Comedy Wham

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #401 The Blade's Andrew Miculka and Kyle Irion talk with Valerie about: How a janitor gig and a ColdTowne student team launched their long-running comedy partnership Clown's no-fourth-wall joy and the infamous True West chocolate pudding bit that ruined suede shoes Coaching, controlled silences, and juggling an imaginary dog in The Blade's joyfully chaoti...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #400  For this celebrity video episode, Travis Zinzer and Lara Smith (with special guest introduction by Katana the Tripod) talk with Valerie about: How Lara's famous "no" sent Valerie to Comedy Wham and sparked 400 episodes of conversations Valerie's favorite pinch-me moments with Scott Thompson, Bobcat Goldthwait, and Dana Gould, with a dose of back all...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #399 Valerie Nies talks with Valerie Lopez about Trading chilly Bismarck for Austin, bombing at early open mics, and finally taking a comedy class Teaching hundreds of comics to write jokes and launching Smile More, her all-women showcase Building her own pandemic MFA and publishing the poetry collection Snacks for the Love Hungry Half Empty, Half Full, h...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #398 Kandyce August talks with Valerie about: Starting stand-up at 36 after a comedy class Hitting nearly 40 comedy festivals while racing to check off all 50 states Her Kill Tony weight loss challenge and the Moody Center New Year's Eve prize on the line Hosting for Nicole Byer, Usama Siddiquee, all while inspiring future moms with her pregnancy bits Fol...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #397 Carlo Lorenzo Garcia talks with Valerie about: Turning TV paychecks into Under Covers , a silly web series pitched as Brooklyn Nine-Nine meets Cheaters Flipping Perfect Strangers into Strange, But Perfect , his award-winning Hill Country film starring Ed Begley Jr. and Beth Grant (and Austinites Garrett Rojas and Irielle Wesley) Weaving his late fath...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #396 Vanessa Gonzalez returns to talk with Valerie about Self-funding her Hulu special, Mamona , after a manager lied for a year about shopping it. Landing her first writers' room job and feeling like an imposter at Warner Brothers. The anxiety medication that changed how she handles online hate and self-doubt. Why Austin will always be her comedy home, n...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #395 Katie Felton returns to talk with Valerie about: Getting engaged, co-hosting Quackin Jokes, and juggling comedy with her 2027 wedding planning Retiring her "single girl" jokes and learning to write fresh material as a newly engaged comic Teaching special ed adults and finding classroom humor without punching down at anyone The annual FPIA contest and...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #394 Slade Ham AND Jimmy Pineapple talks with Valerie Lopez about Getting their start in Houston alongside a young, pre-fame Sam Kinison and Bill Hicks Why LA sketch comedy and short sets never beat an hour alone with strangers Reviving the legendary Texas Outlaw Comics brand for a new Houston film taping Surviving brutal one-nighters, empty casinos, and...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #393 Xander Noland talks with Valerie Lopez about Juggling five-plus Austin comedy shows at once and somehow still adding more to his plate Landing a spot on the brand-new UCB Harold team after a wild 96-person audition His "directionless" 20s, and why finding performance turned everything around for him Launching Clown Carbonara, an immersive clown-run r...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #392 Matt Evans talks with Valerie Lopez about Growing up a rare native Austinite and stumbling into comedy through Comedy Central reruns Becoming a horse vet against everyone's advice, then bombing his way through open mics The 300-person equine convention set that turned painting hobbyist into stand-up addict Writing his memoir during the pandemic and l...

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #391 Wallis Brown talks with Valerie Lopez about Her one-woman My Three Stooges Fanfiction show ahead of its Austin Sketch Fest run. Performing that fanfiction at 6:30am for Del Close Marathon crowds in New York City. Juggling standup, improv, and songwriting as a Story Wrangler adapting 3rd graders' stories at the Paramount Theater. Turning 25, finding f...

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...