Book clean comedians for your Kentucky charity fundraising event, corporate or industry function, golf club and more! Live or virtual stand-up comedy.
You’ve seen us on TV! Here are just some of the many great comedians available to hire for Kentucky clean stand-up comedy shows. A more comprehensive list of comedians is here. Also great to book for Theatres and Performing Arts Centers, Team-building Exercises & Off-sites, Government & Military Groups, Fraternal & Service Organizations, Alumni Groups, Law Firms, Awards Dinners, Golf and Country Clubs and even Private Parties. We’re surprisingly affordable to hire and advice is free.
Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green, Owensboro, Covington, Frankfort and of course the rest of the whole state! We’ll drive, walk, fly, bicycle or even take one of those weird old-fashioned railroad track hand carts we’ve only seen in the movies. Wherever you are, when you book us we’ll come to you!
More information on corporate comedy shows
Carmen Lynch
Comedian Carmen Lynch grew up in Virginia & Spain and performs in both English and Spanish.
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.
Click to book Carmen Lynch or call or text (914) It’s Funny (914 487-3866).
Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green, let’s get the jokes flowing. Give us a call. How about clean corporate or charity standup comedy shows for Owensboro, Covington and Frankfurt? Yes, you too. We’ll make you laugh but you need to take the first step. We’re happy to answer any questions you might have. Just please don’t tell us jokes. It’s supposed to be the other way around.
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!
Click to book Moody McCarthy or call or text (914) It’s Funny (914 487-3866).
Jon Fisch
Jon has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Late Show with David Letterman, has been featured in Maxim Magazine, and was the host of the widely popular podcast, “In the Tank”. A prolific monologist with universal appeal, Jon focuses on the idiosyncrasies of city living. Shortly after moving to NYC from his native Boston, he was chosen as one of Comedy Central’s Fresh Faces of Comedy and named one of Back Stage Magazine’s 10 Standout Stand-ups.
His appearance on Last Comic Standing 4, where he was the New York City Capital One Audience Favorite, earned him wide recognition and a new legion of fans. His other TV appearances include Comedy Central’s Premium Blend, VH1, Celebrity Apprentice, and 3 Men and a Chick Flick on the WE Network where he served as a host. Interestingly, the credit people seem most impressed by was that he was handpicked to open for Jerry Seinfeld in 2009 at Gotham Comedy Club.
Jon has performed at multiple festivals including the 2007 HBO Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen and the 2010 Great American Comedy Festival at the Johnny Carson Theatre in Norfolk, Nebraska. In addition, he was a critical favorite at the prestigious Montreal “Just for Laughs” Festival where he appeared in both the “New Faces” showcase and the Club Series show “Dating It.” Following his impressive performances, Jon was singled out by the Hollywood Reporter and the Montreal Gazette as a “stand out performer.”
Jon also tours the country performing in theaters and colleges, corporate events and clubs. A staple in the NYC scene, he is a favorite at Gotham Comedy Club, the Comedy Cellar, and the World Famous Comic Strip Live.
Book Jon Fisch or call or text (914) It’s Funny (914 487-3866).
Some FAQ
How much do your shows or comedians cost? +
It 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.
For a theatre show, it depends on how many seats.
For a corporate event, it also 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.
Our fee for non-profits is 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 is to call or write 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? +
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? +
Oh, absolutely. 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 the comedian’s material will be clean and safe for a corporate/religious/health care/seniors/family audience? +
That’s often a main concern. 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? +
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? +
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? +
Most of us in The Ivy League of Comedy can. 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? +
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? +
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? +
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? +
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 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? +
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? +
So far in more than two decades running The Ivy League of Comedy it’s 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.