The argument about whether you can associate comedy with a particular people can be very long, but we know that there are people who have more comic stars than others like the Jewish people. For a very long time, we have seen many famous Jewish stand-up comedians dominate the stages with jokes that are sometimes clean, sometimes dirty, but always funny. Collecting just 12 famous Jewish stand-up comedians is no small feat because there are so many of them that no matter how hard you try, you’ll always end up leaving some great ones.
Famous Jewish comedians
1. Jerry Seinfeld
Considered one of the greatest stand-up comedians of all time, Jerry Seinfeld is of Jewish, Hungarian and Syrian descent. He started his career as a stand-up comedian when he was in college before moving into television. He had his show, Stand-Up Confidential which started running on HBO in 1987. In 1999, he released his album, I’m Telling You for the Last Time
Besides being a great stand-up comedian, Jerry is also an actor, writer, director, and producer who has worked on many things including the sitcom Seinfeld which works with Larry David.
Not only is he one of the famous Jewish stand-up comedians, but he is also one of the richest comedians in the world with an estimated net worth of nearly $1 billion.
2. Jon Stewart
After 16 years as host of Comedy Central ‘s The Daily Show, Jon Stewart retired in 2015 leaving a very big shoe for South African comedian Trevor Noah. Beyond the spectacle that many doubted there would be any to handle better than Stewart, he’s generally one of the most famous comedians around.
Besides general comedy, Jon Stewart has done his fair share of stand-up comedy, which is actually what he started his career with since the 1980s. other serious problems.
Born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz into a Jewish family who emigrated to the United States, the comedian had a distant relationship with his father, which caused him to drop his last name for his middle name after considering choosing the maiden name of his mother.
3. Sarah Silverman
Somewhere at the top, you’ll almost always find Sarah Silverman who can be really tough on her jokes and sometimes dry, but never unfunny. Once a Saturday Night Live writer and performer , Silverman is also a producer and actress who has 2 Primetime Emmy Awards to her name.
When she was fired from SNL early in her career, she revealed that it hurt her, but that was only her rebirth as since then, she revealed that nothing more could break her.
With an on-going career since 1990, Sarah is definitely a favorite as she is not afraid to tackle highly controversial topics as she believes comedians should express themselves in a way they feel is appropriate.
4. Jackie Mason
Mason was raised in a strict Orthodox Jewish family as one of six children. He grew up to be one of the funniest and wittiest comedians of his generation. It’s not without reason that he’s been listed as one of the greatest stand-up comedians of all time by Comedy Central.
When it comes to solo shows, Mason is a name to never forget as he holds the record for the longest running one-man show on Broadway. He has won many awards such as a Special Tony Award and an Emmy Award for his shows.
In a career that spanned over 6 years and decades, he’s seen controversy, and all the ups and downs that come with being a comedian. Born Yacov Moshe Maza, he is also a film and television actor.
5. Amy Schumer
Schumer is entirely in his own class as far as comedy is concerned. Not necessarily one of the ones you would consider the oldest in the business, having only started in the 2000s, it has nevertheless become one of the best.
Born to a Jewish father and a mother of Protestant descent, she was raised Jewish. A class clown in high school, Amy has also made a name for herself as an actress. In 2007, she appeared as a contestant on NBC’s competition series Last Comedy Standing
The comic book star was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2015. His comedy mostly revolves around gender inequality, sex and relationships in general in a way very fearless.
6. Adam Sandler
The mostly comedy films that Adam Sandler stars in have already grossed over $2 billion at the box office. But other than that, the man is among the best Jewish stand-up comedians we’ve seen. Let’s face it, there were times when we all wondered if he was really funny, but he always comes back to show us how the joke is on us.
A teenage member of BBYO, a movement that seeks to give Jewish teenagers a Jewish experience, he is most popular for the many films he has appeared in, but as a stand-up comedian he has also done well since his They will all laugh at you! comedy album from 1993 to shows such as its 100% fresh on Netflix.
7. Joan Rivers
Years after his death, Joan Rivers is stillremains one of the most famous Jewish comedians. Of Russian and Jewish descent, the actress, comedian and television host, producer and writer was born Joan Alexandra Molinsky in 1933.
She had a career that spanned from 1959 to 2014 when she died. Her career, like that of most other comedians, has seen a lot of controversy just as she has had a lot of laughs. Rivers became the first woman to host late night when in 1986 she hosted The Late Show with Joan Rivers after which she went on to host The Joan Rivers Show from 1989 to 1993.
It was named as one of the 50 greatest comics of all time by Rolling Stone and it was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2017.
8. Chelsea Handler
And there’s also Chelsea Handler, who has become one of the most sought-after actresses. She is also an actress, writer, television host and producer, and she has also been involved in activism.
One of the things that made her such a great actress is her versatility and sheer intelligence in her arts. Not only has she conquered the stage, but she has also done so in films and television shows, as well as in books.
She has her own shows on Netflix such as ‘Chelsea Does’, ‘Chelsea’ and ‘Uganda Be Kidding Me Live’.
9. Roseanne Barr
One of the things that would make Roseanne Barr always special is that unlike many Jewish stand-up comedians and in fact many other comedians before her, including Joan Rivers, is that while the others mostly thrived on cracking jokes on their sometimes belittling appearance, it took a completely different turn focusing on different issues, even though it started with topics about herself as a working-class housewife.
The comedian, actress, writer and television producer was born in 1952 and raised in an Orthodox Jewish family. She started stand-up comedy in 1980 before moving on.
10. Seth Rogen
Born April 15, 1982, Seth Rogen is a stand-up comedian who is also an actor, writer, director, and producer. One of the most famous Jewish comedians, he started out as a teenager before later moving into acting and other things. He grew up in Canada before later moving to the United States.
With an ongoing career professionally since 1999, Seth started his stand-ups at the age of 13. At the time, he was sharing the stage with comedians who were twice his age on the local comedy club circuit. Among the films he has worked on as an actor, director or producer are the highly acclaimed The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005), You, Me and Dupree (2006) and The Guilt Trip (2012).
11. David Cross
Cross is also an actor, writer and director, but it is as a stand-up comedian that he is best known. He started his comedy career from the age of 17 and has never looked back since, having had a number of comedy albums and appearing in numerous movies and TV shows. Although he was raised Jewish, the comedian is now an atheist.
David Cross has been around since 1990 and his comedy mostly revolves around politics and satire.
12. Don Rickles
Born in 1926, Don Rickles was another Jewish-bred stand-up comedian who was best known among the older generation. Until his death in 2017, Don continued to be active in his web series, Dinner With Don
He was probably one of the most popular comic book stars of his time. He has also covered topics like observational comedy and improvisational comedy on the border between religion, racism and everyday life.
Because of his influence as a stand-up comedian, there was a TV special, One Night Only: A Tribute to Don Rickles that brought together some stars to celebrate him in 2014 on his 88th birthday.