Comic Kathleen Madigan calls her career ‘that little engine that could’

Kathleen Madigan is a veteran stand-up comic who knows what she’s good at and hasn’t wandered too far off the mark. She doesn’t pursue acting gigs, host game shows or writebooks.

She does do a weekly podcast, which gives her an excuse to talk more conversationally about whatever is on her mind, be it cats or beer or food. (She isn’t really political.)

Now 60, Madigan remains a reliable storyteller with a down-to-earth, amiable style that never feels forced. She returns Saturday to the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre for her third stop since 2022. Tickets on Ticketmaster begin at $55.70.

“Atlanta’s been great to me,” Madigan said in a recent interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I don’t have to worry hustling around doing 1,000 promotional videos. There are just a few rows left in the upper deck. We’ll probably sell out. People always leave happy.”

She continues to work continuously because she said it keeps her comedically sharp.

“My career has been that little engine that could,” Madigan said. “It’s been a slow build and now the slot machine is paying off. I make good money.”

Over the years, she has progressively moved to larger venues in Atlanta: “I spent all these years climbing the ladder. I hope I can stay here for awhile and not fall backward. I don’t want to be 69 working the Funny Bone. I’d rather bartend.”

Comedian Kathleen Madigan throws out the ceremonial first pitch before a Chicago Cubs in 2023. (Paul Beaty/AP)

She feels as strong as ever on stage, but “I have less patience with the travel BS. That’s definitely my age showing. Some of these younger comics will take eight stops on Southwest to get somewhere. I’m going direct! I just need a nice easy plane ride and a drink when I sit down, thank you.”

She is best friends with former Suwanee resident Ron White, who now resides in Austin, Texas. He told the AJC in 2022 he was retiring but changed his mind and is now touring again, most recently stopping at the Fox Theatre last month with a surprise appearance from Atlanta’s own Jeff Foxworthy.

“Going on the road gives Ron an excuse to check out different golf courses,” Madigan said. “I told him he’d get bored just playing golf in Texas. I was right.”

Kathleen Madigan with her best friend, fellow comic Ron White, in a photo she posted on social media in 2025. (Courtesy of Kathleen Madigan)

She now lives on a farm 15 minutes from downtown Nashville, Tennessee. “I don’t recognize any of these young country singers at the golf course,” she said. “They all look alike to me unless it’s Jelly Roll. And I know Vince Gill because he’s, like, my age.”

And folks in Nashville are so used to celebrities, Madigan can stay relatively incognito: “I’m certainly not the most famous person walking in your bar tonight. I’m so short, I can scoot around and nobody pays attention.”

Her last comedy special, “The Family Thread,” came out last November on Amazon. They gave her plenty of creative freedom.

“Their only concern was I had an awful lot of jokes about my parents,” she said. “They wanted me to check with my parents so they won’t sue me. I told them I have been making fun of them for more than 30 years. I don’t think they’d get mad about it.”

In fact, she said her father “used to say sarcasm is the highest form of flattery. He loves my jokes.”

Her audience, Madigan said, is packed with “the college educated, drinkers and a lot of Catholics. I want more Latinos and Black people. I keep saying it on my podcast. A couple of young Latino girls are trying to get me more fans.”

While many comics sell VIP tickets to generate more income and meet hardcore fans, Madigan has passed on the opportunity.

“Ron says I’m leaving money on the table, but I’m not comfortable with it,” she said. “It’s weird to make people pay to meet me. If you know my act, you can usually figure out where I am in that town. Go find the Irish bar and I’m probably eating lunch there and drinking a Guinness.”

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