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Dwight Simmons

Casual, unhurried stories mapping the exact borders of Midwestern suburbia.

1 special · 2023

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Simmons has the relaxed, elbows-on-the-bar posture of a guy recounting a weird interaction at the hardware store. He doesn’t sweat or pace. He builds his sets out of moments of social friction: handing an older Black man a 12-percent milk stout on a hot golf course, or the exact frustration of trying to explain a traffic stop to his white high school friends in the suburbs. His setups sound like idle conversation. He uses long, comfortable pauses, letting the crowd piece together the direction of the joke before he delivers the punch.

Specials

On stage

He operates as an anchor of the Midwestern comedy scene. Based in Indianapolis, he co-directs the Limestone Comedy Festival and writes for the Bob and Tom Show. He puts in the miles driving between regional clubs and brewery gigs, the kind of road-tested comic other comedians rely on to keep a room steady.

He builds a lot of his act out of his own mismatched interests. He gets deep into the weeds of loving craft beer but rolling his eyes at the culture around it, or navigating the unwritten rules of home renovation television. When a premise is thin, he occasionally coasts on pure likability, smiling his way through a quiet patch rather than writing a sharper tag.

If a joke needs three seconds of absolute silence to work, he simply stands still and waits.

He started doing open mics as a student at Indiana University, and his material remains grounded in the specific geography and attitudes of his home state.

Turning points

  1. Sip and Pass Reaches Number One

    His self-produced album 'Sip and Pass' hit #1 on the iTunes comedy charts, becoming his second comedy release to top the chart.

  2. Release of Debut Special on YouTube

    Simmons independently produced and released his 37-minute debut special 'Who's The Master?', recorded at The Comedy Attic in Bloomington, directly onto YouTube in July 2023.

At a glance

Style
storytelling, observational
Breakout
Who's The Master?
Influences
Maria Bamford, Tig Notaro, Geoff Tate, Amy Schumer
Topics
Elsewhere
Website, Wikipedia, Instagram

Fans also like

  • Damon Sumner

    Both comedians share an observational, narrative-driven style exploring their upbringing and daily life, frequently appearing across the independent festival circuit.

Podcasts

  • Blowing Up with Dwight Simmons · host

    Dwight Simmons chats with comedians and artists from all walks of life about creativity, process, travel, and various topics.

    Apple Podcasts

  • Mat and Dwight Just might · co-host

    A comedy and conversation podcast co-hosted by Dwight Simmons.

    Apple Podcasts · YouTube

A clip to start with

50 Cent Get Rich or Die Trying - Dwight Simmons - Stand-Up Comedy

1 min · 559 views