Chip Pope
An alt-comedy staple who builds strange logic from mundane details.
1 special · 2004
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Chip Pope speaks with a fast, talkative energy, leaning into the microphone to pitch odd concepts as if they are completely practical ideas. He does not leave large pauses for laughter. Instead, he keeps stacking details. He will outline his plan to open a gay bar next to Home Depot called “Depot,” noting that he plans to put a velvet rope in front of the day laborers just to make the place look exclusive. He delivers the punchline with a slight exasperation, as if he is waiting for the room to catch up to his logic.
Specials
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Premium Blend: D.L. Hughley hosts with D.L. Hughley, J. Chris Newberg & 2 more
An early-2000s comedy showcase hosted by D.L. Hughley.
Comedy Central · 30 min
On stage
He operates as a permanent fixture of the Los Angeles alternative scene, the sort of comic who frequently guests on podcasts and appears in theater lineups alongside Comedy Bang! Bang! regulars. He came out of the 1990s Austin comedy boom before moving into a long career writing for television. On stage, he performs like a cult favorite rather than a relentless road comic, testing out weird ideas that make other comedians laugh.
His material blends self-deprecation with strange cultural fixations. He will point out that he was such an ugly child he managed to be a Boy Scout, a swimmer, and a Catholic without ever once getting molested. He commits fully to odd premises, sometimes performing in character as a fictional 1980s British pop star named R.O. Manse. When Pope talks about growing up gay in Texas, he bypasses standard biographical tropes to focus on the Brawny paper towel man, noting that the mascot provides both a handsome lumberjack to look at and the exact product needed for the cleanup.
Turning points
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Co-Creation and Breakthrough on Austin Stories
Discovered doing standup in Austin, Pope co-created, wrote, and starred in MTV's first sitcom alongside Howard Kremer and Laura House.
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Semi-Finalist on Last Comic Standing
Pope competed on NBC's televised standup competition Last Comic Standing, advancing to the semi-finals.
At a glance
- Breakout
- Austin Stories
- Topics
- Elsewhere
- Wikipedia
Fans also like
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Laura House
House co-starred and co-wrote with Pope on MTV's Austin Stories, sharing the same foundational Austin comedy scene background.
Podcasts
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It Happened In Hollywood · co-host
A podcast exploring pop culture legends produced for The Hollywood Reporter.
Also on screen
- 1997–1998
- Austin Stories
- Clockstoppers
- S1m0ne
- 2016–2017
- Lopez
A clip to start with
Chip Pope Effinfunny Stand Up - The Brawny Man