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Ranking the best, funniest, and most original stand-up comedians and comic actors.

Comedians

Robin Williams

This list ranks the best stand-up comedians in the history of the art form. First and foremost, all of the people on this list are funny comedians. Beyond that, this is a diverse list of people with different styles who approach different types of subject matter.&nbsp;Many of the popular comedians listed below worked their way up through the stand up circuit and eventually landed shows&nbsp;or specials on Netflix or Comedy Central, while others started their own YouTube channels and put their best jokes out into the world that way. The funniest comedians can come from any type of background, obviously there are insanely talented Black, Asian, Latino and white comedians (and everything in between.)

Being a good stand-up comic is tough, and whether they&#39;re an observant, an orator, an absurdist, blue collar, or alternative, all of the funny comedians on this list are unique, hardworking, and hilarious. They&#39;re some of the biggest and most famous names in the game, whether current or beloved goofy old comics.&nbsp;Many of the best comedians of all time got their start as stand-up comedians and then progressed to star in their own films <a href="/list/best-shows-starring-stand-up-comics/ranker-tv" target="_blank">or TV series</a>. It takes a certain skill set and the ability to connect with people in order&nbsp;to excel at stand-up comedy, and we feel that these are the ones that shine.

This list is made of the 100 greatest stand-up comedians and then some. The top&nbsp;comedians are always changing. Feel free to add your votes on the greatest standups of all time. Then check back to see if any of your favorites broke into the top 20 comedians.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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This list contains information about the best alternative comedians, loosely ranked by user votes. The best alt comedians come in many forms. Some famous alternative comedians got their start at Largo in Los Angeles while other alternative stand-ups find the funny in absurd TV series. A few hilarious alternative comedians have gone on to become some of the most successful stand-ups in the world.

Who will you find on this <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/most-original-comedians/lisa-waugh?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">top alternative comedians</a> list? Patton Oswalt has to be at the top. Oswalt came up in the alternative comedy scene in the late-1990s. He later teamed-up with fellow alt-comics Maria Bamford, Brian Posehn, and Zach Galifianakis on the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-alt-comic-specials/ranker-entertainment" target="_blank">Comedians of Comedy Tour</a> bringing their underground humor all over the country. Todd Barry is another hilarious comedian who emerged from the alt comedy scene.

In many ways &ndash; including hosting stand-up shows and booking alt-comics on her TV series &ndash; Sarah Silverman has helped countless alternative stand-up acts to get mainstream exposure. Other hilarious alternative comics featured on this list include Janeane Garofalo, Dana Gould, and David Cross.

Do you have a favorite alternative comedian? Give the best comics a thumbs up and share some of your favorite jokes in the comments section.

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Will Ferrell

The funniest people of all time are a mix of actors, comedians, and even a few people who probably didn't start off trying to be funny. Included in this list of people vying for the title of funniest person ever are the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-funniest-stand-up-comedians-in-entertainment">funniest stand-up comedians of all time</a> and the funniest <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-greatest-film-actors-and-actresses-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">actors and actresses</a> ever. One thing's for sure: these funny actors and comedians are at the top of their ha ha games and could make most people laugh 'til they pee.The funniest people ever include actors like Will Ferrell and John Belushi, comedians-turned-actors like Bill Cosby and Eddie Murphy, and general funny people like George Carlin and John Cleese. While ranking a funny person is completely subjective, the folks on this list of funny people are undeniably hilarious. The real question is: who is the funniest person ever?This is your chance to decide! Vote for the funniest comedians and actors and help decide once and for all who the funniest person alive or dead really is. If your favorite funny person isn't on the list of the funniest people ever, make sure to add them so others can revel in their hilarity.

This list contains information about the best deadpan comedians, loosely ranked by user votes. The best deadpan comedians come in many forms. Some famous deadpan comedians got their start working New York comedy clubs while other deadpan comics found the funny on Saturday Night Live. A few hilarious deadpan comedians have gone on to become some of the most successful stand-ups in the world.Who will you find on this top deadpan comedians list? Todd Barry has to be at the top. Whether he is riffing with the crowd or sarcastically analyzing the appeal of egg salad sandwiches, Todd Barry's deadpan delivery encourages endless laughter. Norm Macdonald's deadpan style worked great as the host of “Weekend Update” just as it does on the stand-up stage.Tig Notaro finds the funny in dark topics using personal experiences and deadpan delivery. Other hilarious comics featured on this best deadpan comedians list include Steven Wright, Sarah Silverman, and Michael Ian Black.Which deadpan comedian do you think is the funniest? Give the best comics a thumbs up and share some of your favorite comedy specials in the comments section.

Jewish American comedians: This is a collective list of famous American Jewish comedians with pictures. What comedians are jewish? These famous Jewish American comedians have been entertaining generation of people with their jokes and hilarity. Which famous comedians are jewish? The tradition of Jewish comedians has always been at the fore front of comedy, from <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/famous-new-york-friars-club-members/user-x?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">the Friars club</a> roasts to Adam Sandler's Hanukkah song, jewish comedians have always kept us laughing. Fun fact Jews account for less than 2.5% of the USA's population, but approximately 70% of the USA's working American comedians are Jewish.

Dave Coulier

The best celebrity impressionists ever include some legendary comics and impersonators like Rich Little, Will Jordan, and Will Jordan, along with some modern-day comedians like Jim Carrey, Dana Carvey and, more recently, Jay Pharoah. This list includes some of the masters of comedic impressions and impersonations, but it isn't complete: be sure to add any of your favorite impressionists and impressionist comedians who are missing (and vote for the best).Doing a truly great impression of someone else takes great skill. It's more than just scrunching up your face and saying "Come on, make my day" and then passing it off as Clint Eastwood. Anyone who can do amazing impressions must be able to pull off physical comedy. It's about getting the gestures, the voice inflection and the attitude of the person just right. On top of that, you've got to be funny. That's a tall order, but several great comedians have found the perfect formula.Who are <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/celebrities-who-aged-the-best/celeb-stalker?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">the best celeb</a> impersonators? Some of the best impressionists ever are (or were) cast members on 'Saturday Night Live' or other sketch comedy shows. Among them: Phil Hartman, Joe Piscopo, Dana Carvey, Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, and Darrell Hammond. Tina Fey earns a place of honor on this list for her hilarious, and nearly perfect, impression of Sarah Palin.

Comedy

This list contains information about the best conservative comedians, loosely ranked by user votes. The best conservative comedians come in many forms. Some famous comedians who are republicans joke about family in their stand-up acts while other conservative comedians crack wise about liberals and democrats. A few hilarious conservative comedians have gone on to become some of the most successful stand-ups in the world.Who will you find on this top conservative comedians list? Dennis Miller has to be at the top. The Saturday Night Live funnyman has always been a political comedian, but he began to favor conservative comedy following the 9/11 attacks. He has since made numerous appearances on Fox News often agreeing with the network's republican leaning hosts. Jeff Foxworthy is another conservative comedian.Adam Carolla supported Ted Cruz in the 2015 Republican primaries. Other funny people featured on this best conservative comedians list include Joe Rogan, Larry the Cable Guy, and Tim Allen.Which republican comedian is your favorite? Give the best stand-ups a thumbs up and get in on the conversation in the comments section.

This list contains information about the best insult comedians, loosely ranked by user votes. The best insult comedians come in many forms. Some famous mean comedians direct their wit at politicians while other insult comics trade jabs on the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/celebrities-who-should-be-on-a-roast/loganrapp?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Comedy Central Roasts</a>. A few hilarious insult comedians have gone on to become some of the most successful stand-ups in the world.Who will you find on this top insult comedians list? Jeff Ross has to be at the top. As the Roastmaster General, Ross has hilariously skewered such celebrities as Justin Bieber, Charlie Sheen, Flavor Flav, and Donald Trump. Joan Rivers is another insult comic known for her sharp cutting wit which she aims at anyone and everyone.Ricky Gervais has been known to insult an A-list actor or two when he hosts awards shows like the Golden Globes. Other hilarious stand-up acts featured on this list of the best insult comics include Don Rickles, Lisa Lampanelli, and Neil Hamburger.How will we ever determine which insult comedian is the funniest? Help us decide by giving your favorites a thumbs up and get in on the conversation in the comments section.

Charlie Chaplin

Picking the top original comedians may start a bar fight but it&#39;s time to weigh in. What is the criteria for choosing some of the top groundbreaking comedians? This list looks at comedians who were the first of their kind, who set trends, established new genres, and broke the comedy mold to pieces. Those who killed while they made some razor sharp points about the state of things. Who had their own style that could not be replicated, try as many might. 

Ranked here are original comics who broke down boundaries and changed <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/american-pop-culture-popular-in-foreign-countries/anna-lindwasser?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">American pop culture</a>. Which top original comedians shocked the senses, created new comedic wrinkles, and challenged America to challenge itself?

Original comics with an original voice soon get folded into the next generation&rsquo;s comedy. Milton Berle and Jack Benny were groundbreaking comedians of their time. Bill Hicks called the world out on its very existence. Johnny Carson created late night talk.

Groundbreaking comedians have changed public opinion and influenced politics. Jon Stewart has taken down many an arrogant journalist and political figure by using comedy, logic, and masterful mock news. Tina Fey has done the same. Lenny Bruce and George Carlin questioned every aspect of government and society and pushed limits. Monty Python surrealistically picked apart the British Empire. Amy Schumer brought a brash realism, a fresh voice for women, and taught us all where fudge is made. Dave Chappelle and Richard Pryor will always be considered two of the greats, nearly impossible to conquer.

Then there are those original comedy legends who have fallen from grace. Are they still groundbreaking comedians in light of their misdeeds and scandal? Many think so. Others see original comics like Bill Cosby as icons who did a lot for America&rsquo;s perception of Black families. But in the face of over 35 accusers of drugging and rape, where does he fall in comedy history? How about Woody Allen, who has faced his own public scandals?

Who are your favorite original comics? Do you swing old school or new? Do you mix your original comedy tastes and make choices based on your mood? Upvote your favorite groundbreaking comedians and tell us who should rule the original comics list. Don&rsquo;t see your favorite original comedy king or queen here? Add it and get the last laugh. We&rsquo;ll forgive you if you add Dane Cook.

The South

This list contains information about the best southern comedians, loosely ranked by user votes. The best southern comedians come in many forms. Some famous comedians from the south joke about family in their stand-up acts while other southern comedians crack wise about relationships. A few hilarious southern comedians have gone on to become some of the most successful stand-ups in the world.Who will you find on this top southern comedians list? Jeff Foxworthy has to be at the top. As a member of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, Foxworthy wielded his southern charm and comedic wit to describe the many ways that “you might be a redneck.” His Blue Collar tour-mates – Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall, and Ron White – are also among the best southern comedians.Aziz Ansari has generated a huge fan base with his coastal comedy and pop culture references but the Master of None star was born in South Carolina. Other hilarious stand-ups featured on this top southern comedians list include Tig Notaro, Chris Tucker, and Jeff Dunham.How will we ever determine which comedian deserves the top spot on this list? Help us decide by giving your favorites a thumbs up and get in on the conversation in the comments section.

Human Body

Many famous stand-up comedians and comedic actors with medical issues didn&#39;t allow their challenges to get in the way of their dreams. Some of these comics were born with degenerative diseases, while others were involved in accidents later in life. In fact, one of the greatest stand-up comedians of all time required use of a wheelchair due to multiple sclerosis.

Who is the most famous comedian with a serious medical issue? Michael J. Fox tops our list. Comedic actor Michael J. Fox has Parkinson&#39;s disease. He has said, &quot;I have no choice about whether or not I have Parkinson&#39;s. I have nothing but choices about how I react to it. In those choices, there&#39;s freedom to do a lot of things in areas that I wouldn&#39;t have otherwise found myself in.&quot;

In the 1990s, stand-up legend Richard Pryor started using a motorized scooter to get around because of his multiple sclerosis. &quot;Ed&quot; actor Daryl Mitchell is paralyzed from the waist down. He was injured in a motorcycle accident in 2001. &quot;<a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-last-comic-standing-winners/ranker-tv?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Last Comic Standing</a>&quot; alum Josh Blue has cerebral palsy.

Are you impressed these comics didn&#39;t let their medical issues stop them from pursuing their dreams? Share your thoughts in the comments section.&nbsp;

Adam Sandler

The best 90s stand up comedians are listed here and ready for you to vote up. So who are the funniest 90s stand up comedians? Comedy fans and average civilians alike will all recall the glory days of guys like Martin Lawrence, Drew Carey, and Sinbad. Even though comics like them are still famous in the 2010s, these names are highly associated with the 1990s. Paul Rodriguez and Norm Macdonald were totally <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/celebrities-when-they-were-25/joswo?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">in their prime</a>, making them two of the funniest 90s stand up comedians and just great 90s comedians in general. So who do you think are the top 90s comedians — specifically great 90s male comedians? Vote up the funniest male comedians of the 90s who most tickled your funny bone. Two of the funniest 90s comedians are comics Chris Rock and Ray Romano, both of whom got so popular as 90s club comics that the TV gods granted them their own television shows. The same can be said for Jon Stewart, whose standup resulted in two separate television series with his name on it: MTV’s The Jon Stewart Show and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The top 90s stand up comedians are a diverse crew, as Dave Chappelle and Kevin James all came to prominence at the time. Any list of the best 90s stand ups, specifically <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-celebrity-smiles-_men_/christiebuckner?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">the best male</a> comeidans of the 1990s, would be incomplete without Adam Sandler. Sandler is known as one of the best male comedians of the 90s because he sold out stadiums with his combination of stand up and musical comedy. These funnymen were in their prime in the 1990s, making them worthy of not only being called “the best 90s male comedians” but also “the best 90s comedians” in general.

This list contains information about the best improv comedians, loosely ranked by user votes. The best improvisational comedians come in many forms. Some famous comedians who are great at improv started at Second City while other improv comedians thrive on the stand-up stage. A few hilarious improv comedians have gone on to become some of the most successful stand-ups in the world.Who will you find on this top improv comedians list? Amy Poehler has to be at the top. Not only did Poehler become a household name after starring on Saturday Night Live, she also co-founded the famed Upright Citizens Brigade improv troupe. Her UCB partners in comedy, Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh, are also among the best improvisational comedians of all time.Todd Barry has been known to go on stand-up tours based solely on crowd work, so each set is completely improvised and unique. Other hilarious comics featured on this best improv comedians list include Stephen Colbert, Kristen Wiig, and Jane Lynch.Which improvisational comedian do you think is the funniest? Give the best comics a thumbs up and please add any hilarious improv stars we may have missed.

This list contains information about the best observational comedians, loosely ranked by user votes. The best observational comedians come in many forms. Some famous observational comedians find the funny in family life while other observational comedians say what we all are thinking. A few hilarious observational comedians have gone on to become some of the most successful stand-ups in the world.Who will you find on this top observational comedians list? Jerry Seinfeld has to be at the top. Before he created and starred in the iconic “<a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/current-tv-shows-where-nothing-happens/ranker-tv?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">show about nothing</a>” that was Seinfeld, the observational comic found the funny in the most mundane details of life in his stand-up act. Woody Allen is another one of the funniest observational comedians both on stage and on the big screen.Whether he is analyzing relationships, race relations, or the ridiculousness of celebrities, Chris Rock is one of the most hilarious observational comedians in the business. Other funny stand-up comics featured on this best observational comedians list include Joan Rivers, George Carlin, and Dave Chappelle.Which observational comedians do you think deserves the top spot on this list? Give the funniest comics a thumbs up and share some of your favorite jokes in the comments section.

Celebrities

These comedians knew that it&#39;s tough to make a name in comedy and that literally making themselves a stage name was the best way to get a leg up in a sea of all the other folks trying to break into show business.

A number of the stand-up comedians and comedic actors on this list simplified their last names to make what they were called catchier or easier to remember. Judy Holliday was born Judith Tuvim and as tovim means &quot;good&quot; in Hebrew and yomtoyvim means holidays, or literally &quot;good days&quot; in Yiddish, her stage name is simply a loose translation of what she was born with. Others changed their names for stranger reasons. Stan Laurel was born Arthur Stanly Jefferson but felt that the 13 letter length of &quot;Stan Jefferson,&quot; his original stage name, was unlucky which is why we don&#39;t know his comedic team as &quot;Jefferson and Hardy.&quot;

This list of <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/celebrities-with-stage-names/celebrity-lists?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">famous stage names</a> includes comedians who go by nicknames and famous people who have changed their names. It does not, however, include comedians who use their married surnames professionally, had their names legally changed as children, or celebrities with obviously theatrical stage names. It&#39;s pretty clear that &quot;the Cable Guy&quot; isn&#39;t Larry&#39;s last name.

Some of the names you know for these comedians aren&#39;t even the names they were born with or their legal names. Rodney Dangerfield was born Jacob Rodney Cohen and legally changed his name to Jack Roy when he was 19, not taking on his well-known stage name until some years later. Which of these comedians have the most surprising birth names?

This list contains information about the best anecdotal comedians, loosely ranked by user votes. The best anecdotal comedians come in many forms. Some famous storyteller comedians joke about family in their stand-up acts while other anecdotal comedians joke about relationships. A few hilarious anecdotal comedians have gone on to become some of the most successful stand-ups in the world.Who will you find on this top anecdotal comedians list? Bill Burr has to be at the top. Through hilarious storytelling, Bill Burr creates classic comedy from hysterical anecdotes about everything from going on vacation to visiting family to dealing with other people's kids. He is at his anger-filled best in his 2014 special, I'm Sorry You Feel That Way. Chris Rock is another great comedian who mines his own life for stand-up gold.Sebastian Maniscalco's Italian family is the source of much of his anecdotal humor. Other funny stand-up acts features on this top anecdotal comedian's list include Amy Schumer, Louis CK, and Patton Oswalt.Do you have a favorite storyteller comedian? Give the best anecdotal comics a thumbs up and share some of your favorite bits in the comments section.

Female Professionals

Adele Givens

If laughter is the best medicine, these famous women are some of the best doctors around. These are the funniest Black female comedians of all time, as voted on by comedy fans like you. The best Black female comedians come in many forms. Some hilarious Black woman comedians specialize in political humor while other funny African <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/funniest-female-comedians/kel-varnsen?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">American female comedians</a> are known for jokes about relationships. Many of the top Black female comedians have also landed award-winning acting roles.

Who will you find on this list of the best Black female comedians? Wanda Sykes is one of the most popular touring comedians working today, regardless of race or gender. Performing stand-up comedy, starring in sitcoms, and appearing in films, Sykes is a triple threat in the comedy scene. Whoopi Goldberg is also a talented Black female stand-up comedian and actress. Saturday Night Live&nbsp;has featured several hilarious Black female sketch comics like Maya Rudolph and Leslie Jones. Other women who appear on this&nbsp;list include Jessica Williams, Niecy Nash, and Tiffany Haddish.

Do you have a favorite Black female comedian? Vote the funniest women up to the top of this list and add any talented performers who are missing.

This list contains information about the best gay comedians, loosely ranked by user votes. The best gay male comedians come in many forms. Some famous gay comedians are political in their stand-up acts while other gay comedians joke about relationships. A few hilarious gay comedians have gone on to become some of the most successful stand-ups in the world.Who will you find on this top gay comedians list? Scott Thompson has to be at the top. The Kids in the Hall funnyman is one of the most hilarious gay improv comedians and stand-up acts. His monologues as the flamboyant Buddy Cole were beloved by KITH fans. Andy Dick is another hilarious gay comedian both on the stand-up stage and in TV shows and films.With his celebrity-filled queries on Billy on the Street, Billy Eichner quickly became known as one of the funniest comedians to ever tackle pop culture. Other funny men featured on this best gay comedians list include Ant, Mario Cantone, and Todd Glass.Do you have a favorite gay comedian? Give the funniest comics a thumbs up and please add any hilarious gay comedians we may have missed.

Steven Wright

These men are some of the best 80s comedians, all of whom were inspired by the 1970s generation of comics, but made stand up comedy their own. The funniest 80s stand up comedians were in their prime during this decade, but much of their success lasted several decades (and TV shows later). For instance, before he was a 1990s movie star, Robin Williams was known for being one the best male comedians of the 80s. From the Comedy Store stages in Los Angeles to the Mork and Mindy soundstage on television, Williams’ reputation as one of the best 80s stand up comedians is what led to his meteoric rise to fame. Robin Williams is not the only one of the funniest 80s comedians to stay famous forever, as this list of the top 80s comedians will be a nostalgic trip down comedy lane. Vote up the men you think are some of the funniest 80s <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-funniest-stand-up-comedians-in-entertainment?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">stand up comedians</a>, whether it is the weird standup character created by Bobcat Goldthwait or the deadpan one liners delivered by Steven Wright. Like Wright, many of the top 80s stand up comedians came from the city of Boston, including Lenny Clarke and Denis Leary. But a list of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/greatest-artists-of-the-_80s?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best 80s</a> stand ups — or in this case, the best 80s male comedians — would be incomplete without famed jokesters Rodney Dangerfield and Eddie Murphy. It was during this time that Dangerfield became known, not only as one of the funniest 80s male comedians, but also as a legend. Meanwhile, Murphy’s stand up specials solidified him as one of the funniest male comedians of the 80s. Check out this list of great <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/list-of-famous-jewish-comedians/famous-jews?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">80s comedians</a>, and specifically great 80s male comedians, like Sam Kinison and Billy Crystal.

This list contains information about the best Black comedians, loosely ranked by user votes. The best Black comedians come in many forms. Some famous comedians who are Black joke about family in their stand-up acts while other African American comedians crack wise about politics. A few hilarious Black comedians have gone on to become some of the most successful stand-ups in the world.

Who will you find on this famous&nbsp;Black comedians list? Eddie Murphy has to be at the top. Before he was known as a mega-movie star, Eddie Murphy was a stand-up comedy giant releasing such hilarious specials as Delirious and Raw in the 1980s. Dave Chappelle is another one of the funniest Black comedians of all time.

Wanda Sykes is hilarious on and off stage as the producer of <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-last-comic-standing-winners/ranker-tv?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Last Comic Standing</a>, The Chris Rock Show and her own hilarious specials. Other funny African Americans featured on this top Black comedians list include Richard Pryor, Katt Williams, and Hannibal Buress.

Do you have a favorite Black comedian? Give the funniest comics a thumbs up and vote others down accordingly.

If you&#39;re looking for more hilarious entertainment from African American entertainers, take a look at this list of the <a href="/list/best-current-black-sitcoms/ranker-tv" target="_blank">best Black sitcoms</a>.

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This list contains information about the best cringe comedians, loosely ranked by user votes. The best cringe comedians come in many forms. Some famous comedians who are cringe-worthy tell raw, ruthless jokes while other embarrassing comedians generate laughs in TV and films. A few hilarious cringe comedians have gone on to become some of the most successful stand-ups in the world.Who will you find on this top cringe comedians list? Ricky Gervais has to be at the top. On the stand-up stage Gervais has become known for his no-holds-barred approach to religion, politics, and fame while his The Office character, David Brent, is one of the most cringe-inducing to ever appear on television. Larry David is another comedian known for his cringe comedy.Anthony Jeselnik is a stand-up comic who never thinks it's “too soon” to poke fun at tragedy. Other hilarious yet embarrassing comedians include Jeff Ross, Sasha Baron Cohen, and Andy Kaufman.Which cringe comedian do you think deserves the top spot on this list? Give the best comics a thumbs up and share your thoughts in the comments section.

Best Cringe Comedians | List of Funniest Embarrassing Comics

The Funniest Cringe Comedians of All Time

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Ricky Gervais

Ricky Dene Gervais (; born 25 June 1961) is an English stand-up comedian, actor, director, screenwriter, and singer.
Gervais worked initially in the music industry, attempting a career as a pop star in the 1980s as the singer of the new-wave act Seona Dancing and working as the manager of the then unknown band Suede before turning to comedy. Gervais appeared on The 11 O'Clock Show on Channel 4 between 1998 and 2000. In 2000, he was given a Channel 4 spoof talk show, Meet Ricky Gervais. He achieved greater mainstream fame the following year with his BBC television mock documentary series The Office. It was followed by Extras in 2005. He co-wrote and co-directed both programmes with Stephen Merchant. In addition to writing and directing the shows, he played the lead roles of David Brent in The Office and Andy Millman in Extras. He reprised his role as Brent in 2016 comedy film David Brent: Life on the Road.
Gervais began his stand-up career in the late 1990s. He has performed five multi-national stand-up comedy tours, and wrote the Flanimals book series. Gervais, Merchant and Karl Pilkington created the podcast, The Ricky Gervais Show, which has spawned various spin-offs starring Pilkington and produced by Gervais and Merchant.He has also starred in the Hollywood films Ghost Town, the Night at the Museum trilogy, For Your Consideration and Muppets Most Wanted. He wrote, directed and starred in The Invention of Lying and the Netflix-released Special Correspondents. He hosted the Golden Globe Awards in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2016, and appears on the game show Child Support.
Gervais has won seven BAFTA Awards, five British Comedy Awards, two Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and the 2006 Rose d'Or, as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. In his various roles he often draws humour from an exasperated sigh. In 2007, he was voted the 11th-greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups and again in the updated 2010 list as the 3rd-greatest stand-up comic. In 2010, he was named on the Time 100 list of the world's most influential people.

Larry David

Lawrence Gene David (born July 2, 1947) is an American comedian, writer, actor, director, and television producer. He and Jerry Seinfeld created the television series Seinfeld, of which David was the head writer and executive producer from Seasons 1-7. David gained further recognition for the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, which he also created, in which he stars as a semi-fictionalized version of himself.David's work won him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1993. Formerly a stand-up comedian, David went into television comedy, writing and starring in ABC's Fridays, as well as writing briefly for Saturday Night Live. He has won two Primetime Emmy Awards, and was voted by fellow comedians and comedy insiders as the 23rd greatest comedy star ever in a 2004 British poll to select "The Comedian's Comedian".

Louis C.K.

Louis Székely () (born September 12, 1967), better known by his stage name Louis C.K. (), is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor, and filmmaker. In 2012, C.K. won a Peabody Award and has received six Primetime Emmy Awards, as well as numerous awards for The Chris Rock Show, Louie, and his stand-up specials Live at the Beacon Theater (2011) and Oh My God (2013). He has won the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album twice. Rolling Stone ranked C.K.'s stand-up special Shameless number three on their "Divine Comedy: 25 Best Stand-Up Specials and Movies of All Time" list and ranked him fourth on its 2017 list of the 50 best stand-up comics of all time.C.K. began his career in the 1990s writing for comedians including David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Dana Carvey, Chris Rock, and also for other comedy shows. He was also directing surreal short films and went on to direct two features—Tomorrow Night (1998) and Pootie Tang (2001).
In 2001, C.K. released his debut comedy album, Live in Houston, directly through his website and became among the first performers to offer direct-to-fan sales of tickets to his stand-up shows, as well as DRM-free video concert downloads, via his website.  He has released nine comedy albums, often directing and editing his specials as well.
He had supporting acting roles in the films American Hustle, Blue Jasmine (both 2013), and Trumbo (2015). C.K. created, directed, executive produced, starred in, wrote, and was the primary editor of Louie, an acclaimed semi-autobiographical comedy-drama series aired from 2010 to 2015 on FX. In 2016, C.K. created and starred in his self-funded web series Horace and Pete. He also co-created the shows Baskets and Better Things for FX and voiced the protagonist Max in the animated film The Secret Life of Pets in the same year. 
In 2017 he admitted to several incidents of sexual misconduct which involved him masturbating in front of women, which resulted in widespread criticism, and his 2017 film, I Love You, Daddy being pulled from distribution prior to its scheduled release date. Later he was replaced by Patton Oswalt for the role of Max in the 2019 sequel to The Secret Life of Pets.

Stephen Merchant

Stephen James Merchant (born 24 November 1974) is an English-American writer, director, radio presenter, comedian and actor.
Merchant is best known for his collaborations with Ricky Gervais and Karl Pilkington, as the co-writer and co-director of the popular British sitcom The Office (2001–2003), co-writer and co-star of Extras (2005–2007) and co-host of The Ricky Gervais Show in its radio, podcast, audiobook and television formats; the radio version won a bronze Sony Award. He is also known for his voice role as Wheatley in the 2011 video game Portal 2.
Merchant co-developed the Sky1 travel series An Idiot Abroad (2010–2011), appeared as himself in the BBC series Life's Too Short (2011–2013), and performs as a stand-up comedian. He starred in his first play, Richard Bean's The Mentalists, at London's Wyndham's Theatre from July to August 2015. His various endeavours have earned him two Golden Globe Awards, three BAFTA TV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and four British Comedy Awards.
Merchant had his first dramatic role in a film when he was cast as Caliban in the superhero film Logan (2017).

Sacha Baron Cohen

Sacha Noam Baron Cohen (born 13 October 1971) is an English actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is known for his creation and portrayal of fictional satirical characters, including Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, Brüno Gehard and Admiral General Aladeen. Baron Cohen adopts a variety of accents and guises for his characters. He interacts with unsuspecting subjects, who do not realise they have been set up for self-revealing ridicule. On these interactions, The Observer states, "his career has been built on winding people up, while keeping a deadpan face". Baron Cohen has been frequently described as a "prankster". Baron Cohen is most known for his comedic performances in films, such as Ali G Indahouse (2002), Borat (2006) and its sequel, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020), Brüno (2009), The Dictator (2012), and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006).

Andy Kaufman

Andrew Geoffrey Kaufman (; January 17, 1949 – May 16, 1984) was an American entertainer, actor, writer, and performance artist. While often called a comedian, Kaufman described himself instead as a "song and dance man". He disdained telling jokes and engaging in comedy as it was traditionally understood, once saying in a rare introspective interview, "I am not a comic, I have never told a joke. ... The comedian's promise is that he will go out there and make you laugh with him... My only promise is that I will try to entertain you as best I can."After working in small comedy clubs in the early 1970s, Kaufman came to the attention of a wider audience in 1975, when he was invited to perform portions of his act on the first season of Saturday Night Live. His Foreign Man character was the basis of his performance as Latka Gravas on the hit television show Taxi from 1978 until 1983. During this time, he continued to tour comedy clubs and theaters in a series of unique performance art / comedy shows, sometimes appearing as himself and sometimes as obnoxiously rude lounge singer Tony Clifton. He was also a frequent guest on sketch comedy and late-night talk shows, particularly Late Night with David Letterman. In 1982, Kaufman brought his professional wrestling villain act to Letterman's show by way of a staged encounter with Jerry "The King" Lawler of the Continental Wrestling Association (although the fact that the altercation was planned in advance was not publicly disclosed for over a decade).
Kaufman died of lung cancer in 1984, at the age of 35. Because pranks and elaborate ruses were major elements of his career, persistent rumors have circulated that Kaufman faked his own death as a grand hoax. He continues to be respected for the variety of his characters, his uniquely counterintuitive approach to comedy, and his willingness to provoke negative and confused reactions from audiences.

Steve Carell

Steven John Carell (; born August 16, 1962) is an American actor, comedian, producer, writer, and director. He is well known for his portrayal of boss Michael Scott on the NBC sitcom The Office (2005–2013), on which he also worked as an occasional producer, writer and director.
Carell was a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart from 1999 to 2005. He has starred in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) and its 2013 sequel, The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Evan Almighty (2007), Get Smart (2008), Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011), The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and The Way, Way Back (both 2013). He has also voice acted in Over the Hedge (2006), Horton Hears a Who! (2008) and the Despicable Me franchise (2010–present). In 2016, Carell co-created the TBS comedy series Angie Tribeca with his wife, Nancy Carell. 
Carell was nominated as "America's funniest man" in Life magazine, and received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy for his work on the first season of The Office. In the 2010s, Carell received attention for more dramatic roles. His role as wrestling coach and convicted murderer John Eleuthère du Pont in the drama film Foxcatcher (2014) earned him, among various honors, nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actor, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. He also received acclaim for his roles in Little Miss Sunshine (2006), The Big Short (2015), and Battle of the Sexes (2017), the latter two earning him his eighth and ninth Golden Globe Award nominations, respectively. In 2018, he re-teamed with Anchorman and The Big Short director Adam McKay for the Dick Cheney biopic Vice, in which he portrayed Donald Rumsfeld, and played journalist David Sheff in the drama Beautiful Boy.

Jim Jefferies

Geoff James Nugent (born 14 February 1977), known professionally as Jim Jefferies, is an Australian-American stand-up comedian, political commentator, actor, and writer. He created and starred in the American FX sitcom Legit (2013–2014) and Comedy Central's late-night comedy The Jim Jefferies Show.

George Carlin

George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, author, and social critic. He was known for his black comedy and reflections on politics, the English language, psychology, religion, and various taboo subjects. He and his "seven dirty words" comedy routine were central to the 1978 U.S. Supreme Court case F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation, in which a 5–4 decision affirmed the government's power to regulate indecent material on the public airwaves. Widely regarded as one of the most important and influential American stand-up comics of all time, Carlin was dubbed by one newspaper to be "the dean of counterculture comedians".The first of Carlin's 14 stand-up comedy specials for HBO was filmed in 1977. From the late 1980s, Carlin's routines focused on sociocultural criticism of American society. He often commented on contemporary political issues in the United States and satirized the excesses of American culture. He was a frequent performer and guest host on The Tonight Show during the three-decade Johnny Carson era, and hosted the first episode of Saturday Night Live in 1975.
Carlin's final HBO special, It's Bad for Ya, was filmed less than four months before his death from cardiac arrest. In 2008, he was posthumously awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.  In 2017, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him second (behind Richard Pryor) on its list of the 50 best stand-up comics of all time.  In 2004, he placed second on the Comedy Central list of "Top 10 Comedians of US Audiences".

DariuszDudziński

John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, producer, writer and businessman. He first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in comedy films such as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), Talladega Nights (2006), Step Brothers (2008), The Other Guys (2010) and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013), all but one of which he co-wrote with his comedy partner Adam McKay. The two also founded the comedy website Funny or Die in 2007. Other film roles include Elf, Old School (both 2003), Blades of Glory (2007), Daddy's Home (2015), and the animated films Megamind (2010) and The Lego Movie (2014).
Ferrell is considered a member of the "Frat Pack", a generation of leading Hollywood comic actors who emerged in the late 1990s and the 2000s, including Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Steve Carell, Vince Vaughn, and brothers Owen and Luke Wilson. He received an Emmy Award nomination for his work on Saturday Night Live, and three Golden Globe Award nominations for acting in The Producers (2005) and Stranger than Fiction (2006) and for producing Vice (2018). He was also named the best comedian of 2015 in the British GQ Men of the Year awards. Ferrell received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 24, 2015.



Anthony Jeselnik

Anthony Jeselnik ( JES-əl-nik; born December 22, 1978) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and producer. He is known for his dark comedy style, which emphasizes ironic misdirection, non sequiturs, biting insults, an arrogant demeanor, and a stage persona that frequently takes amoral stances.
Jeselnik was a writer for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in its first season and hosted a Comedy Central Presents in 2009. After releasing his critically acclaimed debut album Shakespeare in 2010, he began writing for the Comedy Central Roasts and moved up to performer in the 2011 roast of Donald Trump. He continued to perform on the roasts of Charlie Sheen and Roseanne Barr in 2012. In 2013, he hosted his own Comedy Central series, The Jeselnik Offensive, for two seasons and released his second album, Caligula, which doubles as an hour-long standup special.
On July 22, 2015, Jeselnik replaced JB Smoove as the new host of NBC's Emmy Award-nominated series Last Comic Standing. His second stand-up special, Thoughts and Prayers, premiered in October 2015 on Netflix.
Jeselnik starred in the first season of the NFL Media podcast, titled the Rosenthal and Jeselnik Vanity Project or "RJVP" along with best friend Gregg Rosenthal. The second season debuted in 2018 on the Comedy Central Podcast Network under the slightly different name of Jeselnik and Rosenthal Vanity Project or "JRVP".

Jerry Seinfeld

Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( SYNE-feld; born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, producer, and director. He is known for playing a semi-fictionalized version of himself in the sitcom Seinfeld, which he created and wrote with Larry David. The show aired on NBC from 1989 until 1998, becoming one of the most acclaimed and popular sitcoms of all time. As a stand-up comedian, Seinfeld specializes in observational comedy. In 2005, Comedy Central named Seinfeld the "12th Greatest Stand-up Comedian of All Time."Seinfeld produced, co-wrote and starred in the 2007 film Bee Movie. In 2010, he premiered a reality series called The Marriage Ref, which aired for two seasons on NBC. Seinfeld is the creator and host of the web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. He is married to author and philanthropist Jessica Seinfeld, with whom he has three children.

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Eric Andre

Eric Andre (born April 4, 1983) is an American actor, comedian, and television host. He is the creator, host, and co-writer of The Eric Andre Show on Adult Swim and played Mike on the FXX series Man Seeking Woman.

Doug Stanhope

Douglas Stanhope (born March 25, 1967) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, author, political activist, and podcast host.

Christopher Guest

Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest (born February 5, 1948) is a British-American screenwriter, composer, musician, director, actor, and comedian who holds dual British and American citizenship. Guest is most widely known in Hollywood for having written, directed and starred in his series of comedy films shot in mock-documentary (mockumentary) style. Many scenes and character backgrounds in Guest's films are written and directed, although actors have no rehearsal time and the ensemble improvise scenes while filming them. The series of films began with This Is Spinal Tap, and continued with Waiting for Guffman, Best In Show, A Mighty Wind,  For Your Consideration, and Mascots.
Guest holds a hereditary British peerage as the 5th Baron Haden-Guest, and has publicly expressed a desire to see the House of Lords reformed as a democratically elected chamber. Though he was initially active in the Lords, his career there was cut short by the House of Lords Act 1999, which removed the right of most hereditary peers to a seat in the parliament. When using his title, he is normally styled as Lord Haden-Guest. Guest is married to actress and author Jamie Lee Curtis.

Garry Shandling

Garry Emmanuel Shandling (November 29, 1949 – March 24, 2016) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, director, writer, and producer. He was best known for his work in It's Garry Shandling's Show and The Larry Sanders Show.
Shandling began his career writing for sitcoms, such as Sanford and Son and Welcome Back, Kotter. He made a successful stand-up performance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson where he became a frequent guest-host. Shandling was for a time considered the leading contender to replace Johnny Carson (other hopefuls were Joan Rivers, David Letterman, and David Brenner). In 1986, he created It's Garry Shandling's Show for Showtime. It was nominated for four Emmy Awards (including one for Shandling) and lasted until 1990. His second show titled The Larry Sanders Show, which began airing on HBO in 1992, was even more successful. Shandling was nominated for 18 Emmy Awards for the show and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 1998, along with Peter Tolan, for writing the series finale. In film, he had a recurring role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in Iron Man 2 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. He also lent his voice to Verne the turtle in Over the Hedge. Shandling's final performance was as the voice of Ikki in the live-action remake of The Jungle Book.
During his four-decade career, Shandling was nominated for 19 Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, along with many other awards and nominations. He served as host of the Grammy Awards four times and as host of the Emmy Awards three times.

Jeff Ross

Jeffrey Ross Lifschultz (born September 13, 1965), known professionally as Jeff Ross, is an American stand-up comedian, writer, director, and actor. He is also known as the "Roastmaster General" for his insult comedy and his multiple appearances at celebrity roasts held by the New York Friars Club and on the Comedy Central Roast television series. In 2009 the Chicago Tribune called Ross "the new millennium Don Rickles."His directorial debut, the 2006 documentary Patriot Act: A Jeffrey Ross Home Movie, won the prize for Best Film at the Comedia film festival held at the Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal.

Jim Norton

James Joseph Norton (born July 19, 1968) is an American comedian, radio personality, actor, author, and television and podcast host. Norton has been the co-host of the podcast UFC Unfiltered with Matt Serra and the morning radio show Jim Norton & Sam Roberts on SiriusXM Radio since 2016, and The Chip Chipperson Podacast since 2017.
He gained initial prominence as third mic on the radio show Opie and Anthony, with Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia, from 2001 to 2014.
After becoming a stand-up comedian in 1990, Norton spent his early years developing his act. His appearances on The Louie Show caught the attention of comedian Andrew Dice Clay in 1997, who chose Norton to open for him for his shows. In 2000, Norton made his debut on Opie and Anthony and joined the show as a third mic in 2001 which increased his national exposure. He went on to have a recurring role on the sitcom Lucky Louie. Since he joined SiriusXM with Opie and Anthony in 2004, Norton hosted Opie with Jim Norton from 2014 to 2016, and The Jim Norton Advice Show.
Since 2003, Norton has released four comedy albums and seven comedy specials, including three on Epix and one on Netflix. In 2014, Norton hosted The Jim Norton Show, a talk show on Vice. He has written two books: Happy Endings: The Tales of a Meaty-Breasted Zilch and I Hate Your Guts.

Tim Heidecker

Timothy Richard Heidecker (; born February 3, 1976) is an American comedian, writer, director, actor, and musician. He is best known as one half of the comedy duo Tim & Eric, along with Eric Wareheim. They are noted for creating the television shows Tom Goes to the Mayor, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, and Tim & Eric's Bedtime Stories.
Heidecker has also acted in several films, including Bridesmaids (2011), Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie (2012), The Comedy (2012), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) and Us (2019). He currently co-hosts the parodic film review web series On Cinema and stars in the comedy series Decker, both alongside Gregg Turkington.

Eric Wareheim

Eric Alexander Wareheim (; born April 7, 1976) is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, and musician. He is one half of the comedy duo Tim & Eric, alongside Tim Heidecker. They created the television shows Tom Goes to the Mayor, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule, and Tim and Eric's Bedtime Stories. He has a recurring role on the Netflix series Master of None.

Amy Schumer

Amy Beth Schumer (born June 1, 1981) is an American stand-up comedian and actress. She ventured into comedy in the early 2000s before appearing as a contestant on the fifth season of the NBC reality competition series Last Comic Standing in 2007. Since 2013, she has been the creator, co-producer, co-writer, and star of the Comedy Central sketch comedy series Inside Amy Schumer, for which she received a Peabody Award and for which Schumer has been nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards, winning Outstanding Variety Sketch Series in 2015.
Schumer wrote and made her film debut in a starring role in Trainwreck (2015), for which she received nominations for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical. She published a memoir in 2016, The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo, which held the top position on The New York Times Non-Fiction Best Seller list for two weeks. The same year, she garnered two Grammy Award nominations for Best Comedy Album for Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo and Best Spoken Word Album for The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo. In 2018, she starred in the comedy film I Feel Pretty and garnered a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play nomination for her Broadway debut in Meteor Shower.
In 2018, Schumer married chef Chris Fischer with whom she has a son.

Neil Hamburger

Mark Normand

This list contains information about the best cringe comedians, loosely ranked by user votes. The best cringe comedians come in many forms. Some famous ...