AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON GORILLA COMEDY+ STARTING OCTOBER 5,
YOUTUBE PREMIERE SET FOR OCTOBER 20
Photo courtesy of Storm Santos
NASHVILLE, TN: As reported by Deadline, comedian, actor and TV & podcast host Chris Hardwick has announced the release of his third stand-up comedy special, The Middle Ages. The special will be released with 800 Pound Gorilla on their new comedy streaming service, Gorilla Comedy+, on October 5 before premiering on their YouTube channel on October 20 at 7 PM CT.
Chris’s comedic talents have placed him in every sect of comedy, from the stand-up stage, acting and writing in television and film, to voiceover work and hosting various podcasts and talk shows such as The Wall, @midnight and Talking Dead. In The Middle Ages, Chris takes on middle age, marriage, fatherhood and a rapidly changing world in an energetic stand-up performance packed with stories, songs, and audience interaction. Now in his 50s, Hardwick finds comedy in the indignities of aging, from growing pill collections and questionable digestive choices to prostate exams and realizing Gen Z are “time millionaires.”
Chris says, “The foundation of this set came from my 2019/2020 tour with the intent to shoot the special in 2021, but the pandemic had other plans! In January of 2022 we had a baby and I paused work stuff for what ultimately became a three-year hiatus. BUT in that time, I learned piano, became a parent and got even MORE middle-aged than I was before, so in a weird way the delay actually kind of helped the set, and I’m super excited it’s finally happening! HUGE thanks to 800 Pound Gorilla, who not only have built a fantastic comedy community but who’ve also been an absolute dream to work with.”
Artwork by Matthew Lineham
ABOUT CHRIS: Chris Hardwick is a comedian, actor, TV host, author, writer, producer, and pop-culture enthusiast best known for hosting the two-time Emmy Award–winning Comedy Central series @midnight, which ran for 600 episodes. Hardwick recently returned to podcasting with I Think You’re Overthinking It, a weekly chat show in partnership with AMC+ that reimagines his longtime show. The new title reflects his ongoing relationship with anxiety, over-analysis, and the mental spirals that come from thinking just a little too much about everything. Through conversations and comedy, he digs into how people can quiet the noise, try new things later in life, and avoid talking themselves out of the goals that matter. The podcast keeps the loose, conversational tone of the original while focusing more directly on creativity, overthinking, and navigating an always-on world. Hardwick also currently hosts NBC’s The Wall. The series was recently nominated for a 2026 Critics Choice Real TV Award for Best Game Show. He serves as an executive producer on the series alongside LeBron James, Maverick Carter, and Andrew Glassman. His past hosting credits include the Emmy-nominated Talking Dead, the long-running after-show for The Walking Dead franchise, and the CW’s Up for Auction, co-produced with Brian Volk-Weiss’ Nacelle Company. Hardwick recently entered his sixteenth-year podcasting and has featured an impressive roster of guests including Sir Paul McCartney, Jordan Peele, Tom Hanks, Guillermo del Toro, Jamie Lee Curtis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Joaquin Phoenix, Jodie Foster, Colman Domingo, and Tina Fey. Hardwick is also one of today’s most active touring comedians and continues to perform stand-up across the United States. He lives in California with his wife, Lydia, and their daughter, Dimity.
