1. Something He Said

Richard Pryor was the king of irreverence and street-talking comedy. These eerily relevant jokes about cops from 1979 won’t make you laugh so much as cry. His New York Times obit said it well, crediting Pryor with the “entire range of black America’s humor, from its folksy rural origins to its raunchier urban expressions.”

2. A Show of Her Own

Playing nice wasn’t her forte. Long before she became the queen of the runway, Joan Rivers was hitting the late-night talk-show circuit with her cutting, self-deprecating jokes. She broke through as a permanent guest host on The Tonight Show (before falling out with Johnny Carson) and later her own show before making the red carpet her comedy playground, and celebrities her playthings.

3. The Grump

George Carlin was famous for being a politically incorrect curmudgeon. How did shell shock become post-traumatic stress disorder? How did toilet paper become bathroom tissue? “Soft language, that language that takes the life out of life,” he explained.

4. Believe in Him

While Chris Rock may look forever young, he’s been generating laughs for decades. Themes tend to revolve around politics, race relations, celebrity, love and family. Rock listing God’s mistakes — Mississippians may want to skip this clip — will give you a whole new perspective on religion. And piña coladas.

And for more old-school laughs, try Lenny Bruce, Jerry Seinfeld, Don Rickles and Eddie Murphy.

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1. Daring to Speak

Dave Chappelle ruffled more than a few feathers last year, pushing us to question whether he’d gone too far. But in the wake of George Floyd’s killing, Chappelle hit the tone just right, dropping his unique storytelling genius to address the 8 minutes and 46 seconds Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck. 

Amid feeds filled with feuds and outrage, the comedian stands for a selfie in front of a budding cherry blossom. “Fighting racism by being Asian and hot,” declares Jes Tom, a joke that garnered an unexpected response. In came hundreds of replies from Asian-presenting people with their own selfies, dutifully retweeted by Tom, in a strike against soaring anti-Asian racism that represented a rare uplifting moment — both for comedy and for Twitter.

3. Not Backing Down

From her side-splitting breakout in Girls Trip to her raw honesty when speaking about turning down a “demoralizing” role in a Chris Rock movie, Tiffany Haddish is a fearless voice for these times. And her riff on peer pressure is hilarious.

4. She Goes There

Ali Wong’s bold stand-up special, delivered at 7½ months pregnant, broke new ground for female comedians — going deep into what moms talk about when dads aren’t around. Her 2019 memoir, Dear Girls, is similarly refreshing.

5. Oh Snap

This goggled tiktokker has managed to make rubber bands funny. Check out all the things he can make explode.

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Indian comic Kunal Kamra is the lone well-known comedian to take on the nationalistic BJP party and its leader, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This also makes him a target, but Kamra’s family remains almost entirely in the dark about the perils. “If you’re popular and have had your picture in the paper, it doesn’t matter if you’re a smuggler or a comedian,” he jokes. “Your family will be proud and post your picture in the family WhatsApp group.”

The French Jerry Seinfeld has been a hit in Europe for years, and more recently aux Etats Unis. The French-Moroccan stand-up comedian and actor Gad Elmaleh is known, like Seinfeld, for jokes about everyday life, such as how Americans love to say “Let me double check.” “In Paris,” he adds, “we don’t even have single check.”

We know, this one’s a bit obvious. But we love Trevor Noah because his storytelling and fluid language switches are mesmerizing. When Jon Stewart handed him the reins of The Daily Show five years ago, many wondered whether the South African comedian would survive in America. Not only has he survived — his brand might just conquer the world.

You read that right. In conservative Pakistan, neither drag nor dirty comedy is common, but Miss Phudina Chatni is the first person to combine the two into a rollicking show that’s taken Karachi by storm.