Yannis Pappas
A fast-talking Brooklynite turning mild exasperation into aggressive, airtight logic.
6 specials · 2014–2025
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Yannis Pappas stalks the stage with the posture of a guy wanting to complain about his commute. He speaks in a fast clip, dropping fifty-cent words into a heavy Brooklyn cadence. A bit starts with a minor grievance—wedding planning, moving—and escalates into a loud, fast argument about the decline of society. When a joke hits hard, he makes a distinct move: he pauses, nods slowly as the audience laughs, and mutters a quiet aside into the mic before accelerating back to top speed.
Specials
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YouTube
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YouTube
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Andrew Schulz Presents - Yannis Pappas: Blowing The Light
Comedy Dynamics · 62 min
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Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents
A television set covering breakups, cell phones, and moving to Miami.
Comedy Central · 22 min
On stage
He built his audience largely outside the club system through relentless podcasting, most notably the history-comedy hybrid History Hyenas with Chris Distefano. He is the comic other comedians sit down with when they want to argue about political tribalism or the fall of Rome, bringing a working-class energy to historical debates.
The material relies on taking the wrong side of an argument. He adopts an indefensible position—like the idea that marrying in your forties is ideal because you are too exhausted to cheat—and defends it until it sounds like plain sense. The hours falter only when he targets internet discourse; the act thins out when he argues with a screen instead of human nature. When he sticks to the indignities of aging, he builds a trap the audience has to agree with.
The New York upbringing drives the act. He filters an actual interest in history and sociology through the lens of a guy holding court on a stoop. He left comedy for two years early in his career after being shot during a robbery. When he returned, the act had a heavier, more urgent gear.
Turning points
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2002–2004
Hiatus After Nightclub Robbery Shooting
At age 21, Pappas was shot in the thigh during an armed robbery outside a New York nightclub, prompting a two-year hiatus before he returned to comedy full-time in the late 2000s.
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2009–2010
Formation of Ditch Films and Viral Characters
Pappas partnered with director Jesse Scaturro to establish Ditch Films, producing online comedy sketches that popularized his internet characters Mr. Panos and Maurica.
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2018–2024
Launch and Resurgence of History Hyenas
Pappas launched the hit History Hyenas podcast with Chris Distefano in 2018, which went on an extended hiatus in March 2021 before being revived in November 2024.
At a glance
Fans also like
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Chris DistefanoPappas's longtime co-host on History Hyenas and MSG's The Bracket shares his fast-paced New York sensibility and unrestrained conversational chemistry.
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Andrew SchulzSchulz produced Pappas's 2019 breakthrough special Blowing the Light and shares a similar New York club background and digital self-distribution strategy.
Podcasts
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History Hyenas · co-host
Yannis Pappas and Chris Distefano blend history and humor with wild, energetic banter.
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The Yannis Pappas Hour · host
Solo stand-up comedy and commentary podcast hosted by Yannis Pappas.
Also on screen
- The Bracket
- 2013–2014
- Fusion Live
- 2 Point Lead
- 2018–2019
- Live in Gotham
A clip to start with
Yannis Pappas Stand Up - 2013