20 stand-up comedy acts to see this fall in Atlanta

Atlanta will be packed with a potpourri of stand-up comics this fall.

There are the old-timers who have been cracking jokes on stage since before Gen Zers were born, including Marc Maron, Chelsea Handler and Martin Lawrence.

There are comics who hail from Australia (Josh Thomas), India (Zarna Garg), Japan (Atsuko Okatsuka), Scotland (Daniel Sloss) and England (John Oliver).

Several comics are on the rise, including Ali Siddiq, who is booking arenas like State Farm for the first time, and Matt McCusker, who is moving up to Atlanta Symphony Hall after headlining shows at Helium Comedy Club in Alpharetta last year.

Then you have more unconventional shows from the likes of social media sensation Nurse John, veteran comic Maria Bamford and “Saturday Night Live” alum Fred Armisen, who will intersperse music and comedy.

Bring on the comedy veterans

Marc Maron arrives at the premiere of "Stick" on Monday, March 30, 2026, at Saban Media Center in Los Angeles. (Richard Shotwell/AP)

Marc Maron

Maron ended his popular podcast “WTF” in 2025 after 16 years, providing him more time to do the specific kind of raw, introspective stand-up that he’s been doing for more than three decades.

7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, $59.50 and up. Buckhead Theatre, 3110 Roswell Road NE, Atlanta. ticketmaster.com.

Pauly Shore is seen during Fan Expo Chicago on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Chicago. (Rob Grabowski/AP)

Pauly Shore

Pauly Shore, an actor known for campy 1990s movies like “Encino Man” and “Son in Law,” has been doing stand-up comedy since he was a teen. It helps that his mom, Mitzi Shore, owned legendary comedy club The Comedy Store in West Hollywood. He will likely bring out his surfer dude persona, “Weasel,” onstage.

7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 19, 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20; $32.99-$47.99. Helium Comedy Club, 3070 Windward Plaza, Alpharetta. atlanta.heliumcomedy.com.

Veteran stand-up comedian and actor George Wallace photographed Friday, Mar. 16, 2023, at his Buckhead home near the neighborhood where he grew up. (Ben Gray for the AJC)

George Wallace

The Atlanta native and resident, who roomed with Jerry Seinfeld in the 1970s, has been a stand-up legend for five decades, a congenial observational comic with a knack for crowd work.

5:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, $54-$72. City Winery Atlanta, 650 North Ave. NE, Atlanta, citywinery.com

Comedian Bobby Lee attends Hulu's Hularious stand-up comedy celebration at The Stand on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in New York. (Andy Kropa/AP)

Bobby Lee

The “MADtv” actor and longtime stand-up comic boosted his career in recent years through podcasting, co-hosting both “Bad Friends” with Andrew Santino and “Tiger Belly” with Khalyla Kuhn.

7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26. $57.50 and up. Tabernacle, 152 Luckie St. NW, Atlanta. ticketmaster.com.

Gary Owen, a cast member in "The House Next Door: Meet The Blacks 2," poses at the premiere of the film at Regal L.A. Live, Monday, June 7, 2021, in Los Angeles. (Chris Pizzello/AP)

Gary Owen

Owen, the first and only white host on BET’s “ComicView,” now reaches a widely diverse audience and self-funds his own YouTube channel instead of relying on streaming services like Netflix.

8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26. $58.55 and up. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta. cobbenergycentre.com

Host Chelsea Handler walks on stage during the 31st Annual Critics' Choice Awards on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, at The Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif. (Chris Pizzello/AP)

Chelsea Handler

Raunchy, brash and decidedly anti-marriage, Handler has penned seven bestselling books, hosted a recent Netflix stand-up special and has a long-established residency in Las Vegas.

8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 2, $52.50 and up. Coca-Cola Roxy, 800 Battery Avenue SE, Atlanta. ticketmaster.com

Kathy Griffin arrives at TIME Women of the Year on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in West Hollywood, Calif. (Jordan Strauss/AP)

Kathy Griffin

Griffin is still rebuilding her career after being “canceled” almost a decade ago when she was shown in a photo holding a severed head that resembled Donald Trump. She has also recuperated from lung cancer and vocal cord surgery. She is currently doing a stand-up tour dubbed “New Face, New Tour.”

7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18. $75.50 and up. Buckhead Theatre, 3110 Roswell Road NE, Atlanta, ticketmaster.com

Martin Lawrence arrives at the premiere of "Michael" on Monday, April 20, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Jordan Strauss/AP)

Martin Lawrence

Lawrence, treasured for his “Martin” sitcom and “Bad Boys” films with Will Smith, occasionally hits the road for stand-up touring, which he began doing about 40 years ago. This show will feature other notable comics such as Nate Jackson and Desi Banks.

8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5. $59.15 and up. Gas South Arena, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth. ticketmaster.com.

From overseas

Josh Thomas attends the "Please Like Me" panel at the Hulu portion of the 2017 Winter Television Critics Association press tour on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017, in Pasadena, Calif. (Vince Bucci/AP)

Josh Thomas

Hailing from Australia, Thomas first appeared stateside as an actor via Australian comedy-drama series “Please Like Me” on Pivot, followed by Freeform’s “Everything’s Gonna Be Okay.” He has since focused more on his stand-up, which embodies cheerful awkwardness and takes on neurodiversity and self-improvement.

7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23. $37.75 and up. Buckhead Theatre, 3110 Roswell Road NE, Atlanta, ticketmaster.com

An image from Netflix's "Daniel Sloss: Live Shows." (Courtesy of Netflix)

Daniel Sloss

Sloss is a Scottish comic who is willing to tackle difficult subjects like mental health, disability, toxic relationships and sexual assault. His first two specials are on Netflix, but he now releases his newer ones on his own website for a rental fee.

7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, $50.75 and up. Tabernacle, 152 Luckie St. NW, Atlanta. ticketmaster.com.

Comedian Zarna Garg attends Hulu's Hularious stand-up comedy celebration at The Stand on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in New York. (Andy Kropa/AP)

Zarna Garg

Raised in Mumbai, India, Garg refused an arranged marriage and came to the United States at age 16. After being an attorney and stay-at-home mom, the New Yorker started doing comedy at age 44 in 2019. She became a TikTok sensation during the pandemic, and her 2023 Amazon special “One in a Billion” led to a theater tour.

6:30 p.m. (sold out) and 9:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18, $46.35 and up, Buckhead Theatre, 3110 Roswell Road NE, Atlanta. livenation.com

John Oliver, winner of the awards for outstanding writing for a variety series and outstanding scripted variety series for "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver," poses in the press room during the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (Richard Shotwell/AP)

John Oliver

“Last Week Tonight” host Oliver is squeezing in a brief five-date Southeast tour between Christmas and New Year’s Day because he likes to hit the road when his show isn’t recording. Stand-up is his “favorite place to be,” he told CBS News.

7 p.m., Monday, Dec. 28, $85.50 and up, Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, foxtheatre.org

On the rise

Ali Siddiq arrives at a special screening of "The Machine" on Thursday, May 25, 2023, at the Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles. (Richard Shotwell/AP)

Ali Siddiq

Siddiq’s biography may not sound funny, but the Houston native has mined humor from his time selling crack cocaine, being shot at, stabbed and kidnapped in the trunk of his own car. He has built his massive following organically with YouTube specials and social media.

7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16. $80.70 and up. State Farm Arena, 1 State Farm Drive, Atlanta, ticketmaster.com

Atsuko Okatsuka arrives at The Walt Disney Company's Emmy Season Toast to TV on Monday, April 27, 2026, at the Soho House Holloway in West Hollywood, Calif. (Jordan Strauss/AP)

Atsuko Okatsuka

Born in Japan, Okatsuka moved to Los Angeles as an immigrant and used humor to help her mom, who was struggling with mental health challenges. Margaret Cho inspired Okatsuka to get into stand-up in 2008, and with her absurd bowl cut and deadpan delivery, she broke big in 2022 via TikTok and an HBO special.

7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, $50.75 and up. Tabernacle, 152 Luckie St. NW, Atlanta. ticketmaster.com.

Matt McCusker during a Netflix special, "A Humble Offering," from 2025. (Courtesy of Netflix)

Matt McCusker

McCusker, known for his conversational style and absurdist philosophical musings, found an audience with a popular podcast that still tapes new episodes. A 2025 Netflix special elevated his popularity.

8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, $45.55 and up, Atlanta Symphony Hall, 1280 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, ticketmaster.com

Gianmarco Soresi on 2023's "Verified Stand-Up." (Courtesy of Marcus Russell Price/Netflix)

Gianmarco Soresi

A would-be Broadway actor, Soresi transitioned to scripted acting, then stand-up a decade ago. His online crowd work drew millions of views, and by 2024, he began touring theaters. The New York Times last year praised his “silkily feline physicality and frenetic gesticulation.”

7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11, limited tickets available, Buckhead Theatre, 3110 Roswell Road NE, Atlanta. ticketmaster.com.

Off the beaten path

Canadian-Filipino Nurse John (real name: John Dela Cruz) is coming to Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta Sept. 12 for a stand-up show. (Courtesy of Christopher James)

Nurse John

Filipino-Canadian John Dela Cruz (aka Nurse John) was a frontline nurse in Montreal during the COVID-19 pandemic who created funny TikTok videos as a way to relieve the pressure and became a viral sensation. In 2024, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue stand-up, performing at Buckhead Theatre last year before moving to the larger Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre this year.

8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, $61.45 and up, Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta. ticketmaster.com.

Fred Armisen arrives at the premiere of "Nimrods" on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, at the Hollywood American Legion Post 43 in Los Angeles. (Richard Shotwell/AP)

Fred Armisen

The quirky “SNL” and “Portlandia” star kicks off his fall tour in Atlanta, blending his love for music with his signature brand of offbeat humor.

7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3. $46.25 and up. Tabernacle, 152 Luckie St. NW, Atlanta. ticketmaster.com

Adam Ray attends the world premiere of "Second Act" at Regal Union Square Stadium 14 on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018, in New York. (Evan Agostini/AP)

Adam Ray

Ray is a skilled impressionist who broke through imitating Dr. Phil in 2019, which led to his 2024 Netflix special “Adam Ray is Dr. Phil Unleashed.” He likes to keep his shows loose, heavily interacting with the crowd to generate laughs.