For me it’s a toss up between Norm and Louie. They don’t really have an “intellectual” act but some of their bits you can just tell you’d have to be a genius to come up with.
Edit: stop saying bill hicks and George Carlin, I didn’t ask which comedian thinks they’re the smartest
I saw Gary at some random comedy night in the city like a decade ago, loved his set, forgot his name and it was driving me crazy. Thought I’d never find his stuff again, and then the states abbreviation bit came up on Spotify and I was saved lol
His special on Max called The Great Depression was brilliant.
The Great Depresh. He gave his debilitation a cutesy abbreviation.
I only saw him once and he shitted on Dave Chappelle for 10 minutes straight because he didnt say hello to him somewhere (around 2018).
Were a fabulous 10 minutes. Mark Normand followed him and shit on him in between reading jokes from pieces of paper and saying he is gay.
It was a free show too. Wasnt into standup before visiting NYC (basically didnt knew it existed because Im german) , afterwards I couldnt stop exploring more and more standup
No German stand-up? That's interesting.
I spoke in hyperbole. There is german standup but far less, a lot of it is straight up translated english comedy and a lot is hacky. Obviously not all but percentage wise I'd think more
Woah wait a second. Mark Normand was shitting on Dave or Gary. This is kinda crazy
Sorry, was again speaking in hyperbole. Gary shit on Dave Chappelle pretty unapologetically. Then after Gary went down Mark was pretty sure Gary left back home and started lightly ribbing in between reading jokes from his pieces of paper. It did look like it came from a place of love and respect. Its also like 6 years ago, so the memories faded anyway but still
Mark is a huge Gary fan. He comes up often on Mark's podcast Tuesdays With Stories. His shitting on him was a term of endearment/for entertainment.
Gary looks like he could be Mark's brother too. Just check out the portrait on Gary's site. Uncanny
Yes I second this. He's a very smart guy, you can tell
Greg Giraldo.
Gotta love him putting Dennis Leary's smug ass in its place on Tough Crowd.
https://youtu.be/ymltNm4p2VY?si=FI0KXL00SP-upToz
But beyond that, graduated from Harvard Law at like 23.
No he graduated at 25, which is normal for law students if they are “K through JD”
What’s impressive is he was in the 99th percentile for LSAT scores which means he could’ve gotten into any Law School he wanted
If I could choose any law school I would also choose Harvard which makes me as smart as that guy
I see no flaw here so that makes me as smart as you and that guy too
Congratulations see you in the dorms.
Oh, thanks for the correction, anyhow smart guy.
Well, I’m a lawyer and I graduated at 25 and the only people who typically graduate earlier are extremely gifted individuals which is like five people ever, or international students that have a weird conversion with their younger schooling grading system when they come to the US.
I knew somebody who graduated high school at 16 college 20 and Law School at 23 but it’s only because they were an international student and when they moved to the US they were in a higher grade than their age
Good info, sad with Greg though... I remember way back he was on one of Quinn's or one of the O and A adjacent podcasts. He went on about his drug addiction and the insane cocktail of pharmaceuticals he was on. Some real William S Burroughs stuff, seeing thought matrix insects fly around and fuck with him. He's relatable though, I recall death of loved ones and bad relationships triggered something painful and being in the limelight, it just got worse and worse.
Drug addiction and mental health issues are higher in both professions he chose. Wish there were resources back then for him that there are now
Considering the scale of the problem, the resources we have now aren’t that great either.
Holy fucking shit. This is the first time I've seen this and I don't think I've laughed this hard in a long time. Leary just keeps talking Ls
I watched it live and thought Leary was gonna throw his coffee on him. You could see Dennis grinding his teeth because Geraldo just kept slapping him around.
I'd forgotten about this too. Giraldo HATED Leary, and his jab about not writing comedy of his own but deflecting it at him not having a show anymore instead of making a Bill Hicks reference was full restraint on his part. Leary thought being the biggest star on the stage was going to make it easy but Giraldo did not have a fuck to give.
The jokes about him on cc/the roasts were always that he was gonna die of an od and then he did, that was sad
Correct answer
Yes!!! So glad to see this here
Stewart Lee!
American friends, respectfully, you need to discover Stewart Lee from England.
if you’re asking about ‘smartest’ comedian - he is on another level. And I love all the American greats but he is very special.
He’s known to deconstruct his own comedic style as he goes and dissect his audience’s reactions. He’s working on multiple levels a lot of the time in the way he structures his sets. Im not certain his British cultural references will translate across the pond but see what you think.
His critical acclaim in the U.K. is more or less unmatched and yet he doesn’t do big venues - but he has a very loyal fanbase and has total respect from his peers. Many have argued that Ricky Gervais was heavily influenced by Lee’s use of the ‘arrogant persona’ on stage.
Maybe you can find his work on Amazon Prime: ‘Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle’ or just YouTube search his stand up.
Hello! American Idiot, here!
Carpet Remnant World is probably my favorite album of all time. So endearingly antagonistic towards his audience, so absurd in his premises. Politically, I may not always agree with Stew but he never fails to make me laugh.
That’s good to hear. I’m curious how you think he would generally be received by US audiences? He isn’t even universally liked here!
Fuck man, I’d love to see him do a tour in the States. I think he’d be well received by most audiences, but piss off anyone with a platform. For example, his Chappelle ridicule would turn him against a lot of comedy fans
It’d be interesting to see how he does in the US. But I get the impression he is very content in how he works here and has a guaranteed loyal fanbase for each new show so probably not inclined to try to ‘break America’.
Yeah any Chappelle critique is sacrilege these days
Thanks for the new (for me) find, friend!
Also, a random thing the internet doesn’t need to know but I’ll say it anyway cuz I can - every time I read the word “levels”, I picture Cosmo Kramer in my head and hear his voice
I’m with you on the Norm thing, if we’re talking strictly smarts. The dude was well read enough to thoroughly accuse Adam Eget of holocaust denial with very specific revisionist details.
Ntm I think he graduated from high school at age 14 or something crazy like that
He also practically won "who wants to be a millionaire" but Regis kinda coaxed him out of going for the final question. He knew the answer.
Still pisses me off, man, Norm was just playing for charity and all Regis did was screw the Palm Beach Golf Club & Resort out of a million dollar donation.
The golf club and resort really needed that money, too.
Norm was just so nuts, though. It's like he played a character 24/7. He pretended to know very little in order to be likable by the general public(in my opinion). I watched the cut together clip of that show just now, and he looks like he just doesn't give a fuck. It's kind of his act, I guess, but Regis was just freaked the hell out. It looked like was just completely pulling an answer out of the air and didn't care if he lost.
"A million or zero to charity? Yeah, let's flip a coin." More than likely, he was completely faking it all, and knew the answers to every question without fail. He just faked it too good, and Regis had his mind blown by the blase attitude.
"I say 6 million, he says 6000..
You probably say some number in between"
Idk why that line cracks me up every time"
Yea, I read somewhere that he'd already finished college with a degree in mathematics at 18. Yet instead of intellectual pursuits, he just started working as a furniture removal man, while doing comedy part-time.
I heard he could have been a Professor of Logic, you know, at the University of Science, there?
He should have tried to serve a youthful porpoise.
I read somewhere that he really liked Jughead comics.
That and Marmaduke.
Dara O’Briain
Absolutely - insanely bright.
I was going with Eddie Izzard, but scrolling down this sub, I'm not sure anyone would know who she is 😂
Eddie Izard, got my vote.
I remember seeing her in Paris, years and years ago. Not only is she completely fluent in French (and also performs in German, Russian, Arabic and Spanish) but managed to land the humour 100%.
I think it's one thing to speak another language but quite a different thing to 'get' the humour of another country at such a detailed level.
Just saw her in “Hamlet” in NYC. And got an autograph. Before that saw the “Remix tour” in Philadelphia. Great All around performances. I’m a big fan .
Aaah, I'm so jealous! I bet that was a seriously memorable Hamlet.
Definitely up there. His humor sophisticated, and he's also quite well educated. I think that's more just being British.
Slut Bungwalla??
I sometimes wonder how Eddie sounds to people who don't actually speak all the languages she speaks.
Sam Tallent
He’s brilliant on podcasts as well. Excited to see him rise to success
Greg Giraldo or Conan O’Brien - probably the top two
Here for conan, but it has gotta be norm for me.
Norm was brilliant, no denying that. Giraldo went to Harvard Law and Conan went to Harvard. Based on that and other academic accomplishments, they are “smarter” in a traditional, academic sense. In terms of comedy smarts, Norm holds up to anyone. Giraldo had a similar fearlessness as Norm which I always respected.
I was going to be so sad if I didn't see Giraldo in this thread
Katt Williams. He reads 8 books a day.
Children’s picture books?
True 🤣
Feared by librarians
George Carlin.
From 7 words you can’t say on TV, Stuff”, religion jokes, the one airport security, the dumb fat American one, (do these people fuck, like is this man capable of fucking this woman, you wonder, how does this person take a shit, and even worse, how do they wipe their ass!”) I mean just watch his joke about the difference between football and baseball and how he views men with more feminine names. Like how he would be money they tony, John, Joey and Georgie would be the shit out Tucker, Todd, and Kyle.)
I’ve never fucked a 10 but I have fucked 5 2s
He had so much range and his the way he used his language just proved to me this he was smarter than just about everyone else who has walked the earth
The evolution from being in a clean comedy duo in the 60s to becoming known for words you can’t, and eventually becoming so dark he would Make jokes about tv channels having the suicide channel and how there should be a pay per view event of 4 states (I think Wyoming, Kansas, Colorado and Utah) should all each be home to one low member of society. ( Drug addicts, Sex criminals, homeless and mentally insane.) and have them be separated by a wall that had a sliding door that opened once a month. Joking how the threat of terrosim is exiting is the most insane career long transformation
I'm surprised I had to scroll down pretty far to see Carlin, when he's one of the most obvious answers.
Carlin was actually doing graduate level, and above, cultural analysis. Humor was just how he sold it. Anything he wrote could have earned him an advanced degree. That is why it is still valid today.
Exactly, he started off as a comedian but sometime in the late 80s he became so socially aware of America and was just riffing on how bad we are getting fucked but made it funny enough to digest.
Humor aside, the original post asked who was the most intelligent comedian and I just can’t think of anyone else at the top.
This is absolutely the correct answer
He also had the magical ability to shit on most of society while getting the viewer to thank he’s not talking about them.
If I hear another stupid person quote his think of how dumb the average person is joke… like im not the smartest person ever, some things pretty smart, some things pretty stupid. I realize I’m also a chubby American who loves spending money I don’t have on shit I don’t need and too me that’s part of the magic.
He would also throw out lines like “not this crowd though this crowd seems okay.”
Like he knew he had that ability and was just toying with people by the time the 90s rolled around.
Carlin definitely thought he was smart. That's like, 90% of his bits after the early 80's.
Bo Burnham, Carlin, Pryor, Hicks, Bamford, CK.
Scrolling this far down to find Carlin is a fuckin' travesty.
Anthony Jeselnik seems pretty smart.
He also seems like he's able to admit when he's wrong which I take as a sign of intelligence or at least awareness
We just saw him at the Wilbur in Boston. He was great.
We knew where he was going (dark) but we still never got there ahead of him.
He’s brilliant. No one calls his humor cerebral but we probably should
Demetri Martin is my guess, dude hits you with comedy that's been in our face our entire lives
Not to mention he graduated from Yale, was accepted to Harvard and is an actual genius.
Was looking for this answer
His recent special on Netflix is incredibly original. Hard to do these days for sure. He def ranks among the smartest imo
Idk how Doug Stanhope hasn’t been brought up
Ok, thank you. Beer Hall Putch is a masterpiece.
His remotes from Charlie Brookers old "Screen Wipe" show in the the UK are Carlin level social satire and cultural analysis. He really nails American to the wall.
Jon Stewart has to be a contender. Greg Giraldo was also pretty sharp.
Stewart Lee.
I’m glad someone mentioned Stewart Lee! He’s a great comedian and fits this mold very well.
My first thought
Good to see Stewart Lee mentioned, I always wondered if his comedy translates to international audiences
I love Stewart Lee, but as an American the local politics jokes usually have me googling. People like James Acaster are a little more accessible, just because they talk about more universal stuff. But now I may be the only person in a 200 mile radius of my hometown who knows what the hell a Ukip is, so that's good?
Steve Martin easily
Maria Bamford
Demetri Martin
Definitely
Stewart Lee currently. Probably of all time too.
Eddie izzard Patton Oswald
Eddie is actually probably the “correct” answer on raw intelligence
The more I learn about Eddie, the more impressed I am. The marathons, learning languages just to be able to do international shows in their native languages, political activity, etc.
For me it's Stuart Lee, UK comedian.
Stewart Lee
George Carlin
Colin Quinn is very sharp
How is his new special btw? Going to watch it in a day or two.
It's really good. He also filmed his special at a psychotherapists networking event (seriously)
Considering it was recorded at the Psychotherapy Networker’s Symposium, I love how different it is compared to traditional comedy specials without straying so far into its own niche. It’s very funny, intelligent observational humor with a minor focus on human psychology. I really enjoyed it
Of the comedians touring today, I would say Daniel Sloss. Very smart comedy and it's brilliant how he weaves together all the elements of his shows into something that really resonates by the end of the evening
I struggle with his ego a bit now - his podcast is pretty unlistenable. But his shows have always been razor sharp and he's wild at repelling an audience and then hooking them back in again
I feel like he uses the podcast to test/fine time material for his stand-up lol, but yeah I find it pretty hard to listen to as well
It's Steve Martin and I think the only person even close is Andy Kaufman.
John Mulaney is pretty smart. Seth Meyers is really smart.
I think Mulaney and Gaffigan went to Georgetown
So did Mike Birbiglia & Nick Kroll
James Acaster
Scrolled too far for this.
Bill Burr. He's funny without falling into all the traps that "old" comedians do. Is Joe Rogan spots are a good example
Tied between Bill Hicks and George Carlin
Stewart Lee, easily
Bill Maher and Greg Proops are comics who think they’re smart yet are terrible and unfunny
FWIW, I think Proops is very intelligent, but his references are so old and niche that it sometimes is difficult to understand or catch. Dude will make cheeky comments about silent film stars and baseball players from the 20’s.
for those of us that are able to follow, that shit is funny. I love Proops,
I would Dennis Miller to that list.
Demetri Martin imo
Basically because I can't even imagine how he writes jokes
Simon Amstell is quite bright.
Katt Williams!! What other comedian was reading 3,000 books per year!?!?
Jon Stewart
Surprised this isn't higher up. His timing for jokes that break up serious monologues alone is genius
Jimmy Carr. Craig Ferguson is a very close second and is much less of a weirdo
Craig's a good answer because he's quite humble and doesn't carry a molecule of pretension. He thinks of himself as a "vulgar lounge entertainer" and will admit to being good at that, but otherwise he comes from a place of assuming everyone has something to teach him. I think you can learn a lot about how to foster a genuine curiosity in everyone you meet from watching his old interviews. (The new podcast seems to mostly be him just being a curmudgeon with his friends, which hey, he's earned it)
Absolutely. I was also lucky enough to catch Craig on his current tour, and he's still an absolute killer between the bits and just being an absolutely charming and honest person to listen to. Some people may be able to learn to do that as an act and to pretend like they care and are listening, but with him you can tell it's genuine
Lee Mack is that quick on Would I Lie to You that they actually have to edit in slight pauses before his comebacks according to a producer on a recent podcast.
He is famous on the circuit for being the quickest wit out there.
Whenever the question is asked of other comics in the UK I can't remember hearing any answer other than Lee in recent years
It might be Greg giraldo. He was a Harvard law grad. He then drank himself to death which is a very tortured genius thing to do
Tim Minchin, though he's strayed away from pure comedy as of late.
Two names somehow absent: Jost and Oswalt
Bill burr.
Watch the Philadelphia rant. He's highly intelligent
I laughed so hard, I'm going to hell. Time to rewatch the rant.
I love bill but even he admits that he pulled off the Philadelphia rant based on his knowledge of sports.
I think Bill is a social genius more so than an intellectual. Kinda like a street Einstein. He’s always going on about how he’s an idiot but I don’t think anyone calls it as they sees it as accurately as Bill Burr. He has an uncanny knack for punching the truth right on the nose better than anyone I could possibly name
This may be an unpopular option, but I think Bo Burnham is a Genius. His comedy is absurd but multi-layered. I just listen in stunned silence and then say Whoa afterwards. Lol
Yeah Bo is really fucking smart I figure he’s not being mentioned as much because people don’t really slot him in as “standup” (even he has called his act a “one man show” and not standup)
Patrice O'Neil
Dave atell one of the goats.
Stewart Lee.
Paul F. Tompkins
Myq Kaplan is brilliant
makes me feel very old that no one has mentioned Steven Wright
Mitch Hedberg
Don Rickles was brilliant.
Bo Burnham and it's not even close.
Louis ck, Patrice, Hannah Gadsby, Giraldo, Norm, Carlin, Lenny Bruce. Shoutout Bo Burnham.
Great bait with the hannah gadsby troll hahah
Louis CK
Josh Johnson!! That man's ability to write absolutely hilarious, relevant and reflective content week after week is unmatched! 🔥
Norm, Stanhope, Mullen
👑👑👑
Came here to say Mullen, but you're absolutely right about Stanhope. He's not my favorite by any means but he finds angles on premises that reveal how smart he is.
I don’t know how much of a following he has beyond NZ and Australia, but I’m always impressed by how clever some of Guy Montgomery’s stuff is. I’m not too familiar with ‘big name’ comedians, so not sure how it stacks up against others mentioned in this thread
You don't have to make the argument that Norm was a genius. He was!
George Carlin
Mullen seems pretty fucking smart
Smart is a strange label. If you mean learned and knowledgeable it's definitely Norm. If you mean wise and insightful it's Bo Burnham.
Bill Hicks.
Brendan Shaub
Geoffrey Asmus, both in pure witt and broad knowledge. I believe he also has multiple degrees.
Saw him last night and he absolutely destroyed. Easily among the loudest/most laughs I’ve heard at a show
Geoffrey Asmus
currently performing - geoffrey asmus. he is like frustratingly smart.
Bill Hicks should be on this list, all that readin' back East must have paid off
Anyone say Bill Hicks yet?
Bill Hicks - man we lost him too early, to imagine where he could have taken the collective mind of us all!!!
George Carlin or Dave Chapelle.
Stewart Lee
Easily Gary Gulman
Greg Proops thinks he is
Greg Geraldo is brilliant. He was a Harvard lawyer before starting stand up
The correct answer is Greg Giraldo.
Greg Giraldo.
Kind of surprised I can't easily find David Cross near the top of this. He's a comedian's comedian and knows the shit out of his craft, from his stand-up and just conversationally you can tell he's very intelligent and carefully considers the things he says.
Greg Giraldo, Paul Mooney, Eddie Izzard, Louis CK, Norm McDonald, Bill Burr, and George Carlin all show flashes of intelligence above the masses. Some are better at packaging it into easily digestible monologue, but all excel in their own way.
David Cross
Doug Stanhope and Atell.
And to say stop saying Hicks and Carlin is ridiculous. They were incredible cerebral comedians.
Iliza Shlesinger. So sharp and insightful.
George Carlin
By all rights this sub should be titled r/standupUSA , seriously, its stupid.
And the answer is, Stewart Lee. You dumbass backwater isolationist retarded yank twat prick Trump supporter Israel backer.
Jimmy Carr, Tim Minchin, Eddie Izzard, Bill Bailey, and George Carlin, and even though I'm not really fond of his pub landlord character, Al Murray is great with history.
Dave Chappelle is up there.
Was
Anthony Jeselnik.
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned Dennis Miller. The guy is obviously well read. Maybe it’s because of his politics.
Norm said it's Chappelle.
Bo Dunham hadn't been mentioned don't think but is pretty sharp
Bo Burnham, Hannah Gadsby, Lewis Black
I wish that my favourite comedian of the moment was well known.
Rhod Gilbert should be up there, his Power of 1000 candle torch rant will forever be engraved into my mind
A lot of Gary Gulman’s humor comes from his intelligence