There’s a particular kind of comedian who doesn’t just tell jokes, they barrel through them. Chris Distefano is that comedian, and he’s rolling into the David Copperfield Theater stage at MGM Grand for one night only as part of the Aces of Comedy series.
It’s your chance to witness a funnyman who’s turned his particular brand of self-deprecating chaos into sold-out appearances. In 2023, Distefano made history as the first stand-up comedian to sell out both Radio City Music Hall and The Theater at Madison Square Garden on consecutive nights, a feat that speaks to this guy’s sheer relatability. He’s the friend who tells the story that makes everyone at the table double over, the one who finds comedy in life’s most unfortunate moments.
In fact, his latest hourlong special on Hulu is literally called It’s Just Unfortunate, executive produced by Jimmy Kimmel. (The “unfortunate” part references a hilarious childhood memory when his father convinced nearly everyone at Yankee Stadium that 12-year-old Chris had special needs just to upgrade their seats from the cheap section to home plate.)
Distefano’s comedy draws from the well of everyday disaster: fatherhood, marriage, his Italian-American upbringing. Sample his approach: “My girl, she wants a guy who knows how to build stuff. I don’t know how to build anything. I can build walls—emotionally.”
In a 2019 interview with The Hoya, he explained his comedy’s origins this way: “I think my comedy comes from, it would be like my defense mechanism when I was like sad or like having like an emotional outburst, instead of like yelling or doing drugs or something like that, I would just try to make people laugh.”
That’s Distefano’s particular brand of magic: He transforms life’s absurdities into your escape.
The multiplatform entertainer launched his career on MTV’s Guy Code and Girl Code, where his combustible energy found its natural home among other comedians riffing on modern life. From there, he starred in IFC’s Benders, co-hosted Netflix’s Ultimate Beastmaster and hosted Vice TV’s Super Maximum Retro Show. His 2022 Netflix special, Speshy Weshy, and Size 38 Waist on Comedy Central cemented what fans already knew: This guy can turn a frenetic, sweaty hour into nonstop laughter.
Distefano has conquered the podcast universe too, co-hosting the cult-hit History Hyenas with Yannis Pappas and running his solo show Chrissy Chaos, a title that doubles as personal branding. He’s a frequent guest on The Joe Rogan Experience and Your Mom’s House, where his stories ricochet off other comedians like conversational pinball. Television appearances on Impractical Jokers and The Deuce have kept him visible between stand-up gigs, and new projects are perpetually in the pipeline.
The Aces of Comedy series has built its reputation on bringing both legends and rising stars to MGM Grand’s stage. Distefano fits snugly into that lineup, a comedian hitting his prime at full, ADHD-fueled throttle. His delivery is like a conversation on maximum caffeine, turning personal catastrophes into rapid-fire punchlines before you realize he’s already moved on to the next disaster.
It’s the comedy equivalent of getting pulled into a whirlwind. All you can really do is hang on and laugh.
MGM Grand, 10 p.m. Feb. 6, $45. ticketmaster.com
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