Hilarious yet affordable clean corporate stand-up comedians who have appeared on Conan (Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien or Conan) for your company or industry event, charity fundraiser, country club or private party. Live or virtual.

You’ve seen us on TV! Here are just some of the many great comedians available. A more comprehensive list of comedians is here. Also great for Theatres and Performing Arts Centers, Team-building Exercises & Off-sites, Government & Military Groups, Fraternal & Service Organizations, Alumni Groups, Law Firms, Awards Dinners and even Private Parties. Surprisingly affordable and advice is free.

 

Tony Deyo comedian available for hire (photo of the comedian)Tony Deyo

Tony Deyo is a comedian known most notably for his sharp, quick material and near-perfect comedic timing almost certainly gained from his years as a professional symphony musician. New York City’s Village Voice calls him “one of the tightest joke writers in the business.”
In 2013 he made his late night television debut on Conan. Within a year, he had added appearances on The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson, AXS TV’s Gotham Comedy Live, and Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen.

Tony Deyo Stand-Up 09/09/13 | CONAN on TBS

Click to book Tony Deyo or call or text (914) It’s Funny (914 487-3866).

 

Nick Griffin- eleven times on Letterman! (photo of the comedian)Nick Griffin

Nick Griffin has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Conan, The Late Late Show, in his own half-hour Comedy Central special and was featured on The Late Show with David Letterman eleven times.
A comic for more than 25 years, Griffin’s smart, sarcastic and hilarious style makes him one of the most well-respected in the business.

Nick Griffin Wants Proof That Money Can't Buy Happiness | CONAN on TBS

Click to book Nick Griffin or call or text (914) It’s Funny (914 487-3866).

 

Hire comic Myq Kaplan for your next comedy night (photo of the comedian)Myq Kaplan

Myq Kaplan is a comedian named Myq Kaplan (pronounced “Mike Kaplan”).
Myq made his network television debut on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brienand has since gone on to appear on The Late Show with David Letterman, The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson and in his own half-hour Comedy Central Presents: Myq Kaplan special.

Myq Kaplan Stand-Up 05/03/16 | CONAN on TBS

Click to book Myq Kaplan or call or text (914) It’s Funny (914 487-3866).

 

Book Carmen Lynch for your next comedy night (photo of the comedian)Carmen Lynch

Carmen Lynch is a NYC-based comedian who has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and twice on The Late Show with David Letterman, plus Conan and the Late Late Show. She’s been a semi-finalist on Last Comic Standing and has performed several times for the troops in Iraq and Kuwait.

Carmen Lynch Is Dating The Old-Fashioned Way | CONAN on TBS

Click to book Carmen Lynch or call or text (914) It’s Funny (914 487-3866).

 

Book Dan Naturman for your next comedy night (photo of the comedian)

Dan Naturman

Dan began performing stand-up comedy several years ago in, believe it or not, law school. After graduation he decided to devote himself to stand-up full time. Comedy, he discovered, was his true passion. Besides, his grades were bad and nobody would hire him.
Dan’s charming combination of self-deprecation and outright grouchiness has had audiences howling from coast to coast and has earned him spots on The Tonight Show, Late Show with David Letterman and The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson as well as his own Comedy Central Presents special. In 2014 Dan was the only comedian voted into the semi-finals of America’s Got Talent.

Dan Naturman Stand-Up 08/30/16 | CONAN on TBS

Click to book Dan Naturman or call or text (914) It’s Funny (914 487-3866).

 

Book Moody McCarthy for your next comedy night (photo of the comedian)Moody McCarthy

After appearances on Letterman, Last Comic Standing and Jimmy Kimmel Live, Moody McCarthy is no longer a well-kept secret. (After an appearance on the re-vamped Star Search, he still was.) With sharp, versatile material and an old-school ethic, Moody has performed all over North America and Asia and left them wanting more (as in “Bravo!”, not “We were ripped!”).
Moody began his career in Syracuse, NY, in the 1900s and quickly established himself as a keen monologist. Now based in New York City, he’s become a regular in the town’s best rooms and grown into an act that thrives in any setting, from upscale country clubs to divey pubs. Weaving sly topical jokes with crafty material and a dash of crowd-work, Moody’s likeability shines in any setting.
Moody McCarthy: few people hate him!

Moody McCarthy Stand-Up 12/09/15 | CONAN on TBS

Click to book Moody McCarthy or call or text (914) It’s Funny (914 487-3866).

 

Book Cory Kahaney for your next comedy night (photo of the comedian)

Cory Kahaney

Cory is every woman. Mother, daughter, wife… ex-wife. She has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Late Show with David Letterman, made her fifth appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and a new TV special for Nick Mom. Cory appeared in the first season of NBC’s Last Comic Standing and made it to the finale, where host Jay Mohr called her performance “flawless.” Other television credits include Comedy Central Presents: Cory Kahaney, The View, and many episodes of Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher.

Cory Kahaney’s Longest Relationship Is With Her Therapist | CONAN on TBS

Click to book Cory Kahaney or call or text (914) It’s Funny (914 487-3866).

 

Hire Ted Alexandro for your next comedy night (photo of the comedian)Ted Alexandro

Ted has performed on David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Craig Ferguson, The View and two half-hour specials on Comedy Central.
Ted has performed internationally in Jordan, Egypt, Kuwait, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Jakarta, England, Holland, Israel and Qatar.
Ted has appeared on the television shows “Oz”, “Dr. Katz” and “Louie”.

Ted Alexandro Is Not In His Sexual Prime | CONAN on TBS

Click to book Ted Alexandro or call or text (914) It’s Funny (914 487-3866).

 

 

Some FAQ

How much do your shows or comedians cost?

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The cost of a comedy show depends on location. Almost all of us from The Ivy League of Comedy are in the New York City or Los Angeles area. If we can drive there and not stay overnight, it's less expensive. If we have to fly and stay overnight, we have to build that into the cost.

The cost of a comedy show for a theatre depends on how many seats.

The cost of hiring a comedian for a corporate event depends on when, where, how many attendees, and which comedian. We're not all the same price. We are quite good at meeting a variety of budgets.

The Ivy League of Comedy's fees for comedy shows for non-profits are much, much lower than for-profit organizations and industry groups.

And most importantly, I'm not greedy. There are agencies that take most of the money for themselves and pay the comics very little. So the $5000 (as an example) that you're paying? They're offering the comic $750. I'm a comic and I've seen that happen frequently. I don't ever want to be one of those selfish greedy awful guys. I'm not secretive- I'll tell the comic what the gig pays. There's nothing in my agreement that prohibits a comedian from discussing pay with the client.

Recently I had a comic tell me that for all the work I was doing on a particular gig I should take 15% instead of 10%. I appreciated the offer, but I refused. I got into this business by accident- basically to provide clean comedy shows and to get myself and my friends more work. Not to get rich. I make most of my money when I'm on stage.

So to not really answer your question, the best and easiest way to find out the cost of a comedy show is to call or write The Ivy League of Comedy and ask. I'll ask you where, when, for whom and how many and give you a quote.

Are travel and lodging expenses included in your fees, or are they billed separately?

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We at The Ivy League of Comedy generally like to quote a flat fee because that makes it easier for you, even though it adds risk for us as airfares and hotel costs change. But it also avoids any sort of figuring out what the costs actually are, if a comedian is coming from, or going to, somewhere other than home. And sometimes comics want to stay with a friend even though we tell them we'll pay for a hotel.

Oh, here's another example of my lack of greed. I booked a comic for a charity gig. I paid for the airline tickets. Then she booked a comedy club gig for the next night and said she'd split the airfare with me. I said no, you got another gig, that's great, let me just change the return date. I did have her cover the slightly higher cost for changing the ticket, but it was way less than half. She did the work to get more work and both of us were happy with that. Though I did appreciate her offer to split the airfare.

Do corporate comedians charge differently based on whether the event is in-person or virtual?

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Oh, absolutely- virtual comedy shows are significantly less expensive than in-person shows. The Ivy League of Comedy's virtual comedy is way less expensive than even if we're performing just across town.

How can I guarantee that a comedian's material will be clean and safe for a corporate/religious/health care/seniors/family audience?

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The appropriateness of a comedian's material is often a main concern when booking a comedian for a corporate or charity event. And it's why I got into this business- people were saying "You're clean but the other comics at the club weren't. Where are the all-clean shows?" There weren't any, so I started putting them together and founded The Ivy League of Comedy.

We do shows in churches and synagogues, including for some very devout audiences. We've been doing this a long time. We're all very experienced clean comedians.

Can the comedian customize their jokes or roast company executives/specific people at the event?

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If you're looking for comedians who can customize their jokes for your event or organization, comedians from The Ivy League of Comedy can. I (Shaun Eli, the owner) really don't like making fun of anybody in the audience unless the person being made fun of specifically asks for it in a private conversation. Most people really don't like being picked on, and you never know until you do it. Often you never have any idea, but they're unhappy.

Do clean comedians still perform well without relying on profanity or edgy topics?

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Are clean comedians funny without resorting to profanity or edgy topics? Yeah, that's kind of the point! There's nothing inherently funnier about dirty or edgy comedy. Sometimes a curse word helps a joke, but if the joke can't survive without it, it's probably not a very good joke.

Sometimes the laughter comes from the shock value of a dirty word or phrase rather than from something funny or clever. That's not what we at The Ivy League of Comedy do.

Can a comedian also act as the event emcee, auctioneer, or award ceremony host?

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Most of us in The Ivy League of Comedy are also excellent emcees/hosts, and at least one of us is a trained auctioneer. Please ask this before we hire someone. I once showed up at a charity gig and most of the way through the show they asked me to auction off a couple of items. I'd never done it before and frankly I was a bit nervous. But I came up with some jokes that worked well for the items being auctioned.

They had me auctioning off the items that nobody bid on in the silent auction, and they were quite happy with how it worked out. I think we sold all but one, and remember that these were items that nobody had bid on.

What kind of material do you perform?

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The Ivy League of Comedy performs clean, smart comedy for corporate events, financial institutions, industry events, charity fundraisers, houses of worship, theatres and private parties. It's just what you're looking for!

How far in advance should we book?

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Typically we at The Ivy League of Comedy recommend three months in advance, but it depends on your event. If you have a last-minute need, call (don't email or text) and we'll see what we can do. In general we suggest that it's not so much about us as about giving you enough time to market your event to your audience/subscribers/congregation/donors. And three months is good for that.

If I'm booking a package show (like a multi-comic corporate showcase or theater event), do you handle all the booking coordination for every comedian, or do I negotiate separately?

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Yes, The Ivy League of Comedy gives you a complete, turn-key event. We handle it all and make it as easy for you as possible.

Can you avoid certain topics?

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Sure, but tell us in advance! No comedian wants to be about to go on stage and be handed a list of topics to avoid, and have to remember this when they're performing. The comedians from The Ivy League of Comedy have decades of experience and a lot of material on a lot of different topics.

What ages are your shows for?

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They're not for little kids, because they won't understand the show and they'll get bored. Our best estimate is 14 and up, with the proviso that a 14 year old probably won't appreciate the show as much as the adults will. But in general we at The Ivy League of Comedy try to avoid cultural references that only certain groups or ages will understand.

What if the comic gets sick?

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So far in more than two decades running The Ivy League of Comedy a comic getting sick has happened only a few times (we're healthy people- we get a lot of sleep). We have a roster of good, responsive comedians so when it has happened we got someone else very quickly. If a comedian cancels, I never want to be accused of bait-and-switch so I will try to get someone at least a little more famous, even if I lose money on it.

And here is something we do that no one else does- and it's in my contract. My contract says that if we show up with fewer comedians than the contract calls for, we will endeavor to give you the same length and quality of show, but will pro-rate the fee based on the number of comedians. What that means is, if it's a 90 minute, 3 comic show, and someone gets sick at the last minute, we will give you the same 90 minute show but you'll pay only 2/3 of the price. That's one great benefit of my working with true headliners- we can all perform top quality material for much longer than we're expected to.

Many, many more FAQ on having a comedy show