Matthew Broussard
A former math major hiding logic puzzles behind a frat-boy exterior.
2 specials · 2016–2024
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Matthew Broussard walks to the mic looking like the wealthy antagonist in a 1980s teen movie. He knows the room assumes he plays lacrosse, and he uses that immediate judgment as a trapdoor. Instead of loud, aggressive material, he delivers quiet, densely packed bits about French phonetics and etymology. He speaks with a measured, deliberate cadence. When a historical reference gets a quiet response, he smiles and waits, letting the silence hang until the audience catches up rather than apologizing for the homework.
Specials
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Prep school looks collide with analytical wordplay in New Orleans.
Comedy Central · 30 min
On stage
He works the national club circuit, bringing a math major’s exactness to standard weekend crowds.
The friction between his face and his neuroses drives the act. A Cajun-Jewish comic who points out that he looks like a WASP, Broussard spends long segments outlining his failure to inhabit traditional masculinity. He details the mechanics of earning less than his partner, a former professional swimmer, dropping his ego to analyze the power dynamic. He builds bits by layering sidebars about statistics or pharmaceutical history into a seemingly straightforward premise, pulling the loose threads together right at the punchline.
Before comedy, Broussard earned a degree in computational mathematics from Rice University and worked as a financial analyst. That background remains visible in the shape of his material. He sets up premises by establishing variables, working through them step by step until the audience arrives at the answer.
Turning points
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Victory at Houston's Funniest Person Competition
Just one year into doing open mics while working in finance, Broussard won the Laff Stop contest, which spurred him to quit his day job and relocate to Los Angeles.
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Debut Half-Hour and Pedantic Release
Broussard premiered his first televised half-hour special on Comedy Central alongside the release of his debut album Pedantic on Comedy Central Records.
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Release of Full-Length Debut Special Hyperbolic
After thirteen years in stand-up, Broussard self-released his debut hour-long special Hyperbolic on YouTube.
At a glance
Fans also like
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John MulaneyBroussard cited Mulaney as a major inspiration for executing an impeccably traditional standup style that becomes inventive through its precision and polish.
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Hannibal BuressBroussard cited Buress as an admired favorite, pointing to the real-world cultural power of his stand-up routines.
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Sean Patton
Broussard cited Patton directly as one of his favorite working stand-up comedians.
Podcasts
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She Does Stand-Up Too? · host
Stand-up comedy podcast hosted by Matthew Broussard used to discuss standup and plug tour dates.
Also on screen
- Presidents Day
- All I Wish
- Fam
- Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens
- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
A clip to start with
Matthew Broussard: Hyperbolic