Humor can be one of the best ways to speak truth to power while forging connections. The gift of stand-up comedians is their ability to take everyday truths and distill them into bite-size, hilariously relatable anecdotes about topics that might be otherwise difficult to broach.
Whether they’re joking about a partner’s annoying habits or the current political climate, comedians are able to pierce the truth in ways that are both eye-opening and thought-provoking — which makes sense, given the unusual premise of stand-up comedy.
As British comedian Jimmy Carr and writer Lucy Greeves wrote in their book, Only Joking: What’s So Funny About Making People Laugh?, “Stand-up comedy is a peculiar performance art form. In a room filled with people, the comedian is the only one facing the wrong way. He’s also the only one who isn’t laughing. For normal people that’s a nightmare, not a career aspiration.”
The history of stand-up can be traced back to turn-of-the-century variety shows in New York City, which introduced comedians into the mix. At that time, stand-ups geared their material toward immigrants and blue-collar workers. Comedy has since evolved into a performance art that appeals to a variety of folks, with common themes including taking down the powers that be and observing everyday phenomena.
Here, we’ve rounded up 12 of the best punchlines from famous stand-ups over the years, all of whom have had something memorable to say.
Rice is great if you're really hungry and want to eat 2,000 of something.Mitch Hedberg
You get no 401(k), no co-workers — you’re just in solitary confinement all day long with this human Tamagotchi that don’t got no reset button, so the stakes are extremely high.Ali Wong on motherhood
Here’s all you have to know about men and women: Women are crazy, men are stupid. And the main reason women are crazy is that men are stupid.George Carlin
I used to work at McDonald's making minimum wage. You know what it means when someone pays you minimum wage? You know what your boss was trying to say? “Hey, if I could pay you less, I would, but it's against the law.”Chris Rock
I don’t know what’s going on with cranberries, but they’re getting in all the other juices. Whoever the salesman is for cranberries does a great job. He’s showing up everywhere. “Hey, what do you got, some apples? Put some cranberries in there.” … Why don’t you back off, Cran-Man? Why don’t you take your sales trophy and have a vacation?Brian Regan
I never feel more alone than when I’m trying to put sunscreen on my back.Jimmy Kimmel
When I asked my personal trainer at the gym which machine I should use to impress beautiful women, he pointed outside and said, “The ATM machine.”Trevor Noah
Usually when someone in the public eye gets pregnant, there’s a couple of months where there’s some rumors about them. "Bump alert! Uh-oh!" I was well into my second trimester, and not one … rumor about me. Nothing. I was photographed, belly out, and they were just like, “There’s Amy!”Amy Schumer
I think “Employee of the Month” is a good example of when a person can be a winner and a loser at the same time.Demetri Martin
My psychiatrist told me I was crazy, and I said I wanted a second opinion. He said, “OK, you’re ugly, too.”Rodney Dangerfield
I don’t identify as transgender. But I’m clearly gender not-normal. I don’t think even lesbian is the right identity for me. I really don’t. I might as well come out now. I identify as tired. I’m just tired.Hannah Gadsby
Featured image credit: Rick Kern/ WireImage via Getty Images
