Keep Austin Funny: SXSW Comedy Festival Reveals Initial Lineup

AUSTIN, TEXAS We could all use a few laughs in these uncertain times. Fortunately, the SXSW Comedy Festival on Tuesday announced its initial lineup for 2019, offering myriad opportunities to express the full range of joy — from mere chuckles to full-fledged, rib-shaking guffaws.

To that laughter-inducing end, South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference and Festivals (March 8-17, 2019) has announced an initial list of SXSW Comedy Festival participants and shows. "Collaborating with some of today’s most vital comedic institutions, the festival has curated an all-star lineup of emerging and seasoned comedians," festival organizers wrote in a press advisory in all seriousness.

"The roster — including stand-up showcases, improv performances, conversations, podcast recordings, and more — is sure to introduce exciting new comics to festival attendees and dazzle them with some of the best and brightest talent working today," SXSW Comedy Festival officials continued. "A unique gathering of performers from all reaches of entertainment, SXSW is always an opportunity for unique moments and spontaneous collaborations."

2019 SXSW Comedy Festival Participants

Abbi Jacobson • Amy Miller • Anna Seregina • Baron Vaughn • Beth Stelling • Busy Philipps • Dave Hill • Debra DiGiovanni • Doug Benson • Dulce Sloan • Erik Griffin • Eugene Mirman • Horatio Sanz • Ian Edwards • Ilana Glazer • Jaboukie Young-White • James Adomian • Jessica McKenna • Johnny Pemberton • Jon Gabrus • Josh Johnson • Kathy Griffin • Kurt Braunohler • Leonard Maltin • Liza Treyger • Mark Normand • Matt Besser • Matt Braunger • Megan Gailey • Michael Kosta • Michaela Watkins • Mike Lawrence • Nick Thune • Open Mike Eagle • Paul F. Tompkins • Ricky Velez • Ronny Chieng • Roy Wood Jr. • Sam Jay • Stuart Goldsmith • Tim Heidecker • Todd Barry • Todd Glass • Whitmer Thomas.

"Plus surprise guests and more!" festival officials teased. But wait, there's more:

2019 SXSW Comedy Festival Special Programs Featuring An Evening with Todd Glass • ASSSSCAT • The Comedian’s Comedian • The Daily Show News Team Live • Doug Loves Movies • Dynasty Typewriter • improv4humans • The Laugh Button Live! • Loud Village Live • The New Negroes with Baron Vaughn and Open Mike Eagle • Roast Battle • The Todd Barry Podcast and more!

Among some of the comedy festival's highlights are:

• The festival opens on Friday, March 8th with James Adomian’s Elon Musk Keynote: The Frightening and Awful Future of Humanity. In his second-ever SXSW address, the visionary interplanetary engineer will unveil his new high-tech superproject and detail his newest slate of world-saving endeavors from Tesla Motors, SpaceX, and his thousands of other companies. Behold in awe as Elon Musk (Adomian) dives into the exciting future of technology, social media and other buzzwords
• Following the world premiere of Kathy Griffin: One Hell of a Story, Kathy Griffin will sit down for a conversation about her now infamous photoshoot which left her besieged by an angry president and vengeful media, led to unemployment and a slew of death threats, and opened a door to a new chapter in her storied career. The discussion will center around free speech, fake news, and the comedian’s precarious role in today’s cultural divide.
• Comedy Central brings two exciting showcases to the festival this year. The Daily Show News Team Live will take to the stage with stand-up performances by Ronny Chieng, Michael Kosta, Dulcé Sloan, Roy Wood Jr. and Jaboukie Young-White. The New Negroes with Baron Vaughn and Open Mike Eagle, a new stand-up and musical series which premieres on the network this Spring, is dedicated to providing a platform for diverse voices. The duo will present their socially aware and long-running live stage show at the fest, leading a lineup of comedians with musical guest Phonte.
• Also at the intersection of comedy and music, Riffs and Riff Raff with Nick Thune & Friends will bring Thune together with a variety of musically inclined comics, headlined by fellow guitar-playing comedian Tim Heidecker. There will be multiple chances to catch An Evening with Todd Glass, a self-mocking take on the traditional lounge act. Saddled with a deliberately uncooperative band, Glass is like an exhausted dad corralling his mischievous kids, doing what he can to keep the show running smoothly.
• Upright Citizen’s Brigade (UCB) cofounder, Matt Besser, returns with a slate of shows. He’ll lead UCB’s wildly popular ASSSSCAT, which showcases a premiere group of improvisers as they riff on true tales from celebrity guests. This year’s monologist will be none other than Broad City’s Ilana Glazer. Besser will also bring his hit podcast improv4humans to the stage and he’ll spark up some high-minded comedy along with Abbi Jacobson at festival favorite, 420 Show with Matt Besser.
• This year’s festival will feature a selection of the country’s most exciting purveyors of comedy. The Laugh Button returns with New York’s Gotham Comedy Club to present a roster of favorites from the iconic club’s stage. Paul F. Tompkins will host Dynasty Typewriter Presents That’s Enchantertainment!, a variety show in the spirit of LA’s new hit comedy venue. Busy Phillips, Kurt Braunohler, and a lineup of some of the brightest comics working today will keep the laughs coming all night long. Plus Roast Battle is back to offend for another year.
• The original team from The Comedy Store in LA will lead the anything-goes brawl of wits. Host Brian Moses, DJ Coach Tea, and dynamic hype crew The Wave (Jeremiah Watkins, Willie Hunter, Jamar Neighbors) will be joined by 2016 Roast Battle champion Mike Lawrence, who will preside over the judging panels for all three nights of the competition.
• The schedule also features a slate of live podcast recordings. Doug Benson will record his hit game-show, Doug Loves Movies. Renowned film historian Leonard Maltin will talk all things cinema with a comedic guest in an episode of Maltin on Movies. Stuart Goldsmith’s podcast, The Comedian’s Comedian, has grown into a giant on the UK comedy scene attracting a who’s who of British comedy. Curious and insightful, he’ll bring his distinctive style stateside to interview Eugene Mirman, Matt Braunger and other fellow comedians.

Stay tuned for further announcements from SXSW Comedy, which will include information about additional performers, showcases, and events. Full details and lineups will soon be live at sxsw.com/comedy/2019. The SXSW Comedy Festival is open to all SXSW Badges, Music Festival and Film Festival Wristband holders.

About SXSW Film Festival

Many of the comedians performing will also be featured in selections from the Film festival. Some of them have their own projects premiering, like Eugene Mirman’s It Started As a Joke and Kathy Griffin’s special, Kathy Griffin: One Hell of a Story. In the same vein, Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer will screen the final three episodes of their hit Comedy Central show Broad City. And the premiere of Good Boys (produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg), co-written by comedian and festival regular Beth Stelling will debut as well. Tim Heidecker stars in Jordan Peele’s new film Us, James Adomian pops up in Chris Morris’ new film The Day Shall Come, and Kurt Braunohler appears in Long Shot, co-starring SethRogen and Charlize Theron.

About SXSW Conference

Featured performers will also make appearances in the conference portion of the festival. Most notably, Trevor Noah and the Daily Show correspondents will grace the stage with their panel The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. The whole lineup of correspondents, including Roy Wood Jr., Ronny Chieng, Michael Kosta, Dulcé Sloan, Desi Lydic, and Jaboukie Young-White will hold court with CNN Anchor & Chief Washington Correspondent Jake Tapper. Their wide-ranging discussion will focus on how today’s fast-paced media cycle has changed the late-night comedy landscape.
SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries. The event, an essential destination for global professionals, features sessions, showcases, screenings, exhibitions, and a variety of networking opportunities. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together. SXSW 2018 will take place March 8-17, 2019.

SXSW 2019 is sponsored by Capital One, Mercedes-Benz, Bud Light, and The Austin Chronicle.

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