YouTube Launches First-Ever Comedy Week May 19-25

YouTube announced the first-ever YouTube Comedy Week, a special event from May 19 through May 25, that will showcase the best of comedy with live events, video premieres and creative collaborations from the world’s funniest people. YouTube Comedy Week will bring together the biggest names in comedy on YouTube and beyond, including Vince Vaughn, Rainn Wilson, Ryan Higa, Smosh, Sarah Silverman and Michael Cera of JASH, The Lonely Island, Seth Rogen, Tim and Eric, Nerdist, Ed Helms, Ken Jeong, Norm Macdonald, Craig Robinson, The Gregory Brothers, The Onion, CollegeHumor, Epic Meal Time, Rhett & Link, Epic Rap Battles of History, Funny or Die and more, to create a one of a kind experience for comedy fans.

A live, all-star comedy variety show kicks off YouTube Comedy Week with a global livestream on Sunday, May 19 at 5pm PT/8pm ET. Featured comedians will do a mix of stand-up, sketches and musical performances and there will be a special pre-show at 4pm PT/7pm ET. This event will be followed by a week of dedicated programming that includes live performances, new episodes from popular YouTube comedy channels, curated top ten lists from comedy stars and more.

“YouTube is the home of comedy for the next generation,” says YouTube’s VP of Marketing, Danielle Tiedt. “If you like to laugh, come join us during Comedy Week as we celebrate the best of comedy with sketches, pranks, stand-up routines, sit-down routines, parodies, blunders, fails, live shows and unexpected collaborations in a way that only YouTube can.”

Tune in at youtube.com/comedyweek starting May 19 for the week-long comedy lineup, produced in conjunction with Daniel Kellison, that includes the following talent, with more to come:

Participating Talent

• Above Average – Above Average is the comedy network that makes you laugh. Proud member of the Broadway Video family, the people who brought you SNL, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Portlandia, and 30 Rock.
• Barely Political – This channel has comedy, song parodies and sketches, including the famous “Key of Awesome”, “Rated: Awesome,” and “Barely Guys!”
• Beardyman – The two-time UK Beatbox Champion, King of Sound, Ruler of Beats and Destroyer of Dance Floors.
• Craig Robinson – Stand-up comedian and actor from The Office, Pineapple Express and Hot Tub Time Machine.
• CollegeHumor – Original and funny videos from CollegeHumor, one of the most popular comedy sites. Enjoy CollegeHumor’s award-winning sketches, animations, music videos and web series, delivered right to your (digital) doorstep—like the paper!
• Ed Helms – Stars in The Hangover Part III and The Office.
• Epic Meal Time – They make your dreams come true with recipes like Whiskey Syrup Bacon Pancakes…and then they eat them. You’ve never seen more calories on a plate.
• Epic Rap Battles of History (ERB) – Maker Studios’ record-breaking series created by Peter Shukoff (aka Nice Peter) and Lloyd Ahlquist (aka EpicLLOYD), features comedic altercations between historical and pop culture figures in a rap music format.
• Eric Andre – Comedian and host of The Eric Andre Show on Adult Swim.
• FIDLAR – Hailing from LA, Elvis Kuehn, Max Kuehn, Zac Carper and Brandon Schwartzel make up the members of this skater punk rock band.
• Fine Brothers – Comedy from filmmaking brothers Benny and Rafi who created the popular “React” and “My Music” series.
• Funny Or Die (FOD) – Founded in 2007 by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, Funny or Die makes really funny videos that feature your favorite comedians and celebrities.
• Garfunkel & Oates – American comedy-folk duo from Los Angeles, consisting of actress-songwriters Kate Micucci and Riki Lindhome.
• Grace Helbig – Grace Helbig’s DailyGrace channel is a daily vlog series and part of the My Damn Channel Network.
• Gregory Brothers – Maker Studios’ American musical group and creators of viral music videos “Auto-Tune the News,” “Bed Intruder Song,” “Double Rainbow Song” and “Oh My Dayum!”
• Hannibal Buress – New York based stand-up comedian and co-star of The Eric Andre Show on Adult Swim.
• Improv Everywhere – A New York City-based prank collective that causes scenes of chaos and joy with massively organized pranks in public places. Created in 2001 by Charlie Todd, Improv Everywhere has executed over 100 missions involving tens of thousands of undercover agents.
• JASH – A comedy collective featuring original content by partners Michael Cera, Tim & Eric, Sarah Silverman, Reggie Watts and producer Daniel Kellison (Jimmy Kimmel, David Letterman) with additional contributions from their many friends.
• Jeff Ross – The New York Friars’ Club Roastmaster General and stand-up comedian.
• Jenny Slate – Saturday Night Live actor and creator of the Marcel the Shell With Shoes On short films and book.
• Jerrod Carmichael – Stand-up comedian and writer of sketch comedy show Loiter Squad on Adult Swim.
• Justin Willman – Magician and host of Cupcake Wars on Food Network and Scrabble Showdown on The Hub.
• KassemG – Interviews and sketch comedy from Kassem Gharaibeh of Maker Studios. Some of it’s good.
• Ken Jeong – Star of the Hangover Part III and Community.
• Comedy Central’s Key & Peele – Sketch comedy series from Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele.
• Michael Cera – Superbad and Juno star, and one of the founders of the JASH channel.
• Nathan Fielder – Comedian and creator/star of the docu-reality comedy series Nathan For You on Comedy Central.
• Nerdist – Founded by comedian Chris Hardwick, the Nerdist Channel is the nexus of all things pop-culture and comedy in the Nerdverse, beaming content covering everything from comics to gaming and tech to movies and TV right to your eyeholes.
• Norm Macdonald – Host of Norm Macdonald Live on the Video Podcast Network and Saturday Night Live alum.
• Pete Holmes – Comedian and host of an upcoming late night talk show produced by Conan O’Brien that will debut on TBS this fall.
• Rainn Wilson – Actor from The Office and founder of the SoulPancake channel, where Wilson and his friends (Kid President!) invite you to open your heart without feeling like an idiot.
• Reggie Watts – Comedian and musician on IFC’s comedy series Comedy Bang Bang and one of the founders of the JASH channel.
• Rhett & Link – Comedy from the entertaining duo of Rhett & Link.
• Ryan Higa – Creator and YouTube star of the Nigahiga channel and co-founder of the YOMYOMF Network, along with Fast Six director Justin Lin.
• Sarah Silverman – Comedian and writer from The Sarah Silverman Program and one of the founders of the JASH channel.
• Seth Rogen – Actor, comedian and writer of Superbad, Pineapple Express and The Watch who will make his directorial debut with co-screenwriter Evan Goldberg in This is the End.
• Smosh – The most subscribed channel on YouTube, showcasing the talents of comedy duo Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla.
• The Lonely Island – The Lonely Island are Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone. They’ve been making videos together since September of 2000.
• The Onion – America’s Finest News Source. Believe at your own risk!
• Three Loco – American comedy hip hop group composed of Andy Milonakis, Simon Rex (Dirt Nasty), and Jody Christian (Riff Raff).
• Tig Notaro – Stand-up comedian and host of the podcast Professor Blastoff.
• Tim & Eric – Stars of the popular series Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! on Adult Swim and one of the founders of the JASH channel.
• Tummy Talk – Three percussionists who like to get down on the beats with a man’s tummy.
• Vince Vaughn – Writer, producer and actor in the upcoming film, The Internship, co-starring Owen Wilson.

YouTube is the world’s most popular online video community allowing more than a billion people to discover, watch and share originally created videos. YouTube provides a forum for people to connect, inform and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform for original content creators and advertisers large and small. YouTube, LLC is based in San Bruno, Calif., and is a subsidiary of Google Inc.

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