Page 42 - Katherine Ryan press pack 2015-20

Louis C.K. CREDIT: Cara Howe
In a nutshell: From existential riffing to excruciating insights into his personal life,
Louis CK can reach high or low. He goes in both directions in his Netflix special, with
scorched earth observations about religion, parenthood, old age – and the joys of
napping. The comedic cherry on top is his carefully-honed persona of a reasonable
man driven loopy by the craziness of the world.
Best gag: “I’m not raising my kids religiously – I don’t feel like it. Get up on a
Sunday? F--- that.”
22. Hannah Gadsby: Nanette (2018)

Hannah Gadsby
In a nutshell: In what is probably the decade’s most talked-about hour of stand-up
comedy, Gasby tackles sexism, the myth that good art stems from trauma, and her
experience of coming out in Tasmania (where homosexuality was illegal until 1997).
Best gag: “What sort of comedian can’t even make the lesbians laugh? Every
comedian ever.”
23. Jerry Seinfeld: Jerry Before Seinfield (2017)

Jerry Seinfeld CREDIT: Netflix
In a nutshell: The comic returns to the New York club where he started his career
and dusts down the jokes which put him on the path to stardom.
Best gag: [of unhealthy breakfast cereals for kids] “This cereal should have been
called The Hell With Everything’.”
24. Ronny Chieng: Asian Comedian Destroys America! (2019)

Ronny Chieng CREDIT: Marcus Russell Price
In a nutshell: The Daily Show’s Malaysian-born comedian makes a series of droll
observations about America, as both an outsider and a resident.
Best gag: “Of all the reasons Asian parents want their kids to be doctors for, helping
people is way down at the bottom.”
25. Nikki Glaser: Bangin’ (2019)

Nikki Glaser CREDIT: Lara Solanki
In a nutshell: America’s raunchiest comedian talks all things sexual in all ways
graphic. But it’s not all flippant: her own path to sobriety and self-confidence are also
on the table.
Best gag: “I never could squirt, and I wanted to, because I think it’s such a cool
power move. Just to dump a quart of water on a guy’s bed and be like: Peace. Catch
you on the flip, dude.”