Dec. 29, 2025

Reaction to Billboard's Top 25 Stand-Up Comedians - did they get The Top 5 right and the three they got WRONG

Reaction to Billboard's Top 25 Stand-Up Comedians - did they get The Top 5 right and the three they got WRONG

Johnny Mac comments on Billboard's list of the Top 25 Comedians of the 21st Century....there are three names that should NOT be on here.  How did they do for teh Top 5? Let's look and listen...

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/daily-comedy-news-with-johnny-mac--4522158/support.

Contact John at John@thesharkdeck dot com 

Thanks to our sponsors!

Raycon Earbuds

Underdog Fantasy Promo Code DCN

Blue Chew Promo Code DCN

Talkspace promo code Space 80

For Uninterrupted Listening, use the Apple Podcast App and click the banner that says Uninterrupted Listening.  $4.99/month 

John's Substack about media is free.

WEBVTT

1
00:00:03.160 --> 00:00:12.759
Kalaroga Shark Media either Johnny Mack with Your Daily Comedy News.

2
00:00:12.800 --> 00:00:15.439
This is a sequel to yesterday's episode. It is the

3
00:00:15.519 --> 00:00:18.000
rest of the list from Billboard dot com. They have

4
00:00:18.160 --> 00:00:21.320
listed the top twenty five stand up comedians of the

5
00:00:21.320 --> 00:00:24.679
twenty first century. In yesterday's episode, I covered twenty five

6
00:00:24.719 --> 00:00:27.679
through sixteen. We were up to Ricky Gervais. As usual,

7
00:00:27.760 --> 00:00:29.559
when I do these list episodes, I don't like to

8
00:00:29.559 --> 00:00:31.359
look at them in advance because I want to just

9
00:00:31.399 --> 00:00:34.679
react and I'm really really curious and fearful what we're

10
00:00:34.679 --> 00:00:37.280
about to find out here, all right? Scrolling down number

11
00:00:37.280 --> 00:00:42.640
fifteen is Mitch Hedberg. Good, good pick. I have to

12
00:00:42.640 --> 00:00:45.359
remember to add him to my list, which I'll probably

13
00:00:45.399 --> 00:00:48.960
do as tomorrow's episode Mitch Hedburgh one of my favorites.

14
00:00:49.000 --> 00:00:52.039
I'm glad that they included him here, as Mitch passed

15
00:00:52.039 --> 00:00:54.119
away at age thirty seven and two thousand and five,

16
00:00:54.200 --> 00:00:56.399
so didn't have all that longer career in the twenty

17
00:00:56.399 --> 00:01:00.240
first century. Billboard writes, Hedberg's time among comedy's top ranksted

18
00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:02.359
less than ten years, ushered in by a breakthrough in

19
00:01:02.399 --> 00:01:06.200
nineteen ninety six on David Letterman's show Edberg left behind

20
00:01:06.280 --> 00:01:10.079
just one comedy special, two albums, plus the posthumous third album,

21
00:01:10.200 --> 00:01:13.959
and an indelible legacy. Time magazine suggested in nineteen ninety

22
00:01:13.959 --> 00:01:17.319
eight that Heedburg could become the next Seinfeld. Number fourteen

23
00:01:17.599 --> 00:01:21.480
Dave Attell great pick and if you listened to yesterday's episode,

24
00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:24.719
I explained who has put together this list for Billboard,

25
00:01:24.719 --> 00:01:27.120
and I really respect the hell out of them. Billboard writes,

26
00:01:27.159 --> 00:01:29.120
if you never experienced in New York in the nineties, check

27
00:01:29.120 --> 00:01:32.719
out a tell. The gritty, economically strapped, crack and crime

28
00:01:32.760 --> 00:01:35.159
infested city at that time runs through his DNA. The

29
00:01:35.200 --> 00:01:38.640
scruffy beard, dark worn jacket over gray hoodie eccessorized with

30
00:01:38.680 --> 00:01:42.040
a similarly colorless beanie or baseball cap, screams nineteen ninety

31
00:01:42.079 --> 00:01:45.359
two Afternoon Bar regular, But make no mistake, utel Mey

32
00:01:45.400 --> 00:01:48.120
look old scale, but he's just as hilarious in this

33
00:01:48.200 --> 00:01:51.000
century as he was the last one. A great pick.

34
00:01:51.200 --> 00:01:54.239
Number thirteen. Oh my god, I'm not even doing a

35
00:01:54.280 --> 00:01:56.280
bit here. I just scrolled down and I'm like, are

36
00:01:56.319 --> 00:02:02.120
you effing serious? Adam Sandler seriously absolutely not, no, no, no.

37
00:02:02.599 --> 00:02:04.519
They talk about his movies, but this is a stand

38
00:02:04.560 --> 00:02:07.200
up list. Billboard writes he's not to be underestimated as

39
00:02:07.239 --> 00:02:09.719
a stand up comedian. The Brooklyn born New Hampshire Race

40
00:02:09.719 --> 00:02:13.000
Sandler finished number nine among Billboard's box score Top grossing

41
00:02:13.000 --> 00:02:16.560
comics of twenty three and twenty four The Sandman as

42
00:02:16.599 --> 00:02:20.400
a master storyteller with an acrobatic voice. Sandler also does

43
00:02:20.520 --> 00:02:24.919
musical comedy. Well, I will absolutely disagree on that. Boy,

44
00:02:24.960 --> 00:02:27.759
that is just a terrible pick. If you listen to

45
00:02:27.800 --> 00:02:30.520
the show, you know my opinions on Adam Sandler comedy

46
00:02:30.520 --> 00:02:32.919
and no, absolutely one of the top twenty five. Absolutely

47
00:02:32.960 --> 00:02:36.240
not a right Number twelve Nateprighatsy. I think this is

48
00:02:36.360 --> 00:02:39.879
way overrated. I mean, he's nice, but I don't know.

49
00:02:40.360 --> 00:02:42.039
When I finish my list, I'll see if he makes it.

50
00:02:42.080 --> 00:02:45.520
But twelve is absurdly high. You're gonna tell me Nate

51
00:02:45.560 --> 00:02:47.360
is better than Hedberg. You're gonna tell me Nate is

52
00:02:47.360 --> 00:02:50.159
better than Dave Attel. You're gonna tell me Nate is

53
00:02:50.199 --> 00:02:53.319
better than Jim Gaffigan. No, No, and no, absolutely not.

54
00:02:54.000 --> 00:02:57.680
Crazy talk. Number eleven even more crazy talk? Are you

55
00:02:57.759 --> 00:03:01.159
serious with this list? Billboard? Sebastian Maniscal. My current opinion

56
00:03:01.240 --> 00:03:04.080
is Sebastian is just doing a version that I call

57
00:03:04.159 --> 00:03:06.840
old man Dice Clay. Like if Dice turned sixty and

58
00:03:06.879 --> 00:03:09.039
decided I should curse a little bit less, you'd wind

59
00:03:09.120 --> 00:03:12.360
up with whatever Sebastian's doing right now. That's a horrible pick,

60
00:03:12.400 --> 00:03:15.560
all right. Number ten Robin Williams. Interesting. I wouldn't have

61
00:03:15.639 --> 00:03:18.360
thought about Robin, but let's say what Billboard has to say.

62
00:03:18.599 --> 00:03:20.680
Robin williams last stand up tour took place in two

63
00:03:20.680 --> 00:03:23.199
thousand and eight, and the HBO special that resulted, Weapons

64
00:03:23.240 --> 00:03:26.039
of Self Destruction came in two thousand and nine. Williams

65
00:03:26.080 --> 00:03:28.560
passed away in twenty fourteen. See, I would think of

66
00:03:28.719 --> 00:03:32.479
him more as a twentieth century stand up I don't

67
00:03:32.520 --> 00:03:35.240
think this pick is ridiculous. Robin Williams was really good

68
00:03:35.280 --> 00:03:38.319
on stage. I don't think I'll include him on my list.

69
00:03:38.840 --> 00:03:41.360
Number nine Maria Bamford. Now this is really interesting. The

70
00:03:41.400 --> 00:03:46.560
people that like Maria Bamford, love Maria Bamford, and the

71
00:03:46.560 --> 00:03:48.879
rest of us are like, yeah, she's fine, not gonna

72
00:03:48.879 --> 00:03:52.039
make my list again. The people who love her right

73
00:03:52.039 --> 00:03:54.039
now are throwing their sneaker at the wall, going, Johnny Mack,

74
00:03:54.080 --> 00:03:55.719
you don't know what you're talking about. I've seen her

75
00:03:55.759 --> 00:03:58.840
live and it was fine. Okay, next up, Number eight,

76
00:03:59.120 --> 00:04:02.919
really interesting pick here. My initial reaction to it is

77
00:04:03.520 --> 00:04:08.319
negative and thinking this is kind of crazy. I know

78
00:04:08.400 --> 00:04:13.240
people love this guy, but number eight. Norm MacDonald eight

79
00:04:14.400 --> 00:04:17.680
above Jim Gaffigan. Billboard rights, the comedian, who died in

80
00:04:17.720 --> 00:04:20.160
twenty twenty one at the age of sixty one, is

81
00:04:20.199 --> 00:04:23.839
revered as a comedy warrior whose deadpan comedy style and storytelling,

82
00:04:23.959 --> 00:04:26.160
like his extended joke about a troubled moth, were as

83
00:04:26.160 --> 00:04:28.800
fearless as they were unique. See I think of him

84
00:04:28.839 --> 00:04:32.600
more as great on the desk doing appearances on Conan.

85
00:04:32.720 --> 00:04:35.079
He's got a wonderful comedy album that I love, but

86
00:04:35.120 --> 00:04:39.160
it's more sketches with There's the Gambling Sportscaster and the

87
00:04:39.160 --> 00:04:41.639
Fantastic Four sketch and a Superman sketch all on that

88
00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:44.040
one album. I'm not sure the body of work is there.

89
00:04:44.079 --> 00:04:48.120
Billboard all right. Number seven Kevin Hart hard to argue.

90
00:04:48.399 --> 00:04:51.360
We can argue a replacement, but not crazy nine specials,

91
00:04:51.480 --> 00:04:54.920
thirty movies, more TV shows than that, and multiple streaming partnerships.

92
00:04:55.399 --> 00:04:58.600
Johnny mcoay says the man likes to work. Billboard writes,

93
00:04:58.639 --> 00:05:00.600
so when heart reconnects to his power base, as he

94
00:05:00.639 --> 00:05:03.199
did in his recent Netflix special Acting My Age, which

95
00:05:03.199 --> 00:05:05.040
I had high up on my list this year. It's

96
00:05:05.079 --> 00:05:07.879
a bracing reminder of what's driving all that activity. Relentless

97
00:05:07.920 --> 00:05:11.079
jokes and stories that seem like conversational observations but are

98
00:05:11.160 --> 00:05:15.000
in fact owned by years of restless roadwork. Not crazy

99
00:05:15.040 --> 00:05:19.120
all right. Number six Jerry Seinfeld. Now in the twenty

100
00:05:19.160 --> 00:05:22.040
first century. I saw Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock on

101
00:05:22.079 --> 00:05:25.160
back to back nights at the Las Vegas Comedy Festival,

102
00:05:25.480 --> 00:05:28.680
and Chris Rock was way better than everybody else until

103
00:05:28.720 --> 00:05:30.639
the next night when Jerry Seinfeld went up and was

104
00:05:30.680 --> 00:05:33.959
way better than Chris Rock. I do associate Seinfeld with

105
00:05:34.160 --> 00:05:36.319
the nineties. But let's see what Billboard has to say.

106
00:05:36.879 --> 00:05:38.959
Where this list compiled at the end of the twentieth century,

107
00:05:39.000 --> 00:05:42.199
Seinfeld would almost certainly have topped it. Because it's twenty

108
00:05:42.199 --> 00:05:44.519
five years into the twenty first century, Seinfeld will have

109
00:05:44.560 --> 00:05:47.639
to settle for being the wealthiest comedian. And make no mistake,

110
00:05:47.839 --> 00:05:50.279
Seinfeld is still Hella funny and his comedy has grown.

111
00:05:50.399 --> 00:05:52.639
No Moss has been on AI, which includes a refund

112
00:05:52.639 --> 00:05:55.199
why Frankenstein wore a sport coat in the original Universal

113
00:05:55.199 --> 00:05:58.519
Monster Movies is a beautiful thing. So we're up to

114
00:05:58.560 --> 00:06:00.560
the top five, which seems like a good time to

115
00:06:00.600 --> 00:06:05.560
take a break, and boy, I'm scared continuing bill Board's

116
00:06:05.560 --> 00:06:09.480
Best Comedians of the twenty first century. Number five Bill

117
00:06:09.560 --> 00:06:12.519
Burr not absurd, although I think his last special is

118
00:06:12.519 --> 00:06:14.639
a bit of a fall off. Hey, that happens to everyone,

119
00:06:14.680 --> 00:06:17.040
including all the great home run hitters. And I guess

120
00:06:17.040 --> 00:06:19.639
Bill Burr is doing just fine. After playing the Reod

121
00:06:19.720 --> 00:06:22.800
Comedy Festival earlier this year, he apparently is the fifth

122
00:06:22.839 --> 00:06:25.800
best stand up of the twenty first century. Really solid.

123
00:06:25.839 --> 00:06:28.399
Who doesn't like Bill Burr's comedy? Can't nitpick that one?

124
00:06:28.720 --> 00:06:30.560
You know, with all of these we can pick placement,

125
00:06:30.600 --> 00:06:33.800
but not absurd. Also not absurd at all, And a

126
00:06:33.879 --> 00:06:36.920
really strong pick is John Mullenie at number four. All right,

127
00:06:36.959 --> 00:06:39.120
So if mullanie is at four, I'm just thinking off

128
00:06:39.160 --> 00:06:41.279
the top of my head. So c K's left, Chappelle

129
00:06:41.319 --> 00:06:43.480
is left? Who else is left that I'm not thinking about?

130
00:06:43.480 --> 00:06:46.079
This is going to be interesting, Okay? They right? Malani

131
00:06:46.120 --> 00:06:49.199
has made the combination of the extraordinary, unusual and extraordinarily

132
00:06:49.240 --> 00:06:51.160
funny sort of his thing, whether he's wrestling with a

133
00:06:51.199 --> 00:06:53.079
bunch of fourteen year old boys on the Netflix show

134
00:06:53.199 --> 00:06:55.240
or plotting the death of a non essential grandparent to

135
00:06:55.240 --> 00:06:57.839
get the attention to Craves in elementary school in Baby

136
00:06:57.920 --> 00:07:01.199
j Perhaps most fascinating is the four plus minute been

137
00:07:01.199 --> 00:07:04.399
on Donald Trump's first administration from the twenty eighteen special

138
00:07:04.480 --> 00:07:07.920
Kid Gorgeous at Radio City, which never once mentions Trump's name.

139
00:07:08.480 --> 00:07:11.519
All right, number three, Louis c K. All right, so

140
00:07:11.639 --> 00:07:13.600
Chappelle's gonna be up there? Who's the other one that

141
00:07:13.600 --> 00:07:15.800
I'm forgetting? I know you're screaming at your phone right now, going,

142
00:07:15.800 --> 00:07:17.920
how are you forgetting so and so? But all right,

143
00:07:18.279 --> 00:07:21.040
Louis Ck, just back from Riodd Millboard writes, you may

144
00:07:21.040 --> 00:07:24.839
have arguments about CK's behavior and its consequences, but no

145
00:07:24.879 --> 00:07:28.040
one ever accused him of not being funny. His behavior

146
00:07:28.120 --> 00:07:30.560
derailed a career of women comics, and eventually his own

147
00:07:30.600 --> 00:07:34.279
career was derailed in turn canceled. Not so much. Do

148
00:07:34.399 --> 00:07:37.480
you learn anything from it all? Insert shrug emoji here,

149
00:07:38.199 --> 00:07:40.600
very very fair, All right, I'm just curious here because

150
00:07:40.639 --> 00:07:42.959
Chapelle's gonna be one of the last two. Who am

151
00:07:43.000 --> 00:07:46.519
I forgetting here? Let me scroll down two. Chris Rock. Oh,

152
00:07:46.560 --> 00:07:48.680
of course, I'm so stupid. Have you been screaming at

153
00:07:48.680 --> 00:07:50.720
the wall for the last ten minutes? I was afraid

154
00:07:50.759 --> 00:07:52.720
they were gonna like throw out like Amy Schumer or

155
00:07:52.759 --> 00:07:55.600
something like incredibly absurd? Of course, Chris Rock. I even

156
00:07:55.839 --> 00:07:59.439
name checked Chris Rock five minutes ago as the second

157
00:07:59.439 --> 00:08:03.920
best side felt Okay, yeah, of course Chris Rock. Yeah, duh,

158
00:08:03.959 --> 00:08:06.279
I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. If you've been throwing things

159
00:08:06.319 --> 00:08:08.279
for the last five minutes, I'm stupid. Sometimes. In two

160
00:08:08.319 --> 00:08:11.439
thousand and four, Chris Rock titled his fourth special Never Scared.

161
00:08:11.519 --> 00:08:14.480
In his most recent special, twenty twenty three, Selective Outrage,

162
00:08:14.639 --> 00:08:17.160
he looks around and finds he's the only unafraid person

163
00:08:17.240 --> 00:08:19.759
left standing. Rock and lay claimed in the mantles of

164
00:08:19.800 --> 00:08:22.879
both Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy. His work is personally

165
00:08:22.959 --> 00:08:25.959
and politically charged the way priors was. But he's also

166
00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:29.959
a mainstream star on screens both big and small. Most

167
00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:33.519
of all, he's a no hold barred stand up in comedy.

168
00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:35.759
No one and nothing is safe. All right, great, pick

169
00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:37.559
I feel so stupid or I'm gonna scroll down here.

170
00:08:38.799 --> 00:08:41.039
It has to be Chappelle, right, I'm not gonna scroll

171
00:08:41.039 --> 00:08:42.799
down or they're gonna be like Tony Hitchcliff is the

172
00:08:42.799 --> 00:08:44.799
best comedian and I'm gonna like lose my mind. Right,

173
00:08:44.840 --> 00:08:47.559
this has to be Dave Chappelle. I'm scared. Number one

174
00:08:47.799 --> 00:08:50.879
is Dave Chappelle, who I was scary there for a second.

175
00:08:51.399 --> 00:08:54.799
Billboard writes, like the Marvel superhero Daredevil, Chappelle is the

176
00:08:54.840 --> 00:08:57.080
man with no fear. His critics might say that also,

177
00:08:57.240 --> 00:08:59.759
like the Marvel superhero, he's blind, so that her anger

178
00:08:59.759 --> 00:09:02.720
he to the trans community. Looking strictly through the lens

179
00:09:02.759 --> 00:09:05.039
of comedy, however, Chappelle is the greatest comic of the

180
00:09:05.080 --> 00:09:07.960
century so far. Some say he's the goat, and that

181
00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:11.360
may prove true, but that's for another list. Good pick

182
00:09:11.759 --> 00:09:13.759
let me fly through the whole list for you again

183
00:09:14.399 --> 00:09:17.120
twenty five, John Stewart No. Twenty four, Billy Connolly No.

184
00:09:17.320 --> 00:09:19.639
Twenty three, Trevor Noah twenty two, Jim gaffikin Way Too

185
00:09:19.639 --> 00:09:24.679
Low twenty one, and Gabe Iglesias twenty, Sarah Silverman nineteen,

186
00:09:24.759 --> 00:09:27.799
Ali Wong No. Eighteen. Patrese O'Neal didn't like him, but

187
00:09:27.840 --> 00:09:33.279
he was good seventeen. Wanda Sykes No. Sixteen, Ricky Gervais fifteen,

188
00:09:33.360 --> 00:09:38.440
Hebberg fourteen to Tel thirteen, Sailor is insanity, twelve Naite

189
00:09:38.440 --> 00:09:42.120
Berghatzy is kind of crazy. Eleven Sebastian is even more crazy.

190
00:09:42.879 --> 00:09:49.360
Ten Robin Williams nine, Bamford eight, Norm seven, Kevin Hart

191
00:09:49.879 --> 00:09:55.720
six Seinfeld and then Burr Mulaney, c K, Rock, Chappelle.

192
00:09:55.720 --> 00:09:59.240
That top five is super solid. I've been scrolling down

193
00:09:59.240 --> 00:10:01.840
some names here. I haven't ranked this at all, just

194
00:10:01.960 --> 00:10:04.039
names that I've thrown in my word document. I've written

195
00:10:04.039 --> 00:10:08.799
the words Chappelle, Burmulaney, c K, Trevor Gaffigan, Sarah Goleman,

196
00:10:09.159 --> 00:10:13.840
Gary Goldman, Hello, Kyle Kanaan, Jimmy Carr, Matt Rife with

197
00:10:13.879 --> 00:10:16.960
a question mark. Think about it. He's the body works

198
00:10:17.000 --> 00:10:20.519
better than you think. Dane Cook, Hello everybody, twenty first century,

199
00:10:20.559 --> 00:10:24.039
Dane Cook. I kind of want to acknowledge the blue

200
00:10:24.039 --> 00:10:26.919
collar guys and maybe Foxworthy, because that tour was huge

201
00:10:26.919 --> 00:10:29.759
and started a whole thing from which Nate Brighetsi's even

202
00:10:29.799 --> 00:10:34.159
benefiting these days. How about George Lopez, We forgot about him, Hebburg, Hotel,

203
00:10:34.600 --> 00:10:36.440
Kevin and Rock. But I'll see what I wound up

204
00:10:36.440 --> 00:10:38.679
putting together, and you know, I still need to think

205
00:10:38.679 --> 00:10:41.120
about this a little bit more. All Right, nice job, Billboard.

206
00:10:41.200 --> 00:10:42.919
That could have been a lot more screen Ricky. And

207
00:10:43.039 --> 00:10:46.240
that is your comedy news for today, See you tomorrow.