Special Tapings Radar: The Funniest Comics Taping Comedy Specials This Month (May 2024)

Pictured L to R clockwise: Katt Williams, Ali Wong, Deon Cole, Matt Rife, Arnez J, Eddie Pepitone, Melissa Villaseñor & Courtney Maginnis.

We're rolling into May now, which means it time to share this month's Special Tapings Radar. This is where we showcase & highlight all the funniest comedians who are getting ready to record their next stand-up comedy special & album this upcoming month. There are plenty of fantastic specials on the horizon to look forward to in 2024 & beyond (check out February, March & April's recaps of who you can look out for in the near future).

Here are 8 of the funniest comics who you need to see and be in the room for their next comedy special taping if you can (and are still able to if the show hasn't sold out yet). Your chance to be in the room for a live comedy special is closer than you think. Here's everyone you need to pay attention to that's recording their next hour during the month of May.

Melissa Villaseñor broke barriers by becoming the first-ever Latina cast member of Saturday Night Live. A comedic impressions expert, she got her start as a semifinalist on America’s Got Talent. Some of Melissa’s most memorable impressions include Owen Wilson, Lady Gaga, and Dolly Parton.

An accomplished voice actor, she has been part of films such as Toy Story 4 and Wreck It Ralph 2, among dozens of television shows. Melissa was a guest on Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, as well as Hubie Halloween, Barry, Crashing, and Awkwafina is Nora From Queens.

Villaseñor will be taping her first special on May 1st at the Bob Baker Marionette Theater in Los Angeles, CA. Tickets are currently sold out!

Deon Cole is a comedian, writer, and actor, who can currently be seen in the critically acclaimed drama series, Average Joe, for BET+. Cole recently released his latest one-hour special for Netflix, Charleen's Boy. His last special, Cole Hearted, also for Netflix, was released in 2019 after the success of his appearance in Netflix's The Standups.

Catch Cole taping his next special on May 2nd at the Los Angeles Theatre in Los Angeles, CA for Netflix as part of this year's Netflix Is A Joke Fest. Tickets can be purchased here!

With a career spanning over 20 years, Katt Williams has earned a worldwide reputation as one of today's top entertainers, having developed a career seeded with thousands of sold-out arenas, an expansive list of starring roles on the small screen and memorable performances in major box office hits.

Celebrated for his brilliance and ingenuity on stage, Williams is also known for his critically acclaimed standup specials, including The Pimp Chronicles, It’s Pimpin’ Pimpin’, Pimpadelic, American Hustle, Priceless: Afterlife, Kattpacalypse, Great America, and most recently, World War III, on Netflix.

Williams is live streaming his next comedy special, Woke Foke, live on Netflix on May 4th at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles as part of Netflix Is A Joke Fest. Limited tickets are left can be purchased here!

Ali Wong is an award-winning actress, comedian, writer, and producer known for her breakout Netflix stand-up specials “Baby Cobra”, “Hard Knock Wife”, and the Emmy-nominated “Don Wong”.

This past year, Wong starred in and executive produced the Netflix and A24 dark comedy Beef, opposite Steven Yeun. The series premiered in April 2023 to widespread acclaim landing two Emmy Award wins, including Wong for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series. Her performance as Amy Lau earned her the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Limited Series, the Gotham Award for Outstanding Performance in a New Series, and a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Limited Series.

Catch Wong taping her next special on May 4th at The Wiltern in Los Angeles for Netflix as part of Netflix Is A Joke Fest & her Ali Wong Residency from May 2nd-12th. Limited tickets are available and can be purchased here!

LA-based comedian, actor & writer, Carmen Christopher, is gearing up to tape his next special with the help of the best champions you could ask for in comedy. The live & on-demand streaming service Veeps & the power comedy duo Tim Robinson & Zach Kanin are set to produce (with whom he's collaborated with on their hit Netflix comedy series I Think You Should Leave) with Marty Schousboe directing who recently shot Joe Pera's Slow & Steady.

Leading into this new special, Christopher's been keeping busy shooting the new FX series, English Teacher, where he'll be a series regular. He's also been playing a recurring character on the FX show, The Bear and writing for the WGA nominated show The Curse on Showtime with Paramount+.

His debut special, Street Special, is currently streaming on Peacock. Christopher can also be seen in Joe Pera Talks With You (Adult Swim), Search Party (Max), High Maintenance (HBO), Shrill (Hulu), along with many other projects.

Be sure to catch Christopher taping his next special May 16th at Sleeping Village in Chicago, IL. Limited tickets are left & available here!

Matt Rife has exploded to become one of the biggest comedians in the world through his top performing Netflix special and his remarkable engagement on social media where he has amassed over 18 million followers, and more than 2 billion views globally. As one of the most buzzed about comedians in the business, Rife has been selling-out theaters and arenas around the globe and is currently on his biggest tour to-date with Live Nation, the Matt Rife: ProbleMATTic World Tour.

Earlier this month, it was announced that Rife signed a two special deal with the mega streamer to release his next two comedy specials on Netflix. The first of the two stand-up specials is set to be released later this year will be Netflix's first ever full-length crowd work special.

Rife will be taping his upcoming crowd work special for Netflix May 21st-23rd at The Comedy Zone in Charlotte, NC. Like the rest of his ProbleMATTic tour, tickets are sold out!

RELATED: Stream & download Matt Rife's specials & album Only Fans and Matthew Steven Rife on 800 Pound Gorilla!

Legendary comedian & actor Arnez J. has quickly emerged as one of the hottest, most talked about comedic artists in the game. His raw energy, talent and comedic skill quickly landed Arnez the coveted hosting slot on BET’s longest-running comedy series Comic View for two seasons joining the ranks of hosts such as D.L. Hughley and Cedric the Entertainer. This month, he'll be taping his first full hour special in over ten years since 2013's Racially Motivated.

Catch Arnez J taping his next special May 23rd-26th at the Houston Improv in Houston, TX. Tickets can be purchased here!

Courtney Maginnis is a comedian and actress based in Brooklyn, NY. She performs standup all over the country and has been a part of the Brooklyn Comedy Festival, NY Comedy Festival, Underground Comedy Festival, Red Clay Comedy Festival and more. Courtney has been featured in sketches for Comedy Central, College Humor, as well as starred in the short film, "The Comedian's Wife" which was an Official Selection for the 2016 Big Apple Film Festival. She has been featured for a story on NPR's Studio 360 as well as appeared on shows for Sirius XM. She is one of the stars of the popular web series NFL Fan Therapy, the co-host of the weekly podcast The Narcisistas as well as a co-host for one of Thrillist’s best underground comedy shows in NYC, “Let’s See What Else” every Wednesday night in the East Village.

Catch Maginnis taping her first special on May 27th at TV Eye in Ridgewood, NY. Tickets can be purchased here!

They call him the Bitter Buddha, comedian Eddie Pepitone is a master of the dark art of comedy. Hailed as a modern day cross between Jackie Gleason, Don Rickles and Eckart Tolle. Eddie is a force of nature on stage, switching between social rage and self-doubt. His shows are an energetic combo of calm and chaos, blue-collar angst and sardonic enlightenment. Few comedians working today channel the power of the rant better than Eddie Pepitone.

Catch Pepitone taping his next special on May 31st at Lincoln Hall in Chicago, IL. Tickets can be purchased here!

RELATED: Stream & download Eddie Pepitone's comedy special For The Masses on 800 Pound Gorilla!

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