‘Last Comic Standing’ Turns 20: Where Are the Winners Now?
Last Comic Standing debuted 20 years ago, on June 1, 2003, as NBC started a televised search for the funniest person in America. And over the next nine seasons, comedians brought their most sidesplitting material to the reality competition.
Amy Schumer and Gabriel Iglesias competed on Last Comic Standing, as did The Daily Show correspondent Roy Wood Jr., Bob Hearts Abishola co-creator Gina Yashere, and Better Call Saul actor Lavell Crawford, but none of those familiar faces won their season.
So who did out-wit their rivals on Last Comic Standing? Scroll down to catch up with those who got the last laugh on the NBC show.
Dat Phan (Season 1)
Phan has segued into TV acting, appearing in episodes of Hawaii Five-0, The OA, and Magnum P.I. in recent years. As his website attests, he’s still on the comedy circuit, with tour dates scheduled throughout the country.
John Heffron (Season 2)
In addition to his ongoing comedy tours and corporate speaking gigs, Heffron has taken his humor to the printed page. He co-wrote the 2013 advice book I Come to You From the Future: Everything You’ll Need to Know Before You Know It! and penned the 2020 spy thriller The Holding Deal.
Alonzo Bodden (Season 3)
You may have caught Bodden on The CW’s The Great American Joke Off earlier this year. His other TV credits of late include a guest spot on the CBS comedy Ghosts last year, and he appeared in the 2020 film The Opening Act.
Josh Blue (Season 4)
Blue returned to the world of reality TV competitions in 2021 as he entered the fray of America’s Got Talent Season 16, ultimately coming in third place. He rejoined the NBC franchise this year in America’s Got Talent: All-Stars but got ousted in the preliminaries.
Jon Reep (Season 5)
Reep now hosts the Country-ish podcast, in which he chats with celebrity guests, fellow comedians, and friends from his hometown of Hickory, N.C. As an actor, his credits include the TV shows Eastbound & Down and One Mississippi and the film Into the Storm.
Iliza Shlesinger (Season 6)
Shlesinger has now starred in six comedy specials for Netflix, the latest of which was last year’s Iliza Shlesinger: Hot Forever. She also wrote and starred in the 2021 Netflix film Good on Paper, and she starred in a self-named sketch comedy show for Netflix in 2020.
Felipe Esparza (Season 7)
Since 2014, Esparza has hosted the podcast What’s Up Fool, in which he “talks with random people he finds interesting.” On television, the comedian has recurred on Gentefied and Superstore and made frequent appearances on The Eric Andre Show.
Rod Man (Season 8)
Since his time on Last Comic Standing, Rod Man has continued touring the country, with shows upcoming from coast to coast. “I have some fun with what I see and think,” he told The Spokesman-Review last year. “It’s a funny and strange world.”
Clayton English (Season 9)
After the show, English joined the writing staff of the Peacock series A.P. Bio and reprised his recurring role as Peanut on the BET revival of Tyler Perry’s House of Payne. He also recurred as Grills in the Disney+ Marvel series Hawkeye and joined Will Smith in the Roku stand-up comedy series This Joka.
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