Last month we rounded up 10 up-and-coming comedians to watch. Here are 10 more, from a Kill Tony Golden Ticket winner in Brussels to a bilingual stand-up in San Francisco and a CBC Gem pick in Vancouver.
Each entry has a quick intro, the credits worth knowing, and where to follow them. Catch them in a club while the tickets are still easy to get.
1. Michael Turner
Based in: Los Angeles, from Cincinnati
Michael Turner grew up in Cincinnati, started stand-up in Phoenix and now works out of Los Angeles. He has a special with Don’t Tell Comedy and has been featured on Netflix Is A Joke Radio, but a lot of people found him through “Mike’d Up,” his series of videos from NFL tailgates. He also built the Road Warrior Tour around the Cincinnati Bengals’ road schedule, and he has covered the NFL for NBC Sports and Bally Sports. He plays Washington, D.C. on November 22.
Follow Michael Turner: Instagram @turnercomedy (123K followers) · Website: punchup.live/michaelturner
2. Hannah Jones
Based in: New York City
Hannah Jones’ videos have passed 40 million views, and one of her Instagram clips alone drew nearly a million likes this spring. The New York comic has been featured on Netflix Is A Joke Radio and in Don’t Tell Comedy’s secret shows, and she has opened for Kumail Nanjiani, Atsuko Okatsuka and Josh Gondelman. Her tour has taken her to Atlanta, San Francisco, Dallas, Austin and Raleigh, plus London and Manchester.
Follow Hannah Jones: Instagram @hannahjonescool (119K followers) · Website: hannahjonescool.com
3. Ric Diez
Based in: Brussels, touring the U.S. and Europe
Ric Diez won a Golden Ticket on Kill Tony, and he still has to remind people of his name: the episode listings spelled it “Rick Diaz,” which his Instagram bio now corrects with a laugh. Based in Brussels, he splits his time between American clubs and European rooms, with November dates in Rome, Prague, Vienna and Amsterdam. His website quotes both Shane Gillis and Tony Hinchcliffe.
Follow Ric Diez: Instagram @sadmanric (93K followers) · Website: ricdiez.com
4. Cathy Zhao
Based in: San Francisco
Cathy Zhao does stand-up in English and Mandarin. The San Francisco comic and Stanford alum took second place in the North America Mandarin Standup Comedy Competition, was a finalist at Rooster Feathers, and has played SF Sketchfest and SF Fringe. She has opened for Margaret Cho, Bobby Lee and Natasha Leggero, and one of her clips passed 7 million plays on Instagram. She also co-founded the nonprofit Laugh It Out Hub.
Follow Cathy Zhao: Instagram @cathycomedy (14K followers) · Website: cathyzhaolaugh.com
5. Sharief Johnson
Based in: New York City and New Jersey
Sharief Johnson plays the Comedy Cellar and acts on Starz’s Raising Kanan, and he has performed at the Netflix Is A Joke festival. His comedy album, I Wish That Was A Joke, got coverage from PIX11 and NJ.com, and his crowd-work clips have reached up to nearly a million plays on Instagram. His YouTube special is linked from his Instagram bio.
Follow Sharief Johnson: Instagram @shariefjohnson4real (23K followers) · Website: shariefjohnsoncomedy.com
6. Jenny Zigrino
Based in: Los Angeles
Jenny Zigrino was a Just For Laughs New Face in 2016, and her hour, Jen-Z, premiered on Comedy Central’s digital channels in 2023. You may also know her from Crowd Control on Dropout. Her next hour is called AFTERBIRTH.
Follow Jenny Zigrino: Instagram @jennyzigrino (146K followers) · Website: jennyzigrino.com
7. Mike Hammock
Based in: Denver
Mike Hammock won the New Face contest at Denver’s Comedy Works and Best of Fest at the Colorado Springs Comedy Festival before taking his act on the road. He has toured with Adam Carolla, appeared on Kill Tony, and released a half-hour special and album, Charm Offensive. One of his Instagram clips passed 2.5 million views.
Follow Mike Hammock: Instagram @themikehammock (27K followers) · Website: mikehammockcomedy.com
8. Alex Kumin
Based in: New York City
Alex Kumin plays the Comedy Cellar, has credits with Comedy Central and NBC, and produces the New York showcase Comedians You Should Know. She co-hosts the podcast Into the Mud, and this year she has been headlining clubs in Memphis, Chattanooga, Cincinnati and Milwaukee. One of her crowd-work clips passed 400,000 views on Instagram.
Follow Alex Kumin: Instagram @alex.kumin (69K followers) · Website: alexkumin.com
9. Max Meisel
Based in: Los Angeles, from New York
Max Meisel was a walk-on football player at Syracuse before he went into comedy. He spent a 60-city tour as the feature act for Tom Arnold, and this fall he launched his first headlining run, “The L.A. Sober Tour.” He also hosts and produces BackDoor Comedy, a show that has been featured on E! News and made its New York Comedy Festival debut in 2025.
Follow Max Meisel: Instagram @maxmeisel86 (26K followers) · Website: maxmeisel.com
10. Dustin Searcy
Based in: Vancouver
Dustin Searcy is one of the 12 comics in CBC Gem’s 2026 New Wave of Standup. The Vancouver comic has played Just For Laughs in both Toronto and Vancouver, put out a special, Honest Dirty Talk, on YouTube in 2024, and is on the road with his “Dude, This One Time” tour.
Follow Dustin Searcy: Instagram @thedustinsearcy (8K followers) · Website: dustinsearcy.com
More comedy on The LA Note
- 10 Up-and-Coming Comedians to Watch Right Now (October 2026)
- Who is Mojo Brooks, and where did he come from?
Know a comic who should be on the next list?
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