Joe DeRosa
A man permanently exhausted by everybody else.
3 specials · 2013–2025
Start with You Let Me Down, the breakout (2017 · 65 min · Comedy Central)
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Joe DeRosa starts his sets sounding exhausted. He approaches the microphone like a man who just got off a frustrating phone call and needs you to know how stupid the other person was. A typical bit begins with a minor irritant, like a bad slogan or the concept of positive energy, and escalates until his voice breaks into a high, nasal yell. He grips the mic tightly, drops his shoulders in defeat, and argues with the audience if they do not immediately take his side.
Specials
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I Never Promised You A Rose Garden
Joe DeRosa finds peace in the collapse of modern society.
YouTube
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A frustrated, cynical stand-up hour filmed inside a cemetery.
Comedy Central · 65 min
On stage
He is a fixture of the argument-heavy New York club scene, but he has taken his curmudgeon persona further than most. He actually opened a sandwich shop in Manhattan called Joey Roses, fully realizing his destiny as an aggrieved guy behind a counter. It makes perfect sense for a comic whose entire worldview sounds like it should be shouted over a meat slicer.
On stage, DeRosa works best when he defends the selfish impulse. He does not try to be likable. He thrives on justifying the lazy choice, the petty thought, and the cowardly action. He will map out exactly why trying hard is a scam and why everyone pretending to be a good person is lying. When he strays into broader societal commentary, the material can sound like standard middle-aged griping. But when he keeps it personal and small, dissecting exactly why a minor inconvenience ruined his Tuesday, you usually end up agreeing with him. He builds an entire act out of having absolutely zero patience.
Turning points
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Opening for Bill Burr at Madison Square Garden
DeRosa opened for longtime collaborator Bill Burr during a landmark headlining performance at Madison Square Garden.
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2020–2021
Opening Joey Roses Sandwich Shoppe
DeRosa partnered with The Stand Comedy Club to launch Joey Roses as a pop-up before opening a standalone brick-and-mortar sandwich shop in New York City.
At a glance
- Born
- , Collegeville, Pennsylvania
- Style
- observational, rant, dark comedy
- Breakout
- You Let Me Down
- Topics
- Elsewhere
- Website, Wikipedia, Instagram
Fans also like
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Bill BurrBurr and DeRosa share an aggressive, unfiltered conversational energy highlighted through their co-hosted show Uninformed and their collaborative film Cheat.
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Robert Kelly
Kelly and DeRosa share a neurotic, raw East Coast club sensibility and collaborated closely on You Know What Dude? and Cheat.
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Sal Vulcano
Vulcano channels high-energy mock outrage alongside DeRosa on their long-running food debate podcast Taste Buds.
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Pete HolmesHolmes frequently collaborates with DeRosa, hiring him to write and perform on both The Pete Holmes Show and HBO's Crashing.
Podcasts
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Vile and Horrendous · host
Joe DeRosa vents about personal grievances, attacks on pop culture, and irritating aspects of modern society.
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Taste Buds · co-host
A weekly comedic food debate podcast co-hosted with Sal Vulcano.
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We'll See You In Hell · co-host
A podcast reviewing horror and genre cinema, which evolved across various networks to an independent Patreon format.
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Down With Joe DeRosa · host
A comedy and interview podcast hosted by DeRosa on the All Things Comedy network.
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Emotional Hangs · co-host
A humorous show that explored the nuances and challenges of forming and maintaining adult male friendships.
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You Know What Dude? · co-host
Robert Kelly's comedy podcast where DeRosa served as a regular co-host during its early run.
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Uninformed · co-host
A contentious, unfiltered monthly show hosted alongside Bill Burr on satellite radio and subsequent podcast episodes.
Also on screen
- Bored to Death
- Cheat
- 2015–2022
- Better Call Saul
- Living Biblically
- By Night: Origins
A clip to start with
What Having Anxiety Feels Like - Joe DeRosa