Tim Dillon: ‘Sesame Street’ to Easy Street

Almost no one remembers Tim Dillon from “Sesame Street.” More likely you discovered him through his appearances on “The Joe Rogan Experience.” His biggest comedy fans eagerly await each new episode of his podcast, “The Tim Dillon Show.” As of last summer, it had 450,000 subscribers and 68.6 million views. He releases additional content to his Patreon subscribers.

Dillon’s pre-comedy life was less than promising. Born and raised Irish Catholic in working-class Island Park, New York, he somehow landed a small role on PBS’ “Sesame Street” in 1988. His childhood acting career lasted just two episodes, but he notes a singular highlight. He got to polka with Mr. Snuffleupagus.

In his even more lackluster early adult life, he was an office equipment salesman. His lot might have improved when he became a mortgage broker, had the subprime mortgage crisis been better timed. But as luck would have it, that misfortune delivered him to the world of comedy. To sustain himself, he became a New York City tour guide.

Dillon started building some buzz on the New York City standup scene around 2010. His breakthrough came in 2016 after his appearance at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, Montréal. That year, Vulture wrote about the duality of his boisterous demeanor and his thoughtful homosexuality. In 2017, Rolling Stone listed him as one of the “10 Comedians You Need to Know.”

Success seems to have found him at last, with his real estate investments and in his private life. He has said he’s been sober, for several years. Last August, Netflix released his first standup special: “Tim Dillon: A Real Hero.”

Tim Dillon, 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, Rialto Theatre, rialtotheatre.com, tickets start at $35

Jesus Sepulveda is back in town

Former Tucsonan Jesus Sepulveda is a storyteller, the family clown and everybody’s best friend. His material is both the story of his life and the state of Latino Culture. Even, and maybe especially, the stories of his childhood bring his sets to laughable life. He’s been angling it all for a laugh for about as long as he can remember.

Born in Los Angeles, Sepulveda later lived in Tucson growing up. He was “the funny kid” from the start. By the time he was in grammar school he loved laughs so much, he was making jokes specifically to get them. He was 15 when he started doing standup at Laff’s Comedy Caffe. A few years later, he moved back to LA to make comedy his trade. He has now been a fixture on the LA comedy scene for almost 15 years.

His warm, energetic comedy has won fans in comedy clubs and on broadcast media throughout the United States. In 2015, he was one of eight finalists in the NBC Diversity Showcase, besting thousands of comedians nationwide. In 2017, he was featured in both Chingo Bling’s Netflix special, “They Can’t Deport Us All” and the HBO Latino show, “Entre Nos,” where he performed a 25-minute set about his family. He also partnered with Warner Bros. Studios on their first “Vamos Comedy Event.”

In 2022, HBO released his first half-hour special, “Mr. Tough Life.” He continues to perform at notable clubs and events across the country. In LA, he makes the rounds of The Laugh Factory, Ice House, Comedy Store and The Improv. He’s performed on broadcasts created by Netflix and NBC, and recently landed the voice work Señor Tomás on the animated series “House of Chico” by Toonstar. Most recently, he hosted Hollywood’s “Action Icon Awards,” and signed on as Erik Rivera’s co-host for a new comedy podcast sponsored by Aqua Media.

9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, and 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, Screening Room, 127 E. Congress Street, eventbrite.com, $20

Connor McSpadden tops the bill at Laff’s

Connor McSpadden has done some of his best work behind the scenes. Like every other standup comic, he writes jokes, but he writes them for other folks to deliver. Big, flashy televised awards shows have been his bread and butter. He added podcasting to his media portfolio as host for the scripted comedy podcast, “Mean Boys” and as a star in the street roasting web series “Burn Booth” which attracted millions of views on Facebook. As a standup comedian, he’s been featured in several festivals, including Riot LA, The San Francisco Comedy Competition and the Ventura Comedy Festival. In Ventura, he won the festival competition over more than 100 rivals. In 2017 he made his in-person television debut on Comedy Central’s “Roast Battle.”

8 and 10:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, and 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, Laff’s Comedy Caffe, 2900 E. Broadway Boulevard, laffstucson.com, $15, $20 preferred seating.

Wench Comedy reboots with “Clown People” podcasters

The wait is over! The long-running Wench Comedy series returns at a new time on a new day. To kick off the fun, Boston comics Al Christakis and Brieana Woodward bring to the stage the chummy, high-energy laughs familiar to fans of their Spotify podcast, Clown People. The duo co-headline with solo standup takes from their unique perspectives on the weirdness we rarely see in our lives. Wench Comedy host Roxy Merrari says that Brady Evans will be among local favorites on the bill. Evans is known for low-key delivery with unexpected twists that drove home his often-surprising punchlines. Pick up prepaid tickets at the door. The Wench has a full bar and kitchen and a patio in the back.
6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12, Surly Wench Pub, 424 N. Fourth Avenue, Eventbrite.com, $7

Other shows this week

Tucson Improv Movement/TIM Comedy Theatre, 414 E. Ninth Street, tucsonimprov.com, $7 each show, $10 for both shows, same night, free jam and open mic. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, “Harold Eta” and “Shatfan;” 8:30 p.m. Open Mic; 6:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, Improv Jam; 7:30 p.m. “The Soapbox;” 9 p.m. Stand Up Showcase; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, “Your Favorite Movie Improvised” and “The Meeting;” 9 p.m. “The Dating Scene”

Unscrewed Theater, 4500 E. Speedway Boulevard, unscrewedtheatre.org, $8, live or remote, $5 kids. 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10, Family-Friendly Improv; 9 p.m. Unscrewed Fridays After Dark (pay what you will); 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 11, Family-Friendly Improv; 9 p.m. Uncensored Improv Comedy with house teams NBOJU (Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed) and The Big Daddies.

This article appears in Feb 9-15, 2023.