stand-up-comedians-from-the-united-states

"I think in America it is safe to do whatever you want. Hopefully we can keep it that way, but we will see with this American Taliban attitude. I just don't really care. Controversy is great for comedy and if someone really wants to seek me out on stage and gun me down or get physical over an intellectual idea being told by one man on a comedy stage what can I do about it? It certainly wouldn't help their cause and it would immortalize me. (in response to the question "Personally, I find critiquing or debunking Christianity is pretty safe—but I’m scared to go after Islam. Do you feel that as well?")"

"First off, everything is fair game. Nothing is sacred, especially the "sacred". And since the theme is critical thinking and I try to do all my jokes about things we believe without evidence, or at least in the face of scientific data they are exactly the same. There is actually probably more "evidence" of bigfoot or ghosts than there is of God. At least we have one bad 50 year old 8mm film of bigfoot and some questionable foot prints. What evidence do we have of any gods? A statue that cries tears and a warm, fuzzy feeling inside? (in response to the question "Do you think it is fair to mock religion in the same way one mocks belief in Big Foot or ghosts – are these really the same sort of phenomena?")"

"Comedy is generally based in pain and suffering, often anger or a feeling of being on the outside looking in. Comedians tend to break down life and look at things we all see or do in a unique way. Comedians are rebellious by nature. It is our job to point out inconsistencies, wrong doings, etc. and make people think and laugh about them. The experiences are generally universal and the best comedy is honest and based in reality."

"Most comedians are questioning by nature. There are a solid handful of comedians who make fun of religion that are not atheist, just not fans of religion or specific religious institutions. There are also a higher percentage of atheists per capita in comedy due to the nature of what we do."

"I am not afraid of being called an Atheist, which is the most misunderstood word. Even dictionaries seem to be written at times by people who don't understand the word. A-Theism just means to not have accepted any assertions of any gods, or to not have a god. I equate it to asexual. Asexual organisms are not against sex or mad at sex, they just do not have male/female sex or sex organs. When it is used in humans metaphorically it has a similar meaning, someone not interested in or does not have sex. I do not have any gods. I have not fostered a belief in gods, or unicorns, or fairies, etc. The only reason it exists as a word is because the majority of people do have belief in gods, so it is used as a definition to understand a position on the issue of existence of gods, in contrast to the norm."

"I think there are both valid and invalid reasons for this. First, many atheists are angry. We are one of the last groups for which is socially and legally ok to discriminate against. There are still states where atheists can't hold office. Substitute "atheist" with any other group or minority and that becomes clear. (in response to the question "Many people think of atheists as being angry. Thoughts?")"

"And so I think that has just given me a perspective of elevating my awareness and consciousness of how I want people to perceive it and receive what I’m doing, that I think gives me a greater sense of motivation and information to ground my characters in something that I feel people can actually take away with them"

"It's not self-congratulatory, it's not announcing itself, it's just accepting it as a normal reflection of our reality"

"So, it’s one of those I didn’t win but I won situations. I’m grateful for every experience and everyone I had the opportunity to meet. And just moving forward, I’ve learned to not cater to one type of crowd"

"Oh, this is a space where I have the most power in any kind of artistic lane that I’ve been able to occupy"

"Since I was a little boy huddled up next to my grandmother, television has always been my reliable friend, so it is an enormous honor for me to host this year's Emmy Awards"

"I don't think it really hits you until it's out in the world and you see how much it means to people"

"It's bigger than I am"

"I can tell you this: Art can save your life. Art can absolutely save your life. I believe it from the bottom of my heart. But believe me when I tell you that entertainment will never be your salvation, alright. Art can save your life, but entertainment, entertainment by and large is escapism"

"And that was something that changed my career because it allowed people to see me in ways that they hadn’t before, which was as a full person. You could see that I could write, you could see that I could perform, you could see that I’m funny, you’re seeing the stories that I’m telling you, which are about my life"

"I know that I can reach people of all gender expressions, of all sizes and shapes, and say, 'Hey boo, you look f—king good and you're worthy of whatever you want"

"[I'm] sick and tired of the conversation, especially in and around the arts, film and TV, of bigger bodies always having to feel very grateful that someone finds them desirable, which is just plain bullshit. ... Since the beginning of time there has been thick people who have been loved on and dicked down. It's just like, excuse me, why is this such a wild concept that somebody would love their body? And honestly, it is what we are going through today and what we've been going through also since the beginning of time. It's control. It is a mental prison. If you tell people they are not worthy ... they're going to believe you, they're not going to feel good about themselves. And I'm so tired of that"

"That's why I made my character a stylist, because I think the platform of fashion can showcase the injustices. ... It's also a good excuse to be like, 'Hey, I need a lot of money for fashion"

"So I got diagnosed with diabetes about 10 years ago. And so I started growing fresh vegetables. I only eat my vegetables"

"I know people are bummed that it won't be coming back, but it's actually such a gift to know that it is the third and final. I don't think a lot of platforms and networks give you that information all the time."

"Once I did that that one time, I was like, ‘oh, I feel like if I can do that I should do that because it keeps everything as raw and as, like, honest and interesting as possible"

"I think there’s something very beautiful and artful about seeing people pursuing their dreams, some of the barriers they face, and what they do to push through that is a very universal journey. And so I hope while they’re laughing, they’re also gleaning the human side of it.And that’s something beautiful: that combination of humor and real grounded emotions"

"I was like, Alright, so I’m doing comedy at night, and during the day, I’ll make beats and stuff"

"Wait. She just locked herself in a room, took some Vyvanse, and made an album?’ That’s me any day of the week"

"Some people feel like when they get divorced, life is over. It’s different, but it’s not over. We’ve got to get back into dating. We’ve got to get back into the world and reintroduce ourselves. We’ve got to work out"

"I want women to know—and not just women, men! Anyone going through something, because we divorce ourselves from different things in life. It’s not just necessarily a person; it could be a bad habit. It’s saying it’s okay to let go of things and still be able to move on after"

"And no one has ever escaped their chains by forgetting they were there"

"I think stage presence and recognizing the relationship with the audience have helped me in the sense that I am very conscious that this is art that I want to be consumed by people, and if that is the case, then the people should be in mind when I’m creating art"

"When we talk about mental health and making people feel good, it isn't just about how you look. It's about how you feel. And it's about how you feel in all chapters of your life"

"I'm really lucky ... that I found something I love to do, and so I don't take the responsibility lightly. We're going to blow it up ... in the best possible way."

"I think it allowed people to see me in a way they hadn’t been able to see me before because I was stepping into lots of characters and not necessarily projecting myself. Stand-up was the art form that I felt really amplified me as Dewayne, the person"

"I think the key thing is to not only be outraged, and have your emotions on a high level, you also have to really get involved with what can be done to change things"

"It’s a name that goes to show all the women out there who do stand-up, you can be beautiful on stage. You can be as sexy as you want to be on stage. You can wear your heels and do your makeup and hair and you can still go out there and be a beast in comedy"

"It just felt so democratic in a way that was really exciting to me. It felt like something I could always be low-stakes doing in the background, and whether I did something with it or not, I enjoyed doing it, so it didn’t really matter"

"I do think it's important that as a community, as a city that we understand that this is about getting some answers and getting some healing, so we're not dealing with these issues every week"

"So whether it is a piece of clothing, whether it is food, whether it is attention, whether it is sex, all of it is meant to build you up, not tear you down"

"St. Louis is a very polarizing city. It's been pretty segregated most my life. But we’ve been a city that has gotten along. It's kind of hard to see these injustices on any level where it feels like the people are now separated again along racial lines"

"Throughout the roller-coaster of a year that we have all lived through, television has helped us stay connected as a society like never before. It not only entertained us, but as it always has, it helped to open our eyes, educate us, and hopefully brought about a better understanding of who we are as a people"

"There are consequences to your actions. It may not be today or tomorrow but be mindful of what you do because there are consequences. Also, no YOLO. That “you only live once”—don’t do that, because you could die tomorrow, but what if you don’t die tomorrow? The decisions you make today could affect your tomorrow and here on out. So that’s advice I give to my students or my own kids or even just friends of mine who have this mentality of, “But I could die tomorrow!” Well, there’s a big chance you won’t, so don’t do that today. I need to listen to that myself, because I’ve been doing some stuff that I’ve been forgetting have consequences. That’s my biggest mantra is be mindful of what you do because it will come back to you eventually."

"I work out lifting heavier weights because that’s, you know, that’s what the scientists say, really help you burn the sugar before you burn the fat and I’ve gotten control over my diabetes"

"Get in relationships with people who can actually cause some change,"

"First of all, people listened to me. I could talk as much as I wanted, and they would listen. And two, it was healing. Not just for me, but for the subjects that I talk about. I was talking about going through a breakup, and there were so many women in the audience who came up to me and said, “I’m going through a breakup too,” or, “I just went through a breakup and listening to you onstage, it doesn’t feel that bad anymore.” So, there’s a healing component in stand-up that I fell in love with, just knowing that somebody is listening and walking away in a better space"

"I can’t speak about the content of the show but what I say is, there is a bigger conversation we need to have. Someone needs to look us in the eye and say, ‘You’re no longer free in this country. You’re not free to say what you want, you say what we want you to say. Otherwise we will cancel you.’ That’s the discussion we should have"

"I feel like Dave freed the slaves. The comedians, we were slaves to PC [politically correct] culture and he just, you know, as an artist he’s Van Gogh. Cut his ear off, he’s trying to tell us it’s OK. I just feel like he’s saying, ‘All that I have, I’m not afraid to lose it for the sake of freedom of speech. You can’t edit yourself. Comedians, we’re like…Mercedes makes a great car. But they gotta crash a lot of them before they perfect it"

"What keeps me up at night is that these people are siphoning all of this money—they siphon it from the government, they get benefits from the government, they get tax cuts from the government, they siphon all of this money, they siphon your wealth from you. They siphon it in wages by the fact that they don’t increase, they siphon it off, like, shrinkflation, when they act like they—they cry poor and they charge you more for less."

"In this particular time, the conversation around art and commerce is one that is very relevant.And having that conversation around the expectation of that relationship, what that relationship looks like, and the execution of trying to exist in that relationship, I think, is something that a lot of people can find relevance in and feels universal, just with existing in a capitalistic society.And as it continues to get more capitalistic, seeing how that affects art and the people that are trying to make it."

"“I’m a really bad test taker and I ended up bombing the LSATs twice and I was not able to get into a law school,” she says."

"She did the next best thing, she says. She drove to Disney World in Florida and asked if she could play the role of Goofy."

"This week we saw the horrible images and stories from Israel and Gaza, and I know what you're thinking: "Who better to comment on it than Pete Davidson?" Well, in a lot of ways, I am a good person to talk about it because when I was seven years old, my dad was killed in a terrorist attack. So I know something about what that's like. I saw so many terrible pictures this week of children suffering — Israeli children and Palestinian children. And It took me back to a really horrible, horrible place. No one in this world deserves to suffer like that, especially not kids, ya know? After my dad died, my mom tried pretty much everything she could do to cheer me up. I remember one day when I was eight, she got me what she thought was a Disney movie but it was actually the Eddie Murphy stand-up special, Delirious. We played it in the car on the way home, and when she heard the things Eddie Murphy was saying, she tried to take it away. But then she noticed something — for the first time in a long time, I was laughing again. I don't understand it, I really don't and I never will, but sometimes comedy is really the only way forward through tragedy. My heart is with everyone whose lives have been destroyed this week. But tonight, I'm gonna do what I've always done in the face of tragedy, and that's try to be funny. Remember, I said TRY."

"I like the tone of reality."