Netflix Is a Joke Festival 2026: An Epic Comedy Lineup

January 21, 2026

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Netflix Is a Joke Festival 2026: An Epic Comedy Lineup

Netflix announced its 2026 Is a Joke Festival lineup for May 4–10 in Los Angeles, and the scale is staggering: 350 live events across the city. The host, Johnny Mac, spent most of the episode reading through the full performer list, which runs from A (Malin Akerman) to R (Ramy Youssef) and includes just about every working comedian of note. The festival has grown enormously since its launch four years ago, and this year's edition makes clear that Netflix is now the dominant force in live comedy programming.

The Headliners and Major Events

Kevin Hart hosts "Funny AF," a live competition searching for the world's next funniest comedian. The taped episodes begin streaming on Netflix April 20, with the live semi-finals and finale airing May 4 and 5. John Mulaney returns to the Hollywood Bowl, though Johnny Mac noted the press release did not mention a return of Mulaney's Netflix talk show. Seth Rogen headlines the Greek Theatre with "Seth Goes Greek," a night of music and comedy supporting Hilarity for Charity, featuring Eric Andre, Nikki Glaser, Stavros Halkias, Nick Kroll, Sarah Silverman, and Taylor Tomlinson with surprise guests. Marcello Hernandez leads the largest Spanish-language comedy show ever at the Hollywood Bowl. Cat Williams plays the Intuit Dome. Flight of the Conchords reunite for their first live show i

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What you'll learn

1 (00:02) **Netflix Is a Joke Festival 2026 Announced** - Johnny Mac introduces the massive festival lineup for May 4-10 in Los Angeles, with 350 live events.
2 (01:39) **Johnny Mac Questions Marcelo Hernandez's "Superstar" Status** - He pushes back on the Late Nighter headline that grouped Hernandez with Letterman, Kimmel, and Stewart.
3 (01:59) **Festival Exclusive Events: Night of Too Many Stars** - Hosted by Jon Stewart, featuring Bill Burr, Conan O'Brien, Steve Carrell, Adam Sandler, and more, benefiting Next for Autism.
4 (02:31) **Funny AF Competition & Other Major Shows** - Kevin Hart's "Funny AF" competition will stream on Netflix starting April 20, with live semi-finals and finals on May 4-5.
5 (04:01) **Pee-Wee Herman Tribute & Flight of the Concords Reunion** - A 40th anniversary variety show for Pee-Wee's Playhouse, hosted by Pat and Oswald, featuring The B-52s, Devo, Fred Armisen, and more.
6 (04:34) **Cat Williams, Dodgers Comedy Night, and More** - Cat Williams plays the Intuit Dome; Dodgers Comedy Night hosted by Ken Jeong, presented by Will Smith (the catcher).
7 (05:10) **Community Shows, Podcasts, and The Two Bears 5K** - Dion Cole hosts a fire relief benefit; Bob Odenkirk presents "The Not Inappropriate Show"; The Two Bears 5K hosted by Bert Kreischer and Tom Segura.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Johnny Mac

Show Notes

The return of the 'Netflix is a Joke' festival is set to take place in Los Angeles from May 4-10, 2026. Featuring over 350 live events, the festival will showcase a host of comedy stars such as Kevin Hart, John Mulaney, Seth Rogen, Jerry Seinfeld, and many more. The episode highlights the scope of the festival, including special events like 'Funny AF' hosted by Kevin Hart and 'Night of Too Many Stars' with Jon Stewart. Additionally, Johnny humorously critiques a headline from Late Nighter and shares other comedy news including David Letterman's upcoming appearance at the Just for Laughs festival in Vancouver.

00:18 Netflix is a Joke Festival 2026 Announcement
00:52 Festival Highlights and Performers
02:31 Special Events and Shows
06:25 Comprehensive Performer List
09:31 David Letterman's Return to Canada
10:37 Quick Comedy News Updates
12:00 The Boiler Guy Comes and I need heat more than you need to know aboit Martin Short's documenatry.

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