Ahoy matey! I never know how to start one of these blog posts, but it's Jacob here giving you guys my thoughts on the breakout comics of 2024. You know if you listen to the podcast that I keep my finger on the pulse of who is big and who's upcoming in the comedy world, and I pride myself on the fact that we've had a lot of people on the pod before they really blew up. I'm going to let you guys in on some secrets today as a big ole' thank you for visiting our website and reading our blog, and I'm going to go over a handful of comics who are all going to blow up in 2024. Hopefully metaphorically.
1. Sam Miller
I'm fairly certain that you probably haven't heard of Sam Miller yet, and that's OK. He's a regional comics from Olympia, Washington, which isn't even a real destination for traveling comics, let alone a breeding ground for successful headliners. However, Sam has figured out how to use these things called Facebook Reels, and through that kind of medium has propelled himself into going viral and appearing on The Bob & Tom Show, garnering national viewership. What's even more impressive is that Sam went from a full blown meth addict to a family man, and eventually used his past life as fantastic material for his act. In my mind, Sam Miller is going to have the most meteoric rise in the next year, going from complete obscurity into a touring headliner.
2. Ahren Belisle
I don't even know where to start with this guy, because Ahren Belisle checks all of the boxes to be the next big thing. First of all, he's a non-verbal comic who uses an app on his phone to tell jokes, so that's something completely new and different that no one has seen yet. Then you have the fact that he went on Kill Tony and not only crushed harder than the regulars, but out-roasted Tony Hinchcliffe and gained admiration and respect from the whole diehard fanbase. Oh, and because he's got that sweet sob story in his back pocket, he's probably about to make it at least to the finals of America's Got Talent. Ahren is just so fresh and new, and his jokes are so dirty and dark. I guarantee that he has a special come out in 2024, and a damn good one at that.
3. Sam Tallent
Sam Tallent? Isn't he already a big name in comedy? Yes imaginary reader, he is, but he's about to go to the next level. There are tons of comedy headliners that us diehards know about that can just walk down the street and go to the grocery store, because the average TikTok girl and depressed Millennial has no fucking clue who they are. Well Sam Tallent just did The Joe Rogan Experience, he just headlined sold out shows at The Comedy Mothership, and I don't even know what's next for him at this point. I do know, however, that he's about to be a household name in the comedy world. Average people don't know him right now, but whatever big moves he's making in the next year is going to place him on the map for everybody, because he's just the funniest person working in comedy right now.
4. Mike Eaton
You might remember our buddy Mike Eaton if you listen to the podcast, but then again probably not, because we did sort of an emergency Patreon episode to promote his YouTube special. What we discovered in that episode is that Mike is perhaps that funniest guest we've ever talked to on the pod. He's so naturally funny, and that translates perfectly into his stand-up. He's on the front lines of the scene in Austin right now, doing spots at all the clubs there and even doing Roast Battle on the Comedy Mothership stage. I think being on the front lines like that is going to position Mike to eventually be a door guy at Rogan's club, go out on the road opening for legends, or maybe he'll blow up with clips and podcasts and turn himself into a touring headliner. Whatever it is, this guy is destined to find success in comedy.
5. Tony Casillas
Speaking of being a door guy at Rogan's club, there's no way in hell that having that gig is not going to translate to success, especially if you're Tony Casillas. I've heard Tony referred to as "The fat door guy that everyone likes," and it seems like he's the top vote among fans to replace David Lucas as a Kill Tony regular. The fact that people know his face, know that he's funny and want to see him in big spots without even knowing his name tells me that it's only a matter of time before he amasses a following. He's constantly hosting and opening for big names like Trevor Wallace, Brian Holtzman, etc., he's always killing at the clubs in Austin, and I really think he would be one podcast or TikTok clip away from blowing up. Y'all just learn his name please, there's a lot of fat funny dudes in Austin.
6. David Lucas
Being a Kill Tony regular is a fantastic way to make a name for yourself in comedy, and David Lucas just gave up his spot because he's on to bigger and better things. He already opens for Rogan, he's toured with tons of famous talent like Brendan Schaub, and he's a regular on the big podcast circuit. So how is he going to blow up? Well David leaving Kill Tony tells me that he's about to start touring like crazy. He's going to be headlining and selling out his own shows, creating a buzz around himself with word of mouth promotion and satisfied comedy fans hyping him up, and I wouldn't be surprised if we see a special drop soon. Being one of the best roasters in the country right now, it's only a matter of time before that skill puts him on the map, just like it did for Tony Hinchcliffe.
7. Robin Tran
I've been trying to tell people about Robin Tran for years, and it makes me so happy to see her getting Netflix credits and appearing on roasts with comedy A-listers. She is a trans comic who does what comics do, and that's making fun of yourself and problems that affect you. I would venture to say that she's one of the most unique voices being heard in comedy right now, approaching relevant topics and alleviating stigmas in both the trans and comedy communities. There's this whole idea among comics right now that they're not allowed to talk about trans people or make jokes about them, but the fact of the matter is they don't know what it's like to be trans and their jokes kind of just suck. Robin approaches trans jokes from an actual lived perspective, and that's why they're such better takes than everyone else's (cough cough Chapelle). I could see Tran get her own Netflix special within the next year, or at the very least become one of the top festival and club headliners in the country.
8. Tyler Arceneaux
This might be cheating or biased a little bit considering how I've worked with this guy and I could just send him a text right now, but I genuinely think that Tyler Arceneaux is the funniest comic in the state of Louisiana. I've performed in Louisiana a bunch, I know a lot of the local comics from there, and if I had to pick one person from there to become a star it would be Tyler. He's on the level right now where the only thing he's missing is recognition. If you gave him a spot opening for any headliner in the country, he would kill it. If you gave him his own headlining spot at a club, he would kill it. I honestly can't think of a situation to put Tyler Arceneaux in where he would do less than have a good performance, and I think that if he worked on building a social media following and creating clips that he could become a national act.
9. Ralph Barbosa
If you still don't know who Ralph Barbosa is, you probably haven't been paying attention to the news for the last couple months. So first of all, this guy was getting famous based off of his own merit, performing on The Tonight Show and crushing it. Then George Lopez decides to awkwardly disrespect him on his podcast, and thousands of people are looking up this guy's stand-up. So he goes from The Tonight Show, to getting major news coverage because of George Lopez hating on him, to doing major podcasts like Flagrant and major tours like Bert Kreischer's Fully Loaded. He's rubbing elbows with the likes of Andrew Schulz and Bert Kreischer, and I think next year is going to be his time to breakout into the mainstream.
10. Ariel Elias
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