Comedy Wham

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #390 Executive Producers of 2026 Austin Sketch Fest, Rebecca East and Ashley Ellis talk with Valerie Lopez about: Austin Sketch Fest's 2026 expansion to two full weekends and what it took to pull it off Headliners Shitty Mozart, Assssketch, Aly Dixon, and SNL's Austin-grown Andrew Dismukes A stacked lineup of 35 acts including local favorites, out-of-town...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #389 Joey Smith talks with Valerie Lopez about Growing up on pawn shop comedy DVDs and the life-changing loss that pushed him to the mic Balancing a full-time corporate job with touring the country for Jeremiah Watkins His legendary mattress return bit and why audiences keep confessing their own retail scams after the show Why getting that first laugh wit...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #388 Gretchen Dietz talks with Valerie Lopez about: Trading her PhD for a notebook and a bar open mic with zero last-name confidence Divorcing her inner perfectionist and learning to love the beautiful mess of live comedy How moving to Austin blew up her small map and recalibrated everything she thought she knew Building a real comedy career on thank-you...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #387 2026 Moontower Comedy Festival Series   Our favorite time of year as we bring you voices from Moontower Comedy Festival before, during, and after the festival!   Legendary comedian Yakov Smirnoff talks with Valerie Lopez about Leaving the USSR in 1977 and building a legendary comedy career through sheer luck and timing. How his iconic "What a country...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #386 2026 Moontower Comedy Festival Series   Our favorite time of year as we bring you voices from Moontower Comedy Festival before, during, and after the festival!   Cathy Ladman talks with Valerie Lopez about Walking through fear for 45 years and why courageous best describes her past The golden and gritty days of the 80s New York comedy scene and her l...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #385 2026 Moontower Comedy Festival Series   Our favorite time of year as we bring you voices from Moontower Comedy Festival before, during, and after the festival!   Mia Jackson talks with Valerie Lopez about How a room full of strangers at an open mic launched her comedy career Getting fired from her day job and landing on TV the very next week The Pope...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #384 2026 Moontower Comedy Festival Series Our favorite time of year as we bring you voices from Moontower Comedy Festival before, during, and after the festival!   Jeremiah Watkins (Volume 9) talks with Valerie Lopez about Writing and directing his first feature film based on the Trailer Tales podcast universe. His upcoming special Crazy Pizza and naviga...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #383 2026 Moontower Comedy Festival Series Our favorite time of year as we bring you voices from Moontower Comedy Festival before, during, and after the festival! We bring you another Austin resident making his Moontower debut!   Fast Ronald talks with Valerie Lopez about His layered background — culinary school and LA open mics — all feeds directly into...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #382 2026 Moontower Comedy Festival Series   Our favorite time of year as we bring you voices from Moontower Comedy Festival before, during, and after the festival!   Tracey Schultz and Sam Peirce talk with Valerie Lopez about Tracey's unbridled excitement at seeing Yakov Smirnoff on this year's lineup Sam's viewing schedule finally making way to join the...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #381 Austen Silver talks with Valerie Lopez about Starting comedy at 30 after 15 years of wanting to, but not knowing how Turning Atlanta, a pandemic, and a flooded apartment into unlikely career fuel A debut special that blends off-the-wall metaphors with surprisingly sharp philosophical observations His biggest opponent at 13 years in — not the audience...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #380 Kat Ellison Williams talks with Valerie Lopez about A lifetime of comebacks, from brutal early open mics to overcoming mental health crises How improv became a lifeline offering freedom from the perfectionism of standup Transitioning and how it reshaped his relationship with performance that turned the stage into a place of authentic self-expression...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #379 Garrett Buss talks with Valerie Lopez about Surviving dirt naps, bees masquerading as alarm clocks, and his welcome to Palm Tree City Building his new creative home base with his monthly one-man show Daddy Strong Legs, shopping Exploraphoria , and learning the ropes in a new town. Celebrating 10 years in comedy, learning the art of discipline, learni...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #378 2026 Moontower Comedy Festival Series Our favorite time of year as we bring you voices from Moontower Comedy Festival before, during, and after the festival! We kick off with a new Austin resident making his Moontower debut!   Caleb Elliott talks with Valerie Lopez about From a rural way of life to touring the country How his calm nature turned into...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #377 Maria Pond talks with Valerie Lopez about Being a shy social butterfly who finds herself in bloom on Austin stages Finding community with the legendary Loverboy improv group and its unified brain power Big Fart, Boy Moms, and the gift of friendship   Recorded February 2026 at Fallout Theater Podcast Studio Follow Maria: Instagram Maria -  @marialilli...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #376 The best of Austin's love-obsessed improvisers talks with Valerie Lopez about Jane Austin Improv (Rebecca East) - there's no homework necessary to enjoy the costume, accents, and furniture of the show. Don't miss their three year anniversary show in June at The Long Center. Love It's Blind (Jami Reetz) - the original cast from the season one run in 2...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #375 Macey Isaacs talks with Valerie Lopez about Trading the weight of the world for sharp jokes and playful joy Using her skills as a former basketball player to bounce back on comedy stages How ten years in comedy has helped her embrace the comic label Her Dry Bar Comedy Special, Don't Tell Comedy Special, Picture Day Comedy Show (Santa Monica), That's...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #374 Dani Gonzalez talks with Valerie Lopez about A tumultuous exploration of comedy and mental health Finding herself at home with fellow improvisers The gift of creativity, collaboration, and hope for the future Keeping a full plate with Come @ Me, Fuck This Week, Guts!, How High Are You? shows and teaching and coaching improv Recorded January 2026 at F...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #373 Duncan Carson returns for his record-breaking 8th time with Valerie Lopez about His newfound love of the outdoors (what is that??) The continued evolution of the Austin comedy scene Musing about 10 years of Comedy Wham Presents The one-show-only return of Sure Thing on January 30th at Fallout Theater Recorded January 2026 at Fallout Theater Podcast S...

Read the article at  comedywham.com Episode #372 Garrett Rojas talks with Valerie Lopez about Being born into a creative family Being a classically trained guitarist who finds the connection on the ColdTowne Theater stage His current acting, improv, and sketch projects: Temptress (improv), Misterios (all-Latin improv), Lawn Party Comedy, and Pay Pigs Comedy   Recorded January 2026 at Fallout Theat...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #371 Bak returns to talk with Valerie Lopez to recap 2025 and plan for 2026: Comedy Wham Milestones in 2025 - Valerie's articles with San Antonio Current, the end of the Comedy Wham Showcase, the start of ImproVintage, more show reviews, new monthly show recommendations, judging FPIA a second time.  Talking to FPIA winner JJ Curry before his win! Comedy W...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #370 Chism Cornelison talks with Valerie Lopez about Going against the type of a small Texas town and ditching the football field for the theater stage The best birthday gift of his life - improv classes which helped him channel his talent for being funny and introduced him to his now wife, Jamie Meeks. Trading being a little fish in a big pond for becomi...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #369 Louis Birdsong talks with Valerie Lopez about Making the leap from standup to improv The gift of being a tech for shows Planting roots (literally) as an arborist and in The Rose (Season 3 debuting January 2026) Being one of the most positive and supportive performers in Austin Recorded November 2025 at Fallout Theater Podcast Studio Follow Louis Inst...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #368 Irielle Wesley talks with Valerie Lopez about Being an introvert secretly wanting to be an extrovert How improv, sketch, and standup have allowed her to explore the world of breaking rules How Big Fart turned socializing with your best friends into a 2025 ColdTony Award winning sketch   Recorded November 2025 at Fallout Theater Podcast Studio Follow...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #367 Alex Walker talks with Valerie Lopez about Jumping into Austin's improv scene and beautiful spaces The importance of finding her groove through performing with Fuck this Week, Slide in the DMs, and Garage Improv Turning Saw's Billy the Doll into a show at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe Festival (don't worry, he's a nice guy now) Recorded November 2025 at...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #366 Jessi Saldana talks with Valerie Lopez about Living a childhood brimming with a thousand interests The Houston comedy scene and how it shaped him Living through the boom of the Austin comedy scene His Tuesday Gigante show at Rozco's Comedy Club Recorded October 2025 at Fallout Theater Podcast Studio Follow Jessi TikTok -  @tiojessi YouTube -  youtube...