Al Jackson
Casual authority forged in front of hostile middle schoolers.
3 specials · 2011–2026
Start with Comedy Central Presents, the breakout (2011 · 30 min · Comedy Central)
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Al Jackson works a stage with a slow-burn, conversational ease that makes the setup feel like a chat at a barbecue. He doesn’t sprint to the punchline. Instead, he settles into a premise—often leaning casually on the mic stand—and lets the joke unfold at a strolling pace. He’ll walk the crowd through the mechanics of a disappointing doctor’s visit or a misunderstanding with his kids, dropping his voice to a conspiratorial register just as the punchline lands.
Specials
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YouTube
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A former middle school teacher breaks down adulthood and bad decisions.
Comedy Dynamics · 69 min
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A former middle school teacher details the humiliations of everyday adulthood.
Comedy Central · 30 min
On stage
For seven seasons he co-hosted the daytime talk show Daily Blast Live, bringing a standup’s timing to afternoon television. At the same time, he remains a late-night club staple and a long-time fixture on syndicated radio. He navigates the divide between daytime broadcast polish and midnight club grit without altering his core delivery.
His material lives in the details of everyday exasperation. Jackson mines marriage, aging, and fatherhood, but he bypasses the frantic energy many comics use to sell family material. Instead, he acts as the calm center of an absurd world. He is exceptionally comfortable off-script, engaging front rows with warm, easy crowd work that never tilts into hostility. He prefers to steer a conversation rather than attack a heckler.
Raised in Cleveland, Jackson worked as a public middle school teacher in Miami before shifting to comedy. He started hitting open mics after grading papers. When a person has spent years keeping thirty seventh graders in their seats, commanding a Friday night comedy crowd looks like a vacation.
Turning points
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2004–2006
Transition From Middle School Teaching to Stand-Up
Jackson started performing open mics in Miami in 2004 while working as a middle school teacher before relocating to New York City in August 2006 to pursue full-time comedy.
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2011–2015
Comedy Central Presents and Television Breakthrough
After working as a warm-up comic for Comedy Central tapings, Jackson landed his own Comedy Central Presents half-hour special and went on to host over 100 episodes of BBC's Officially Amazing.
At a glance
- On stage
- since 2004
- Style
- observational, storytelling, club comedy
- Breakout
- Comedy Central Presents
- Topics
- Elsewhere
- Website, Wikipedia
Fans also like
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Frank CaliendoFrank Caliendo and Al Jackson share chemistry as the co-hosts of their joint podcast, Al Jackson and Frank Caliendo Try and Be Serious.
Podcasts
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Friends From Work · co-host
A reimagined take on Daily Blast Live in podcast format.
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Al Jackson and Frank Caliendo try and be serious · co-host
Co-hosted podcast with comedian Frank Caliendo exploring conversations across streaming platforms.
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My Safe Word is More · host
Comedy podcast hosted by Al Jackson that achieved nearly one million downloads.
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Daytime Talk After Dark · host
A reimagining of Daily Blast Live presented in podcast and video format.
Also on screen
- Innocent Venus
- Legit
- 2014–2015
- How to Be a Grown Up
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- Officially Amazing
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- Daily Blast Live
A clip to start with
The One Thing You Must Do Before You Name Your Baby - Al Jackson