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Where are the funny people at? That's what we all want to know.
Netflix is presenting its answer with what it’s calling "The Short List," a showcase of 10 comedians that'll take place during The Netflix Is a Joke Festival, a week-long comedy extravaganza on May 4–10 in partnership with Live Nation.
While the festival set in L.A. features over 350 live events, including stand-up performances, variety shows, comedy podcasts, tapings, exclusive events, and screenings, it’ll also put the very bright spotlight on rising comedy stars with The Short List.
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According to the streamer, the comedians set for The Short List are:
- Comedian CP (Chris Powell): a writer and performer whose comedy special Sunday After Six debuted in 2025 and was most recently on the staff of the second season of Diarra from Detroit.
- Ethan Simmons-Patterson is a stand-up comedian who has been featured on Comedy Central and is a regular at The Comedy Cellar.
- Gabby Bryan is a New York-based stand-up comedian, actress, podcaster, and Emmy-winning producer currently performing across the U.S. and U.K. to sold-out crowds with her tour “Gabby Bryan is My Best Friend.”
- Lucas Zelnick is a New York City native who has been featured on Comedy Central and in films including Regulars, Fade to Black and Pizza Movie.
- Maddie Wiener is a stand-up comedian who made her Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon debut last year on NBC and has filmed stand-up sets for Comedy Central and Don’t Tell Comedy.
- Opey Olagbaju is an L.A.–based stand-up comedian who’s been recognized by Vulture as one of the “Comics You Should and Will Know” and has writing credits on series including HBO Max’s Bob Hearts Abishola.
- Peter Revello is a stand-up comedian, actor and writer based in New York who made his late-night debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and has appeared on CBS’s Comics Unleashed.
- Shapel Lacey is an L.A.-based stand-up comedian who performs regularly at the Comedy Store and co-hosts a YouTube series called Cooked in the Comments.
- Sophie Buddle is a stand-up comedian, TV writer and podcaster who served as the head monologue writer for CBS’s After Midnight with Taylor Tomlinson and has appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Late Show with James Corden on CBS and CBC’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes.
- Zach Noe Towers is an L.A.-based comedian, actor, and writer who appeared on Netflix’s Dear White People or as one of the hosts of E!’s Nightly Pop and Dating #NoFilter.
Casting and content executives from standup, film, series and animation shaped the show’s concept and lineup. In other words, you’ll want to keep an eye on these jokesters.
The showcase will take place on Monday, May 4, with two shows taking place at 6 and 8:30pm at The Comedy Store, one of 25 L.A. venues hosting the festival. For those who can’t attend in person, each set will be recorded and released on Netflix Is a Joke and the talent's social channels.
As you might've guessed, the festival as a whole will be attended by the best comics of our time, including Mo Amer, Eric André, Jeff Arcuri, Nate Bargatze, Mike Birbiglia, Ronny Chieng, Pete Davidson, Flight of the Concords, Jim Gaffigan, Nikki Glaser, Ilana Glazer, Marcello Hernández, Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Mark Normand, Conan O'Brien, Atsuko Okatsuka, Iliza Shlesinger, Bob The Drag Queen, Taylor Tomlinson, Julio Torres, Trixie & Katya, Ali Wong, Ramy Youssef and many more, plus celebrities and musicians.
"What makes this fest so special is the sense of community—it's a rare moment where the comedy industry and the fans come together in one place," said Tracey Pakosta, the Netflix Vice President of Comedy Series. "We're not just putting on shows; we're creating one-of-a-kind experiences that celebrate the range, depth, and sheer brilliance of the comedy world right now."