Chutzpah Comics

Meet all of the fantastic comedians in Chicago doing Jewish standup. They are full of Chutzpah and performing at different shows all over the city and the suburbs. This page is dedicated to showcasing Jewish comedic talent from all over the Chicagoland area.

Welcome to the Chutzpah in the Chi Comics section. Here, you can meet all the comedians who are Jewish and performing stand-up across Chicago. Chutzpah in the Chi is here to provide opportunities for Jewish comics, including info about general Chicago open mics and the chance to get booked on a Chutzpah show. Comics: get involved with Chutzpah in the Chi by filling out the form below to perform with us in the new Chicago Jewish Comedy Scene.

September Show: 9.18.24

FEATURING: Joe Medoff, Lia Berman, and Delilah Orizaba

Produced and Hosted by: Rebecca Joey Schwab

August 2024

Meet Ian Zeid, a Chicago-based comic and producer who brings a blend of sharp wit, silly observations, and playful ignorance to the stage. Originally from the suburbs of DC, Ian started his comedy career in Columbus, Ohio, before making his way to the Windy City. Catch him hosting Laughs over Nelson and performing all over Chicago.

Becca Nix Tham is a Chicago comedian with a decade of experience in stand-up, improv, and sketch. She draws on her queer Asian Jewish background for her unique and hilarious bits. You’ve seen her at the Ladies of Laughter festival, Crazy Woke Asians Fest, and World Comedy Expo. Catch her with the Jewish Comedy Project, Annoyance’s Trigger Happy, and Lincoln Lodge’s Lone Wolf Variety.

Comedy veteran Adam Kwaselow has been crafting jokes since age 9 and has been funny since 24. He hosts the monthly shows "F**k You" at Lincoln Lodge and "The Graveyard Shift" at DMen Tap, alongside a weekly Twitch stream, Botch Party, where he hilariously roasts movies. He's also afraid of bees. Adam kills it with Ashkenazi humor.

More Coming Soon…

Chicago Based Comedians (who are also Jewish)

Click on their IG handle to follow them on social

  • Hannah Belmont is a Chicago comedian who has been featured on many stages, including the Laugh Factory, Zanies, Comedy Bar, Second City, the Lincoln Lodge, and many others. Hannah is very happy to be here. @Hannahb.elmont

  • Lia Berman is a Chicago-based podcaster, coffee enthusiast, and Jewish mother. As the host of the "Parental Advisory Podcast," she shares her unique insights and stories about parenting with humor and honesty. Lia is a passionate coffee drinker and a big fan of the Dave Matthews Band, often infusing her love for music into her podcast episodes. Lia is an accomplished standup and you can find her performances across YouTube and Instagram. @Liaberman3

  • Born and bred Chicago-based comedian and writer Madison Burman began her comedic path with improv, performing at the Second City, The iO Theater, and Blanket Fort. Graduating from the Fem Com program at the Lincoln Lodge, she has recently delved into stand-up comedy over the last six months. Offstage, Madison enjoys engaging Uber drivers in conversation, crafting handwritten thank you cards, and talking about how the Muppets are all Jewish (even the Swedish chef). @suchmadison

  • Josh Cahn is a Chicago-based comedian and actor who has been performing professionally for over ten years and has been featured on network TV, film, and in commercials. Recently awarded Best New Jewish Comedian, he has performed in the same lineup as Dave Attell, Jeff Ross, Ari Shaffir, Jessica Kirson, and more for a crowd of 4,000 people at The Chosen Comedy Festival. Network and studio credits include HBO, NBC, Comedy Central, Adult Swim, AMC+, Amazon Prime, The Tonight Show (sketches), 30+ commercials, and others. Other comedy credits include The Laugh Factory, Zanies, Stand Up NY, The Lincoln Lodge, The Second City, Comedy House NOLA, Red Room Comedy Club, The Chosen Comedy Festival, i.O Comedy Fest, Laugh Tour Comedy Club, Loons on The Lake Comedy Festival, The Annoyance, and more. @joshcahnmedy

  • Born in Chicago and raised on the mean streets of Skokie, Seth Davis is a stand-up comedian, writer, and producer. A graduate of The Second City and iO Theater, he has been described as "pee-in-your-pants funny" by people with bladder control problems. Seth delights audiences with his charismatic and self-deprecating humor through personal stories, characters, and his own mental illness (OCD OCD OCD), which has given him a reputation among comedy nerds in two Chicago bars as “The Bad Boy of Comedy.” @SethDavis7

  • David Feinberg can't help but be Jewish—look at the name! He's been voted third best stand-up in the city by Chicago Reader and he's thirsty for blood (but not in an anti-Semitic way). @davidfeinbergonline

  • Sarah Farbman is a writer and comic living in Andersonville. She co-founded and co-hosts A Mic of Their Own, a queer comedy open mic at Whiskey Girl Tavern, as well as Write Side Up, a friendly neighborhood writing group at Eli Tea Bar. @farbmanator

  • Sam Froum is a 17-year-old comic who has been performing since November 2022. He has been booked twice at the Clever Comedy Showcase at the Lincoln Lodge, First Friday Funnies at the Improv Playhouse, The TBD Showcase, and Laughs Over Lakeview. He has creative and relatively clean material.

  • Bill lives in Chicago where he is a host and producer of Snack Attack Comedy Showcase at the Elbo Room in Chicago. According to the Chicago Tribune, "Comedian Bill Gevirtz is cranking out sly one-liners like he’s wielding a machine gun full of them." Bill can be seen performing all around Chicago and the Midwest. @billgevirtzlololololololololol

  • Todd Glover performs in Millennials VS Gen X at The Second City and the Emerald Isle open mic. @toddglovercomedy

  • Shaily Hakimian is a comedian, business developer, and marketing expert. She brings innovative ideas to her performances and ensures they are executed effectively. Shaily collaborates with bars to create a system for events that is clear, creative, and engaging, including personalized name tags and greeters at events. @hakimian45

  • Yoni Heisler is a Chicago-based stand-up with a fast-paced style who loves blending one liners with quirky observational humor.

    Yoni performs regularly at clubs such as Zanies and has featured for a number of nationally touring headliners, including Tim Dillon and Gabriel Rutledge.

    In his spare time, Yoni enjoys playing soccer, writing in the third person, and convincing people to watch TV shows he likes. @YoniComedy

  • Jay Harris; Jay Harris performs his one-man show all over the country. @jayharriscomedy

  • Lauren Hooberman is a Chicago-based comedian and co-producer of Back Room Comedy. She has brought her hilarious comedy everywhere from Zanies and The Lincoln Lodge to Lady Laughs Comedy Festival in Madison, WI (her alma mater). Lauren also co-hosts and co-produces a live cooking show called "Hot Dish" that will have you laughing out loud and STARVING for more. Lauren lives in Andersonville with her precious cat, Roz. She hosts a monthly open mic, Laughs at the Loft. She also hosted and ran Living Room Session for over five years and co-hosted and co-produced Back Room Comedy for five years, both at aliveOne (they are finding a new home for Back Room Comedy). @Laurenhooberman

  • Evan Hull was born and raised in Denver, Colorado as the middle child in a far too supportive Jewish family. Now living in Chicago, he performs on stages all over Chicago and the greater midwest with tales of vagrants kicking birds, misguided body dysmorphia, and other anecdotes told from the perspective of a "well-adjusted" 27-year-old. Mothers and grandmothers love him. @Evanhull

  • Rebecca Jaffe is a Chicago-based musical comedian known for her playful sound, quirky lyricism, earworm melodies, and folk-like vocals, often accompanied by her ukulele. She has performed at venues such as Cobra Lounge, The Second City, Laugh Factory, Zanies, and Cole’s. An STL girl at heart, Rebecca has opened twice for Ludo at The St. Louis Pageant and played at the Flyover Comedy Festival. @reb_jaffe

  • Quinn James is a queer Jewish comedian celebrated for their unique perspective and witty humor. With a refreshing take on comedy, Quinn uses "oy vey/them" pronouns to playfully highlight their identity. They share stories and observations that resonate with audiences from all walks of life, making them a standout voice in the comedy scene. @quinnjamescomedy/

  • From Chicago, Ariel Julie combines sass and crass in her brutally honest style of comedy and storytelling. At a towering 4’10”, Ariel Julie is proof that the best, funniest things can come in the smallest, most Jewish of packages. She currently produces Laughter Hours (a weekly show at the Lincoln Lodge), Doing Time Comedy Show, Date or Die, and the upcoming Windy City Comedy Fest (summer 2025). Her full hour, “Weiner Patrol,” is available on YouTube. @ariel_julie_comedy

  • Dana Kaye is a comic, mother, and lifelong Chicagoan. She performs at venues all over the city, including The Lincoln Lodge, Second City, Red Room Comedy Club, and My Buddy's. @DanaKaye23

  • Adam Kwaselow; Adam Kwaselow has been writing jokes since he was 9 and funny since he was 24. He currently runs the monthly shows "Fuck You" at Lincoln Lodge and "The Graveyard Shift" at DMen Tap, as well as a weekly Twitch stream making fun of movies called Botch Party. He is afraid of bees. @kwaselow

  • Bee Lammers; Bee Lammers is a Chicago comedian with a famously debilitating camel allergy. She is a regular at the Lincoln Lodge and performs in the monthly Lip Service showcase. Her humor has been described as "eccentric," "observational," and, occasionally, "yenta-core." @bee.lammers

  • Dina Lewis is a comedian who has brought her unique humor from New York to Chicago. Known for her sharp wit and candid style, Dina describes herself as blissfully dead inside and embraces her experiences as a menopausal single mom in her comedy. She captivates audiences with her relatable and honest take on life's challenges, making her a standout performer in the comedy scene. @dinalewiscomedy

  • Zach Liss is a Jewish Chicago comic. He currently hosts and produces shows at the Laugh Factory and Lincoln Lodge Comedy Clubs, and previously he has opened for nationally touring headliners such as Joe Dombrowksi (Ellen), Jacob Williams (America’s Got Talent), Raanan Hershberg (Tonight Show), Troy Bond (Netflix), Susan Rice (Don’t Tell Comedy Special), and many others. He has performed at prestigious venues such as Tacoma Comedy Club, Chicago Improv, Skyline Comedy Club, and The Comedy Store, to name a few. @zach.liss

  • Becca is a Chicago comedian with 10 years under her belt of stand up, improv, and sketch. She has been a part of Ladies of Laughter (first annual Jewish women in comedy festival in LA), Crazy Woke Asians Fest, and World Comedy Expo. She uses her queer Asian Jewish experience to inform her silly bits. You can see her regularly with Jewish Comedy Project, Annoyance’s Trigger Happy, and Lincoln Lodge’s Lone Wolf Variety. @beccahasokhair

  • Hannah Magy (she/they) is a Chicago-based comedian, actor, and burlesque artist. You can catch her performing on Kismet, a resident company improv team at iO Theatre, as an understudy for The Second City’s E.T.C.’s 47th revue "Oh The Places You’ll Glow," and as a part of her comedy duo Jaffe & Magy. Magy has a feta cheese obsession and is probably eating some right now as you read this. @hannah_magy

  • Joe Medoff is a Chicago comic by way of Boston and the producer of the show Discount Therapy. @jokesmedoff

  • Delilah Orizaba is a full-time therapist and part-time comic. You’ve seen her perform at the iO Theater, Lincoln Lodge, The Steppenwolf Theater, and a synagogue that one time. Delilah uses her knack for storytelling and silliness to share bits of her life as a Queer Latina on the Spectrum. @isntthatdelilah

  • Rebecca Schwab is a dynamic comic and producer, known for her role as the driving force behind Chutzpah in the Chi, Chicago's premier Jewish comedy showcase. With a deep appreciation for Jewish humor, Rebecca curates monthly shows featuring top Jewish comedians, offering a platform for emerging talent. Her expertise in marketing and production shines through as she brings humor and community together, fostering a space for cultural expression and laughter. Rebecca also leverages her skills to empower fellow comedians through tailored marketing strategies with Kvell Factor Marketing, helping them enhance their brand and reach new audiences. @artsyrschwaby

  • Max Shanker; Max Shanker is a Chicago-based comic who can be seen all across the country talking about anything from allergies to The Grateful Dead. He has performed at Zanies, Laugh Factory, The Lincoln Lodge, Fountain City Comedy Festival, Middlegrounds Comedy Festival, and Madison Comedy Week. He is a producer of Best Night Ever at The Lincoln Lodge and Smiley Face at The Laugh Factory Chicago. @normalguymax

  • Originally from NYC, Derek is the host of the Strong Style Open Mic and performs throughout the city with aggressive comedic passion.

    @strongstylecomedy

  • Rachel Thomashow is a ginger Jew, so she’s like Chucky made for hurler’s nightmares. @rachelthomashow

  • Ryan P. C. Trimble; Ryan P. C. Trimble is an actor, comic, and professional loud person. His work has been seen on shows such as True Blue Comedy, Gay for Pay, Werk, and Baby Wine. He performs regularly with Frogprov, Chicago's only bilingual French-English improv team. @ryntern

  • Naomi Spungen is a former host of JUG at Sleeping Village and the open mic at Schuba’s. @naomispungen

  • Ian Zeid is a Chicago-based comic and producer. Originally from the suburbs of DC, Ian’s career in comedy began in Columbus, Ohio, and has now brought him to Chicago. Ian blends sharp wit, silly observations, and playful ignorance into jokes to create a unique comedic voice. Ian hosts Laughs over Nelson and can be found performing all over Chicago. @ianzeidcomedy

  • Noah Wolf is a Chicago-based actor and stand-up comedian. He has performed at venues such as The Comedy Bar and Lincoln Lodge and has featured in numerous films, series, and web series on a multitude of platforms. He currently is the producer and host of The Rabbit Hole Wrigley comedy show. @NoahWolf

Chicago open mics courtesy of @Chicago.Openmics