Derby Day Comedy News: Catherine Blandford, Max Amini , Hannibal Buress, Jeff Dunham, and Industry Updates
May 2, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readDerby Day Comedy News: Viral Clips, Iranian Comedy, and Industry Moves
Happy Derby Day. In today's roundup, Catherine Blandford's viral origin story gets the full treatment, Max Amini offers a nuanced take on comedy and censorship in Iran, Hannibal Buress experiments with multimedia, and Jeff Dunham explains how ventriloquism gives him a built-in shield against cancel culture. Plus: a new premium comedy streaming service, Emmy hosting gigs, and a documentary about Maria Bamford.
Catherine Blandford: From Fraternity Roast to David Spade's Opener
Catherine Blandford's path to comedy began with a college pageant. "I wrote a sketch like I was Chelsea Handler," she says. "I roasted a bunch of frat guys and then did an interview with a pledge from the fraternity as Charlie Sheen. Obviously we won and I kinda had the bug."
Her big break came in 2022 when a clip of her joking about her parents being cousins went viral. David Spade saw it, they connected, and Blandford spent two years opening for him before transitioning to headlining on her own. She's now a regular at the Improv and the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles and plans to record two specials this year.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (02:12) **Derby Day Intro & Catherine Blandford's Derby Story** - Johnny Mac opens the show on Derby Day and shares a story from comedian Catherine Blandford about her college trip to the Kentucky Derby.
- 2 (03:29) **Max Amini on Iran's Future and Comedy's Role** - Max Amini tells the Hollywood Reporter that Iran's rulers will inevitably loosen their grip, and that comedy is paving the way for Iranian comedians.
- 3 (05:13) **Hannibal Buress Live Review: Political Jokes and Multimedia Finale** - The Cavalier Daily reviews a Hannibal Buress show in Charlottesville, noting his use of a screen and a rap song finale.
- 4 (06:25) **Jeff Dunham on His New Show and Evolving Comedy** - Jeff Dunham discusses his Discovery show *The Cars That Drove Us* and how comedy has changed with audience expectations.
- 5 (10:49) **Ismo Partners with ICS Nordic** - Finnish comedian Ismo has teamed up with a Finland-based production house to push into the live comedy space.
- 6 (11:11) **Gorilla Comedy Plus Launches May 5th** - 800 Pound Gorilla is launching a premium ad-free service called Gorilla Comedy Plus on May 5th.
- 7 (11:40) **Roy Wood Jr., Amber Ruffin, and Michael Ian Black to Host Emmy Ceremonies** - The three *Have I Got News for You* hosts will individually host different nights of the Sports and News & Documentary Emmy ceremonies.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
00:18 Catherine Blandford Story
00:45 Lanford Comedy Breakout
01:27 Max Amini on Iran
03:12 Hannibal Buress Review
04:23 Jeff Dunham Car Show
05:12 Dunham on Cancel Culture
05:41 Survivor Clip Detour
07:12 Dunham Comedy Mechanics
08:17 Ismo New Partnership
08:39 Gorilla Comedy Plus Launch
09:08 Emmy Hosts Announced
09:44 Maria Bamford Documentary
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