Variety’s 10 Comics to Watch for 2026

Nov 4, 2026 12:00pm PT

Adam Friedland, Kyle Gordon, Wally Baram, Usama Siddiquee and more honorees will perform at a New York Comedy Festival showcase on Nov. 12.

Since the turn of the century, Variety has scoped out the next generation of comedy stars through our annual 10 Comics to Watch franchise. The inaugural lineup in 2000 included future industry favorites Zach Galifianakis, Maria Bamford, Patton Oswalt and Louis C.K. And 15 years later, this magazine identified Nate Bargatze and Nikki Glaser as burgeoning comedy titans — now, they are two of the top-selling stand-ups in the world. Over the years, Wanda Sykes, Fred Armisen, Dane Cook and Michael Che have been named Comics to Watch, as well as more recent breakouts Ayo Edebiri, Hannah Einbinder, Caleb Hearon and Julio Torres.

The comedy industry is bigger than ever in 2026, and this year’s list represents the bold breadth of those currently making us laugh, from slacker-provocateur talk show host Adam Friedland to the musical satirist Kyle Gordon, who has been dubbed the “Millennial ‘Weird Al.’” Some stand-ups are straddling the stage and the small screen, like “Overcompensating” star Wally Baram, while others like Lucas Zelnick have built huge online followings off viral crowd-work clips.

Read on to see the full lineup of Variety’s 10 Comics to Watch for 2026, plus the more veteran comics endorsing them, from Glaser and Hasan Minhaj to Tim Robinson.

You can also see the comedians perform live at a New York Comedy Festival showcase on Nov. 12, taking place at the Hard Rock Hotel in Times Square. More information, including how to buy tickets, can be found on the New York Comedy Festival website.

• Wally Baram

  

  Wally Baram! Wallifer Aniston, as I call her on set of “Overcompensating” at 3 a.m. on a soundstage in Toronto! I met Wally for the first time on Zoom when I was interviewing writers for “Overcompensating.” I am not being dramatic when I say it felt like fate. She entered the Zoom and I thought, “That’s Carmen.” She was exactly what I wanted for the role. But what I didn’t know was that she would be more funny, brilliant, creative, and sparkly than anything I could have dreamed of. She was vulnerable and deeply honest for the entire hour we chatted. I wanted to tell her my life story (which we would eventually act out on the aforementioned soundstage in Toronto) and felt like I knew her forever. EVERYONE who encounters her feels this way. At the end of the Zoom, I noticed that something moved in the background. I said, “Oh, do you have a dog?” to which she replied, with no ceremony, “No, that’s my pet boa constrictor named Jersey Mike.” I was in love. After the meeting, I devoured her stand-up and devastatingly funny script and hired her for the writer’s room immediately. I knew full well that she was going to get the role of Carmen when we opened auditions. I am forever lucky that I get to make a show with her by my side, and I will forever be in the front row of anything she does with Jersey Mike around my neck. — Benito Skinner

  My job before comedian was… A ball python snake breeder (in my defense, I was a teenager in college).

  The hardest I bombed was… Opening for Jeff Garlin in the Improv Lab when I was 20; I earnestly asked to start over.

  My pre-show ritual includes… I text my mom to tell her I love her before I go onstage … every single time. Is that embarrassing or what?

• Olivia Carter

  

  When I discovered Olivia Carter’s clips on Instagram I had the same feeling I felt back in 2002 when I first discovered Sarah Silverman: here was a comic who was just for me. That’s not to say that she’s not for everyone else, but there was something about her dry wit, precise joke writing, and fearless delivery that made me feel like “not only do I want to consume everything she does forever and ever, but I also kind of want to be her.”

  The thing that astounds me about Olivia is that she knows exactly who she is on stage even though she’s just six years in. It’s said that it takes ten years for a comic to “find their voice” on stage, but when you watch Olivia, I’m almost certain she never had to search for it. Her material is jarring and biting, but rarely offensive because her delivery is so self-assured. Sure, her jokes might make you uncomfortable, but that’s your problem, because Olivia is right at home in the tension.

  When I guest judged the roast episode of Netflix’s “Funny AF,” I watched Olivia deliver incredibly well-written jokes about subject matter that I know she had been told by higher-ups to steer away from. I couldn’t believe the tenacity it took for her to break the “rules” on a show she was trying to win just so she could tell the best jokes possible, and more importantly: the truth. This is the moment I knew that Olivia wasn’t just a comic to watch, but the kind of comic we should all aspire to be. — Nikki Glaser

  The weirdest place I’ve ever performed was… A women’s prison. I made fun of the security guard and got a standing ovation. Crushed so hard they arrested me.

  The best advice a comic gave me was… “Get sleep if you can.”

  My favorite thing about comedy is… People love to tell you there are rules, but actually there are no rules.
  

• Aaron Chen

  

  Do yourself a favor and watch a clip of Aaron Chen at the 2019 Melbourne Comedy Festival. That’s how I first got introduced to him. His mullet, every single word choice and his quiet, calm but confident delivery had me dead. My favorite joke from one of his YouTube specials is: “When people say let’s meet for a coffee, what I’m hearing is let’s go do a poo poo.” His comedy is silly but smart, weird and completely unpredictable. He’s truly one of the most exciting new voices in stand-up, and I cannot wait to see what he does next. — Ali Wong

  The hardest I bombed was… At a private club for wealthy elites. I saw some things I should not have seen. It was hard to get laughs as people were more interested in some disturbed rituals.

  The one thing I’d never joke about is… The ethnic and political tensions of Singapore in the 1960s.

  My parents think I… Don’t give a damn what anyone even says and they are correct.

  The most misunderstood thing about comedy is… The microphone is not actually on; it’s an optical illusion.

• Adam Friedland

  

  Who the hell is Adam Friedland? I didn’t know. My manager says he’d like me to do his podcast, and as one who doesn’t say “no” to anything, I agree. He says he wants this show to be like “The Dick Cavett Show.” It’s nothing like the “Cavett Show.” We talk a lot, make each other laugh. I throw crap at him. He throws it back. We have a great time. He has me read a ridiculous three-page script and then we talk about Nazis. Then I leave. I had a great time. He’s funny, likeable, smart, and we really get along. A few weeks later, my son calls me from college. “Dad, how do you know Adam Friedland?” I don’t. “I heard you on his show. That guy is hilarious.” I walk down the streets. One kid after another says, “You were great on Adam Friedland’s show.” And yet, I still ask: Who the hell is Adam Friedland? — Richard Kind

  The weirdest place I’ve ever performed was… A women’s rally six months into comedy.

  My job before comedian was… Paralegal, my true passion.

  The strangest fan interaction I’ve ever had was… An old man asked for a picture thinking I was Sarah Sherman from “Saturday Night Live.”

  My favorite thing about comedy is… That it’s not important.

• Kyle Gordon

  

  The first time I heard Kyle Gordon shout, “If you want parties to be making, have some noise” in his European foam-bar anthem “Planet of the Bass,” I felt like Salieri reading the sheet music for Sonata for Woodwinds in “Amadeus.” What a cruel trick, that God had given me the power to recognize when someone as bonkers as Kyle Gordon would come along. Kyle’s albums are entitled: “Kyle Gordon is Everywhere,” “Kyle Gordon is Great” and “Kyle Gordon is Wonderful.” All of these statements are true, but Kyle Gordon is also bonkers. Kyle Gordon is crushing it in a new arena of song comedy, a genre that has been pretty upbeat for the past hundred years. While Kyle has some upbeat comedy songs (“Selekta,” “Myrtle Beach,” “Mr. Jambo”) he’s also written some of the darkest comedy songs in years: “Crawl to Me,” “If You Break Up With Me,” “I’m a Whore.” Kyle asked me if I’d like to be in the video for his hit “Irish Drinking Song.” I said, “Of course, Kyle!” Then I listened to the lyrics. A hilarious song, yes, but I knew I could never be in a video with almost any of those words in it. But Kyle wasn’t worried; that’s what makes his stuff so special — Kyle doesn’t worry, he commits. Kyle is breaking new ground in song comedy all the time. He’s a force of nature, and if it were perfectly accurate, Kyle’s next album would be called: “Kyle Gordon is Unafraid.” — Thomas Lennon

  The most misunderstood thing about comedy is… Comedy isn’t funny because it’s true. It’s funny because it feels true, whether it’s actually true or not.

  The strangest fan interaction I’ve ever had was… I signed a Ziploc bag filled with a fan’s mother’s ashes.

  The weirdest thing I’ve ever done for a laugh is… Got naked and ran on the subway tracks.

• Shapel Lacey

  Shapel Lacey? You mean the kindest man in comedy? Please hold while I gush about my baby. *Cracks knuckles* Believe me when I tell you Shapel is the type of comic who has the audience by the balls within five words or less. There’s a rawness to his delivery that feels effortlessly personal and refreshingly candid. While watching him perform, you’re sure to find yourself completely immersed in his story. And let me add: It’s one hell of a story. What makes Shapel a star (yeah, I said it) is that he isn’t trying to fit a familiar comedic mold. He’s developing a style that’s distinctly his own. Also… you haven’t lived until you’ve had a 1 a.m. post-show recap with Shapel Lacey at Swingers Diner. Many have applied; few have received the invite. — Joe Dombrowski

  My pre-show ritual includes… Watching skateboarding or cheerleading videos on YouTube.

  The hardest I bombed was… My fourth time doing stand-up ever, at a dance club while the DJ was taking a break.

  My favorite thing about comedy is… Being able to laugh at the things that used to make me sad.

• Eilise Patton

  I am a massive fan of Eilise’s work. She makes me excited and hopeful for the future of comedy. Her ideas and characters feel so inspired and brand new. — Tim Robinson

  The last thing that made me laugh was… I was visiting my mother and she heard a noise outside, and I saw her type into ChatGPT: “What was that boom?”

  The weirdest place I’ve ever performed was… On a Zoom during COVID for a shipping company. Everyone had their camera and mics off.

  The title of my memoir will be… “Eilise on Life” (like “A Lease on Life”!), but now I’m sure some bitch with the normal spelling of Elise will take it.

  The one thing I’d never joke about is… No such thing!

  The most important thing on my rider is… A Celsius. Must consume for energy as well as ritual. Not sponsored just deeply superstitious.

  The best advice from a comic is… Steve Martin’s “Never show doubt” has been my North Star forever. Just being fearless and fully going for it every time.

• Usama Siddiquee

  Usama Siddiquee is a true comic’s comic, grinding, hustling and building an undeniable act for years. I’ve known Usama for nearly a decade, and I’ve watched him work his way up from open mics to the biggest stages. When Kevin Hart crowned him live on stage at the Village Underground during his “Funny AF” taping, it may have appeared to be kismet, or a “lucky night” but it wasn’t. It’s what so many comics have known for years — Usama is undeniable, and he’s here to stay.

  He’s got it all. The charisma, charm, the smile, the act outs, the hair. My God, the waves in the hair. Look, I want him to get married, but he told me he’s married to the game. (I still don’t know what that means.)

  During the finale taping of Kevin Hart’s “Funny AF,” I remember seeing videos of the entire theater chanting his name before he even hit the stage. It made me emotional. Because he’s not a burgeoning “Comic to Watch” — he’s arrived, and we can’t stop saying his name. — Hasan Minhaj

  The weirdest place I’ve ever performed was… A strip club that was named Strip Club.

  The heckle I still think about is… I was killing on stage when out of nowhere an old Irish lady in the crowd told me to “get over myself. Enough is enough.” Almost quit comedy that day.

  The most misunderstood thing about comedy is… How long it takes to get good. Whatever time you think it is, it’s double that.

• Josh Ocean Thomas

  I met Josh in Chicago at a Don’t Tell Comedy in some dingy dive bar, after which he would not stop trying to be my friend. He is so nice to a point where it’s suspicious, and I have to ask myself, “Is this guy for real?” Aside from being a decent human, Josh kills every time he steps on stage and offers a respite from the standard comedy you might be used to. I truly believe Josh has everything it takes to be one of the top performing comics of all time, and I say that emphatically. — Morgan Jay

  My job before becoming a comedian was… A Kayak & Snorkel Tour Guide at La Jolla Kayak in San Diego.

  The most misunderstood thing about comedy is… That all comedians are miserable people.

  My favorite thing about comedy is… Meeting other comedians who, despite being strangers and coming from completely different walks of life, share one of the most important parts of life with me. I also just love getting to do it.

  The best advice a comic gave me was… “Be kind, stay funny, and you’ll be all right” – Conan O’Brien, when I met him at 14 years old at Comic Con San Diego.

• Lucas Zelnick

  I think what’s been most impressive about watching Lucas’ rise is him taking on subjects that are unique to him and historically not funny at all. Most comics would avoid talking about coming from money or their mom dating Epstein (when she was an adult!). Lucas leans into it and it’s hilarious and my favorite material of his. It’s always cool to see comics get more honest as the stakes get higher and the rooms get bigger. Hollywood should call him soon before his dad makes him run the diamond mines in Botswana. — Andrew Schulz

  The weirdest place I’ve ever performed was… A church (I’m Jewish).

  The most misunderstood thing about comedy is… You can be edgy as long as you’re not mean-spirited.

  The strangest fan interaction I’ve ever had was… A fan let me write “I watched Lucas Zelnick bomb” on their arm and then got it tattooed.

  My favorite thing about comedy is… You can say exactly what you think and everyone acts like you’re kidding.

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