Adam Newman
A hyper-articulate goofball who treats crowd work like a cheerful investigation.
3 specials · 2014–2017
Start with The Half Hour, the breakout (2014 · Comedy Central)
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Adam Newman hits the stage with the breathless, eager energy of someone who just jogged up three flights of stairs to tell you a story. He paces, talks fast, and uses his entire body to punctuate a punchline. He doesn’t brood; he gets cheerfully baffled. When a bit requires him to play the fool, he commits completely, letting his voice crack or dropping to the floor. His crowd work operates as an upbeat investigation rather than a roasting session. When he pulled a baggie of white powder out of a heckler’s jacket, he didn’t mock the guy. He just reacted with genuine, delighted shock.
Specials
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High-energy observations and club-tested rants recorded live in Minneapolis.
Stand Up! Records · Album
On stage
He spent years in the 2010s Brooklyn alt-comedy scene before packing up for Los Angeles. He occupies a durable spot in the standup ecosystem as a road-tested headliner who has banked late-night sets and streaming specials without losing his basement-show hustle. He also brings a guitar on stage, mixing his frantic pacing with musical comedy.
His joke construction is tighter than his manic delivery suggests. He excels at escalating minor grievances into massive, sweaty act-outs, spinning a strange gift or a weird physical ailment into a total physical meltdown. He is completely comfortable being the punchline, playing up his own soft features and mild neuroses. He treats his own confusion as the core joke, keeping the room light even when he gets loud and exasperated.
His background doing digital sketches for CollegeHumor remains visible in his stage work. He knows exactly how to hold a facial expression or frame a physical reaction so it reads clearly all the way to the back of the room.
Turning points
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Disastrous 45-Minute Standup Debut
After college, Newman falsely booked his band at an Atlanta bar and instead performed 45 minutes of standup for 40 people, inspiring his move to New York a month later.
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Comedy Central Half Hour Booking
While stranded in an unlivable comedy condo and losing money at a mall venue in San Antonio, Newman received the career-changing call that he booked his Comedy Central special.
At a glance
- On stage
- since 2006
- Breakout
- The Half Hour
- Influences
- George Carlin, Bill Cosby
- Topics
- Elsewhere
- Website, Wikipedia
Fans also like
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Nate Fernald
Fernald co-hosted the Butt Talk podcast with Newman due to their shared mutual sensibility and affinity for poop and bathroom humor.
Podcasts
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Butt Talk · co-host
A podcast created around a mutual love for poop humor and butt-related stand-up material.
Also on screen
- I'm Dying Up Here
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- The CollegeHumor Show
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- Silicon Valley
A clip to start with
A clip of Adam Newman