Big-name comedians/comedy actors who rarely make you laugh

[Pink Freud]

I've been reading books by Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David, and their boomer ilk and once again, Noo Yawk standup Robert Klein is an object of other comics' awe and worship. HUHHH? i've seen him perform on TV dozens of times, but..meh.. Why is he a legend in the profession?

Judd Apatow comedies: Hardly a single chuckle from here. I've always surmised that after the deserved success of Apatow's amusing "The 40 Year Old Virgin" studios called him, asking "What else ya got?", and he must have gone through his storage locker, dusted off dozens of chronically rejected scripts, and sent them in with the added imprimatur "A Judd Apatow Comedy".

Will Ferrell? I do not get it. During his SNL days was there any sketch he was NOT in?

Same for Martin Short, who makes many roll over laughing. Not me, and I don't know why. He's a likeable guy.

Paula Poundstone: Funny? The odd thing is, she gave me a terrific interview 6 years ago before her local standup at a nearby college auditorium. Not a funny interview, just really interesting, and she was very likeable. Just......not funny.

Kevin Hart: Before I knew who he was he delivered a knockout set as an opener in San Diego, but now he's wildly overexposed on TV commercials. Just hearing that voice, I expect a sales pitch.

Andy Kaufman and Emo Phillips: The less said the better. At least they're original.

I was at Warner Bros. for a taping of "Conan" on TBS and, while Conan was great, his studio warmup act was just awful. At one point I merely closed my eyes and shook my head. Just seconds later two security guys pounced on me and threatened to kick me out if I did that again, since the show cameras might catch it.

I decry any former big name comic who has gone completely one-note political, in either direction, generating cheap laughs from hate of "the other" and the star comic's gilded grievance. Four big names immediately come to mind. I paid $75 to see one last fall and I walked out after 20 minutes. How hilarious that act used to be. Now it's all just screeching to the cryer.

Any big comedy names come to mind that just don't make you laugh?

[GelatinousEndive]

I think Sarah Silverman is too one note on politics these days. I used to enjoy her comedy.

Jerry Seinfeld is mildly funny as standup guy, I just enjoy his shows.

Are you talking about standup here?

I listen to a fair number of old fart comedians. I like their topical commentaries on society. I like Bill Burr, Chapelle, Rock, and yes, even Lewis CK. I like Bill Maher and almost paid to see him at the Fox last fall, but decided not to the last minute. oh I forgot I did pay to see Craig Ferguson months ago and he put on a great show, really great. So yeah, old farts.

I do tend to like so many of the lesbian comedians like Sykes,Fortune Feimster.
I absolutely adore Tig Noarto. I haven’t seen them in standup but as actors I love Lily Romlin, and Kate McKinnon.

I’ve tried to tune into a few of the young ones, but I think comedy can be so generational so, they dont grab me.

I haven’t listened to Kevin Hart’s comedy. I know Paula Poundstone only on her NPR Saturday morning gig “Wait wait don’t tell me.”

[George Zipp]

Comedy might be the most subjective topic discussed in the history of these forums. There is so much out there, from the bland, and yet incredibly funny wit of Jim Gaffigan to the over the top intentional obnoxious comedians like Jeselnik, Chappelle etc. There is a bit of something for everybody.

Since the topic of this thread is "rarely make me laugh" I think the modern collection of comedians, I have comedians whose acts don't ever seem to evolve that I don't like. THey create new material but it's always the same schtick. Chris Rock comes to mind. When he first came on the scene he was original, funny, clever. There is nothing with his new material that shines. I really like Burt Kricher (sp) when he first appeared as the frat guy without the shirt. It was funny, it was different, it hit a bit too close to home at times. Now I see him and I'm like, meh, it's old now.

I would take very, very, incredibly large exception to the Andy Kaufman inclusion in the OP. One of the most original of the originals. When you come on the scene and you do something that makes people laugh (not you obviously) that has never remotely been done before, kudos. But again, it's subjective, and yeah, I can see how his style would turn people off.

[GelatinousEndive]

Comedy might be the most subjective topic discussed in the history of these forums. There is so much out there, from the bland, and yet incredibly funny wit of Jim Gaffigan to the over the top intentional obnoxious comedians like Jeselnik, Chappelle etc. There is a bit of something for everybody.

Since the topic of this thread is "rarely make me laugh" I think the modern collection of comedians, I have comedians whose acts don't ever seem to evolve that I don't like. THey create new material but it's always the same schtick. Chris Rock comes to mind. When he first came on the scene he was original, funny, clever. There is nothing with his new material that shines. I really like Burt Kricher (sp) when he first appeared as the frat guy without the shirt. It was funny, it was different, it hit a bit too close to home at times. Now I see him and I'm like, meh, it's old now.

I would take very, very, incredibly large exception to the Andy Kaufman inclusion in the OP. One of the most original of the originals. When you come on the scene and you do something that makes people laugh (not you obviously) that has never remotely been done before, kudos. But again, it's subjective, and yeah, I can see how his style would turn people off.

Oh gosh, I thought Rock has been hilarious the past couple years. But I guess if you’ve been hearing his stuff the whole time over decades, maybe there’s nothing new. Can they really do new stuff tho? They have to comment on what’s going on in society. His take on the British royal family, race relations, dating, and of course woke culture makes me laugh..

I paid a lot of money for two front row tickets to see Rock & Chapelle 18 months ago in STL. Chris Rock put on a GREAT show put on a show, and because Chapelle was late due to airplane problems, he came back on stage and did another 15-20 minutes to kill time.

Dave Chappelle was not great that night. He had a long string of stories about strip clubs and… I don’t know what else because I do not remember.

[George Zipp]

Comedy might be the most subjective topic discussed in the history of these forums. There is so much out there, from the bland, and yet incredibly funny wit of Jim Gaffigan to the over the top intentional obnoxious comedians like Jeselnik, Chappelle etc. There is a bit of something for everybody.

Since the topic of this thread is "rarely make me laugh" I think the modern collection of comedians, I have comedians whose acts don't ever seem to evolve that I don't like. THey create new material but it's always the same schtick. Chris Rock comes to mind. When he first came on the scene he was original, funny, clever. There is nothing with his new material that shines. I really like Burt Kricher (sp) when he first appeared as the frat guy without the shirt. It was funny, it was different, it hit a bit too close to home at times. Now I see him and I'm like, meh, it's old now.

I would take very, very, incredibly large exception to the Andy Kaufman inclusion in the OP. One of the most original of the originals. When you come on the scene and you do something that makes people laugh (not you obviously) that has never remotely been done before, kudos. But again, it's subjective, and yeah, I can see how his style would turn people off.

Oh gosh, I thought Rock has been hilarious the past couple years. But I guess if you’ve been hearing his stuff the whole time over decades, maybe there’s nothing new. Can they really do new stuff tho? They have to comment on what’s going on in society. His take on the British royal family, race relations, dating, and of course woke culture makes me laugh..

I paid a lot of money for two front row tickets to see Rock & Chapelle 18 months ago in STL. Chris Rock put on a GREAT show put on a show, and because Chapelle was late due to airplane problems, he came back on stage and did another 15-20 minutes to kill time.

Dave Chappelle was not great that night. He had a long string of stories about strip clubs and… I don’t know what else because I do not remember.

You are making my subjective point for me so thanks. Seriously. I’m glad you liked Rock in that show. It would not have been for me. I’m sure there are comics I’ve seen that you might not pay a dime to see.

[Pink Freud]

Years ago there was a successful one-man comedy show, "The Male Intellect (An Oxymoron?)" making the rounds by its creator, Robert Dubac. He came to Yavapai College in northern AZ and did the show. In his performance I detected something that will win you your audience, or lose it with one ill bit: When they suspect you're no longer in their corner.

Dubac, apparently unaware of the demographics of this region, was getting lots of laughs at all the right times...UNTIL he did a joke about Fox News. Oh-oh. He lost the crowd at that very moment and never got them back. Then, at the end, apparently trying to win them back, he very generously held a 20-minute Q&A from the stage. About ten minutes in one could feel the 1500-seat room's power sway from the comedian to the crowd, and I silently begged for him to get outta there before it got worse.

From that day forward whenever I interviewed a performer coming to town I always alerted them to the elephant always in the room.

It reminded me of an interview Brett Butler ("Grace On Fire") did with J. C. Corcoran back in the '90s. She was playing a club in St. Louis that night and J. C. asked her if she does any audience requests from "Grace Under Fire", and Butler replied, "No, that's giving the audience too much power, and they WANT somebody in charge up on that stage."

Likewise earlier this year I went to see Jerry Seinfeld, and the loudmouths in the lower bowl kept yelling "Seinfeld" TV show catchphrases, prompting Jerry at one point to say "You really don't need me up here at all, do you? Why don't we just screen the TV show highlights and I'll leave?". You could hear audience members shutting the loudmouths down.

There's a dynamite documentary Jerry Seinfeld produced and partly stars in, called "Comedian". I've mentioned it here before, and it's worth watching because it's about a very irritating Bostonian named Orny Adams, who desperately wants the fame and fortune from being a successful standup....but refuses to take the helpful advice he's getting personally from some current comedy icons.

When I interviewed Louie Anderson five years ago before his gig at Yavapai College, he told me he still finds a way to drop the first joke he ever told on stage into his act. He was attending an open-mic night with his buddies, who kept encouraging him to go up there and try to get some laughs. So, after they agreed to cover his drink tab, he took the plunge and grabbed the mic. You remember Louie: Very big, morbidly obese, but a sweetheart of a guy. His first joke was "Hi folks, I'm Louie Anderson. Look, I'd like to stay awhile but right now I'm between meals." I asked Louie how he handles hecklers. He said "Are you kidding? I grew up one of ten kids. That's all we did all day. Bring it on!".

When I hosted radio shows in southwest Missouri I was asked to host the True Value Country Showdown, essentially a 1987 version of "American Idol" for country singers. The promoters asked me, being a daily radio host, to cover the breaks between singers by doing standup comedy....which I had never done. So I, too, jumped into the water like a cannonball, and discovered (1) when they're laughing, it's pure nirvana. You OWN that room. (2) When you hear crickets, you actually hear your watch ticking off seconds. Even if it's a digital watch. (3) No matter what joke you --- or Jerry Seinfeld, or Chris Rock, or Joan Rivers --- tell, there will be somebody in that room who laughs....and somebody who doesn't. Every single time.

[FrankTheTank]

Any big comedy names come to mind that just don't make you laugh?

Mark Maron. I liked his show, but I have tried to watch a couple stand-up specials and just don't find him funny.
David Cross. Can't get into his standup but on Arrested Development? Dude was awesome!
T.J. Miller. Decent actor, don't care for his standup.

[Pink Freud]

This thread reminds me of what I asked a major record label's A&R guy way back when I worked at the Peaches Records and Tapes superstore on Hampton: "What makes a hit song?". He said simply, "It has nothing to do with good or bad. Just play it in heavy rotation in major markets and the song will FIND a million people who like it and buy it."

I guess the same goes for comedy: Don't let those who hate your work dissuade you. Stick around long enough to find your market.

[Barksdale's People]

Kevin Hart

Bo Burnham

[WeeVikes]

This thread reminds me of what I asked a major record label's A&R guy way back when I worked at the Peaches Records and Tapes superstore on Hampton: "What makes a hit song?". He said simply, "It has nothing to do with good or bad. Just play it in heavy rotation in major markets and the song will FIND a million people who like it and buy it."

I guess the same goes for comedy: Don't let those who hate your work dissuade you. Stick around long enough to find your market.

That story is both depressing and unsurprising. It explains a lot. Thank you for sharing it.

[GelatinousEndive]

Stephen Colbert. That guy is chronically unfunny.

I’m glad I have no need to watch the late show because I used to live for it, decades ago with David Letterman. What a sad place that thing is these days.

[Bighorn66]

I've been reading books by Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David, and their boomer ilk and once again, Noo Yawk standup Robert Klein is an object of other comics' awe and worship. HUHHH? i've seen him perform on TV dozens of times, but..meh.. Why is he a legend in the profession?

Judd Apatow comedies: Hardly a single chuckle from here. I've always surmised that after the deserved success of Apatow's amusing "The 40 Year Old Virgin" studios called him, asking "What else ya got?", and he must have gone through his storage locker, dusted off dozens of chronically rejected scripts, and sent them in with the added imprimatur "A Judd Apatow Comedy".

Will Ferrell? I do not get it. During his SNL days was there any sketch he was NOT in?

Same for Martin Short, who makes many roll over laughing. Not me, and I don't know why. He's a likeable guy.

Paula Poundstone: Funny? The odd thing is, she gave me a terrific interview 6 years ago before her local standup at a nearby college auditorium. Not a funny interview, just really interesting, and she was very likeable. Just......not funny.

Kevin Hart: Before I knew who he was he delivered a knockout set as an opener in San Diego, but now he's wildly overexposed on TV commercials. Just hearing that voice, I expect a sales pitch.

Andy Kaufman and Emo Phillips: The less said the better. At least they're original.

I was at Warner Bros. for a taping of "Conan" on TBS and, while Conan was great, his studio warmup act was just awful. At one point I merely closed my eyes and shook my head. Just seconds later two security guys pounced on me and threatened to kick me out if I did that again, since the show cameras might catch it.

I decry any former big name comic who has gone completely one-note political, in either direction, generating cheap laughs from hate of "the other" and the star comic's gilded grievance. Four big names immediately come to mind. I paid $75 to see one last fall and I walked out after 20 minutes. How hilarious that act used to be. Now it's all just screeching to the cryer.

Any big comedy names come to mind that just don't make you laugh?

I agree on Andy Kaufman. Never saw the brilliance.

And when I read the thread title, I immediately thought of Martin Short.

But I love Will Ferrell & Paula Poundstone. I know it’s fashionable to hate on Kevin Hart, but I don’t get it.

[Pink Freud]

I also interviewed Rita Rudner, and found her to be both charming and extremely precise and well-rehearsed for her show. When I warned her about the topics to avoid in her northern AZ show, she immediately replied "I don't do politics!". Whew. Got that off the table right away. She put on a terrific sold-out show that tapped into the universal human experience, like so many still-beloved 1960s sitcoms did so well, since they were written by men and women who had actually lived life....not come from a pampered upbringing, then straight to Ivy League, then into a cushy network job with no context for what makes the mass viewership laugh.

We've all seen the unforgettable showdown between Joan Rivers and an audience member at a casino in Wisconsin who took offense at her Helen Keller joke, saying he had a relative who was blind. Rivers ripped him a new one, explaining how everyone brings their own baggage to each comedy show hoping to see everyone else's problems joked about, so they need to be prepared that was goes around....comes around. This time it was time for the guy to laugh at himself, and he chose to be offended rather than just let it pass. Every joke carries that potential.

I so admire professional comics who spend so much time and energy on getting not just each line, not just each word, but each syllable correct, as well as their caesura (timing, pauses, and word spacing), because there are so many elements in one single sentence that can make someone laugh.....or not.

Comics on the way up who are still playing nightclubs coast to coast, driving themselves each way, often record themselves onstage and listen to their bits over and over en route to the venue, to create muscle memory and be able to get back on track if they're suddenly distracted (i.e., heckled).

In Woody Allen's brilliant "Crimes and Misdemeanors" he's working on a documentary of an obnoxious "comedy genius" (Alan Alda), whose trademark phrase is "If it bends, it's funny. If it breaks, it's not." The way a frustrated Allen visually illustrates that near the end of the film is side-splitting.

[George Zipp]

I also interviewed Rita Rudner, and found her to be both charming and extremely precise and well-rehearsed for her show. When I warned her about the topics to avoid in her northern AZ show, she immediately replied "I don't do politics!". Whew. Got that off the table right away. She put on a terrific sold-out show that tapped into the universal human experience, like so many still-beloved 1960s sitcoms did so well, since they were written by men and women who had actually lived life....not come from a pampered upbringing, then straight to Ivy League, then into a cushy network job with no context for what makes the mass viewership laugh.

We've all seen the unforgettable showdown between Joan Rivers and an audience member at a casino in Wisconsin who took offense at her Helen Keller joke, saying he had a relative who was blind. Rivers ripped him a new one, explaining how everyone brings their own baggage to each comedy show hoping to see everyone else's problems joked about, so they need to be prepared that was goes around....comes around. This time it was time for the guy to laugh at himself, and he chose to be offended rather than just let it pass. Every joke carries that potential.

I so admire professional comics who spend so much time and energy on getting not just each line, not just each word, but each syllable correct, as well as their caesura (timing, pauses, and word spacing), because there are so many elements in one single sentence that can make someone laugh.....or not.

Comics on the way up who are still playing nightclubs coast to coast, driving themselves each way, often record themselves onstage and listen to their bits over and over en route to the venue, to create muscle memory and be able to get back on track if they're suddenly distracted (i.e., heckled).

In Woody Allen's brilliant "Crimes and Misdemeanors" he's working on a documentary of an obnoxious "comedy genius" (Alan Alda), whose trademark phrase is "If it bends, it's funny. If it breaks, it's not." The way a frustrated Allen visually illustrates that near the end of the film is side-splitting.

First bolded paragraph. In the last, I dunno 5-6 years I've been at two shows where this happened. First, I saw Anthony Jeselnik and he was doing a series of dead baby jokes as he is prone to do and as he his finishing one a lady gets up and screams about having a baby just die. He immediately went at her and told her that it might be a good idea in her life to research the comedians she is going to see and how that might relate to the circumstances of her life before making plans. He handled it well.

The second was a Jim Jefferies show at Stiffel. If you don't know Jim, he's Australian, he's very dirty but he's also very smart and tells great stories. He also uses the C word more than all the comedians combined. So he's going thru his show and he hears some commotion that involved some kids. Not babies but more like 10-12 yr olds and he gets into it with a family that brought their 12 and 14 yr old sons. Started questioning their ability as parents. "You know, I talk a lot about really nasty and vile things and I cuss and use the C word all night. Not exactly in the running for parent of the year are ya."

Actually if you saw the John Mulaney special, the one after rehab, in the first few minutes he figures out there is a 5th grader in one of the boxes side stage. It was a funny interaction. The cynical part of me wonders if that was planned. Ocams Razor says stupid parents.

I too admire the standup comedians ability to perfect an act. If you look, and you don't always have to look hard other than typically needing to be in NYC, LA, SF or Vegas, you can catch a really big act drop into a really small club to workshop bits of their upcoming special or their new hour of material.

[FrankTheTank]

Bo Burnham

I know this is all a matter of personal preference, but Bo Burnham: Inside was a masterpiece. The amount of talent that guy has blew me away, and I have been a fan for years.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14544192/?ref_=nm_knf_t_1

[Dicktar2023]

Any big comedy names come to mind that just don't make you laugh?

Mark Maron. I liked his show, but I have tried to watch a couple stand-up specials and just don't find him funny.
David Cross. Can't get into his standup but on Arrested Development? Dude was awesome!
T.J. Miller. Decent actor, don't care for his standup.

I don't get it about Mark Maron. He seems like a guy who takes himself very seriously, which is a weird vibe for a supposed comedian. (And he's not a particularly good interviewer.)

Same things with Cross, although he's more obviously just a bad person (anyone who can't get along with Charlyne Yi must have a personality disorder).

And now that I think about, Miller checks all those boxes, too.