edebiri who you know as the voice of Missy on the Netflix series “Big Mouth”, Chelcie Lynn – known for her sketches featuring her alter ego “Trailer Trash Tammy,” Matt Rogers – A series regular on Showtime’s “I Love This For You,” Rogers hosts HBO Max’s “Haute Dog” and co-hosts of the podcast sensation “Las Culturistas” with Bowen Yang, Benito Skinner – whos recent “The Overcompensating Tour” sold out internationally, and Kountry Wayne – a.k.a. Wayne Colley, has gained a loyal following on social media for his sketches and is in the process of developing a scripted series based on them with Lil Rey Howery onboard as producer.
JFL Live in Montreal
Just For Laughs is live in Montréal, hosted by Canadian writer, actor and comedian, Jon Dore. Dore has appeared on many series from CTV Comedy Channel The Jon Dore Show, Crave’s The Stand up Show with Jon Dore, CBS’ The Half of It, CBS’ How I Met Your Mother, and recently co-wrote and starred in CBC’s Humour Resources. Dore is joined by Jen Grant, Nigel Grinstead, Cassie Cao, Marito Lopez, Rodney Ramsey, and more. This show will be performed in front of a live audience in Montreal and then aired for free online at hahaha.com as of Friday, July 30.
JFL Live in Los Angeles
Just For Laughs is live in Los Angeles with host Sabrina Jalees, Canadian comedian, actor, producer, and story editor. Jalees starred in CBS’ Carol’s Second Act, and is a writer and consulting producer on Netflix’s Big Mouth and upcoming spin-off, Human Resources. Jalees hosts this series, alongside an all-star lineup of festival favourites, featuring Maz Jobrani, Gina Yashere, Alonzo Bodden, Jeremy Hotz, Liza Treyger, and Rachel Feinstein! This show will be performed in front of a live audience in L.A. and then aired for free online at hahaha.com as of Thursday, July 29.
JFL Live in New York City
Just For Laughs is live in New York with host Dulcé Sloan, stand-up comedian, actress, writer and correspondent for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah on Comedy Central. Dulcé hits the Just For Laughs stage joined by an amazing lineup of JFL alums, including Todd Barry, Michael Kosta, Marina Franklin, and more! This show will be performed in front of a live audience in N.Y. and then aired for free online at hahaha.com as of Wednesday, July 28,
New Faces! The Nasty Show! Andy Kindler’s Alternative Show, LOL!
New Faces has been an unmissable part of the Just For Laughs MONTRÉAL since 1996, where the freshest comedians in the game gear up to take the microphone and change the face of comedy. The 2021 cohort will be announced on Monday, July 26. For the first time ever, this year’s New Faces shows will take place live and online, in Montreal and Los Angeles. New Faces shows will be filmed for a live audience in L.A. and will be available to view online with the purchase of a ComedyPRO pass, and this year will be hosted by Pete Holmes, who was in New Faces class of 2009.
New Faces Characters will also be filmed for a live audience in LA and will be available to view online with the purchase of a ComedyPRO pass. New Faces Canada will be hosted by Juno award winner Dave Merheje and filmed for a live audience in Montreal and will be available to view online with the purchase of a ComedyPRO pass.
The Nasty Show is back and will hands-down be the filthiest, most shocking and taboo show of the festival. This special edition of one of the festival’s longest-running shows will be shot live from New York and hosted by Big Jay Oakerson! This year’s The Nasty Show will also feature Donnell Rawlings, Rosebud Baker, Robert Kelly, Yamaneika Saunders, Paris Sashay, and more! This show will be performed in front of a live audience in N.Y. and then aired for free online at hahaha.com as of Wednesday, July 28.
The Alternative Showhosted by Andy Kindler continues to bring the best alt comedy in the country.
This year’s special LA edition will also feature Patton Oswalt, Maria Bamford, Brian Posehn, Laurie Kilmartin and more still to be announced! This show will be performed in front of a live audience in L.A. and then aired for free online at hahaha.com as of Thursday, July 29.
In a special event which will take place in L.A. on Tuesday, July 27 at the Hollywood Improv, then air for free online at hahaha.com as of Friday, July 30, Variety will present a very special “In Conversation with Bert Kreischer” Event.
SiriusXM Canada will present Comedy Night in Canada, hosted by Canadian comedian, actor, and host of CBC’s hit stand-up comedy show, Laugh Out Loud, Ali Hassan. A hilarious look at what it means to be Canadian as Comedy Night in Canada welcomes top comedians from coast to coast! These comedians may eat ketchup chips and poutine, use the metric system, and spell colour with a “u” but they all speak the universal language of funny! The lineup will include Canadian comedians, Arthur Simeon, Kyle Brownrigg, Brittany Lyseng, Derek Seguin, Courtney Gilmour, and more! This show will be performed in front of a live audience in Montreal and then aired for free online at hahaha.com as of Friday, July 30.
Kevin Hart is Back with His Laugh Out Loud LOL shows including Comedy Gold Minds with Kevin Hart which will dive into the minds of some of the world’s funniest people with Kevin Hart. Kevin pairs with comedic tastemakers for “ear-opening” dialogue. Date Night with Chris & Vanessa invites couples (and sometimes single folks) on a fun date to unpack issues everyone faces in relationships and family life. Hosted by comedy writer, producer, actor and performer Chris Spencer and casting director, Vanessa Spencer. This show will air online for free at hahaha.com. Quake’s House with Earthquake features legendary stand-up comedian, Earthquake, at his most authentic with recurring segments, celebrity guests, and some of the funniest emerging comics around and will air online for free at hahaha.com The Ladies Room with Jazzy features online sensation Jasmin “Jazzy” Brown and four of her favorite (and most hilarious) girlfriends — Natalie Friedman, Briana Lawrence, Renita Woodland, and Kiya Roberts — gather to spill tea, kiki, and disagree about every issue under the sun and will also air online for free at hahaha.com
Crave and CTV Comedy is returning to Just For Laughs this summer to tape a handful of brand new, original comedy specials, in the Canadian city that does comedy best. These stand-up specials, filmed in front of a live audience in Montreal this summer, will feature some of the country’s best working comedians right now, and will launch on Crave and CTV Comedy at a later date.Taping at this year’s festival, includes Dave Merheje (Juno Award winning comedian, star on HBO’s Ramy), DeAnne Smith (Canadian Comedy Award winner, Netflix comedy special Gentleman Elf), Chris Robinson (winner of SiriusXM’s Top Comic competition in 2016), Sophie Buddle (Juno Award winning comedian, can be seen on CBC’s This Hour has 22 Minutes, and Humour Resources), Paul Rabliauskas (CBC’s The New Wave of Stand Up), Kyle Brownrigg (named ‘Best Breakout Artist’ at the 2019 Canadian Comedy Awards, JFL42 New Face), and Chris Locke (award winning stand-up comedian, can be seen on CBC’s Baroness Von Sketch Show, Workin’ Moms, Mr. D, and Tallboyz).
More Announcements to come!
