Charting the trajectory of a comedy career is about more than just seeing a comic crush in front of a few crowds or glibly scrolling through their TikTok clips. Like the career of comedy itself, it’s all about identifying the energy they bring into the room when they hit the stage night over night for weeks, months, years while they hone their craft. There’s a skill to picking out which up-and-coming talent is really poised to make a mark on the stand-up world, whether they’re performing on a dead night for a handful of drunks or taking a bow in front of a roaring theater crowd. To help you figure out which comics in L.A. you’ll want to keep an eye on, we’ve tapped the expertise of some of the city’s most seasoned bookers from major comedy clubs to alt shows to bring us this list of 15 up-and-coming comics to watch. (Some of whom you may see working the door, not just the stage.)
Tacarra Williams IG: @tacarracomedy
Tacarra Williams is one of the most genuinely likable comedians out right now. Every woman wants to hang out and have brunch with her, and every man wants to date her. Even the younger generation of girls love her hilarious impressions of her teenage daughter. She makes her family come alive in her jokes and reminds us all that we’re living the same life dealing with kids, dating and everyday struggles. — Lani Crooks, booker of “Chocolate Sundaes Comedy Show” at Hollywood Laugh Factory
Ron G IG: @comedianrong
Ron G is one of the greatest entertainers in the world. If you’ve seen him host “Chocolate Sundaes,” you know exactly what I mean. He can get a 22-year-old Black dude from Compton to rock out, and he can get an 80-year-old grandma to twerk on stage. But most importantly, he makes sure that every single person leaving the show has a positive, memorable experience. — L.C.
Steve Furey IG: @scubastevefurey
Ex-door guy at the [Comedy] Store and now a paid regular. . Incredible writer. Very consistent. Very polished. Hilarious. Got very far on Netflix’s “Funny AF,” a stand-up comedy competition created and hosted by Kevin Hart, and has now got some well-deserved fans and followers. — Roze Lleshi, booker for the Comedy Store
Willie Simon IG: @williesimoncomedy
Ex-door guy and now another paid regular at the Store. Originally from Hawaii. He flew through the door program we have at the club and got passed as a regular a few years ago. I’d consider him a prodigy. So funny, goofy but no corn. He also has great writing skills. Part of a fun online sketch group “Almost Friday” and also doing a pod with Steve Furey. — R.L.
Joe Marrese IG: @joemarrese
The captain of the door guys at the Store who recently became a paid regular. He’s so unique and has such a fun style of comedy. From Chicago. Obsessed with his video clip series “Joe Eats” online. I always make sure to watch his sets. He’s one of those guys that everyone will have an impression of by the end of his performance. — R.L.
Taylor Bos IG: @taylorbos
So funny, original and hard-hitting. He rings every bell when he’s on stage. He was a door guy at the Store who recently became a paid regular. He was a hit on “Kill Tony” Episode No. 746. An incredible visual artist, he’s known for his painting of the late Mitzi Shore that sits in the “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast studio. — R.L.
Angie Stroud IG: @angiestro
Door girl at the Store who is an incredible writer. Very young and only a few years in, but consistently funny and writing new jokes. Destroys on stage during our weekly “Roast Battle” competition on Tuesdays in the Belly Room where comedians face off in a brutally funny one-on-one insult slug fest. She’s opened for David Spade, Iliza Shlesinger and the “Bad Friends” podcast. Her stand-up has also been featured on Netflix is a Joke Radio and livestreaming event platform Veeps. — R.L.
Kat Bird IG: @katbirdcomedy
Former door girl at the Store and an L.A. native. She is a joke-writing machine already even though she’s only been doing stand-up for three years. The energy at her shows is always upbeat and positive with some surprise darkness woven into her jokes. She’s a hit on Bobby Lee’s podcast “TigerBelly.” Right now Kat is headlining on her own and also opens for Lee, Andrew Santino, Marc Maron and Iliza Shlesinger. Her Don’t Tell Comedy special came out earlier this year. — R.L.
Dvontre Coleman IG:@dvontrecoleman
Great deadpan style and execution, comes across like a very seasoned prodigy even though he’s only three years in. Dvontre is also a door guy at the Store. He was just recently on Netflix’s “Funny AF” and opens for Santino and Nick Kroll. He was also on New Faces’ Just For Laughs 2025 and has performed at festivals across North America, including Moontower, SF Sketchfest and the Flyover Comedy Festival. Outside of L.A., he’s garnered attention in New York City, San Francisco. — R.L.
Maddi Mays IG: @maddimays
Maddi is a complete crowd favorite who’s fearless up there — she owns her truth, weaves in her background and delivers every time. I’ve booked her since she first landed in L.A. from Houston and watching her explode into a star has been incredible. Before becoming a stand-up comic, she worked as a former TV costume designer/illustrator (“Dollface,” Peacock’s “Bust Down,” HBO’s “Pause With Sam Jay”). She’s featured at Netflix Is A Joke Festival and New York Comedy Festival and performs all over the country and opened for Marlon Wayans, Ralph Barbosa, Kam Patterson and the late great Ken Flores. With millions of online views across sketches and stand-up. Fan-favorite recurring guest host on “The FatFish Podcast.” — Nichelle Murdock, booker for “Crack ’Em Up Thursdays” at the Comedy Store
Macey Isaacs IG: @maceyisaacs
Originally from Austin, Texas, Macey came to Malibu for college in 2010. After college, she jumped into stand-up comedy. She’s an effortlessly dry, say-it-like-it-is comic with an impeccable ability to twist the way we see the world. She was on Netflix’s “Funny AF” with Kevin Hart and was plucked to open for Chelsea Handler. Her home club is the Crow in Santa Monica, where she ran her “Picture Day” show for four years and regularly hosts and headlines. She makes deeply unhinged topics feel completely universal. Her jokes about emotionally tough topics like miscarriage feel like your story, yet you never see the twist at the end of her joke coming. Macey is both a comic’s comic and an audience favorite. — Nicole Blaine, owner/booker at the Crow
Ainsley Bailey IG: @ainsley.xo
Ainsley turns the darkest personal experiences (like having too many daily meds and diagnoses, including being allergic to bananas) into the most perfect and surprisingly relatable jokes. She offers fresh takes on subjects most comics won’t even dare to tackle. Ainsley has a reputation for being a festival darling. She hit the comedy festival scene in 2024 as a standout comic at the Bergamot Comedy Fest at the Crow, which is known for discovering up-and-coming talent. She’s continued to develop her chops at the Crow, the Comedy Store and the Improv. She earned a coveted spot as a new face for Just For Laughs this summer. Earlier this month, she made her late-night TV debut on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” — N.B.
Curtis Cook IG: @curtiscookcomedy
Curtis is a big, loud, disarming presence. Which also makes him a Trojan horse for some pretty subversive ideas. His writing is so creative and original that it borders on poetic. And if you put him anywhere on any lineup, he’s probably going to have the best set of the night. And he’s not just funny on stage; he’s also a WGA Award-nominated writer who has written for the recent reboot of “Crank Yankers,” the critically acclaimed “This Fool” on Hulu and the GLAAD-nominated series “American Dad” on TBS. — Mike Bridenstine, booker of Microdose Comedy
Ray Lau IG: @rayjlau
When I started booking the Ice House in May 2024, Ray didn’t have a home club, so I started booking him as much as possible. As he started building his name, I loved seeing big headliners watch him and realize they had to follow an absolute crusher. Ray is on his way to becoming a big theater act. I just booked his biggest show yet for Just For Laughs Toronto in September, where he sold out Bluma Appel Theatre, a 900-seat venue, in less than a day. His fan base is building quickly because he takes on relatable everyday occurrences, frustrations and interactions. That ability to connect with an audience makes everyone else on a lineup step up their game. — Josh Sandoval, booker at the Ice House and Just For Laughs’ New Faces showcase
Jackson Banks IG @campyjacky2
Jackson won “Set of the Night” on a Sunday at the Comedy Store, giving him a guaranteed spot on the “Potluck” open mic the next night, which led to him being hired as a door guy. And in less than two years after that, he became a paid regular at the club. I selected him as a 2026 Just For Laughs new face this year, which yielded every major agency and management company wanting to work with him. He’s a menace on stage in the best way possible, almost defying an audience to like him. There’s a ’70s rock star element to his appearance, but his rhythm on stage is that of a jazz musician never knowing what note is coming next. — J.S.
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