Julie Seabaugh

Jeff Ross wants to break through the political din.; Credit: Courtesy Comedy Central

Is Jeff Ross the Most Important Political Comic in Trump's America?

Jeff Ross’s leafy backyard is usually tranquil. On an afternoon in spring, that's not the case: a backhoe is demolishing the house next door. Birds call nervously overhead. Cracks and booming thuds reverberate through the fence. Ross' own three-bedroom home would be the next to go, to make room for......
Dynasty Typewriter at the Hayworth Theatre; Credit: Courtesy of Jamie Flam

The Hayworth Theatre in Westlake Is Reopening as a Comedy Venue

Fred Rothman was a fur trapper, World War I sergeant and telegraph operator for the Southern Pacific Railroad. In 1915 he founded Downtown L.A.’s wildly profitable Angelus Typewriter company. Before the Depression struck, Rothman owned three of four property corners at the intersection of Western and Wilshire. One hundred and......
The Slayers with manager Leah Kayajanian at right; Credit: Julie Seabaugh

L.A.'s Comedians Are Heckling One Another — on the Softball Field

“All right Adam, don’t be the piece of garbage we know you are!” A yellow softball whiffs over home plate, but good-natured insults are landing hard and fast at the double-header championship of L.A.’s Comedy Softball League. Weekly games are on Sundays at Venice’s Penmar Recreation Center, field number five......
Pals pay tribute to Saget on Friday night.; Credit: Brian Friedman

Bob Saget Is Getting Personal (With a Little Help From Norman Lear)

As a kid, Bob Saget snuck into a taping of Norman Lear’s All in the Family. “It was live theater done to perfection,” Saget reminisces. These days the former Full House and America’s Funniest Home Videos star counts the 94-year-old writer-producer among his friends, jamming on guitar at Lear’s home......
Credit: Luke Fontana/Courtesy NBC

Best Streamable Comedy Duo

Conan staff writer Laurie Kilmartin and The Dork Forest host Jackie Kashian are survivors of the '80s comedy boom who've seen, done and, most importantly, dealt with everything the stand-up industry can dish out. As tenets and tastes continue changing, so too do Kashian and Kilmartin's perspectives on what it......
Credit: Alex Restrepo

Best Comedy to Bridge the Generation Gap

Every Tuesday at 10 p.m. in the Improv Lab, '80s comic whirlwind turned genre-defying director Bobcat Goldthwait joins decades-younger San Francisco transplant Caitlin Gill (the Oddball, Bridgetown and Outside Lands festivals) to co-ringlead Crabapples, a variety circus of nontraditional locals and out-of-town pals who proudly rally around a certain freak-flag......
Credit: Bryce Turcotte

Best Comedy-Scene Booster

Midwest transplant Jeremiah Watkins began performing as a kid, won national awards in broadcasting throughout high school and landed a Kansas City radio station gig at age 19. Today the Second City and Groundlings veteran maintains supporting roles on Roast Battle and Goddamn Comedy Jam, both of which are beloved......