# THAT person is a stand up comedian? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 23, 2012, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-person-is-a-stand-up-comedian/638642 "2012-10-23T18:02:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-person-is-a-stand-up-comedian/638642/21 "2012-10-23T20:37:22Z")
This one was a stunner: Suzanne Whang, who used to host **House Hunters** on HGTV, is not only a stand-up comic, but an amazingly “blue” one. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-person-is-a-stand-up-comedian/638642/22 "2012-10-23T20:40:12Z")
Comedy is harder than drama, generally speaking. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-person-is-a-stand-up-comedian/638642/23 "2012-10-23T20:47:13Z")
> [@edwards\_beard](#): > > Robin Williams has a bunch of these (Good Will Hunting, Awakenings) He did study acting at Juilliard. Not exactly “stunned,” but I have to keep reminding myself that Woody Allen started out as a stand-up comic. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-person-is-a-stand-up-comedian/638642/24 "2012-10-23T20:51:25Z")
Kevin Spacey. If I remember correctly, he used to do some standup comedy, but in any case he’s an amazingly good impressionist. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-person-is-a-stand-up-comedian/638642/25 "2012-10-23T21:04:11Z")
Billy Connolly turns up in a lot of places. (Not least of which the upcoming _Hobbit_ movies.) Pants-pissingly funny stand-up. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-person-is-a-stand-up-comedian/638642/26 "2012-10-23T21:20:28Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > Comedy is harder than drama, generally speaking. The two masks of drama are comedy and tragedy. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-person-is-a-stand-up-comedian/638642/27 "2012-10-23T21:37:56Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > The two masks of drama are comedy and tragedy. …did you not know what they meant? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-person-is-a-stand-up-comedian/638642/28 "2012-10-23T21:41:27Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > …did you not know what they meant? Is that the Olivier quote? I couldn’t remember exactly what he said. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-person-is-a-stand-up-comedian/638642/29 "2012-10-23T21:46:29Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > This one was a stunner: Suzanne Whang, who used to host **House Hunters** on HGTV, is not only a stand-up comic, but an amazingly “blue” one. I would never have guessed that but I googled it and her stand-up is pretty good. > [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > Billy Connolly turns up in a lot of places. (Not least of which the upcoming _Hobbit_ movies.) > > Pants-pissingly funny stand-up. Connolly is seriously one funny bastard! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-person-is-a-stand-up-comedian/638642/30 "2012-10-23T21:52:10Z")
Also Flo the Progressive chick did stand up before becoming… whatever she is. ---
**Author:** ![destineal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@destineal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/destineal)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-person-is-a-stand-up-comedian/638642/31 "2012-10-23T21:53:14Z")
I wasn’t surprised that Bob Saget was a comedian, but I was surprised at how absolutely filthy he was-and that he could actually be funny. I only knew him as the smarmy, G-rated, and completely unfunny host of America’s Funniest Home Videos. Oh, and that horrible sit-com. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-person-is-a-stand-up-comedian/638642/32 "2012-10-23T22:03:03Z")
> [@destineal](#): > > I wasn’t surprised that Bob Saget was a comedian, but I was surprised at how absolutely filthy he was-and that he could actually be funny. I only knew him as the smarmy, G-rated, and completely unfunny host of America’s Funniest Home Videos. Oh, and that horrible sit-com. He seems to have gone overboard with the filth after that sit-notcom to try and break the typecast. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-person-is-a-stand-up-comedian/638642/33 "2012-10-24T00:14:03Z")
Michael Keaton started out as a standup comic… not a very good one, in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-person-is-a-stand-up-comedian/638642/34 "2012-10-24T00:44:15Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > He seems to have gone overboard with the filth after that sit-notcom to try and break the typecast. It was his deal before the sitcom, though. He was stunned when they cast him as the very vanilla, Father-type. It was insane. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-person-is-a-stand-up-comedian/638642/35 "2012-10-24T02:12:21Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I remember **Richard Belzer** (Det. Munch from _Homicide_ and _Law & Order: SVU_ from a stand-up show on Showtime in the late-70s/early-80s. His IMDb bio says he was the warm-up comedian for the first season of _Saturday Night Live_ and appeared on a couple early episodes. Yeah, I remember his act and said at the time, “THAT person is a stand up comedian?” He was never the least bit funny. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-person-is-a-stand-up-comedian/638642/36 "2012-10-24T02:58:51Z")
> [@destineal](#): > > I wasn’t surprised that Bob Saget was a comedian, but I was surprised at how absolutely filthy he was-and that he could actually be funny. I only knew him as the smarmy, G-rated, and completely unfunny host of America’s Funniest Home Videos. Oh, and that horrible sit-com. And a good friend of Craig Ferguson, apparently, who is also not known for his political correctness. ETA: Oh yeah, Craig Ferguson does stand-up, too - we went to see him a couple of years ago. [Joel McHale doing stand-up.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOWCgGhI7Mg) AETA: [Donald Glover doing stand-up.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VfIuVbgXnc) ---
**Author:** ![Pashnish\_Ewing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8797f3/32.png) [@Pashnish\_Ewing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pashnish_Ewing)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-person-is-a-stand-up-comedian/638642/37 "2012-10-24T05:30:44Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Yeah, I thought he was sitting down. I never knew **TriPolar** was a comic! ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-person-is-a-stand-up-comedian/638642/38 "2012-10-24T06:24:49Z")
Eric Bana started as a stand-up, moved on to TV sketch comedy, then serious films. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-person-is-a-stand-up-comedian/638642/39 "2012-10-24T08:56:33Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Yeah, I remember his act and said at the time, “THAT person is a stand up comedian?” He was never the least bit funny. Yeah, that was my first interpretation of the subject line and Margaret Cho came to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-person-is-a-stand-up-comedian/638642/40 "2012-10-24T14:11:11Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > Yes you’re right, for some reason I thought Parsons had been a Stand Up, but Bernadette actually was. > > Ignorance fought. You’re right, I forgot all about Melissa Rauch being a stand up comic!! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-person-is-a-stand-up-comedian/638642.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-person-is-a-stand-up-comedian/638642.md?page=3)