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EVERYTHING'S A LOT. COMEDY HELPS: WHAT TO WATCH IF YOU REALLY NEED TO LAUGH RIGHT NOW

Let’s be real: the world is a dumpster fire. Somewhere between the bad news alerts, the group chat spirals, and the low-grade dread humming in the background of everyday life these days, joy starts to feel like an indulgence instead of a need. But humor has always been a go-to survival tactic—especially in hard times. It’s not about denial; it’s about relief. About finding a pocket of air when everything feels too tight.


One of the coolest things about comedy today, IMO, is how it’s expanding to include new forms. I love seeing standup comedians (sometimes in person, but mostly by watching their streamable specials on the couch while wearing sweats and drinking wine), but I also love discovering new funny people who are changing the comedy landscape by starting their own comedy podcasts or bringing their lol-worthy acts to TikTok and Instagram.


The comedians on this list all had different career paths, but they share one crucial thing in common: they are hilarious, and you will be laughing by the end of this list. You're welcome.




Streaming on: Netflix



In Single Lady, Ali Wong returns with a sharper, freer energy—older and wiser and with absolutely nothing to prove. Two years prior, Wong got divorced from her husband of nearly a decade. What followed was a carnal rumspringa Wong now narrates in the same gleefully graphic detail she once applied to the birth of her first child. It’s looser, more reflective, and still very, very funny. In her fourth, self-directed hour, all guardrails are off.


Streaming on: HBO Max



You might recognize Atsuko Okatsuka’s by her immaculate bowl cut. Or as the creator of the Drop Challenge. Now she's battling an intruder. The Intruder blends surreal physical comedy with stories about family, immigration, and emotional resilience. The comic-actor also dishes on the futile art of trying to impress a teenager, attending a "Magic Mike Live" show with her grandmother, and the alarming reactions she and her husband had to the unwanted presence of an intruder.


Streaming on: Disney+/Hulu



Bob the Drag Queen started in the werk room, but that was just the beginning. This Is Wild showcases Bob’s unparalleled ability to blend stand up comedy, crowd work, and music, all while entertaining audiences with the charisma and flair they're renowned for. It's big, political, glamorous, and unapologetically fun, blending cultural commentary with major theatricality. What more could you want.


Streaming on: Netflix



If you're a woman of certain age, this one'll hit real close to home. The special centers around Leslie Jones looking back at earlier versions of herself—from trying to seduce Prince to battling sleep apnea. It works because Jones is just so good at measuring the distance between where she was and where she is now. And she’s especially good at pointing out the absurdity of both.


Streaming on: Netflix



Filmed at Radio City, this special is big, buoyant, and full of warmth. Michelle Buteau talks going viral, raising twins, and the lows of getting high in this herstory-making special. Buteau is enjoying herself up there. Her fans are enjoying themselves. And Lenny Kravitz is following and liking her Instagram posts. It's a win for everybody.


Streaming on: Netflix



Karens gone wild. Cat funerals. Trying to hook up during lockdown. Nicole Byer gets delightfully down and dirty in her first solo comedy special. For about an hour, Byer offers up her own comedy confections in the form of everything from dating confessionals to revelations about her interactions with White people to twerking class to J.K. Rowling. Of course, she understood the assignment. And yes, you could also say, she nailed it.


Streaming on: Netflix



Wanda Sykes has been a full-time comedian since the ‘90s, and in her decades in the business, she’s done a lot. She’s appeared on Def Comedy Jam, wrote for The Chris Rock Show, hosted a late-night talk show and hosted the Academy Awards. Now, the icon is sounding off on parenting with her French wife, the perils of public bathrooms, and why she's tired of going high when others go low. (Sorry, Michelle)


Streaming on: HBO Max



The Insecure star brings down the Howard Theatre while she celebrates her Nigerian-American upbringing and discusses her journey from pre-med to comedy star. Interspersed with vibrant, personal footage shot in Nigeria, Yvonne's native home, the show takes an intimate, hilarious look at being Yvonne—from a haggling addiction to having her phone tapped by her parents as a kid to the fine line between cursing people out and putting curses on them.


Streaming on: Disney+/Hulu



Zarna Garg’s comedy is built around generational clashes, marriage truths, and the hilarity of immigrant family logic. Practical People Win feels refreshing in its clarity—observational, self-assured, and deeply relatable. Zarna Garg is bringing the heat (and the guilt trips), taking aim at husbands, kids, in-laws, and anyone who dares question an Indian mom's wisdom.


Streaming on: Paramount+



Ok, this isn't a stand-up special. But that makes it all the more deserving of a spot on this list. Ziwe launched her career on YouTube as a performer and writer. She’s co-hosted podcasts and conducted viral Instagram interviews that led directly to her variety show, Ziwe, where she got to show off her confrontational yet hilarious interview skills.



Look, these specials don’t offer solutions. To anything. What they offer instead is relief—moments of levity that help you reenter the world feeling a little less weighed down.


I think it's so important to keep reminding ourselves that joy isn’t a distraction from reality; it’s a way of staying present inside it. Because sometimes laughter is the only thing that makes the day manageable. And honestly? That’s reason enough to press play.

 
 
 

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