Comedian of the Year Nominations! The Top Ten Comedians Upping Their Game in 2022!

2022 Stand Up Comedian of the Year Nominees

This year, three of our top ten comedian nominees have back to back nominations from last year but most of our top ten list are first time nominees. It was tough to pick our top ten this year, there are so many accomplished comics with killer special releases, film appearances, huge tours, giant podcasts- crushing it with fans and industry.  We’re so proud of everyone in our top ten, and all the other comics who could easily belong on this list.

In 2014, you picked Bill Burr as the Stand Up Comedian of the Year. In 2015, Nate Bargatze was your runaway favorite, in 2016 you overwhelmingly chose Jim Jeffries as the #1 comedian and in 2017 you chose Judah Friedlander as the greatest comic that year. In 2018, Bert Kreischer was voted comedian of the year. In 2019, it was Shane Gillis who overwhelmingly won your vote. In 2020 you picked Colin Quinn as The Interrobang’s Comedian of the Year. And last year, you voted for Nate Bargatze as the comedian of the Year.

This year, as always, we considered dozens of comedians, looking at their work and their influence specifically in 2022. We took into consideration who put out stand out specials, who pulled in gigantic audiences, who was on a big tour, who got media attention for their work, who had books, movies, podcasts, and tv series, and who most embodied comedy in 2022. Some of our nominees had a gigantic leap forward this year in terms of talent, others put out multiple projects, and still others were selected on the basis of one extraordinary achievement.

This is not a list of the ten best performers working today, but rather ten comedians who had the best collective accomplishments and performances in 2022.

And finally, we did not include the Hall of Famers- the comedians who have received lifetime achievement awards, or a Mark Twain award, and have sold out arenas. They’ve made it into the hallowed halls of comedy icons. Consider them winners already. Dave Chappelle, Jerry Seinfeld, Kevin Hart, Adam Sandler, we’ve retired your numbers, at least for this category.

Stay tuned every day for our picks for Best Specials of the Year, the Best Books of the Year, the Best Albums of 2020, the Top 10 Movies and TV Shows in comedy and so much more.

Vote everyday and if you don’t like our picks, you can write in your own.

Read all the nominees below, voting is open!

 

Don’t forget you can also vote now for Comedian of the Year! Vote forComedy Movie of the Year! Vote for Comedy TV Series of the Year! Vote for Comedy Special of the Year!  Vote for Best Comedy Book of the Year! Vote for the Best Comedy Album of the Year!

 

TOM SEGURA

Tom Segura is a comedy monster.  When we first started doing our annual reader’s polls, he had just become responsible for the term “The Netflix Effect” because his Netflix special made him an instant star, and propelled Netflix into the role of comedy kingmaker.  The Netflix effect has come and gone but Segura is still here and still dominating comedy.  This year, his “I’m Coming Everywhere” world tour packed giant houses everywhere. His two podcasts consistently make top podcast lists and are among the most talked about. He hosts Your Mom’s House with Christina P, and 2 Bears 1 Cave with Bert Kreischer. He also released a brand new podcast, that’s all Spanish speaking He’s got 2 million followers on Instagram, his stand up regularly grabs millions of views on YouTube, and he released a New York Times bestselling book this year, reaching #2!  Despite being ridiculously busy, Tom found time to raise over $40,000 for the Starlight Children’s foundation and was presented a Golden Heart Award at a children’s hospital in Austin Texas, and then spent the day playing video games with the kids who were patients. And there’s much more to come. Segura locked up a two special deal with Netflix, so stay tuned. Tom Segura is undeniable and undeniably one of the top comedians of 2022.

JERROD CARMICHAEL

To say Jerrod Carmichael is having a moment would be an understatement.  His HBO special, Rothaniel, made headlines literally everywhere this year, and was both critically acclaimed and beloved by comedy fans everywhere, It was a breakthrough. moment for a comic who has long ago broken through, taking him next level. Rothaniel also earned him his first Emmy Award for writing for a variety special.  More than anyone on our list, Carmichael dominated the media this year, consistently making headlines in Variety, Deadline and THR, profiles by the LA Times, and NY Times, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker and dozens more. One mark that you’re a major star is that the these top publications write about your personal life, and Carmichael coming out made many headlines.  2022 also saw Carmichaels film debut- he directed and starred in the feature film “On the Count of Three” which garnered an impressive 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. His next project will be to star opposite Emma Stone in director Yorgos Lanthimos’ next film. He signed a massive eight figure deal with HBO, and was announced to host the Golden Globes in 2023. You can’t get much bigger than that.

BRIDGET EVERETT

Bridget Everett has been a hidden in plain sight star for quite some time now. Celebrities love her. New Yorkers love her. Anyone who has had a chance to see her perform, loves her.  But this year she got to bring her talents to a new level and a wider audience after HBO premiered Somebody Somewhere. The show received an elusive 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics were floored by her performance, and the series as a whole which has already been picked up for a second season. Award nominations include The Film Independent Spirit Award, the Gotham Awards, AFI Awards, Hollywood Critics, Dorian TV Award, and the TCA nominated her for an award for individual achievement. She was even given the key to the city in her hometown Manhattan Kansas this year. And the list of publications that put the show in their best shows of 2022 list is too long to include.  She’s been profiled by the New York Times, The New Yorker, and more, Vanity Fair was one of many publications that listed her performance as one of the best of the year, and we couldn’t agree more. Meanwhile her stage cabaret show continues to explode and she sang to Rick Flair on the Tonight Show. Bridget is a sensation and there are no signs of anything slowing down.

JOE LIST

There is no doubt that 2022 was the year of Joe List.  His podcast, Tuesdays with Stories continues to be one of the top comedy podcasts anywhere,  and he added two new podcasts to his credit, Joe and Raanan Talk Movies and Mindful Metal Jacket. He’s gone from regularly selling out  clubs to hitting theaters, and this year headlined the first ever Vermont Comedy Festival.  His new hour special This Year’s Material is hilarious and has just shy of two million views on YouTube.  Spin Magazine called him, pound for pound the best working stand up comedian in America. That would be enough to land Joe on this list, but he also wrote, and starred in his first feature film, Fourth of July, about his life.  The movie which was a tour de force, selling out theaters all over the country, forcing many venues to add additional showings.  List toured the film through three major cities–Boston, Chicago, and NYC– selling out The Beacon, The Wilbur and Vic (on a pricey ticket no less!), and the movie continues to sell on Demand at LouisCK.com.  And don’t forget Joe was invited to make his baseball debut with the Missoula Paddleheads with a one day contract, echoing Billy Crystal’s similar move with the Yankees.  A KILLER year from a KILLER artist and performer, we can’t wait to see what 2024 brings.

HASAN MINHAJ

Hasan Minhaj has made our top comedians list two years in a row, back to back.  After a strong 2021, Minhaj kept the party going, continuing to sell out theaters, and debuting his hit 2021 show, The King’s Jester on Netflix to rave reviews.  This is his second one man show to explode on Netflix and the acclaim is even stronger than it was for Homecoming King.  The special has made nearly every list of the best comedy specials of 2022.  And in Montreal this year, he received the prestigious Stand Up Comedian of the Year award at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival. He brought a brand new live audio show to Spotify this year, King of the Court, covering the NBA playoffs and he was invited back to perform in the celeb-studded Stand Up For Heroes fundraising show with Bruce Springsteen, and Jon Stewart. Outside of performing comedy Hasan was chosen to appear on Celebrity Jeopardy, and even though he was voted most annoying contestant, we still see this as a sign that you’re having a big moment in your career.  He was also awarded the Visionary Award by a global health nonprofit along with his wife for their activism for women’s empowerment, education and access to health care.  And there’s plenty more coming down the pike. He has a role in Haunted Mansion from Disney films which will be released next summer and is based on the theme park ride.  It’s a power movie from director Justin Simien, written by Katie Dippold with a slew of stars like Owen Wilson, Lakeith Stanfield, Dan Levy, Jared Leto, Winona Ryder, and Danny Devito. And he’s been announced as one of the celebrities who will guest host The Daily Show while they are trying to figure out who will be the new host after Trevor Noah leaves.

 

ROBERT KELLY

Undoubtedly one of the funniest people performing anywhere in the world, Kelly is having a banner year.  His second stand up special, Kill Box, is a massive success, selling on LouisCK.com and getting raves from fans everywhere. His podcast, You Know What Dude is one of the first comedy podcasts to grab a giant following and it continues to be a favorite not only among comedy fans, but also among comedians. His scene stealing role in the new film Fourth of July cements his reputation as one of the best actors in the stand up world. While crushing the year comedically, he’s had a remarkable year in his personal life, with a complete physical transformation, losing a ridiculous amount of weight, looking like a movie star. H We couldn’t love Bobby Kelly more, and it’s thrilling to see him have such a big year comedically and personally.

JOEL KIM BOOSTER

In 2016 I had the pleasure of seeing a young Joel Kim Booster crushing in Chicago- first at the Second City Annual Break Out Festival, and later at the AV Club’s Comedy Festival.   He was a stand out then, and now he’s not only a headline making headliner, he’s someone who his influencing the future of comedy, and comedic television and film.  Korean by ancestry, raised by white Evangelical Christians in middle America and he’s gay, he has plenty to talk about but he doesn’t just rely on his unusual upbringing.  Joel released his first hour special, Psychosexual on Netflix which got tremendous praise, most notably by The Hollywood Reporter, and Consequence named him their comedian of the year.  He also starred in season 1 of Hulu’s comedy series Loot, and will be back for season two.  He had a memorable appearance at the Life is Beautiful fest this year.  And he wrote, executive produced, and starred in a critically adored movie, Fire Island, cementing his place as an important voice in comedy and filmmaking. Fire Island has already won one award at the Gotham Independent Film Awards and he’s nominated for Best First Screenplay at the Film Independent Spirit Awards.  And this year he also voiced a character on American Dad, performed for Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration, appeared on Celebrity Jeopardy, and the Great American Baking Show.

ARI SHAFFIR

Ari Shaffir is a brilliant stand up comedian, and he’s not like anyone else we’ve ever seen.  Shaffir truly follows his own vision, and his vision has taken him right to the heart of industry at times, and at other times positioned him as an uncompromising artist who can take or leave what the business has to offer. His new special, Jew, is a perfect example of that. It’s outstanding, and smart, and risky in the best ways- and most importantly, really really funny.  He’s gotten raves from fans, from some critics, and from real world critics- religious Jews who would be the likeliest candidates to disavow the hour. But most of all, his special has resonated with fans who have earned him 5.1 million views on YouTube in just one month. He toured all over the country with his “The Wrong Side of History” Tour this year. His thoughtful podcast, Skeptic Tank continues to crank out amazing content.  Next year he’s playing the Beacon- a milestone for certain- and all his achievements have come along with a refusal to play the game, and an unwillingness to suppress his love for overturning apple carts, which only makes his fans love him more.

ILIZA SHLESINGER

Last year she Shlesinger was the highest grossing touring female stand up. Then Iliza started the year HUGE, welcoming her first child in January. And that’s just been the start of a banger of a year for the 39 year old headliner who has not slowed down at all. Iliza released her sixth Netflix special, “Hot Forever” this year, and she’s getting lots of love for it. She’s been filling the big rooms everywhere on her international Back in Action tour across the US as well as Australia, Japan, Canada and the UK among other countries.  She released her second book, “All Things Aside” is getting fantastic reviews, and is beloved by fans everywhere.  Iliza guest hosted JImmy Kimmel Live.  And her “Ask Iliza Anything” podcast is hotter than ever.  She was not only a contestant on Celebrity Jeopardy- she won!  And she’s already got another book in the works, “The Don’t Panic Pantry Cookbook”, based on her pandemic streaming series.

CHRIS DISTEFANO

Chris Distefano is climbing the comedy ranks, and fast. He self produced his new special, Speshy Weshy, intending it to be released on YouTube, but Netflix saw it, wanted it, bought it and released it, kicking off a killer year for Chris.  His “Right Intention, Wrong Move” tour has been explosive.  Chris’ podcast empire keeps growing with “Chrissy Chaos” and “Hey Babe! With Sal Vulcano”  climbing the ranks steadily.  One of the signs that you’re hitting the mainstream is when people outside of the comedy industry also want to get in the Chris DiStefano business and Chris is blowing up everywhere.  He threw out the first game pitch for the Mets last year, this year he was featured on the Pat McAfee podcast, he got to set off the Vegas Gold Knights siren this year, and he was signed for a series of Volkswagen spots, riffing about “The Unwritten Rules of the Road”. And through it all, Chris can say he did it his way. A giant year that is just a stop on the way to an even bigger one.

Voting is Open Now! Vote Every Day Through January 3!  

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