Stand-up comedy meets group therapy sessions at a new alt-comedy show at Dayton, Kentucky’s Commonwealth Comedy Club.

Hosted by comedian Shawn Braley, Stand Up Therapy is what happens when you blend laughter, psychology and some gentle emotional chaos. On Feb. 5, a group of comedians will take the stage at Commonwealth and perform short stand-up sets in front of a live audience and three licensed therapists.

After each set, the therapists will ask questions, offer insights and dig into whatever happens on stage.

“Part stand-up show, part therapy session, and part social experiment, Stand Up Therapy invites audiences to laugh, cringe, and maybe learn a little about themselves along the way,” reads an event description. 

The comedian lineup includes Ran Barnaclo, Luke Capasso, Ossia Dwyer, Garrett Titlebaum and Karl Spaeth. The panel of therapists — Lindsay Jane, Lorena Shadwick and Sharee Allen — will round out the show with their clinical experience, observations and a willingness to play along. 

Stand Up Therapy is free, but you will need to reserve a ticket. The show begins at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 5. No audience participation will be required. 

Commonwealth Comedy Club, 522 Fifth Ave., Dayton, Kentucky. More info: commonwealthcomedyclub.com.

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Jimmy Pardo is widely known as one of the country’s top stand-up comics and as a pioneer in the field of podcasting. His show, Never Not Funny, debuted in April 2006 and is still going strong today. Not only did he help establish the medium as we know it today, but he helped ordinary folks who were starting to dabble in it and find success. “I would get so many people that would ask to come on Never Not Funny and promote their podcast,” he recalls.  “I’d tell them, ‘If you had me on your podcast, it would be a better promotion. If I go on your show, people will follow it and see if they’re interested in it. It pays more dividends.’ I say that now,” he adds, “as I really don’t say ‘yes’ anymore.”

The show changed the trajectory of his career, leading to regular television appearances as well as making it possible to tour on his own terms. “The podcast still allows me to scratch the itch of comedy and be funny and creative with like-minded and funny people,” he says. “When I do get the chance to tour, I’ve chosen to do one show in a city per night, and I try to do it during the week.” That allows the club to book a headliner through the weekend. “I do one show on an off night, hopefully get a decent turnout, shake some hands afterwards, I get in my rental car, drive on to the next city, lather, rinse, repeat, and I’m home Saturday morning and get to spend the weekend with my wife.”

On stage, he’s never been sharper. “It’s looser than it’s ever been,” he says of his set. “You get very little material. It’s mostly stream of consciousness, talking about my day and doing crowd work, but in the right way, a clever way.” In other words, don’t expect garden-variety crowd work. “There are so many comics out there doing crowd work, lazily doing it for laughs, and it’s infuriating to guys like me that are good at it and made their living doing it and are known for it.”

“If you like Jimmy Pardo, you’re going to get Jimmy Pardo,” he assures. “And occasionally, I will end by asking if anybody has a story or bit they’d like to hear. If I can remember, it’s great, and if not, I’ll flub my way through, and that’s funny too.”

Jimmy Pardo is at Go Bananas on Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m. More info: gobananascomedy.com.

The post Comedian and Podcast Pioneer Jimmy Pardo Brings His Quick Wit to Go Bananas appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

The streets of Norwood will fill with laughter this August with the return of Greater Cincinnati’s largest one-day comedy festival.

The second-annual Norwood Comedy Festival is happening Saturday, Aug. 2 from 2-11 p.m. on Mills Avenue, next to Victory Park. Produced by Bombs Away! Comedy, the festival will feature headliner Geoff Tate, who has appeared on WTF with Marc Maron, Bertcast with Bert Kreischer, The Late Late Show, Comedy Central and Dr. Drew After Dark. Tate has over a dozen albums available to stream.

The festival will also feature Mark Chalifoux (a nationally touring comedian with the No. 2 comedy album, Think Fast, on Apple Music); rising comedy star Elijah Nevels; LA Weekly-, NY Magazine– and Rolling Stone-heralded comedian Ryan Singer; and Dave Waite, who has appeared on Not Safe with Nikki Glaser and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Over 20 local and regional comedians will also perform throughout the day.

The Norwood Comedy Festival is free to attend, and guests are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket.

Along with the comedy performances, the Off Pike Market will also be happening that day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market features over 20 vendors selling a variety of crafts, gifts and more, and there will be food trucks and a cider/beer garden from Northwood Cider Company, MPH Brewing, HighGrain Brewing and Estazzi THC Fruit Soda on site.

More info: bombsawaycomedy.com.

The post Comedy Festival Returns to Norwood for More Laughs This Summer appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

In what is sure to be a highlight of the summer, David Spade makes an appearance at the Taft Theatre on Sunday, June 8.

Fresh off the release of his new special, Dandelion, out on Amazon Prime, Spade will be making a stop in Cincinnati for his upcoming “I Got A Feel For It” tour, named after a spot-on, standout line he delivered on the Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special earlier this year.

He’s been a celebrated voice in comedy since finding an audience with his quick wit, laidback sarcasm and deceptively subtle delivery, first as a stand-up, and then as a cast member in a generation-defining era on Saturday Night Live where he would meet lifelong collaborators Dana Carvey and Adam Sandler, among others. Standout sketches like “Gap Girls,” his recurring Weekend Update segment “Hollywood Minute” and “Total Bastard Airlines” — along with the sketch’s catchphrase you can probably hear reading this now, “buh-bye” — helped launch a successful film and TV career.

Breakout buddy comedies Tommy Boy and Black Sheep, made with real-life buddy and late comedy legend Chris Farley, have become perennial favorites, along with his first solo starring role in Joe Dirt. Appearances in movies like Coneheads, The Emperor’s New Groove, the Grown Ups franchise and Covid-era Netflix hit The Wrong Missy helped make him a household name. 

In addition to starring in TV shows and movies, he’s also shot comedy specials for HBO, Comedy Central, Netflix and, now, Prime.

He also co-hosts the podcast Fly on the Wall with fellow SNL alum and comedy legend Dana Carvey, which won the 2025 iHeartPodcast Award for Best Comedy.

Spade was loose, down to earth and upbeat as we spoke over the phone about his Cincinnati connection, stand-up, his experience filming the Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special, people working in Hollywood again and much more. Our conversation is edited slightly for length and clarity.

David Spade: Hey Brent, it’s Spade, what’s going on brotha’?

CityBeat: Not much. I’m happy to be doing this and I appreciate you doing it.

DS: Doing some Cincy action, are you?

CB: (laughs) That’s right, yeah.

DS: Am I allowed to call it Cincy?

CB: You can do that, people call it that. Your mom’s from Cincinnati, right? Do you have any family here still or any connection to Cincinnati?

DS: My mom is (from) a city called Ironton (that) she grew up in and then when she got married, we flew out there after a while and saw Cincinnati for a few weeks. I think it rained the whole time we were there but that’s all I remember as a kid, but as a kid, you know, I don’t know anything. She wanted us to see it. And my dad went to Denison, she went to Denison. So, yeah, she’s all dialed in there so she’s excited I’m going.

CB: I watched the new special last night and it was great, man.

DS: Oh, that’s great, you saw it?

CB: Yeah. I’ve heard you talk about bands being able to play their greatest hits live, you know, the difference between stand-up and music — what can people expect at these shows, and will you be doing some of your classic stuff and older bits?

DS: You know, I was just talking to Dana (Carvey) about this. I think, especially when the special comes out, right away, that it takes me a while to generate a whole new hour. And I want it to be good, so what I’ll do is it’ll be a mixture of new things I like that I’ve been working on and then stuff that’s funnier. I think what I realized is, not everyone’s seen every single special and seen all of every special. And also, I don’t mind hearing stuff from Bobby Lee or Sebastian (Maniscalco) when I bring a friend to the Comedy Store. I go, ‘Oh, I hope they do this one, I hope they do that one’ because, to me, it is like music where you go, oh, I kind of want to not sing along, but you know I wanna just laugh along to this one I remember. And a lot of the bits expand. Like, I do them, they might be a little undercooked and as I do them for the next few months, they get longer and longer, and then they get better. So, I think I’ve never really had any problems or complaints about that being a mix, but, because I owe them also when they’re paying a lot and coming down to the theater, that it should work and be funny and (they) laugh the whole time. If some bits were bombing, I’d say, ‘Well, they gotta go.’

So, I think we’ve had a good reaction and I’m having fun with it. I’m doing three cities in Ohio which is the most I’ve probably done in any state. We get requests and I think theaters ask and then that’s how we figure out what to do. But I’m all for hitting the heartland.

CB: That’s great, yeah. I mean, I know you’re appreciated here and I’m sure everywhere, but we appreciate you coming here, man.

DS: I mean, Tommy Boy was technically Sandusky, Ohio, so we definitely have people that know we know about Ohio.

CB: Speaking of stand-up, who were some people who inspired you to do stand-up and inspired your style?

DS: Well, it kind of went in phases. I think George Carlin was like the first one I kind of remember, and then when I started to watch Johnny Carson I’d see some people that made me laugh. Seinfeld’s always been an influence as a sharp writer and a clean, clever comic. Would I ever think I would meet him in my life, no. And that’s sort of the fun of a Steve Martin, you know, I grew up on his albums. And then, more present day, Theo (Von) — I think he has some really clever stuff — Shane Gillis, Sebastian (Maniscalco) has some great stuff and Ali Wong is funny to me. So, there are people out there that still crack me up and I have a good time watching even newer people at the Comedy Store and just go, ‘Oh, I better keep my eyes peeled, this one has some game.’ 

CB: I know you do a lot of spots so I guess you probably are seeing all the people that are coming up or these new faces that are doing great stuff.

DS: Yeah. I mean, I take it seriously. Like, I’m on the road so I went out last night. I have Vegas with Nikki (Glaser) this weekend, so we do it together which is a little easier, we have a sort of residency. She’s great and we have overlapping fans, so it’s really fun to go out and it’s obviously less pressure. I practice at these clubs during the week because I want some new stuff. I wanna sharpen up and I wanna go out there and when I hit the stage, not be a bumbling fool.

CB: (laughs)

DS: You know, these people want a good show and it’s hard. I bring openers that I think are funny and then I just think people come and they leave going, ‘Ok, that was just a fun, mindless night that I don’t have to worry about anything.’

CB: Yeah, you got to stay up on it, I guess.

DS: You just owe it to the crowd of like, I can’t just expect to say, ‘I’m so great, I won’t even practice, I’ll just go out there and talk about whatever happened in my day.’ One of my biggest complaints I got was, ‘I laughed but it looked like you were just making it up the whole time.’ I’m like, ‘That took me 20 years to figure out how to do that.’ (laughs) It’s so hard to make it look casual, you know what I mean? Like, so, there’s no way I’m thinking of that stuff and it’s that well put together if I haven’t planned it out. You know, you have to know some of it. I can ad lib a few things but it’s tough up there.

CB: Speaking of that stuff, you always take it to another level on any talk show appearance — was there a certain person that was like an inspiration for you? You’re kind of on the level of Martin Short or Robin Williams. I’m sure a lot goes into that.

DS: Yeah, you know, I would say Steve Martin, Martin Short — there’s people that go on there and really take it seriously and just try stuff and try to make an impact, even though there’s no huge gain. Even when I’m not on tour I do Ellen a lot, I do Jimmy Kimmel, I do Fallon, Letterman in the old days, but it got down to where at least I was reliable so they’d say, ‘Hey, we have a fallout, could you get down here because we need someone that knows how to do it,’ you know, and just get some laughs. Sort of makes their job easier, but I am lucky that I can just text and say, ‘Can I come on this week?’ I wanna do this or I gotta promote this or I have a movie coming out,’ and between Ellen and Fallon and all these guys it was a great. I wasn’t that close with Letterman, I only did him probably, you know, a handful of times, but I’ve seen him since, but he was always kind of the one that I looked up to and go, ‘I wanna make him laugh.’ 

CB: Is there anybody you’re looking forward to getting still or anybody coming up for the podcast?

DS: You know, yeah, on the podcast we were looking forward to Larry David — that took a while to put together.

CB: That was a good one, yeah.

DS: Then the fires screwed it up but he wound up being so funny and was laughing so fucking hard, he was such a good guest. I would like Letterman just because I used to do it and look up to him. I see him out sometimes and I don’t ask because I’d feel like an asshole, but I think he’d be up for it at a certain point. I would love to have Ringo Starr because we had Paul (McCartney). We could have Paul again. We have more questions and could talk to him forever. So nerve-wracking though.

CB: Good lord, yeah.

DS: Yeah, you could imagine like, ‘holy shit.’ 

CB: (laughs) Yeah.

DS: Who else was on our list the other day? There’s Kristen Wiig. I mean, we’re going to do not as much SNL stuff in the future. We just want to get guests that are fun or interesting and we’ve kind of gone through pretty much the main ones. Kristen’s a big one from that era, just because she’s so great and I saw her at the 50th and I was like, ‘God, I wanna ask her but I’ll just wait.’

CB: Are you sponsored by Koi (Los Angeles restaurant), by chance? (laughs)

DS: We brought up Koi again today because it’s an easy, funny thing to talk about. Because I just did Conan’s podcast (Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend) and he’s like, ‘Me and you and Dana have to go to Koi again.’ (laughing) It’s close to me and Dana and it’s good. And then they tell me, ‘You know how many people come in here looking for you guys?’ (laughs) ‘We’ve heard about this place.’

CB: At the SNL 50th, how did it feel to just be a part of that history and be there for that celebration and that night?

DS: Oh, the best. I mean, the 40th was good, I think the 50th was just more fun for me and getting to do a little jibber jabber in the show, just be part of it, was great. The rehearsals, sneaking through the hallway, no stress, just walking around like, ‘Hey, there’s Blake Lively, ‘hey, there’s Kristen Wiig again.’ You sort of have free reign to talk to anyone and everyone’s nice. I think I flew out and Pedro Pascal was on my plane and that’s a guy I don’t talk to much and Miles Teller was on my flight and I’m like, ‘Oh, hey guys,’ so that was fun. (Noise in the background gets louder) Hold on. Sorry, I’m trying to find someplace noisier. 

CB: You’re good, man. I’m in the car too, actually. I’ve heard you talk about bringing movies back to Hollywood. I know Busboys was filmed there — how did that go, do you think it’s possible to do that again?

DS: We did it here, we definitely want (car alarm goes off in the background) What a dick.

CB: [laughs]

DS: We definitely want people to shoot here. Someone was just talking about a reality show and they’re like, ‘Well, we could never do it in LA,’ it’s not even a question. Everyone grew up going, ‘I gotta get to Hollywood,’ you know, ‘I’m a make-up artist, I’m a model, I’m an actor, I’m a writer,’ and they all come here and now it’s like, ‘I can’t just come for the crime and the taxes, I need some upside here.’ That’s the hard part. It’s sunny, it’s nice. That’s what I love. I don’t wanna move. Everybody just says, ‘Just move.’ I go, ‘It’s hard to just move and go someplace where I don’t know anybody.’

CB: Definitely, yeah, for anybody. It’d be nice if that was all one consolidated place again like you said. You could just go there and say, ‘I’ll go to a studio and maybe I’ll get a job.’

DS: We’ve got studios, we’ve got everything we need here — it’s just slowly being farmed out.

CB: Yeah, that’s too bad but that’s cool you did Busboys there, so hopefully that helps some.

DS: Yeah, it just gets the word out like, ‘Hey, we’re fine.’

CB: Nobody really talks about that you did a lot of stuff on Beavis and Butt-Head — how did that come about and what was that experience like?

DS: Mike Judge wound up coming on SNL as a writer and they put him either in our office or next to us. He didn’t come in a lot but he had a desk so we would all just bullshit. We loved Beavis and Butt-Head, so he said, ‘Well, you wanna do a couple, we could get a voice or something?’ and it worked out so I was stoked because I liked him a lot, yeah. 

CB: I should also ask, who’s the opener for your tour?

DS: I think Bobby Miyamoto’s back on some and maybe Katherine Blanford, so It’ll be fun to have (them). Those two will be good. 

David Spade performs at Taft Theatre at 8 p.m. on June 8. More info: tafttheatre.org.

This story is featured in CityBeat’s May 28 print edition.

The post David Spade Talks Local Connection and More Ahead of Cincinnati Performance appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

Cincinnati has nationally ranked restaurants, an expansive music scene, a thriving club culture and its share of renowned art galleries and museums; it only makes sense that the comedy scene would be on the rise, too.

CityBeat’s Best Local Comedian 2025 winner Kelly Collette and co-founder of the city’s newest comedy venue, Nathan Kroeger of Commonwealth Sanctuary, weigh in on Cincinnati comedy and how an old church turned comedy club across the river in Dayton, Kentucky, is helping build that community.

Established local anchors like Go Bananas and national chain The Funny Bone have been favorite comedy venues for comedy fans and up-and-comers for years, but non-traditional comedy venues like MOTR Pub and The Comet started hosting comedy regularly in recent years, adding opportunities for comedians and audiences alike. 

Cincinnati-based comedian Collette, fresh off winning CityBeat’s Best Local Comedian 2025, was taping a special in Chicago at the time of our interview. Collette seems grateful and excited for the win and current climate in Cincinnati comedy. “I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, this seems real,’” she says with a laugh on winning the vote. “I think the people who won it the last couple years were like Katt Williams and Gary Owen and it’s like, ‘You don’t even go to this school,’ you know what I mean?” she says jokingly, “It’s nice that someone who is actively performing comedy in Cincinnati got it, that’s very sweet.”

Collette, who now tours nationally as a full-time comedian in addition to teaching a course on stand-up for local all-female comedy organization Alphas Comedy, performed her first open mic in 2009 at Go Bananas. She was just out of college before she went all in and quit her full-time job in 2019. Collette says comedy is more available than ever.

“I think it’s really grown a lot,” she said. “I think there’s so much more stage time here than there used to be, especially with everybody putting together their independent shows at MOTR or coffee shops or things like that. Pick a night of the week and we have a show.”

Northern Kentucky got its first dedicated club and added to the current comedy landscape when the Commonwealth Sanctuary opened in 2023. 

The club opened after couple and co-founders Kroeger (artistic director) and Jacoba Wells (programming director), both former employees of public libraries, moved from Bloomington, Indiana, in 2019 and bought the building in 2020 to renovate it for a to-be-determined project. The couple, both comedy fans, met local comedian and event organizer Shawn Braley, now Commonwealth’s creative director, after attending events he hosted at Dayton, Kentucky, venue The Garage. When The Garage became unavailable, the three decided on a use for the former church.

“Commonwealth Sanctuary is a refuge from the daily grind,” Kroeger says. “We built a comedy club in a former church building and named it a ‘sanctuary.’ So, we want people to think of us when they need to feel lighter and be around people who are feeling the same way.”

He tells CityBeat they had three goals in mind when opening Commonwealth Sanctuary: to bring well-known comics to an unconventional and unexpected space, benefit the local community in Dayton by bringing people to bars and restaurants before or after shows and helping local comics.

They’ve already hosted several sellout shows with noteworthy comedians featured on major platforms like Comedy Central, HBO and NBC’s Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon with others coming up, like Rory Scovel, who’s had specials on HBO Max and Netflix. Former Saturday Night Live cast member Punkie Johnson and Michael Ian Black of cult-favorite movies like Wet Hot American Summer and MTV sketch show Stella, will help celebrate the club’s two-year anniversary this July.

They also host a weekly open mic on Monday nights for locals called The Workshop. “Comedians need stage time. And we wanted to create a show for the working comics, young and veteran alike, to get in their reps because that is the only way they get better as performers. As they improve as performers, we hire them to work our weekend shows, opening for the headliners we bring through each week,” Kroeger tells CityBeat.

The club makes good with the goal of an unconventional space, too. The former church, built in 1914, sits high above street level. After you climb the stairs leading in, you’re met with a few more to enter the main room that features all the hallmarks of a historic church: high ceilings, exposed beams and some dramatic touches. There’s also a portion of the stage with an organ and drums that are often used to play people on and off stage. 

The performance space, while feeling open, isn’t huge. Collette describes the experience of performing at the venue. “I like an intimate show. I like when I can see the audience members, I can feel their energy, I can tell what kind of material they’re starting to like and what they’re not so I can adjust and be playful, whereas I’ve done theater shows and you hear the laugh but you don’t see the people and you’re just like, ‘I’m talking to the darkness right now.’ I like a small venue, they’re fun.” She continues, “It feels like we’re all in a really cool experience together, feels very special.” 

Collette feels people have accepted the new venue because they’re very focused on comedy and comedians, not drink specials and food sales. She says, “I think what’s great about Commonwealth is it’s run by a couple that are just big comedy fans that are really good people and they just wanna bring really great acts to Cincinnati.”

Kroeger says they’ve felt welcomed by the comedy community with the help of locals like Collette. “Kelly’s one of the top headliners that’s based in Cincinnati and she’s touring all over — she’s a true professional working comic and she’s headlined here. We love Kelly’s comedy, so any time we get to see Kelly, we’re really happy and that’s what’s great about this scene, generally, is all of these comics have been very supportive of us starting up a new venue in a town that has had, kind of, a historical scene. You know, Go Bananas has been there since the ‘90s and Wayne Memmott is running the Bombs Away! Comedy at The Comet in Northside. He’s been doing that for 11 years and has built up a huge, very cool following there and he brings in some very cool people.”

Memmott and Commonwealth have since joined together for the Crosstown Comedy Festival that will take place from July 10-Aug. 30.

Collette says the comedy scene in Cincinnati has improved in other ways, as well. “When I first started, it wasn’t super inclusive. I remember someone being like, ‘Hey, I’m not gonna bother to learn your name until you’ve been to at least six months of open mics because you’ll probably just quit one day,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, harsh reality.’ Now we’re all like, ‘Come sit next to me,’ you know? Everybody’s so much nicer now.”

For more information about the Commonwealth Sanctuary, visit commonwealthsanctuary.com. For more information about Kelly Collette, visit kellycollettecomedy.com.

This story is featured in CityBeat’s April 30 print edition.

The post Holy Jokes: How Cincinnati’s Comedy Scene Found New Life in an Old Church appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

Saturday Night Live alum Fred Armisen is coming to Cincinnati this summer.

The actor, comedian, producer and musician will bring his tour, “Comedy is for Musicians but Everyone is Welcome,” to the 20th Century Theater in Oakley on Wednesday, June 25. General tickets go on sale Thursday, March 20 at 10 a.m.

In a review by 365Bristol, Armisen’s show is described as a mix of musings and musical vignettes, marked by Armisen’s understated and cerebral comedic sensibilities. While the show is definitely a comedic performance, musicians will also understand the humor.

“The relaxed, intimate nature of the show was refreshing, and created a real feeling of spontaneity and uniqueness — it felt like Armisen was pulling from a wide array of bits, and it’s unlikely the show is exactly the same on any given tour date,” writes Patrick Bate.

Armisen’s list of credits is long, but he’s best known as an 11-season veteran of SNL, plus as the co-writer and co-star of the IFC hit show, Portlandia. Recently, he’s starred as Uncle Fester in the Netflix show Wednesday, co-wrote and worked as the executive producer on HBO’s Los Espookys and lent his voice to animated movies and shows like Super Mario Bros and Big Mouth. Currently, he’s starring in the Broadway play All In.

For more information on the show or to buy tickets, visit eventbrite.com.

The post ‘Saturday Night Live’ Star Fred Armisen is Bringing His Comedy Tour to Cincinnati appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

Comedian Dave Chappelle is returning to the cornfields of Ohio this month for two special performances.

Chappelle will host “Dave Chappelle’s Summer Camp” at Wirrig Pavillion in his hometown of Yellow Springs Friday, Aug. 23 and Saturday, Aug. 24. The comedy shows in the cornfield began as Chappelle’s response to the the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to provide both economic and comedic relief to the local community. They’ve since become a summer tradition.

The Summer Camp shows are a phone- and device-free experience, so attendees will be given Yondr pouches where they can secure their phones, smart watches and other accessories. Devices will only allowed to be accessed in designated areas.

Tickets for the shows will go on sale on Ticketmaster on Wednesday, Aug. 14 at noon. The venue is general admission.

Wirrig Pavilion, Meredith Road, Yellow Springs. More info: ticketmaster.com.

The post Dave Chappelle Returns to the Cornfields of Yellow Springs for Two Nights of Comedy appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

The streets of Norwood will fill with laughter this August with the launch of a brand-new comedy festival.

The inaugural Norwood Comedy Festival, billed as the largest one-day comedy festival in the Greater Cincinnati area, is happening Saturday, Aug. 17 on Mills Avenue, next to Victory Park. Produced by Bombs Away! Comedy, the festival will feature over 20 of the best comedians in the region, including Gabe Kea, Karrine Turnbow, Chris Weir, Phil Pointer and Allison Stapp, who was also named the Funniest Person in Cincinnati in 2023.

The festival runs from 4-10 p.m. with four separate showcases:

Highlands Showcase (4 p.m.)

• Shawn Braley
• Garrett Titlebaum
• Lena Beamish
• Spencer Domolky
• Giles Chickering
• Gavin Ferckel
• Christian Grant
• Chris Siemer

Pike Showcase (5:30 p.m.)

• Ossia Dwyer
• Connor Twele
• Alex Leeds
• David Stewart
• Nick Hidden
• Kyle Finney
• Justin Wagner
• June Dempsey

Floral Showcase (7 p.m.)

• Caitlin Menosky
• Leyla Ingalls
• Cody Walker
• Lee Kimbrell
• Ian Squintz
• Jon Holmes
• Mark Chalifoux

Gem Showcase (8:30 p.m.)

• Karinne Turnbow
• Chris Weir
• Phil Pointer
• Allison Stapp
• Gabe Kea

The Norwood Comedy Festival is free to attend, and guests are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket.

Along with the comedy performances, the Off Pike Market will also going on, beginning at 3 p.m. The market features over 30 vendors selling a variety of crafts, gifts and more, and there will be food trucks and a cider/beer garden from Northwood Cider Company and MPH Brewing on site.

More info: facebook.com.

The post A New Comedy Festival is Coming to Norwood appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

This story is featured in CityBeat’s March 20 print edition.

It’s a sunny, winter afternoon on Beech Avenue in Price Hill and Sean Fogelson is standing in front of his childhood home. 

“It didn’t used to be blue,” says Fogelson, a.k.a That One Mailman of TikTok fame. “We used to hoop over there,” he points to an empty driveway across the street, then takes a second to recall countless barbecues and block parties the neighborhood would throw. “We used to take those orange traffic cones and shut down the street ourselves,” he admits, smiling at the memory.

Then a wiry, yippy dog comes out of nowhere with a misplaced vengeance. The yellow-haired yapper approaches and regresses in militant form, offering a booming warning with a high-pitched, hostile bark that conquers the conversation.

“Welcome to my world,” Fogelson says.

As a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service, he’s been skirting aggressive dogs for six years. These days, since becoming a local celebrity after realizing influencer status on social media, Fogelson also encounters eager fans pretty much everywhere he goes. While the sudden burst of energy from a random fan is a little more pleasant – and flattering – than an agitated dog, he’s still not used to the fame.

“I can’t go nowhere without people coming up to me. It’s crazy,” Fogelson tells CityBeat. “It’s cool though. I like it. Seeing the joy [people have], it’s like when you get home from work and the kids see you; it’s like that. Indescribable. It’s cool.”

Fogelson is a gracious, down-to-earth guy. He’s a West Sider through and through and embodies that warm, hometown friendliness you find on that side of Cincinnati. He grew up in Price Hill, lives in Price Hill and works in Price Hill. He attended public schools in Cincinnati, went to grade school dances, parish festivals and participated in sports like baseball and basketball when he was young. He says he learned the value of hard work growing up in a crowded house, where he wanted to buy his own snacks and 2 liters – not the “cheap shit,” he says. So he found odd jobs at the 25 Hour Store on the corner of Grand and Glenway avenues to afford things like name-brand snacks and his beloved pet bearded dragon. 

“I was just growing up in the hood, one day at a time,” he says. “I would always work to buy what I wanted, like school shoes. I didn’t want Walmart shoes; I wanted Nikes. I didn’t grow up in the trenches, but I didn’t grow up wealthy or nothing.”

As fate would have it, when Fogelson started at USPS, he was assigned a route in Price Hill. After a certain amount of time on an assigned route, one can elect to change neighborhoods, he says, but he chose to stay close to home.

“We’re different here. Everybody in Cincinnati hustles,” he says. “I ain’t been too far out the city, but we are just different here.” 

Currently, Fogelson is getting that out-of-city experience he’s yet to have as the host of a comedy tour that stemmed from his social media fame. That One Mailman and Friends has stopped in Atlanta and will see two sold-out shows in Cincinnati at the Liberty Township Funny Bone Comedy Club on March 24. 

Fogelson’s genuine nature and effortless humor have gained him 2 million followers on TikTok since he launched his account two years ago. But he didn’t set out to be an influencer and he definitely hasn’t put on a front to earn that status. There isn’t much of a difference between Sean Fogelson and That One Mailman, even the regular use of his catchphrase, “Hey lil’ stank-a-booty!” that he uses in his viral videos. 

Fogelson tells CityBeat that the phrase came from a friend in school who once called him a “pale-neck-stank-a-booty-ass little boy,” in jest. From then on, Fogelson used the phrase as a silly pleasantry. He later found that the origin of the initial comment was derived from the comedy movie Next Friday. Now, Fogelson uses the phrase in nearly all of his videos, mostly to greet friends and fans before moving on to whatever comedic topic he has in store for that segment.

Fogelson approaches his social media presence with an air of regularity and without predetermined lines. He doesn’t piggyback off of what’s trending; his hilarious commentary typically plays on relatable subjects like the glory of getting Tupperware for leftovers at a restaurant, ignoring a busted headlight or using a tax return to go to a nice dinner (somewhere “hood-nice,” he’ll declare, like Red Lobster.) 

Then there’s the slew of skits that reveal mail-carrier-only problems that Fogelson describes comedically, like dogs, heavy packages or being hounded by residents about lost mail. His first-ever viral video is dubbed “Temu Tired.” It caught on so well that Yahoo News reported on its popularity and accurate hilarity. In the video, Fogelson jokes about awkward, bright-colored packaging that holds an outrageous amount of items purchased from the online store. 

“I’m tired of this Temu shit. Y’all killin’ me,” Fogelson says playfully in the video. “It’s Temu, Temu, Temu. I’m Temu tired, aight? They put all 17 items you just ordered in one big-ass bag.”

Fogelson created the That One Mailman TikTok page to make tough days at work bearable, he says. During COVID, he was working 70 hours per week. Although he’ll be the first to admit that he loves his job, that amount of overtime is trying. So he decided to bring a bit of comic relief to his day and share it with the internet. He was already creating funny one-liners and toying with mail-carrier-related problems in his head, why not put it on TikTok?

“You’re by yourself all day when you’re a mailman,” Fogelson tells CityBeat. “You get in your head, but TikTok took my mind off of that. I was using sounds at first, and I kept thinking about how can I use this sound to pertain to mail or what video am I going to make? So I just kept thinking about that all day and it saved me.”

Over time, Fogelson started posting videos of himself outside of work. He’s seen tailgating at Bengals games and unboxing products from small businesses — and there’s no shortage of his famous fit checks. He’s often joined by comedian Gary Owen, who most recently appears in a joint video with Fogelson as they render their best version of the trendy “Made For Me” song by Muni Long. Owen also joins Fogelson on the That One Mailman and Friends tour, and Fogelson has appeared on stage at Owen’s shows, too.

But how does That One Mailman’s witty persona and comedy made for the brevity of social media translate to the stage? As a host for his lineup of comedian friends, the tour will be Fogelson’s first experience with standup comedy. He says he plans to “sling a couple jokes,” and be himself. He aims to bring the same improv style that bore “Temu tired,” to the stage. 

“I’m excited. I’m just gonna get up there and be myself,” he says. “I’m not gonna try too hard. They know what they’re coming to see, what to expect. I’m not gonna overthink it. I think it’s gonna go alright. I’m a little nervous, but I was made for this. I think this is my calling. We’re all here for a reason. I think I’m just that lucky person to find a reason, find my purpose. It’s cool; it’s real cool.”

Fogelson stays real cool pretty much all the time. His relaxed confidence pairs with an uninhibited yet nonchalant personality. He’s able to be silly while delivering jokes, but he stays poised and self-assured. Most importantly, he’s always positive. He doesn’t get caught up in the depths of the internet, which inevitably shows its true, trolling colors once a person hits a certain level of fame. Every once in a while, he addresses negativity in the comment section via a PSA (“Public Stank-a-Booty Announcement”) combating it with humor and humble positivity.

Tons of faceless internet users and a few real-life encounters have tried to call Fogelson out for faking his online persona and mail carrier career. He doesn’t respond with contempt, but he questions why he would need to make any of it up. “It’s just me,” he says.

“That’s me. All the time. Granted, I’m not calling everybody stank-a-booty every 10 words, you know what I mean? But it’s me,” Fogelson tells CityBeat. “Nobody believes who I’m working with. Like I’m working with Gary Owens and his road manager is my manager. Everybody asks him, ‘Is he really like this?’ He’s like, ‘Nah, bruh, this is him for real.’ When we’re out in public, I’m cracking jokes. It’s me. I don’t need social media [to be me]. You know what I mean? For me to get on here and lie — like, I work in the public. It’d be too easy for me to get caught up. I’m a grown-ass man; I don’t need to lie. I have a wife and kids. I have a family. I don’t need to lie to nobody. It’s pointless. Out of all the occupations, why in the hell would I pick a mailman to act like?”

He trails off, still keeping his cool. He hasn’t raised his voice and his body language doesn’t change. He does have a point to make, but he doesn’t care if you get it or not. 

“It is what it is. People will find out eventually,” he says. 

As far as social media influencers go, one might expect to meet a loud personality. Every time Fogelson starts a video with his lively line, “Hey lil’ stank-a-booty,” or throws in a jovial “quit playin’ stank,” he interacts with his audience enthusiastically. But in person, Fogelson is as modest as he is indulgent in his videos.

One thing Fogelson is not quiet about: style. He’s a die-hard Cincinnati sports fan. If he isn’t wearing a USPS hat, he’s flaunting a Bengals or Reds flatbill. And he isn’t shy about his love for Ecko Unltd., a brand that’s been around for 30 years and represents urban fashion and streetwear style. Can’t forget the Jordans on the feet, either.

“My style is old school, ‘90s, early 2000s,” he says. “I was born in ‘92. I ain’t never changed. I still got clothes from when I was a teenager in the closet. This new style, I can’t do it,” he says, flashing That One Mailman smile, never seen without a diamond-studded or gold grill. 

That One Mailman is a brand in itself. Fogelson created the brand out of his persona and he has the fanbase to prove it. He tells CityBeat that the reason he’s venturing into standup is because his fans suggested it. He created That One Mailman merch – sweatshirts, T-shirts and tank tops – because fans insisted he do so, continually inquiring about where they could find it.

“It’s crazy. It’s insane. It blows my mind,” he says. “I can’t even wrap my head around all this as it is and then to see somebody out with me on their shirt — like, what? It’s cool as hell.” 

For every humble moment Fogelson personifies, there’s a fan or a customer along his mail route that will jump at the opportunity to talk about what a kind, genuinely funny and caring person he is, deserving of all the attention and fame. As a mail carrier, he’s been known to go the extra mile for his customers, making sure to hide bulky packages or knock on someone’s door if he knows they’re waiting for a check or a certain piece of mail. 

Betsy Sundermann, a Hamilton County judge, has lived in Price Hill for 10 years. Fogelson has been her mail carrier for a few years, and she says she’s never known any of her mail carrier’s names before him. Sundermann says Fogelson can be seen “literally running” from house to house delivering mail. When her daughter attempted to mail Taylor Swift bracelets, Fogelson noticed that the envelopes weren’t addressed correctly and brought it to the family’s attention.

“What mailman does that?” Sundermann says. “What mailman knocks on your door and tells you that you put a stamp on wrong and that you should fix it? Most mailmen would just take it and then it would be returned to sender. I asked him once, ‘How much do you walk every day?’ and he said over 10 miles. That’s unbelievable. And he loves his job. And he’s always talking to all the neighbors when he’s dropping off the mail, so we just kind of became friends.”

Sundermann not only considers Fogelson a friend but also a “neighborhood celebrity,” even before he found online fame. She says she trusts him to keep an eye on things around the neighborhood and that he creates a commonality among neighbors.  

“It’s no surprise to me that now he’s going to be a national or international celebrity,” Sundermann tells CityBeat. “He is so likable and so relatable.”

Businesses like Kickstand Cocktails and Southpaw Roofing have used Fogelson’s likeness for advertising, and he takes it upon himself to talk about GoFundMe and charitable initiatives to bring financial aid to people in need. Fogelson’s celebrity and mail carrier status even helped him find a realtor and aided in the house-hunting process. 

Molly Thoms of Team Thoms Realty is also a customer on Fogelson’s mail route. She says his kindness and magnetic personality enabled their relationship to grow professionally. “He’s the only mailman I’ve ever had that will knock on your door and personally hand you your packages,” she says.

While working in the incredibly competitive housing market, Thoms often posts photos of her clients to social media. She says a photo, along with a personal story can create a network that helps the buying process in surprising ways. Individuals sometimes come forward and offer off-market options or opportunities that wouldn’t present themselves otherwise. 

During Thoms’ recent venture to find Fogelson a house, she decided to post him on Facebook and await a result. 

“I said, ‘Look, Sean, this has worked for some of our other clients. What if we take a picture of the two of us and I post your search on social media and see if we can find somebody who has an off-market deal? This has worked for previous clients, and I think that with your following, it really could help you,’” Thoms tells CityBeat. “And that post blew up. There were over 600,000 impressions. People were sharing it left and right.”

The post reads: “Our mailman (yes, he’s actually our mailman) needs your help and so do we! Sean, aka ‘OG Stank’ and his wonderful family are looking for a house to call home.”

The Facebook post led to an off-market opportunity for Fogelson and his family. Once they walked through the house, Thoms says Fogelson put an offer in that night. “People want to help people,” she says. The process is in its final stages, Thoms says, and Fogelson’s family’s goal to find a house by springtime is almost a reality. He’ll remain on the West Side – when he’s not hosting a standup comedy tour, of course.

“I want to emphasize how wonderfully kind and sincere [Fogelson] is and how he has this light that lights up around him, as a mailman, as someone on TikTok,” Thoms says. “It’s such an encouragement for me to be who I am. To be authentically you, and don’t let anybody squash that light, because it makes a difference in the world. It makes a difference for the people around you. It inspires people; it motivates people.”

That One Mailman and Friends will meet a sold-out crowd on March 24 at the Liberty Township Funny Bone Comedy Club, when Fogelson steps on stage for the first time in his hometown as the host of a standup comedy show. Fogelson will also be an official judge at CityBeat’s annual Margarita Madness competition on May 17 from 5:30-8:30 p.m.

To learn more about That One Mailman and Friends or Sean Fogelson’s content, visit tiktok.com/@seanfogelson513.

The post That One Mailman, Sean Fogelson, Talks Rise to Fame, Stand-Up Comedy and Life Off Screen appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

Comedian and political satirist detested on both sides of the aisle Bill Maher is bringing his new stand-up show “The WTF? Tour” to Cincinnati this fall.

The button-pushing Real Time host will take the stage at the Taft Theatre Sunday, Sept. 29. Tickets go on sale Friday, Feb. 9 and can be purchased online here or at the theater’s box office during business hours.

After becoming a star on the stand-up circuit in the 1980s, Maher went on to host the talk show Politically Incorrect, which lived up to its name with its round-table discussions on a variety of social, cultural and political hot topics. ABC declined to pick up the program for a new season in 2002 after Maher, agreeing with guest Dinesh D’Souza (a notorious conservative pundit), said that the terrorists who attacked America on 9/11 were not “cowardly.” Maher immediately went to HBO and created Real Time with Bill Maher, which is still on the air.

Maher has continually found himself in the middle of controversies over statements that people from all across the political spectrum have found offensive, including using the N-word while making a joke with a Republican senator, hosting alt-right loser Milo Yiannopoulos on his show, his defense of calling COVID-19 “the Chinese virus” and his recent anti-trans rhetoric.

Most recently, Maher launched a podcast, Club Random with Bill Maher, for which he interviewed Kanye West, but will likely never release that episode, he told TMZ for a TMZ Investigates report airing Feb. 5. He said while the rapper is a “charming antisemite,” West’s views are too problematic for him. Glad to see he can draw the Politically Incorrect line somewhere.

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The post ‘Politically Incorrect’ Comedian Bill Maher to Bring ‘The WTF Tour’ to Cincinnati appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.