The Official Unofficial Comedy Timeline of 2019
Comedy in 2019. SO MUCH to talk about– so many sad passings, some especially hard hitting but as always there were also new accomplishments, firsts, and exciting career rebirths. Once again, we put together a timeline to highlight the big news stories about those in the comedy world for the year. Here’s our tribute to 2019, a big year for comedy with tears, shouts, fights, and of course, laughs. The end of a year and the end of a decade. Raise a glass, and get ready to see what 2020 brings.
Enjoy this silly (and yes often poorly aligned) graphic road trip through comedy in 2019.
Scroll down below the graphics for an even more comprehensive non-graphic listing of everything in comedy this year.
And make sure you click here to vote for COMEDIAN OF THE YEAR, SPECIAL OF THE YEAR, ALBUM OF THE YEAR as well as BEST COMEDY MOVIE, BEST COMEDY TV SERIES, KING OF LATE NIGHT and BEST BOOK WRITTEN BY A COMEDIAN too. Or just go to our VOTE FOR EVERYTHING on one page if you’ve already read our year end coverage and just want to vote.
JANUARY
January 1, 2019 – Former SNL and “Third Rock” star Jane Curtin causes a social media stir when she announces her New Year’s resolution is to “make sure the Republican Party dies.”
January 2, 2019 – The new year starts with the sad news that Bob Einstein, co-star on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and best known as his alter ego Super Dave Osborne, dies at age 76.
January 3, 2019 – Bert Kreischer is named “Comedian of the Year” by the readers of the Interrobang.
January 4, 2019 – Ellen DeGeneres airs a conversation with Kevin Hart about his alleged homophobic material that initially cost him the Oscars hosting gig. Some consider his appearance a “non-apology”.
January 6, 2019 – The Golden Globe Awards are hosted by Andy Samberg & Sandra Oh. Comedy winners include “Green Book”, Christian Bale for “Vice”, Olivia Colman for “The Favourite”, “The Kominsky Method” and Rachel Brosnahan for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”
January 6, 2019 – Carol Burnett wows the crowd with her speech when she receives the first annual “Carol Burnett Award” honoring achievements in television at the Golden Globes ceremony.
January 9, 2019 – The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills opens the Museum of Drunk History based on the Comedy Central series, “Drunk History.”
January 9, 2019 – Hulu announces it’s cancelling Sarah Silverman’s “I Love You America.”
January 11, 2019 – Michael Che organizes and performs at a benefit show that raises over 100k for public housing.
January 11, 2019 – Liza Treyger appears on MSNBC’s “The Beat with Ari Melber” and launches into a verbal take-down of presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
January 11, 2019 – Sean Finnerty makes his American late night debut on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
January 11, 2019 – An announcement is made that a sequel to Eddie Murphy’s “Coming to America” is going into production.
January 15, 2019 – Sebastian Maniscalco’s new special, “Sebastian Maniscalco: Stay Hungry” debuts on Netflix.
January 15, 2019 – Broadway loses a legend when Tony Award winner Carol Channing who starred in musical comedies like “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” in 1949 and “Hello, Dolly!”, passes away at age 97.
January 15, 2019 – Judd Apatow & Pete Holmes sit down for a conversation about their HBO series “Crashing” on Unmasked with Ron Bennington for SiriusXM.
January 15, 2019 – Ricky Gervais is scolded for joking about Gillette’s anti-toxic masculinity ad campaign. Gervais tweeted about beating up kids when he was young and thanked Gillette for his smooth balls.
January 15, 2019 – Eddie Izzard announces he’s bringing his international “Wunderbar” tour to the United States.
January 15, 2019 – The stand up world is in mourning after the Comedy Cellar announces the death of veteran comic William Stephenson.
January 16, 2019 – A Twitter feud broke out between Kathy Griffin and “Avengers” star Don Cheadle. Griffin called out Cheadle for not defending her during “Trump severed head” controversy.
January 18, 2019 – Chris Distefano starts the new year strong with the premiere of his Comedy Central special “Chris Distefano: Size 38 Waist.”
January 19, 2019 – Keenen Ivory Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Tommy Davidson and David Alan Grier are on the road with the Off Color Comedy Tour, with plans for a full “In Living Color” tour in the future.
January 19, 2019 – Leslie Jones who starred in Paul Feig’s “Ghostbusters” goes on Twitter to call Jason Reitman’s plans for a new Ghostbusters movie “insulting” and a big F.U.
January 21, 2019 – The fabulously loud comedian Kaye Ballard, star of TV, Broadway and nightclubs dies at age 93.
January 21, 2019 – Actor / Comedian Steve “Bean” Levy who had appeared on “Shameless” and “Ray Donovan” passes away.
January 22, 2019 – Comedian Kevin Barnett who co-starred on Lil Rel Howery’s sitcom “Rel”, passed away in Mexico. He was 32.
January 22, 2019 – Jimmy Shubert and Ron Bennington sit down to discuss the release of his new special, “Jimmy Shubert: Zero Tolerance” on SiriusXM’s “Unmasked.”
January 22, 2019 – Colin Quinn’s “Red State Blue State” opens at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre in Manhattan.
January 24, 2019 – Brooklyn comedian Samantha Ruddy makes her late night network television debut on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
January 24, 2019 – Amazon Prime announces it’s getting into the stand up comedy business and partners with Jim Gaffigan for the studio’s special.
January 26, 2019 – Mike E. Winfield is the winner of the 15th annual StandUp NBC competition.
January 28, 2019 – YouTube channel #CopyComic accuses Gad Elmaleh of stealing jokes from other comedians including George Carlin, Steven Wright and Jerry Seinfeld.
January 28, 2019 – Mindy Kaling’s film “Late Night” makes Sundance history when the film’s US distribution rights are bought for a record setting $13 million
FEBRUARY
February 1, 2019 – Jerry Seinfeld is accused of auctioning off a fake version of a historic Porsche.
February 1, 2019 – Michael Rapaport tells Nikki Glaser on her radio show that SNL’s Pete Davidson owes fans & the NYPD an apology for “his fucking suicide attempt note.”
February 1, 2019 – Bo Burnham scores an upset win for Best Original Screenplay at the WGA Awards for his first feature film, “Eight Grade.”
February 3, 2019 – History repeats itself when once again Kevin Hart is denied access to the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots’ celebration. Hart had tried to join the Eagles party the year before.
February 4, 2019 – Gary Shandling’s estate announces it will be establishing 4 medical research funds as well as a learning studio at UCLA.
February 5, 2019 – Ray Romano’s first hour special ever, “Ray Romano: Right Here, Around The Corner” premieres on Netflix.
February 7, 2019 – Bill Cosby is moved in general population according to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.
February 7, 2019 – Joe List kills it performing stand up on the Late Late Show.
February 8, 2019 – Nathan Macintosh makes his Tonight Show stand up comedy debut.
February 8, 2019 – Byron Bowers makes his late night television debut on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
February 10, 2019 – Dave Chappelle’s “Equanimity & The Bird Revelation” win Best Comedy Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.
February 10, 2019 – Donald Glover’s alter-ego Childish Gambino wins the coveted Album of the Year Grammy Award along with Song of the Year for “This is America”.
February 11, 2019 – The iconic Comedy Cellar begins using Yondr bags to prevent patrons from recording shows and causing other distractions with their phones.
February 12, 2019 – Page Six reports on a fight breaking out at New York’s famed Friars Club between Friars Club head Bruce Charet and radio exec Tim Sabean.
February 12, 2019 – Nick Cannon calls out late night hosts Jimmy Fallon & Jimmy Kimmel for the past times they’ve worn black-face.
February 14, 2019 – Russell Peters is the hero of the day when he helps apprehend an alleged thief at a jewelry store in NYC.
February 14, 2019 – “The Hangover” star Ken Jeong’s new special “Ken Jeong: You Complete Me, Ho” debuts on Netflix.
February 14, 2019 – Penthouse puts out a hit piece calling Judd Apatow a “hypocrite” regarding cancel culture.
February 15, 2019 – The 2019 NBA Celebrity All-Star Game team includes comedians J.B. Smoove, Adam Ray, Amanda Seales, Brad Williams, and Hasan Minhaj.
February 15, 2019 – The new comedy album “The Amazing Greg Stone” is released today.
February 17, 2019 – John Mulaney & Pete Davidson stun their audience in Red Bank, NJ when they perform wearing each other’s clothes.
February 21, 2019 – Peter Tork, a member of The Monkees, the 60’s pop group with their own sitcom, died at age 77.
February 21, 2019 – “Empire” star Jussie Smollett is arrested for allegedly staging a hate crime against himself. The actor is instantly turned into a punchline for memes, stand ups and sketch comedy performances.
February 22, 2019 – Beloved comedian Brody Stevens dies at age 48 after a long, open battle with mental illness.
February 23, 2019 – The Will Ferrell – John C. Reilly comedy film “Holmes & Watson” wins the Razzie for Worst Picture of the Year.
February 24, 2019 – The Academy Awards ceremony airs without a host after producers decide not to replace Kevin Hart who refused the gig after initially being fired due to a controversy over Hart’s perceived anti-gay material.
February 24, 2019 – At the 91st Academy Awards, Olivia Colman wins the Best Actress Oscar for playing Queen Anne in the dark comedy, “The Favourite.”
February 25, 2019 – The Tonight Show honors Garry Shandling with a “Larry Sanders Show” style version of the show.
MARCH
March 1, 2019 – Actress Katherine Helmond who starred in the groundbreaking sitcom “Soap” and co-starred in TV comedies including “Who’s the Boss?” and “Coach” passes away at age 89.
March 2, 2019 – Porn star and Trump mistress Stormy Daniels announces she’ll be doing a national stand up comedy tour.
March 2, 2019 – After 10 years, Kevin Pollak ends his popular podcast “Kevin Pollak’s Chat Show.”
March 3, 2019 – Roseanne Barr calls out the #MeToo accusers and labels them all as “Ho’s”.
March 3, 2019 – Pete Davidson causes a social media stir when he’s spotted tongue fencing with Kate Beckinsale at a hockey game.
March 7, 2019 – Executive Producer James L. Brooks announces the classic episode of “The Simpsons” featuring Michael Jackson’s voice will be removed from circulation.
March 8, 2019 – HBO cancels the Pete Holmes – Judd Apatow sitcom “Crashing.”
March 8, 2019 – TMZ releases video of Bam Margera losing his shit on his manager at West Side Comedy Club in NYC.
March 8, 2019 – Emily Heller’s first special “Ice Thickeners” is the first comedy hour to debut on Comedy Central Digital.
March 11, 2019 – John Mulaney reveals that after the Louis C.K. scandal, he parted ways with agent Dave Becky who also repped C.K. and was accused of trying to hush stories against the comedian.
March 12, 2019 – The National Comedy Center is formally designated as the nation’s official cultural institution dedicated to the art form of comedy.
March 12, 2019 – Jimmy Carr’s comedy special “Jimmy Carr: The Best of Ultimate Gold Greatest Hits” which is the best of Carr’s material debuts on Netflix.
March 15, 2019 – The new Aidy Bryant series “Shrill” debuts on Hulu.
March 16, 2019 – Roseanne Barr makes her return to stand up, joining Andrew “Dice” Clay on stage in Vegas. It was her first time back since being fired by ABC for a racist tweet.
March 16, 2019 – Amy Schumer posts a photo of herself running across a field totally nude and very pregnant which earns well over 600,000 likes.
March 19, 2019 – Comedy manager to the stars Buddy Morra whose clients included Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, David Letterman, Jim Carrey & Martin Short among other greats dies at age 88.
March 19, 2019 – Mark Norman makes his 7th appearance on Conan.
March 19, 2019 – “Amy Schumer Growing”, the comedian’s second special with Netflix launches on the streaming service.
March 20, 2019 – Carl Reiner announces that the National Comedy Center will now be the keeper of his archive of scripts from “The Dick Van Show”.
March 20, 2019 – Alex Winter & Keanu Reeves announce on YouTube that a new “Bill & Ted” movie is in production, 27 years after their last film together.
March 21, 2019 – Daniel & Eugene Levy announce that “Schitt’s Creek” 6th season will be its last when it airs in 2020.
March 22, 2019 – The audio documentary “Patrice O’Neal: A Life In Comedy” debuts on SiriusXM.
March 22, 2019 – ABC announces “The Connors” , the Roseanne-less spin-off of “Roseanne” is being renewed for a 2nd season.
March 30, 2019 – “Black-ish” wins Outstanding Comedy Series at the NAACP Image Awards. Other winners include Steve Harvey, Childish Gambino and Tiffany Haddish.
APRIL
April 1, 2019 – Jordan Peele’s reboot of “The Twilight Zone” launches on CBS All Access.
April 2, 2019 – Kevin Hart’s new special “Irresponsible” debuts on Netflix.
April 5, 2019 – Jim Serpico launches a new comedy record label with its first release “Jim Breuer Live From Portland.”
April 6, 2019 – Comedy icon Billy Connolly makes a rare appearance since announcing his Parkinson’s diagnosis to lead the Tartan Day parade in NYC.
April 7, 2019 – SNL’s Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost & Michael Che make their pro wrestling debut in a Battle Royal at WrestleMania.
April 10, 2019 – The New York Times runs an expose on the Friars Club and all the financial and managerial problems facing the iconic New York hang-out for comedians.
April 11, 2019 – British comedian Ian Cognito dies while performing on stage at age 60.
April 12, 2019 – 5 time Emmy nominee Georgia Engel who co-starred on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”, “Coach” and “Everybody Loves Raymond” dies at age 70.
April 15, 2019 – Lori Loughlin from the hit sitcom “Full House” and the spin-off “Fuller House” pleads not guilty to 2 conspiracy charges in the nationwide college admissions cheating scandal.
April 15, 2019 – Netflix expands into radio with a new partnership with SiriusXM Radio.
April 15, 2019 – SiriusXM announces its shows “Unmasked with Ron Bennington”, “The Jim and Sam Show”, “Ricky Gervais is Deadly Sirius” and others will now be available on Pandora as podcasts.
April 17, 2019 – After 7 years, Kyle Kinane retires as the voice of Comedy Central and passes the torch to David Gborie.
April 17, 2019 – Fox announces it’s cancelling Lil Rel Howery’s sitcom “Rel” after only one season.
April 19, 2029 – Julia Louis-Dreyfus tells Porter Magazine about her time on SNL saying the set was “so misogynistic and not female-friendly whatsoever.”
April 25, 2019 – The first ever Connecticut Comedy Festival opens and includes performances by Chris Distefano and Paul Virzi among others.
April 29, 2019 – After swearing off stand up in her last special, Hannah Gadsby brings her new show “Douglas” to America with a premiere in San Francisco.
April 29, 2019 – Pete Davidson is embroiled in yet another controversy when he walks out of a gig last minute at the Stress Factory claiming that owner Vinny Brand “disrespected him”.
April 30, 2019 – Anthony Jeselnik’s special “Fire in the Maternity Ward” recorded at Town Hall makes its debut on Netflix.
MAY
May 3, 2019 – Jerry Seinfeld celebrates his 50th show during his residency at the Beacon Theatre in New York. Seinfeld holds the Beacon record for most shows performed at the theater by a comedian.
May 4, 2019 – In the highest rated episode of the season, Adam Sandler returns after 24 years to host Saturday Night Live.
May 5, 2018 – Amy Schumer gives birth to a baby boy named Gene Attell Fischer. He made his social media debut the next day on Instagram.
May 7, 2019 – Controversy surrounds Nick Di Paolo’s special “A Breath of Fresh Air” when promotional materials contain an image of activist Muhiyidin Moye who was shot and killed in 2018.
May 8, 2019 – “Wild Kingdom” host and nearly 50 time guest on the “Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson” as well as the famous “The Merv Griffin Show” episode of “Seinfeld” dies at 89.
May 9, 2029 – During an appearance on “Unmasked” to discuss his new book “Baby Don’t Hurt Me”, Chris Kattan admits to Ron Bennington that SNL boss Lorne Michaels strongly suggested Kattan sleep with film director Amy Heckerling in order to get the movie, “A Night at the Roxbury” produced by Paramount.
May 9, 2019 – Sarah Silverman tweets a topless photo to point out the ridiculousness of Instagram’s nipple ban.
May 10, 2019 – David Cross’ latest special “Oh, Come On” is released on various platforms by Comedy Dynamics.
May 10, 2019 – There’s a sitcom bloodbath at CBS when the network cancels “Murphy Brown”, “Fam”, “Life in Pieces” and Damon Wayans Jr’s “Happy Together.”
May 10, 2019 – NBC announces that “The Kenan Show” is going into production and that star Kenan Thompson is will also be staying with SNL.
May 12, 2019 – The HBO comedy “Veep” starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus wraps after 7 seasons and 69 various awards and over 200 nominations.
May 13, 2019 – Hollywood leading lady Doris Day, the star of major motion picture comedies like “Pillow Talk” and “Please Don’t Eat The Daisies”, dies at age 97.
May 14, 2019 – Tim Conway, the brilliant Emmy Award winner and co-star of “The Steve Allen Show”, “McHale’s Navy” and “The Carol Burnett Show” passes away at age 85.
May 14, 2019 – Internationally known meme “Grumpy Cat” dies from complications of a UTI at age 7.
May 14, 2019 – Netflix celebrates the 60’s comedy sketch show “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” with the special “Still Laugh-In” featuring comedy from the original cast and today’s stars.
May 16, 2019 – The hugely popular CBS sitcom “The Big Bang Theory” signs off the air after 12 seasons.
May 18, 2019 – Sammy Shore, the famed Vegas comic who opened for some of the biggest names in show biz including Elvis, Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr. & Glen Campbell among others passes away at 92.
May 19, 2019 – The engagement between Scarlett Johansson and SNL co-head writer Colin Jost is confirmed by Johansson’s publicist.
May 21, 2019 – Artie Lange is arrested in New Jersey for violating terms of his court-ordered probation on drug charges.
May 21, 2019 – The new comedy special “Wanda Sykes: Not Normal” premieres on Netflix.
May 21, The Kristen Wiig movie “”Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar” becomes the latest production to boycott the state of Georgia over its new stringent abortion law.
May 22, 2019 – Jimmy Kimmel relives the past by airing live recreations of the hit Norman Lear 70’s sitcoms, “All in the Family” & “The Jeffersons.”
May 27, 2019 – Colin Quinn’s “Red State Blue State” debuts on CNN.
May 29, 2019 – Comedy Central announces its list of up and coming comedians for its 2019 “Up Next” showcases including Shane Gillis, Chris Estrada, Molly Kearny and Mary Beth Barone among others.
May 31, 2019 – “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman – Season 2” premieres on Netflix with guests including Kanye West, Ellen DeGeneres, Tiffany Haddish, Melinda Gates and Lewis Hamilton.
JUNE
June 4, 2019 – Tracy Morgan crashes his $2 million Bugatti Veyron just minutes after buying it at a Manhattan dealership. Tracy was not at fault or injured in the accident. Repair costs were estimated at $32k.
June 6, 2019 – Alec Baldwin tells USA Today he is “so done” playing Trump on SNL and suggests Anthony Atamanuik (The President Show) take over the role. Despite his comment, Baldwin returns for the SNL – Season 45 premiere.
June 11, 2019 – Ilana Glazer announces on Instagram that her first hour, “The Planet is Burning” will be next special produced for Amazon Prime. It premieres in 2020.
June 14, 2019 – Jim Gaffigan’s dark comedy “Being Frank” premieres in theaters.
June 14, 2019 – Adam Sandler & Jennifer Aniston reunite for another comedy film, “Murder Mystery” which debuted on Netflix.
June 14, 2019 – The Comedy Dynamics official trailer for Marina Franklin’s first comedy special “Single Black Female” is released through Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco.
June 15, 2019 – The Lonely Island kicks off their first ever multi-city tour at Bonnaroo.
June 16, 2019 – Bill Cosby puts out a long-winded Father’s Day tweet lecturing about taking an oath to family.
June 19, 2019 – Hollywood Reporter announces its “40 Most Powerful People in Comedy” which includes Comedy Central President Kent Alterman, Judd Apatow, showrunner Kenya Barris, and the Comedy Cellar’s Estee Adoram.
June 22, 2019 – The Nantucket Film Festival honors SNL performers and writers Jane Curtin, Anne Beatts, Sudi Green, and Sarah Schneider with the Creative Impact in Television Award.
June 23, 2019 – Louis C.K. does a surprise set at Skankfest NYC.
June 24, 2019 – Brooklyn Bazaar, the venue for Skankfest NYC, apologizes for Louis C.K. appearing on stage and claims it would have prevented his Skankfest performance had it not endangered their staff.
June 24, 2019 – The first annual Minneapolis Comedy Festival kicks off with the legendary Bob Newhart headlining.
June 25, 2019 – “Mike Epps: Only One Mike”, filmed at Constitution Hall in Washington, DC., premieres on Netflix.
June 26, 2019 – Chris Gethard returns to his public access cable roots with a new show, “Chris Gethard Presents.”
June 26, 2019 – Max Wright, the comedic actor best known as the dad on the sitcom “ALF” dies at age 75.
JULY
July 1, 2019 – People Magazine names the National Comedy Center as one of its “100 Reasons to Love America.”
July 3, 2019 – Arte Johnson who starred on the 60’s comedy variety series, “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” on NBC dies at age 90.
July 5, 2019 – At a Mets game, Jerry Seinfeld is asked by an interviewer who is an up & coming comedian we should all keep our eye on? His answer; Mark Normand.
July 9, 2029 – Comedy character actor Rip Torn, best known for “The Larry Sanders Show” dies at age 88.
July 9, 2019 – “Dave Chappelle Live on Broadway” opens at the historic Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in NYC for a five day limited run.
July 9, 2019 – “Bring The Funny”, the new comedy competition show starring Amanda Seales, Kenan Thompson, Chrissy Teigen and Jeff Foxworthy premieres on NBC.
July 10, 2019 – Just For Laughs 2019 opens in Montreal. JFL names Jim Jefferies Stand-Up Comedian of the Year and Hasan Minhaj is awarded Breakout Comedy Star of the Year.
July 11, 2019 – Tracy Morgan hosts the 2019 ESPY Awards and the social media reviews of the former “30 Rock” & SNL star are resoundingly negative.
July 12, 2019 – The second in the series of “Bill Burr Presents” specials, “Bill Burr Presents Ian Edwards” debuts on Comedy Central.
July 13, 2019 – “Seinfeld” alum Charles Levin dies at age 70.
July 15, 2019 – The Stand Comedy Club has a grand reopening party in its new location. The opening night lineup includes Mark Norman, Ron Bennington, Ari Shaffir and Judah Friedlander among others.
July 16, 2019 – In a strange joke theft twist, Anthony Jeselnik accuses Louis C.K. taking his material. Jeselnik claims he loaned it to C.K. for one night, and then Louis kept as his own.
July 19, 2019 – Dina Hashem receives death threats over a joke she told about murdered rap star XXXTentacion on “This Week at the Comedy Cellar”. A backlash to the backlash occurs when comedians protest the joke being pulled from the show.
July 26, 2019 – At JFL, Ron Bennington hosts “One Flew Over the Comedy Club”, a mental health & comedy panel including Joe List, Robert Kelly, Ms. Pat, Rich Vos, and Emma Willman.
July 26, 2019 – Andy Kindler delivers his 24th State of the Industry address at Just For Laughs. Kindler’s speech includes commentary on Ricky Gervais, Jay Leno, Louis C.K., Hannah Gadsby, Jerry Seinfeld, Jeff Foxworthy, Roseanne Barr, Andrew Dice Clay, Seth MacFarlane and Kevin Hart.
July 29, 2019 – David Spade takes over the coveted 11:30pm time slot on Comedy Central with his new show skewering entertainment headlines, “Lights Out with David Spade.”
July 31, 2019 – New York Comedy Club owners Emilio Savone and Scott Lindner celebrate the 5th anniversary of their club.
AUGUST
August 2, 2019 – HBO debuts “A Black Lady Sketch Show”, the first variety series to boast the first all-black women writer’s room.
August 3, 2019 – The New York City comedy community is shocked and saddened by the loss of Stand Comedy Club co-owner David Kimowitz.
August 5, 2019 – SNL writer Julio Torre’s innovative comedy special “My Favorite Shapes” debuts on HBO.
August 7, 2019 – “The Ernie Kovacs Centennial Exhibit” opens at the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, NY.
August 8, 2019 – Sarah Silverman tells Bill Simmons on his podcast that she was fired from a movie because she had worn blackface in a past sketch on “The Sarah Silverman Show” in ’07.
August 14, 2019 – At a time when he was suppose to be in rehab with Dr. Phil’s help, Bam Margera is arrested after causing a disturbance at a Hollywood hotel.
August 15, 2019 – A video is released seemingly confirming that there were on-set tensions between “Will & Grace” stars Debra Messing & Megan Mullally. Rumors of a feud had been simmering all year long.
August 15, 2019 – Eddie Murphy excites comedy fans (and professionals) with his announcement on the “Present Company with Krista Smith” podcast that he’ll be doing a stand up tour in 2020.
August 16, 2019 – Forbes names Kevin Hart the highest earning stand up comedian in 2019. Hart earned $59 million in the fiscal year. Following Hart are #2 Jerry Seinfeld, #3 Jim Gaffigan, #4 Trevor Noah and #5 Sebastian Maniscalco.
August 18, 2019 – Danny McBride’s new HBO comedy, (his third for the network), “The Righteous Gemstones” premieres to great reviews.
August 19, 2019 – Joel McHale releases his first comedy special, “Joel McHale: Live from Pyongyang” through Comedy Dynamics.
August 22, 2019 – The National Comedy Center continues to receive honors when it’s placed on Time Magazine’s list of the World’s Greatest Places 2019.
August 26, 2019 – Sebastian Maniscalco hosts one of the biggest springboard gigs in the business, the MTV Video Music Awards.
August 26, 2019 – Netflix releases Dave Chappelle’s “Sticks & Stones” special which is met with an immediate firestorm over Chappelle’s jokes regarding the Transgender community, Michael Jackson’s accusers and the other F-word.
August 26, 2019 – Pete Davidson has a tantrum when he discovers audience members at UCF recording his set with their phones. He goes on a tirade calling the audience “morons”, “idiots” and “retarded” and telling them to grow up.
August 27, 2019 – It’s announced that after 5 seasons, cast member Leslie Jones is leaving Saturday Night Live.
August 30, 2019 – We lose TV’s “Rhoda” when Emmy Award winner Valerie Harper dies. She was 80.
SEPTEMBER
Hi Deb, here’s the month of September for the comedy timeline. 🙂
September 1, 2019 – Kevin Hart is involved in a serious car crash in his 1970 Plymouth Barracuda and suffers severe back injuries.
September 2, 2019 – Pete Davidson has a new girl on his arm. The SNL cast member is spotted with model and actress Margaret Qualley in Italy for the Venice Film Festival.
September 6, 2019 – The new interview series “Good Talk with Anthony Jeselnik” premieres on Comedy Central.
September 7, 2019 – Alec Baldwin subjects himself to a Comedy Central Roast. Guest roasters include Caitlyn Jenner and Baldwin’s own daughter, Ireland.
September 7, 2019 – Eddie Murphy’s new film “Dolemite Is My Name” premieres at the Toronto Film Festival. Murphy’s portrayal of Rudy Ray Moore is critically praised and receives Oscar buzz.
September 10, 2019 – Bill Burr’s 6th comedy special “Bill Burr: Paper Tiger” premieres on Netflix.
September 10, 2019 – Ryan Hamilton makes his “Tonight Show” stand up comedy debut.
September 10, 2019 – Artie Lange re-emerges on Twitter, 7 months & 14 days sober and looking fantastic!
September 12, 2019 – Saturday Night Live announces new featured players Bowen Yang, Chloe Fineman and Shane Gillis.
September 14, 2019 – Comic strip fans everywhere rejoice over the cryptic message on “The Far Side” site which read, “Uncommon, unreal, and (soon-to-be) unfrozen.” The last “Far Side” cartoon was published in 1995.
September 16, 2019 – After a firestorm erupts over past podcast clips of Shane Gillis mocking Asians and using homophobic slurs, a spokesman for SNL’s Lorne Michaels announces that the comic has been fired from Saturday Night Live before he even begins work.
September 19, 2019 – JFL42 opens for 11 days in Toronto. Headliners include John Mulaney, Trevor Noah, Nick Kroll, Gabriel Iglesias and a special event with Carol Burnett.
September 19, 2019 – Mark Normand makes his 3rd appearance on the “Tonight Show.”
September 20, 2019 – The hit sitcom “Friends” celebrates its 25th anniversary.
September 20, 2019 – The White Plains Comedy Club is open for business. Porn star turned comedian Stormy Daniels performs opening weekend. Shows in the following weeks include headliners Jeremy Piven and Judy Gold.
September 20, 2019 – The film version of the Funny or Die web series starring Zach Galifianakis, “Between Two Ferns: The Movie” is released on Netflix.
September 21, 2019 – Adored celebrity chef, restaurateur and “Opie Radio Podcast” regular, Chef Carl “The Cuban” Ruiz dies unexpectedly at age 44.
September 22, 2019 – The Primetime Emmy Awards are held with no host. The big comedy winners are Phoebe Waller-Bridge and her series “Fleabag” as well as Bill Hader, John Oliver, and SNL.
September 23, 2019 – The 4th Annual Harlem Comedy Festival celebrating people of color in the New York comedy scene opens with shows starring Roy Wood Jr, Sam Jay and Aida Rodriquez.
September 25, 2019 – The beloved puppet prank show, “Crank Yankers” returns to television on Comedy Central with celebrity voices Jimmy Kimmel, Tracy Morgan, David Alan Grier and Adam Carolla.
September 25, 2019 – “Billy Connolly: The Sex Life of Bandages” screens at JFL42 in Toronto. The comedy concert film features the comedy legend’s farewell stand up special recorded live at the Sydney Opera house in 2015.
September 25, 2019 – Andrew Dice Clay headlines the newly reopened Stand Comedy Club in NYC. It’s the Dice Man’s first time headlining a New York City club in decades.
September 25, 2019 – The 23rd season of “South Park” premieres on Comedy Central. The irreverent cartoon series immediately takes on ICE and it’s treatment of immigrants.
September 28, 2019 – Saturday Night Live kicks off its 45th season on NBC with host Woody Harrelson.
September 29, 2019 – SNL wakes up to the bad news that its premiere ratings were down 30% from last season in the always important Adults 18-49 demo.
OCTOBER
October 1, 2019 – “Nikki Glaser: Bangin'”, the breakout comedian’s first Netflix hour special launches globally.
October 1, 2019 – Ukrainian prankster Vitalii Sediuk strikes again by dropping to the ground and grabbing Justin Timberlake’s leg at Paris Fashion Week.
October 3, 2019 – The Adam Sandler film “Uncut Gems” premieres at the New York Film Festival. Sandler’s rare dramatic performance begins talk about a possible Oscar nomination.
October 4, 2019 – Television pioneer Diahann Carroll, the first African American female to star in a non-stereotypical role in a TV sitcom, passes away at age 84.
October 5, 2019 – Part comedy special, part documentary on mental illness, and all amazing, “Gary Gulman: The Great Depresh” premieres on HBO.
October 6, 2019 – Ellen DeGeneres causes a controversy after she’s seen on national television laughing with her political opposite, George W. Bush, in a private box at a Dallas Cowboys game.
October 6, 2019 – Camp comedy legend Rip Taylor throws his last confetti, dying at age 84.
October 7, 2019 – “Kevin Allison Presents Risk!” marks its 10th anniversary with a celebration podcast special.
October 7, 2019 – The documentary film “What’s Eating Ralphie May?” about the late comic premieres at the Nashville Film Festival.
October 8, 2019 – Veteran comedian Deon Cole’s special “Cole Hearted” debuts on Netflix.
October 10, 2019 – TMZ gains access to the Kevin Hart Sept. 1st accident report which finds the wreck was caused by Hart friend, Jared Black, operating the Plymouth Barracuda in a reckless fashion.
October 10, 2019 – For World Mental Health Day, Comedy Central & HBO announce new mental health awareness initiatives including HBO sharing Gary Gulman’s hit special, “The Great Depresh” for free on YouTube.
October 13, 2019 – In a moment of irony, Kathy Griffin tweets her outrage over a video depicting a fake Donald Trump gunning down members of the “Fake News” media.
October 14, 2019 – HBO announces a new deal with Sarah Silverman that includes a series co-produced with Judd Apatow and Amy Zvi along with an hour comedy special.
October 15, 2019 – Jennifer Aniston breaks Instagram after she joined the social media platform and her first post, a photo of her and her 5 “Friends” co-stars, goes viral.
October 15, 2019 – Ali Wong’s best selling book “Dear Girls” goes on sale.
October 15, 2019 – Jessica Kirson sits down with Ron Bennington on SiriusXM’s “Unmasked” to discuss her new Comedy Central special, “Bill Burr Presents Jessica Kirson: Talking to Myself.”
October 15, 2019 – The comedy film featuring the return of the classic Kevin Smith & Jason Mewes characters, “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot”, is in theaters nationwide for 2 days only.
October 17, 2019 – Stitcher Premium launches a new podcast, hosted by Laurie Kilmartin called “Best Of Stand-Up From Conan” showcasing great stand up sets from “Conan” covering 26 years.
October 17, 2019 – Comedic actor Bill Macy best known as Maude’s husband passes away. He was 97.
October 18, 2019 – After a preview at JFL in Montreal, the highly anticipated “Kreeps with Kids Tour” starring Ron Bennington, Robert Kelly, Rich Vos & Jim Florentine kicks off in Reading, PA.
October 18, 2019 – Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents “Half Hour” specials from Jaboukie Young-White & Vanessa Gonzalez.
October 21, 2019 – It’s revealed Gail Bennington from SiriusXM’s “Bennington” is filming a role in Dennis Dugan’s latest film “Love, Weddings and Other Disasters.”
October 21, 2019 – The cult Canadian favorite “Letterkenny” finally gives American audiences what they’ve been begging for when they kick off a U.S. tour.
October 22, 2019 – Jenny Slate premieres her documentary / comedy special hybrid, “Jenny Slate: Stage Fright” on Netflix.
October 24, 2019 – Bentzen Ball, the DC comedy festival curated by Tig Notaro, opens, celebrating its 10th anniversary.
October 25, 2019 – Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents “Half Hour” specials from Dulcé Sloan & Will Miles.
October 29, 2019 – Comedy legend and star of “Friday” John Witherspoon passes away at age 77.
October 29, 2019 – The comedy special “Arsenio Hall: Smart & Classy” premieres on Netflix. It’s the 90’s talk show star’s first hour for the worldwide streamer.
October 29, 2019 – Comedy Dynamics releases “Matt Besser: Pot Humor”, the comedy special from the UCB founder was filmed at the NW Cannabis Club in Portland.
October 29, 2019 – HBO Max makes the announcement that the new streaming service will launch in May 2020 and will include the animated comedy titles, “South Park” and “Rick and Morty”.
NOVEMBER
November 1, 2019 – Joel Richardson brings comedy to Royersford, PA with the grand opening Soul Joel’s Comedy Club. Opening night with headliner Vic Henley sold out almost immediately.
November 1, 2019 – “The Seinfeld Experience” a fully immersive pop-up event opens in NYC to celebrate the 30th anniversary of 90’s television phenomenon.
November 1, 2019 – Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents “Half Hour” specials from Tom Thakkar & Mia Jackson.
November 2, 2019 – HBO dives headfirst back into stand up comedy with the premiere of “Daniel Sloss: X”, the Scottish comic’s tenth hour special.
November 4, 2019 – The New York Comedy Festival opens in NYC. Headliners include Bill Maher, Norm Macdonald, Tom Segura Trevor Noah and Stephen Colbert.
November 4, 2019 – NYCF and The Bob Woodruff Foundation presents the 13th Annual Stand Up For Heroes benefit show featuring John Oliver, Jon Stewart, Hasan Minhaj and Bruce Springsteen among others.
November 4, 2019 – Q.E.D in Astoria, Queens, NY throws a party celebrating 5 years as a bastion of independent comedy and entertainment led by producer and promoter Kambri Crews.
November 5, 2019 – Late Night host Seth Meyers joins the Netflix comedy special community with the release of “Seth Meyers: Lobby Baby” on the streaming service.
November 5, 2019 – “Mike Feeney: Rage Against The Routine” is the first album released from the new Riotcast comedy record label, TLB Records.
November 7, 2019 – Orlando’s Ken Miller is announced as the Grand Prize Winner of Steve Harvey’s Stand Up Spotlight competition.
November 7, 2019 – Comedy Central announces a new docu-comedy based on D.L. Hughley’s best selling book, “How Not to Get Shot and Other Advice from White People.”
November 8, 2019 – Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents “Half Hour” specials from Joe Kwaczala & Nore Davis.
November 10, 2019 – Kevin Hart makes his first public appearance since his car accident at the E! People’s Choice Awards to accept an honor.
November 10, 2019 – With a perfect score of 100%, Rotten Tomatoes names the Japanese zombie comedy “One Cut of the Dead” as the top comedy movie of 2019.
November 12, 2019 – The party of the year is at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square with the 6th Annual Bennington Family All Star Thanksgiving Celebration. Guests include Cipha Sounds, the Kreeps with Kids, Chip Chipperson, Bonnie McFarlane, The Bonfire and Dave Attell.
November 12, 2019 – Jeff Garlin releases his special “Jeff Garlin: Our Man in Chicago”, a celebration of his 37 years in show business, on Netflix.
November 14, 2019 – Mo’Nique files a federal lawsuit against Netflix claiming institutional racial and sex discrimination with its pay discrepancies regarding black women and comedy specials.
November 15, 2019 – Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents “Half Hour” specials from David Gborie & Allen Strickland Williams.
November 16, 2019 – Pete Davidson is now on his 3rd beautiful girlfriend this year. Pete is seen holding hands with model Kaia Gerber, the daughter of super-model Cindy Crawford.
November 19, 2019 – The final episode of “The Jim Jefferies Show” airs on Comedy Central.
November 19, 2019 – Just For Laughs announces they are joining the already crowded comedy record business with their own label “JFL Originals.”
November 19, 2019 – Iliza Shlesinger’s special “Unveiled” is unveiled on Netflix.
November 20, 2019 – The 90’s hit NBC sitcom “Mad About You” starring Paul Reiser & Helen Hunt returns with new episodes on Spectrum Originals.
November 21, 2019 – It’s Bernie vs. Bernie on “The Underculture” podcast as real life Senator Bernie Sanders meets the best Bernie impersonator in the business, James Adomian.
November 22, 2019 – Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents “Half Hour” specials from Charles Gould & Sara Schaefer.
November 26, 2019 – Mike Birbiglia premieres his 4th stand up special, aptly named “The New One” on Netflix.
DECEMBER
December 1, 2019 – One of television’s most famous housekeepers, Shelley Morrison who played Rosario Salazar, Karen Walker’s maid and confidante on “Will & Grace”, passed away at age 83.
December 3, 2019 – Netflix wins the bidding war for Ali Wong’s talents and announced two new specials coming from the “Baby Cobra” comedy superstar.
December 3, 2019 – Mazel Tov! Tiffany Haddish throws herself a party with her new special “Tiffany Haddish: Black Mitzvah” which premieres on Netflix.
December 6, 2019 – Ron Liebman, best know to younger generations as Rachel’s dad on the sitcom “Friends”, passes away in NYC at age 84.
December 7, 2019 – “Dan Soder: Son of a Gary”, the 2nd stand up special from comedy, SiriusXM Radio and Showtime’s “Billions” star Dan Soder premieres on HBO.
December 8, 2019 – PBS legend Caroll Spinney who made generations of children laugh as the Muppeteer behind Sesame Street’s Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch passes away at age 85.
December 8, 2019 – “Benson” co-star and character actor Rene Auberjonois dies at age 79.
December 10, 2019 – Netflix releases “Michelle Wolf: Joke Show”, which is the 2nd comedy special from the former White House Correspondent’s Dinner host.
December 11, 2019 – The comedy world mourns the loss of comedian, writer and host of Comedy Central’s “Every Damn Day”, Chris Cotton.
December 12, 2019 – Danny Aiello, who co-starred in Norman Jewison’s romantic comedy “Moonstruck” and Spike Lee’s dramedy “Do The Right Thing”, dies as age 86.
December 13, 2019 – HBO premieres a look at the life and career of comedy giant Mel Brooks with the debut of the documentary, “Mel Brooks Unwrapped.”
December 13, 2019 – Comedy Gives Back, the comedian healthcare charity, releases the fundraising song “Christmas Magic”. Available for download and featuring 60 of the biggest names in comedy.
December 15, 2019 – Chuy Bravo, “Chelsea Lately” sidekick to host Chelsea Handler passes away at 63.
December 21, 2019 – After 35 years, Eddie Murphy returns to Saturday Night Live and hosts the mid-season finale.
December 31, 2019 – Season 2 of “The Degenerates” on Netflix premieres featuring Robert Kelly, Ms. Pat, Adrienne Iapalucci, Donnell Rawlings, Nikki Glaser and Jim Norton.
