Mike Bocchetti
A lovable New York eccentric hiding precise jokes behind nervous energy.
1 special · 2019
Get an email when there's a new special. You'll need a Google account.
Mike Bocchetti steps onto the stage looking like a man who accidentally walked into the spotlight while searching for the bathroom. His delivery is nervous and halting, driven by a thick Staten Island accent and a posture that suggests he is constantly bracing for bad news. He will pause, look genuinely confused by the room, and then drop a carefully built joke about his weight or his failures.
Specials
-
Polite, self-deprecating stand-up from a Staten Island veteran.
Stand Up! Records · Album
On stage
He occupies a specific lane as a New York cult favorite. He built a secondary career as an endearing oddball sidekick, announcing for The Artie Lange Show and voicing a bizarre politician on the animated series Smiling Friends. When a room is expecting high-energy club comedy, he just stands there looking uncomfortable, forcing the crowd to adjust to his slow, deliberate pace.
He uses the contrast between his unpolished presentation and his actual writing ability to catch people off guard. He aims the premises squarely at himself, recounting how he washed out of the Marines after a few weeks or his inability to navigate simple social interactions. Other acts would stretch these concepts into long, pleading stories. He compresses them into short bursts. He lets the audience assume he is stumbling through a thought, only to hit the punchline exactly where he planned.
He was raised in a blue-collar Staten Island family, a background that permanently installed the underdog cadence he relies on today.
Turning points
-
2012–2014
Secured National Announcer Role on DirecTV
After two decades of grinding in NYC clubs, Bocchetti landed his first national steady television role as announcer on The Artie Lange Show.
-
Stand Up! Records Debut Release
Released his debut comedy album 'Thank You,' gaining critical praise and comparisons to Rodney Dangerfield's hard-knocks comedic persona.
-
Guest Star on Smiling Friends
Voice-acted as the fictional United States President Jimble in an episode of Adult Swim's hit animated series Smiling Friends.
At a glance
Fans also like
-
Nick Di Paolo
Fellow New York club veteran who brought Bocchetti onto TV projects and shared national touring stages with him.
-
Colin Quinn
Contemporary from the New York comedy and radio circuit who participated in the documentary chronicling Bocchetti's life.
Podcasts
-
The Mike Bocchetti Show · host
An interview comedy podcast featuring conversations with stand-up comedians, actors, and filmmakers.
-
Artie Lange's Halfway House · co-host
A collaborative comedy talk podcast co-hosted alongside long-time colleague Artie Lange.
Also on screen
- Cremaster 3
- 2003–2012
- Nights with Mary
- Monk
- 2012–2014
- The Artie Lange Show
- The Family