Joe List
A strict club comic who treats severe anxiety as a logistical hurdle.
6 specials · 2015–2025
Start with I Hate Myself, the breakout (2020 · 56 min · YouTube)
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Joe List talks about his own body like it is a defective appliance he was tricked into buying. He paces the stage with his shoulders hitched up toward his ears, often staring at the floor. He will deliver a tightly written joke about a humiliating physical inadequacy, wait for the laugh, and punctuate it with a nervous throat-clear or a dry chuckle. If the room gets quiet, he mutters a small, self-defeating complaint to the floorboards and paces faster.
Specials
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Tight club jokes about panic attacks, yoga, and quiet embarrassment.
Comedy Central · 30 min
On stage
In the New York club ecosystem, List operates as a strict joke writer. Alongside Mark Normand, his co-host on the podcast Tuesdays with Stories, he builds sets that prioritize a steady rhythm of setups and punchlines over long personal stories. He is a comic other comedians point to when discussing economy. He trims extra words from his premises and refuses to pause so an audience can clap for a point of view.
The material centers on dental procedures, digestion, his father, and the daily indignities of existing in public. When he talks about his long-term sobriety, the jokes are not framed as triumphs of the human spirit. Sobriety is simply another socially awkward parameter he has to navigate on a flight or at a restaurant. He treats his severe panic attacks the same way, describing them less as mental health crises and more as frustrating logistical roadblocks.
List grew up in Massachusetts and got sober in 2012. Removing alcohol forced him to drop any lingering stage bravado. Left with nothing to hide his discomfort behind, he leaned into the awkwardness, making his perpetual nervousness the foundation for everything he says on the microphone.
Turning points
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Finalist on NBC's Last Comic Standing
List reached national prominence as a finalist on season 9 of Last Comic Standing, launching his run of television appearances.
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Writing and Starring in Fourth of July
List co-wrote and starred in the independent feature film Fourth of July directed by Louis C.K., expanding his career into dramatic acting.
At a glance
- Born
- , Stoughton, Massachusetts
- On stage
- since 2000
- Style
- observational, storytelling
- Breakout
- I Hate Myself
- Topics
- Elsewhere
- Website, Wikipedia
Fans also like
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Mark NormandMark Normand is Joe List's long-time friend, frequent tour mate, and weekly co-host on Tuesdays with Stories.
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Dan SoderDan Soder shares a close comedic dynamic and core fanbase with List as his co-host on The Regz.
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Robert Kelly
Robert Kelly serves as a regular comedy peer and co-host alongside List on both The Regz and You Know What Dude.
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Sam Morril
Sam Morril is an adjacent New York club contemporary and frequent collaborator sharing the same scene and audience.
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Luis J. Gomez
Luis J. Gomez collaborates closely with List as one of the four co-hosts of The Regz podcast.
Podcasts
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Tuesdays with Stories! · co-host
Weekly comedy podcast featuring freewheeling storytelling and stand-up scene banter.
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The Regz · co-host
Comedy conversation podcast co-hosted by four longtime comedian friends and regulars.
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Mindful Metal Jacket · host
Solo podcast hosted by Joe List discussing mental health, anxiety, and meditation.
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Joe and Raanan Talk Movies · co-host
Film discussion and review podcast hosted alongside fellow stand-up comic Raanan Hershberg.
Also on screen
- Fourth of July
- Anxiety Club
- Tom Dustin: Portrait of a Comedian
A clip to start with
Why Meditate When You Can Just Nap? - Joe List