Nick Di Paolo
A seething Boston instigator who treats minor annoyances like blood feuds.
5 specials · 2002–2019
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Nick Di Paolo walks on stage looking like a guy who just got overcharged at a body shop and wants to yell at a manager. He has a raspy delivery that turns complaints into indictments. He doesn’t just deliver punchlines; he spits them out with a genuine sneer. When a crowd tightens up at a harsh premise, he doesn’t retreat. He leans over the mic stand, squints into the lights, and mocks the audience for groaning, treating their discomfort as proof that he is right.
Specials
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A combative, anti-PC stand-up set recorded in upstate New York.
YouTube · 64 min
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A combative club set built around dark premises and everyday grievances.
YouTube · 56 min
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Abrasive takes on the Pope, pregnancy, and plastic surgery.
Comedy Central · 21 min
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Comedy Central Presents: Nick DiPaolo
A tight half-hour of aging complaints and television opinions.
Comedy Central · 30 min
On stage
Di Paolo operates outside the mainstream comedy circuit. After years of appearing on basic cable roasts and acting as a sounding board on Louie and Horace and Pete, he fully embraced a hard-right political stance. He broadcasts a daily show to a dedicated conservative fanbase on alternative streaming platforms. For a certain sect of comedy fans, he is a casualty of changing norms. For his loyalists, he simply found the exact audience that wants his straightforward hostility.
His core strength is aggravation. Long before his material became strictly political, Di Paolo built his act on petty rage. He constructs jokes like a barroom argument, using his Boston-area accent to drive a premise home. The material is stubborn, and he will frequently bypass a clever punchline in favor of making a blunt ideological point. But when he aims that irritation at a universal annoyance, he builds heavy momentum simply by listing the things he hates.
He came up in the Boston comedy scene of the late 1980s before moving to New York. That regional DNA remains the foundation of his act. He still writes and performs with the thick-skinned hostility of a Northeast dive bar.
Turning points
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First Standup Set at Stitches
Di Paolo transitioned out of door-to-door sales by stepping up for his first open mic at Stitches in Boston after drinking 22 beers at a family barbecue, setting off his professional comedic journey.
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1998–2001
Emmy Nominations on Chris Rock Show
Di Paolo joined the writing staff of HBO's The Chris Rock Show for two seasons, earning two Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Writing.
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2002–2004
Tough Crowd and Roasts Breakthrough
Becoming a regular on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and appearing on multiple Comedy Central Roasts established Di Paolo nationally as a premier insult and roast comic.
At a glance
Fans also like
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Colin Quinn
Quinn titled Di Paolo's first two albums and featured him as a foundational panelist on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, sharing a gritty Northeastern comedic sensibility.
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Louis C.K.Former New York roommates and Boston scene contemporaries, with Di Paolo appearing in Louie, Lucky Louie, and Horace and Pete.
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Patrice O'Neal
Co-starred together on Comedy Central's Shorties Watchin' Shorties and shared a fearless, no-holds-barred approach on Tough Crowd and Opie and Anthony.
Podcasts
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The Nick Di Paolo Show · host
Talk and comedy podcast featuring Di Paolo's strong political opinions, commentary, and razor wit.
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The Nick & Artie Show · co-host
Syndicated sports entertainment radio and simulcast talk show co-hosted with Artie Lange.
Also on screen
- 2002–2004
- Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn
- The Sopranos
- Shorties Watchin' Shorties
- Lucky Louie
- Artie Lange's Beer League
A clip to start with
A clip of Nick Di Paolo