If you wanted to watch a stand-up comedy special a decade ago, you likely had to wait for something to show up on Comedy Central or HBO. But over the last ten years, Netflix has become the biggest platform to feature some of the biggest names in stand-up comedy. Combine that with the fact that Netflix LOVES to flex how dominant it is when it comes to the streaming landscape, and you end up with the Netflix Is A Joke: The Festival featuring an absolutely insane list of comedians, including some surprising names that might stand out to The Playlist readers.
Today, Netflix has announced the detail about the upcoming Netflix Is A Joke: The Festival, featuring the biggest names in stand-up. The festival is expected to begin in March 2022 and run for nearly two weeks, where comedians will take over a ton of different locations in Los Angeles to perform.
The announced list of creators who are working as part of the 11-day festival includes (*deep breath*): Ali Wong, Amy Poehler, Amy Schumer, Aziz Ansari, Bert Kreischer, Bill Burr, Chelsea Handler, Chris Rock, Conan O’Brien, Cristela Alonzo, Dave Chappelle, David Letterman, Deon Cole, Eddie Izzard, Ellen DeGeneres, Felipe Esparza, Fortune Feimster, Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, Hasan Minhaj and Ronny Chieng, Iliza Shlesinger, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, Jerry Seinfeld, John Mulaney, Jonathan Van Ness, Ken Jeong, Kevin Hart, Kevin Smith, Larry David, Margaret Cho, Maya Rudolph and Gretchen Lieberum, Michael McIntyre, Mike Birbiglia, Mike Myers, and David O. Russell, Nick Kroll, Nicole Byer, Patton Oswalt, Pete Davidson, Ray Romano, Sandra Bernhard, Seth Rogen, Theo Von, Tig Notaro, Tim Robinson, Tina Fey, Wanda Sykes, and more.
Now, a couple of names pop out immediately as interesting. First, there’s obviously Dave Chappelle, who has been at the center of one of the most significant 2021 controversies involving Netflix. It probably shouldn’t be a surprise to see Chappelle being a part of the festival, given how Netflix boss Ted Sarandos has been an outspoken defendant of the comedian, despite his recent special coming under fire for transphobic jokes. Regardless, it appears Netflix isn’t willing to distance itself from Chappelle in any way publicly.
Another name that will likely stand out to eagle-eyed readers is David O. Russell, who will hit the stage with Mike Myers to do a discussion. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear the two people will have worked on anything like a short film, though Myers is attached to star in Russell’s new, untitled film. But hey, it’s interesting to see Russell appearing at a comedy festival in any capacity.
Netflix Is A Joke: The Festival is set to kick off on April 28, 2022. You can find more information on the Netflix website.