# Who was/is Funniest? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 26, 2011, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-is-funniest/583282 "2011-05-26T13:34:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-is-funniest/583282/1 "2011-05-26T13:34:58Z")
Pick your favorite from the list. ---
**Author:** ![Dietrich\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@Dietrich\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dietrich_K)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-is-funniest/583282/2 "2011-05-26T13:41:16Z")
Seriously, I’d question the sanity, not to mention the taste, of anyone who _doesn’t_ choose Richard Pryor. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-is-funniest/583282/3 "2011-05-26T13:46:36Z")
Is it too late to go back and make this multiple choice? The answers would probably be more interesting. As it is, I am voting Pryor. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-is-funniest/583282/4 "2011-05-26T13:50:24Z")
All of them were funny. Are we talking about their stand-up acts, their TV shows (if they had one), or their work in movies? For my money, until he became Cliff Huxtable, Cosby was the funniest especially because he didn’t work blue. **Bill Cosby Himself** is still pants-pissingly funny no matter how many times I see it. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-is-funniest/583282/5 "2011-05-26T13:56:24Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > Is it too late to go back and make this multiple choice? The answers would probably be more interesting. > > As it is, I am voting Pryor. I toyed with the idea but rejected it in favor of a short list. I would love to see somebody else’s list of 20 or so comics of all eras and categories, with a multiple choice option. Be my guest. I hope we can explore the “who’s funniest?” notion some more. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-is-funniest/583282/6 "2011-05-26T14:07:08Z")
I pick Bill Cosby. I have heard stand up from all of them, except Redd Foxx. I’ve seen most of them do acting. I pick Bill because he is so clean and funny. It takes genius to be able to make several generations laugh at the same time and not offend anyone (for the most part). ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-is-funniest/583282/7 "2011-05-26T14:10:40Z")
Richard Pryor. I wish I could put my finger on the genius of him, but I can’t. I didn’t like his stand up as much as I liked moments from his movies that were so funny that I laughed till I couldn’t breath. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-is-funniest/583282/8 "2011-05-26T14:21:05Z")
Tough list. Cosby’s early and middle stuff are classic (200 MPH, Noah). Pryor set the bar for everyone to follow, and would have been my choice, but… Chris Rock. Right now, Chris Rock. Time will tell if he has the staying power of Pryor. But the poll says “funniest,” not “most ground-breaking,” or “most insightful.” ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-is-funniest/583282/9 "2011-05-26T14:26:00Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Tough list. Cosby’s early and middle stuff are classic (200 MPH, Noah). Pryor set the bar for everyone to follow, and would have been my choice, but… > > Chris Rock. Right now, Chris Rock. Time will tell if he has the staying power of Pryor. But the poll says “funniest,” not “most ground-breaking,” or “most insightful.” This is where I went back and forth. I think Cosby’s late career took him out of the running, and for me Chris Rock hasn’t proven to have the staying power though he is getting there shortly. If in another 5 years or so if he is still relevant I will probably give him the nod instead of Pryor. But Pryor’s stuff is still funny even 30+ years later and I don’t know if Rock will be. Eddie Murphy, for example, hasn’t aged well. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-is-funniest/583282/10 "2011-05-26T14:27:16Z")
It was a tough tossup between Bill Cosby and Richard Pryor. Pryor in his prime was some funny stuff, but I had to give the edge to Bill Cosby just for _Bill Cosby - Himself_ and for the Noah and Weird Harold bits from his albums. When he has stuff i can watch with my 70±year old mom and 7-year old daughter at the same time, that is good. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-is-funniest/583282/11 "2011-05-26T14:58:21Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > **Bill Cosby Himself** is still pants-pissingly funny no matter how many times I see it. …which is why I voted for him. If I ranked them, Pryor would be 2nd and Murphy 3rd, so I’m a little surprised he has no votes. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-is-funniest/583282/12 "2011-05-26T15:15:49Z")
Prior by the length of a crack pipe over Cosby. Anyone who can make jokes about his running down the streets with his clothing on fire – and make it funny – deserves the crown. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-is-funniest/583282/13 "2011-05-26T16:00:40Z")
Of that list, Pryor. But my ultimate vote goes to George Carlin. Funniest funny man EVER. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-is-funniest/583282/14 "2011-05-26T16:11:59Z")
> [@PapSett](#): > > Of that list, Pryor. But my ultimate vote goes to George Carlin. Funniest funny man EVER. Very little doubt in my mind that you’re right! But to try to build a list of challengers to that claim, so we can have a knock-down-drag-out comics poll to beat them all, add to these, please: Mitch Hedberg Bill Hicks Steven Wright Steve Martin Steve Allen Jonathan Winters Bob Newhart Wanda Sykes Elayne Boosler or somebody else from [List of comedians - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_comedians) ---
**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:** [May 26, 2011, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-is-funniest/583282/15 "2011-05-26T16:22:57Z")
Richard Pryor, by a mile. ---
**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:** [May 26, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-is-funniest/583282/16 "2011-05-26T17:59:45Z")
At least if we’re talking about stand-up, it has to be Cosby. His “To My Brother, Russell…” may well be the single greatest stand-up routine ever. If you include performances in movies and TV, it becomes a lot closer. I may not be being fair, because I haven’t heard/seen the complete works of any of these gentlemen, but I’ve come closer with Cosby than with the others. It helps that Cosby’s comedy is about stuff that this square, non-drug-using, white guy can relate to. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-is-funniest/583282/17 "2011-05-26T18:32:26Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > This is where I went back and forth. I think Cosby’s late career took him out of the running, and for me Chris Rock hasn’t proven to have the staying power though he is getting there shortly. If in another 5 years or so if he is still relevant I will probably give him the nod instead of Pryor. But Pryor’s stuff is still funny even 30+ years later and I don’t know if Rock will be. Eddie Murphy, for example, hasn’t aged well. I don’t think downgrading Cosby for his late career items is fair, considering how long and how great his career was/is. He did a great job guest-hosting for Letterman during Dave’s bout with shingles several years ago, and down grading him for getting old is like kicking Willie Mays out of the Hall of Fame just because he fell down in the outfield in the 1973 World Series. I vote Cosby but they’re all excellent. The current funniest is Chris Rock. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-is-funniest/583282/18 "2011-05-26T23:00:05Z")
Bill Cosby If you only know him from _The Cosby Show_, then you’re missing a **lot**. The man’s stand-up is hilarious. ---
**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:** [May 26, 2011, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-is-funniest/583282/19 "2011-05-26T23:14:27Z")
I voted Cosby because his stuff holds up the best. I _loved_ Pryor’s stand-up when it was current, but in retrospect a lot of the stuff that made me howl was pretty weak. “I did some acid once… white boy gave it to me… He said, ‘you goin’ be trippin’ I said, ‘Shit, I ain’t goin’ nowhere without my luffage. […] I got to get the fuck out of here I got to get the fuck out of here I got to get the fuck out of here waaa waaaa waaaa open the pod bay doors, HAL.” When you’re seventeen and high, that is _brilliance_. Also, the theme of “White people are \_\_\_\_\_\_\_, but black people are \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_” has lost a lot of its shine since Pryor was working on it. When I go back to Cosby’s stand-up, I _still_ laugh - it’s not so much “Man, I _used_ to find this so funny!” I wonder how Red Foxx holds up? I haven’t heard his stuff in ages. (I am still reminded of one of his routines often in the shower. I am pretty sure it’s not as funny as I thought it was when I was a teenager.) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-is-funniest/583282/20 "2011-05-26T23:52:40Z")
Pryor, then Murphy, his heir apparent in my opinion. It’s amazing that _Harlem Nights_ had Pryor, Murphy, and Redd Foxx- three of the funniest comics of all time, and the movie didn’t work. (Had a couple of funny moments, but overall a thud.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-is-funniest/583282.md?page=2)