Thursday, January 12th – Saturday, January 14th
Josh Johnson seems so likable and so not edgy. You’d think that there’s no way he could be funny. But you’d be wrong. His relaxed demeanor and baby face belie a wicked sense of humor that abounds with surprising observations. A favorite of Trevor Noah, Johnson is a 30something Black comedian who admits, “I have an incredibly white voice,” before explaining in one memorable joke how he had to prove to a blind Black man with whom he’d collided that they were indeed the same race. He confesses that he wakes up some days feeling like he’s not Black, but rather an alien—and then sells the premise in a most subtly charming manner.
Johnson also claims that he’s not an alpha male, nor even a beta—”I’m like three before omega.” Although he has political-humor chops, as evidenced by his five-year tenure with The Daily Show and his stint writing for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Johnson excels at casual, anecdotal bits. And his views about the pandemic are sick. Johnson told spin.com, “The Daily Show has been really good for me because it’s been teaching me how to tell stories better and how to be more thoughtful and universal with my approach. We’re supposed to be poking holes in established dogma and established institutions. That’s what we do. It’s not really funny to not be subversive.”
