Ben Gleib
A highly verbal improviser who treats the audience like hostile witnesses.
1 special · 2016
Get an email when there's a new special. You'll need a Google account.
Ben Gleib paces the stage like a lawyer losing his patience with the jury. He speaks at a rapid clip, throwing his hands up in exasperation and leaning forward to challenge the front row. His sets rely heavily on improvisation, built on audience interaction that feels less like banter and more like a cross-examination. He will single out a patron, ask a basic question, find a tiny flaw in the response, and spend five minutes aggressively dismantling it.
Specials
On stage
He occupies a specific space between club headliner, game show host, and political pundit. Following years of late-night roundtable appearances and television hosting, he built a virtual comedy network during the pandemic and mounted a brief campaign for president in 2020. He works constantly, relying on an aggressive verbal momentum to keep the room engaged.
His material marries neuroticism with political frustration. In his recorded hours, he pivots between broad societal complaints and petty personal grievances. He gives both topics the exact same level of intensity. Because his instinct for improvisation is so dominant, his written jokes sometimes take a back seat to the live arguments he picks with the crowd. He builds his biggest laughs when he has an adversary, whether an actual audience member or an abstract concept, to talk circles around.
Turning points
-
2020 United States Presidential Campaign
Gleib mounted an official outsider bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, giving major convention speeches before suspending his campaign due to fundraising constraints.
-
Founding of the Nowhere Comedy Club
Gleib co-founded the world's first virtual two-way Zoom comedy venue during the COVID-19 pandemic, generating national press and employment for touring standups.
-
Viral Dolphin Fetus Abortion Debate
During a contentious live abortion debate with Charlie Kirk, Gleib baited Kirk into declaring an image of a dolphin fetus undeniably human, generating hundreds of millions of views.
At a glance
- Born
- , Los Angeles, California
- Style
- observational, satire, crowd work, political, improv
- Breakout
- Neurotic Gangster
- Influences
- George Carlin
- Topics
- Elsewhere
- Website, Wikipedia
Fans also like
-
Greg ProopsGleib regularly collaborates with Proops on entirely improvised live virtual comedy shows built around quick-witted, unscripted banter.
-
Steve HofstetterBoth comedians share an aggressive, debate-ready crowd-work style and jointly co-founded the virtual Nowhere Comedy Club.
Podcasts
-
Last Week on Earth with Ben Gleib · host
Weekly comedy and news broadcast breaking down current affairs, politics, pop culture, and bizarre stories through satirical monologue and interviews.
Also on screen
- The Real Wedding Crashers
- 2008–2014
- Chelsea Lately
- Bar Starz
- Ice Age: Continental Drift
- 2014–2017
- Idiotest
A clip to start with
A clip of Ben Gleib