Ryan Sickler
A Baltimore storyteller who treats absolute trauma like a great bar story.
2 specials · 2023–2025
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When Ryan Sickler gets going on a story, he leans into the mic and lets out a high-pitched wheeze that forces the audience to laugh with him. He has the cadence of a guy holding court in a garage, leaning on a cooler and telling you about the worst weekend of his life. His crowd work doesn’t stop at asking what people do for a living. He’ll pause a room to ask if anyone in the front row has ever actually died and come back to life.
Specials
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A storyteller’s loose, conversational hour about surviving a medical crisis.
YouTube · 60 min
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Baltimore-style storytelling about chaotic life choices and single fatherhood.
YouTube · 60 min
On stage
He sits at the center of the comedy podcast ecosystem as a sounding board for the worst things that happen to funny people. Through shows like The HoneyDew, he built a devoted audience that tunes in specifically to hear him laugh at misery. He bypasses the usual industry machinery, dropping self-produced specials straight to YouTube for the fans who pack his live dates.
His standup relies on sprawling stories, mining his own terrible luck for material. The darker the subject matter, the harder he leans into it. In Live & Alive, he recounts surviving massive blood clots and a three-week hospital stay, detailing medical negligence and calling his friends from his deathbed. Instead of looking for pity, he delivers the whole ordeal with the energy of a guy recalling a disastrous bachelor party. The setups are completely bleak, but he refuses to let the room feel sorry for him. If a moment gets too heavy, he just cracks himself up until the crowd follows.
He grew up in Baltimore, and that specific East Coast edge never left his delivery. His accent kicks in the hardest right as a story reaches its most absurd point.
Turning points
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Billboard Chart Success with Sophomore Album
Ryan Sickler released 'Get a Hold of Yourself' via Blonde Medicine, scoring the #1 standup album spot on both the Billboard and iTunes comedy charts.
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Debut Self-Produced Stand-Up Special
Sickler wrote, directed, and self-produced his debut comedy special 'Lefty’s Son', filmed live at Dynasty Typewriter in Los Angeles.
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Launch of The Wayback Podcast
In January 2024, Sickler premiered 'The Wayback', which immediately went to #1 among comedy interview podcasts in the US, the UK, and Canada.
At a glance
Fans also like
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Jay Larson
As the long-time co-host of The CrabFeast, Larson shares Sickler's deep storytelling sensibility and grounded comedic roots.
Podcasts
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The HoneyDew · host
A storytelling podcast where Ryan guides stand-ups and storytellers through humorous explorations of life's lowlights.
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The CrabFeast · co-host
A weekly storytelling comedy podcast inspired by Maryland roots celebrating family, friends, and comedy.
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The Wayback · host
A comedy interview podcast that debuted at the top of the charts across the US, UK, and Canada.
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The Honeydew with Y'all · host
An offshoot podcast hosted by Ryan Sickler focusing on listener-driven storytelling and humor.
A clip to start with
Ryan Sickler - Live at Gotham