Comedy Central Selects 18 Comics as the Most Promising Emerging Talent

Just for Laughs has New Faces, Variety has Comics to Watch, and Comedy Central has “Up Next.”

Each of these groups annually showcase who are the young comedians that industry has their eye on and this week Comedy Central named the 18 comics who they are designating as the next crop of promising performers. The “Up Next” comedians will have the opportunity to perform at Comedy Central’s own festival and signals a bright future for those selected. CC’s third annual Clusterfest is set to run later this month, and the Up Next showcases will run on Friday and Saturday June 21st and 22nd.

Up Next will include 12 stand-ups as well as six variety performers who incorporate sketch/character/musical performances in their live sets.

One of Philly’s funniest (and now killing in New York City), Shane Gillis is on the list of stop young stand up comedians along with Chris Estrada, Molly Kearney, Shapel Lacey, Tim Miller, Julia Shiplett, Mary Beth Barone, Ayo Edebiri, Christina Galston, Luke Mones, Kaleb Stewart, and Esteban Touma. Variety performers who made the cut include Demi Adejuyigbe, Mitra Jouhari, Tim Platt, Greta Titelman, Nate Varrone, and Max Wittert.

Now in its third year, previous Up Next comedians include Jaboukie Young-White (The Daily Show with Trevor Noah), Ramy Youssef (Ramy), Bowen Yang (SNL), Patti Harrison (Shrill), Mekki Leeper (Control Room) and Sydnee Washington (The Comedy Central Creators Program).

All shows will be held at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in the Larkin room.

Read more comedy news.

Clusterfest continues to be the place for “first and only” special fan experiences, showcasing some of the biggest names in comedy, rising stars that are soon-to-be household names, music and musical comedy, and unique offerings like live podcast recordings and live reads. Fans can enjoy watching their favorite acts across multiple stages, outdoors in San Francisco Civic Center Plaza, and indoors in the historic Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, with some talent performing multiple times throughout the weekend. The three-day event takes place in San Francisco June 21-23 and tickets are on sale at www.clusterfest.com.

In addition to the Up Next showcases, fans will enjoy performances from a stacked lineup of more than 60 that includes Amy Poehler & Friends, John Mulaney, Patton Oswalt, Issa Rae, My Favorite Murder, The Roots, Ilana Glazer, Courtney Barnett, and many more. Attendees will also have the chance to step inside immersive attractions from some of the most beloved comedy franchises, including FX’s Atlanta, Comedy Central’s Crank Yankers and Drunk History and iconic sitcoms Seinfeld and NBC’s The Office.