The co-founders of the New York Comedy Festival Raise the Curtain on 11 Days of Laughs

For more than 40 years, Caroline Hirsch's name has been synonymous with comedy in New York. Beginning in 1981, when she opened a small club bearing her first name in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, top comedians appeared on her stages – and in some cases made their bones -: Dave Chappelle, Jerry Seinfeld, David Letterman, Jon Stewart, Gilbert. Gottfried, Jay Leno, Kevin Hart, Bill Burr, Paul Reubens and Michael Che, among many others.

In 2004, Hirsch and her partner in business and life, Andrew Fox, decided to expand the Caroline brand beyond the walls of the club (which had since moved to Midtown Manhattan). The New York Comedy festival debuted in November of that year, with about 15 shows in five days. On November 7 the festival begins its 20th season, which will include more than 300 performances over 11 days, including the annual Stand Up for Heroes benefit — now in its 17th year — where Bruce Springsteen, Jim Gaffigan, Seinfeld, Stewart and other comics and musicians have raised a total of $84 million for wounded and ill military veterans. There is also tour-taylor-swift-comedy-show-and-dance-party/” target=”_blank”>The Eras tour: Taylor Swift comedy show and dance party.

“Twenty years is a long time to be in business, especially in New York City,” says Hirsch, who, along with Fox, spoke to Bulletin board about how the festival and comedy have evolved in that time.

How has the festival evolved over the past 20 years?

Caroline Hirsch: Most notable is the depth and duration of the festival. We started with 10 big shows and three or four headliners. Now, the festival lasts 11 days, with over 300 acts and 22 headliners. And I would attribute a large part of that to the fact that comedy is more of a staple in our lives today.

Andrew Fox: When we started, so few comics were playing theaters. New York has such great theaters – Carnegie Hall, Beacon Theater and Madison Square Garden. For comics, these are bucket list shows.

Hirsch: Prior to 2006, the only person to play Madison Square Garden was Andrew “Dice” Clay, and that was due to his relationship with Howard Stern. In 2006, we put Dane Cook at Madison Square Garden for two nights. We sold 38,000 tickets. Since then we've put Kevin Hart, Bill Burr and Trevor Noah in the Garden.

Fox: When we played Dane there, it really changed the way people saw comedy. When we look back at it, from our humble beginnings. It was a game changer for us agents and managers in the industry.

Hirsch: Now Carnegie Hall is considered a stepping stone to the Garden or other arenas. A lot of the comedians we worked with at Caroline's wanted to play bigger venues. The festival enabled us to do that. And we continue the tradition that started at the club of building talent. Zarna Garg started with a night at Carolines, and at this year's festival, we're presenting it at the Town Hall on the last day of the festival.

You closed your club at the end of 2022 because your landlord wanted a significant rent increase. Do you have plans to reopen it in another location?

Hirsch: The festival is about going beyond the four walls of Caroline's and doing comedy in a bigger way. The only way we think of Caroline right now is as a bigger event.

Fox: People are always coming to us with different ideas for events and branding opportunities, and we're listening. Consumers trust us if they are not familiar with a particular performer.

Caroline, you recently wrote an op-ed in the New York Daily News about comedy being more important than ever given today's political climate. Can you talk a little bit more about that?

Hirsch: Comedy is important to society and has become a central part of our conversation today, as you've seen with some of the things that have come out of political rallies. Joe Rogan's podcast was very influential during the presidential campaign, and I'm curious to see what Bill Maher's game is. Bill is in the center and calls it right away. I think hearing what he has to say will bring relief to some people.

You've also said it has the power to bring people from different backgrounds, political and cultural perspectives together.

Hirsch: Ideally, comedy is about taking information that might be controversial or polarizing and making it more palatable in a communal setting where everyone comes together to laugh and let off steam. We live in a country where 50% of people are angry and 50% are happy. How do we bring these two sides together? Making them laugh. Laughter is a healing process. Calms the soul.

Andrew, in another conversation, you said that stand-up tours are hotter and more important than ever to a comic's career.

Fox: People get their comedy in all different forms today, including social media and streaming and podcasts, but there's nothing like the live experience of sitting in an audience, on a date, or with friends.

Hirsch: Once upon a time, everyone wanted a sitcom. Now they want to tour. And for comedy fans, it's like going to see a band. People want that first-hand experience and have wanted it more since the Covid era.

How has stand-up comedy changed since the festival began?

Hirsch: It's much smarter, much more political. He used to be very left wing, but now he is more balanced. There is a right side to it now. Women are playing a much bigger role in comedy now too. Also, the number of headliners has increased. In the early days, I had maybe 18 headliners. Today, there must be a hundred comics that can make headlines. I think Caroline had a lot to do with that development. We also played a role in the media's increased interest in comedy. In the early 80s, none masked comedy. I had to get people to cover it in the [New York] Daily News, Page Six and on the Howard Stern show.

Is there a particular show at the festival I shouldn't miss if I want to see the next comedy headliners?

Hirsch: New York's funniest. Every year we survey the canvas, so to speak, and select 10 promising comics to join. Some major comedians have come out of it—Nate Bargatze and Michael Che won in different years. It continues to grow year after year and is a way for unknown comedians to get exposure and get agents and managers. The night Michael Che won, he took an agent and manager to the bar at Caroline's.