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JUST FOR LAUGHS GALAS in partnership with CBC
The iconic?Just For Laughs Galas?deliver stand-up comedy’s biggest international nights. Each Gala features a curated mix of global stars and breakout voices from across the comedy spectrum. Taped live at Théâtre Maisonneuve, the shows capture the electric energy, sharp writing, and international flair that have made Just For Laughs a premier comedy destination for fans and industry alike.
Roy Wood Jr.
Hosting July 25, 6:30pm
Roy Wood Jr. is a comedian, an Emmy-nominated documentary producer, and WGA nominated writer. He was a correspondent on Comedy Central’s Emmy-winning The Daily Show for 8 years and in 2023, he guest hosted The Daily Show and headlined the White House Correspondents' Dinner to its highest ratings since 2017. Roy hosts CNN's Have I Got News for You, an American adaptation of the longest-running UK comedy series, which premiered in September 2024. Wood Jr. will appear alongside Keanu Reeves and Jonah Hill in the upcoming comedy Outcome and recently partnered with Crown Publishing to pen a memoir, The Man of Many Fathers, which will be released in 2025.
Mikey Day
Hosting July 26, 9:30pm
Mikey Day is an Emmy-nominated writer, actor, and comedian who got his start at Saturday Night Live in 2013, becoming a Featured Player in 2016 and a repertory Cast Member in 2018. He has appeared in Unfrosted on Netflix and his film credits include Hubie Halloweeen, Little and Brittany Runs A Marathon. Day and his writing partner Streeter Seidell co-wrote the 2021 comedy Home Sweet Home Alone and are currently writing a comedy for Judd Apatow. Previously, Day, a Groundlings alum, was an original cast member on the improvisational comedy series Wild 'n Out on MTV. He was also an on-air correspondent for The Jay Leno Show and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. His notable voiceover work includes numerous characters in DC’s Mad animated series that brought the classic humour magazine to life, and he can currently be seen hosting the Netflix hit Is It Cake?
SOLO SHOWS
Ralph Barbosa Live
MTelus
July 25, 9:30pm
One of the shyest attention hogs to ever do comedy, Ralph Barbosa’s disarming and laid-back style has made him a stand-out on stage, on TV and online. Most recently, Ralph taped his second comedy special for Hulu that will release in 2025. In 2024, he was nominated as one of Variety’s 10 Comics to Watch for 2024. After a breakout year in 2023, Ralph is touring theaters with his North American theater tour, Ralph Barbosa: The Super Cool Ass Tour, which is selling out and adding shows. This included selling out two theater shows during Netflix Is A Joke Fest 2024, as well as hosting the kick-off Introducing show. In 2023, Ralph premiered his Netflix stand-up special, Ralph Barbosa: Cowabunga, which ranked as the #3 TV show on Netflix throughout its first week on the service. In January 2023, he made his debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, his Comedy Central Stand-up Featuring: Ralph Barbosa set has topped 6.2 million views on YouTube. Previously, Ralph starred in the HBO Max comedy special, Entre Nos: The Winners 3. His Don’t Tell Comedy performance was released on YouTube and now has over 6.4 million views.
Joe Dombrowski
Club Soda
July 24, 9:30pm
Native Metro Detroiter, Joe Dombrowski took the world by storm in 2017 with a viral April Fools’ Day spelling test prank that landed him multiple appearances on the Ellen DeGeneres show. Don't get it twisted though! It takes at least 20 years to be an overnight sensation! Joe has been doing stand up comedy since he was eight years old in his third grade talent show and he’s never stopped. Since Joe rose to fame, he has been traveling the globe with his stand-up comedy, which often highlights his outrageous family dynamics and his time as a former elementary school teacher. Joe has been featured as a headlining act at the Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal, The New York comedy festival and the Netflix Is a Joke Fest. Joe is also incredibly humbled to be hosting a monthly show at the world famous Comedy Store in Los Angeles. When he’s not getting creative on stages and screens, Joe spends his time in Seattle, Washington producing his podcast “Social Studies” with his good friend and high school history teacher, Gaspare Randazzo, where they recap outlandish stories from fans all over the country.
Carlos Ballarta: Tlatoani en Español (with new jokes)
MTelus
July 26, 7pm
*Performed entirely in Spanish
Carlos Ballarta is a stand-up comedian and actor from Mexico City. He’s been doing comedy for ten years, long enough to offend some, make others laugh, and confuse the rest. He remains the only stand-up comedian with three certified corn jokes. He has four comedy specials: three on Netflix — El amor es de puts* (2016), Furia ñera (2018), and Falso profeta (2021). His most recent special, Rebelde Comodino, was dropped on YouTube in July 2023. His current live show, Tlatoani, has toured over 100 dates across the globe — from Colombia to Toronto, with stops in Tijuana, Madrid, and some dive bars where the bathroom didn’t have a door. After selling out his 2023 date, he’s bringing his hit show (with new jokes) back to Montréal.
StanLand Podcast Featuring Bobby Moynihan & Mike Sacks
Gesù
July 26, 3pm
StanLand is a satirical fantasy audio series from writers Mike Sacks and S.G. Wilson. When Melanie Hughes, a sharp-tongued podcaster on the verge of burnout, crosses paths with Stan Little (Bobby Moynihan), a painfully mediocre man with delusions of greatness, the unlikely pair is unexpectedly transported to Zyngia: a once-magical realm now buried under the weight of late-stage capitalism. To get home, they embark on a wacky adventure with a talking lion, the former king who’s abandoned his duties in favor of Home Improvement reruns. But looming over it all is The Dark One — a tyrannical force manipulating Zyngia from the shadows with help from his devoted sea-creature assistant Winky. StanLand is a weird and wonderful epic about reluctant heroism, delusional ambition, and trying to save a fantasy world that's sinking under the weight of commercialism. A Q&A with Bobby, Mike and the rest of the to-be-announced cast will follow the live read.
NEW DATES ADDED
DROPOUT IMPROV - 2nd Show
L’Olympia
July 27, 7pm
From the minds behind Dropout comes an evening of improv, minigames, and off-the-wall shenanigans. Hosted by Kurt Maloney, and featuring the improv talents of Kimia Behpoorni, Jeremy Culhane, Lou Wilson, Jacob Wysocki, and Scott Passarella.
THE NASTY SHOW
Studio TD, July 20 & 24, 9:30pm
The Nasty Show is back! A staple of the Festival for decades, this show once again promises to be the filthiest and most shocking show at the Festival, pushing boundaries and encouraging audiences to check their political correctness at the door… let go, and laugh! This summer’s lineup is hosted by stand-up comedian and viral sensation Che Durena and features a killer lineup including Jiaoying Summers, Reggie Conquest, Jay Jurden, Amos Gill, and more!
THE CULTURE SHOW
Studio TD, July 20, 7pm
Club Soda, July 23, 7pm
JFL’s long tradition of breaking stereotypes and boundaries with comedy continues with the Culture Show. Hosted by comedian and actor Asif Ali (Deli Boys, WandaVision, The Mandalorian) and featuring former New Face Andrea Jin, and from Frankie Quiñones (What We Do In The Shadows) and more, this cultural melting pot for comedy has become a Festival staple, hilariously tearing down barriers and bringing people closer together.
NEW FACES OF COMEDY ENCORE: STAND-UPS
Studio TD
July 25, 7pm, & 9:30pm
July 26, 9:30pm
The New Faces showcase is one of the most anticipated events at the Festival, with a long-standing track record of launching comedy’s biggest stars, in both stand-up and sketch. Alumni include global icons like Kevin Hart, Amy Schumer, Ali Wong, Jo Koy, Tim Robinson, and Kumail Nanjiani, Saturday Night Live cast members like Jimmy Fallon, Pete Davidson, and Heidi Gardner, as well as Canadian Comedy Award winner DeAnne Smith, and Letterkenny’s K. Trevor Wilson. Recent New Faces include rising stars like Derrick Stroup, Leslie Liao, and Marcello Hernandez, whose stand-up sets have racked up millions of views online.
This year’s New Faces lineup includes four distinct showcases: Stand-Ups (3 different lineups) and Characters, both presented as live performance showcases.
Additional programming details — including the full festival schedule, free outdoor shows, daytime ComedyPRO sessions, The Just For Laughs Awards show, New Faces: Writers in partnership with Rob McElhenney's More Better and New Faces: Creators in partnership with SMOSH, fireside chats, keynotes, fan events, and screenings of Just For Laughs Shorts and Pilots — will be announced soon.
Tickets can be purchased and the complete Just For Laughs Montréal schedule found at HAHAHA.COM.
Media assets can be found HERE.
Connect with Just For Laughs:
Facebook: facebook.com/justforlaughs
Instagram: @justforlaughs @jflmontreal
YouTube: @justforlaughs
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/justforlaughs/
ABOUT JUST FOR LAUGHS
Created in 1983, Just For Laughs is a world leader in comedy. Just For Laughs organises numerous festivals, including the world's largest comedy festival in Montréal. The company has launched the careers of many renowned comedians and entertained millions of spectators each year through its festivals and content broadcast in more than 150 countries. Just For Laughs manages the careers of artists and produces shows, musicals, television series and films. Just For Laughs is a leading brand of the Just For Entertainment Group which, since its foundation in 1997, has established itself as an international leader in creating a world of entertainment. Just For Entertainment was historically known as ComediHa!
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