“Weird Al” Yankovic is coming back for another free outdoor show at Montreal’s Just for Laughs — and so it seems that this 44th festival, running July 15 to 26, is also on the comeback trail after a rocky, near-calamitous ride a few years back.
Yankovic, performing July 25 at 9 p.m. at Place des festivals, brought the venue down, despite inclement conditions, at the 2015 JFL. The fest that summer — the 33rd edition — also appeared to hit its highest gear yet, bringing down indoor and outdoor venues alike and featuring an unprecedented array of stars: Mike Myers, Trevor Noah, Kevin Hart, Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr, Jane Lynch, Patton Oswalt, Colin Jost, Tom Papa, J.B. Smoove, Margaret Cho, Jimmy Carr, Gilbert Gottfried, Sebastian Maniscalco, Janeane Garofalo, Hasan Minhaj.
Fans are likely still salivating over that lineup. But times have changed over the ensuing years. Really changed.
COVID came and took a devastating toll on JFL — and most other festivals — for several years, beginning in 2020. With live concerts verboten at the beginning, comedians took their acts online — with limited results. JFL didn’t fare much better in the years that followed, with both performers and audiences somewhat leery about attending live events.
Then competition unlike anything JFL had ever experienced came with the arrival of the biennial Netflix Is a Joke Festival, launched in 2022. This year’s event, which ran May 4 to 10, was declared the biggest comedy event in history, featuring more than 475 shows and 500 artists performing in over 45 venues in Los Angeles. Hard to compete with that, all the more so since Netflix was also able to offer many of the comedians specials on its streaming network.
Further exacerbating JFL’s woes were financial issues and improprieties that brought down the original regime founded by Gilbert Rozon, who has also been facing a litany of allegations of sexual wrongdoings. There were grave fears this would be the end of the line for JFL.
Then, out of the blue it seemed, came Quebec City ComedyHa! boss Sylvain Parent-Bédard to the rescue, taking over the troubled fest in 2024. JFL somehow managed to put together a relatively thin lineup at the last minute for the 2024 edition and a relatively stronger one last summer. But Parent-Bédard and Nick Brazao, the fest’s head of programming and talent, have come up with a lineup this summer that should appeal to almost all comic tastes.
Nick Brazao, head of programming for Just for Laughs, picked out 10 of his favourites from this year’s lineup. Dave Sidaway / Montreal Gazette
Nothing shabby at all about landing the likes of David Letterman, Will Arnett, Jerry Seinfeld, Tiffany Haddish, Mike Birbiglia, Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, Mae Martin and, of course, “Weird Al.” Back again at the fest are the ever-popular Nasty Show, Culture Show and Brit(ish) Show series plus the smash Smosh Reads Reddit Stories LIVE!
Could the wind be back in JFL sails? Fingers crossed, because we could use the laughs and the city coffers could use the cash.
Who better to ask than Brazao — a former standup comic and JFL programming veteran over the last 20 years — for his Top 10 suggestions among the 100-plus English-language shows to be presented in July. These are his picks to click:
Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody, July 17-19 at Espace St-Denis Studio Cabaret: “This is hot off the press: Our Canadian version of the Off-Broadway, sold-out hit, this parody show — based on just about the hottest series to stream this year — should hit all the right notes. We are debuting it at the festival with an eye to bringing it across Canada. It is hysterical and totally unauthorized.”
Sibling Rivalry Live features Bob the Drag Queen, left, and Monét X Change. JFL
Sibling Rivalry Live, July 22 at L’Olympia: “Definitely not to be confused with the Heated Rivalry parody, but this one will be equally unforgettable, featuring two of the world’s most famous drag queens — Bob the Drag Queen and Monét X Change — bringing a live version of their hit podcast. We had been trying for years to get them, and finally their schedules were able to align for this.”
Tiffany Haddish: One of “the best and brightest in the business.” JFL
Tiffany Haddish & Friends, July 25 at L’Olympia: “Obviously not an under-the-radar comedian, but without doubt one of the best and brightest in the business, star of countless movies and specials and former JFL gala host. Thrilled to land her at the last minute.”
The Improvaneers, Off-JFL, July 25 at Théâtre Ste-Catherine: “One of the truly feel-good stories of this and any other festival. The cast, together since 2018, is made up entirely by members with Down syndrome. They use improv to break down barriers and put on both a great show and provide a very inclusive experience. Among all the shows we have, it’s so rewarding to find an act that finds other ways to tell its story.”
The Montreal Series, July 16-17 at the Comedy Nest: “We have a duty and responsibility to support and to celebrate our local comedians, who can hold their own with comics anywhere. There will be 24 locals in four shows this year, two each night, with one being an all-queer showcase. Again, it’s about inclusiveness on all levels. And holding the shows now at the Comedy Nest, an English comedy-club institution in town, is perfect.”
Dan Tiernan: “Simply put: he’s a mad genius.” JFL
Dan Tiernan, July 25 at Café Cléopâtre and appearing in Brit(ish), July 21-25 at Gesù: “A New Face of Comedy star at last year’s fest. Saw his award-nominated solo show at Edinburgh Fringe last summer, which was so funny yet personal. I love this dude. Montreal may not know him yet, but it certainly will after seeing him. Simply put: he’s a mad genius. A must-see!”
Dukes (Jane Wickline & Liva Pierce), July 23 at Café Cléopâtre; appearing on Mike Birbiglia gala, July 24 at Théâtre Maisonneuve: “Saturday Night Live trouper Wickline and her comedy partner Pierce, a Second City star, bring their Off-Broadway hit musical comedy dealing with the hope, lust and dreams of two friends with one piano. Birbiglia is a huge fan, for good reason.”
American comic Abby Wambaugh is performing a “fantastic” solo variety show. JFL
Abby Wambaugh, The First 3 Minutes of 17 Shows, July 25, Théâtre Ste-Catherine: “The American comic won the 2026 Melbourne Comedy Festival Most Outstanding Show award and the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Best Newcomer Award. Fresh off a four-week Off-Broadway run, Abby is coming to the fest with a solo variety show presented by Hannah Gadsby. It’s fantastic!”
CP and Rebecca Reeds, The Nasty Show, July 15-19 and July 21, Club Soda: “A new breed of Nasty here, with American host CP and Canadian Reeds performing. Both may fly under the radar, but they’ve both been crushing it of late. CP is having a real moment! He’s been tabbed as the host of BET’s re-launched ComicView show and recently performed on The Shortlist showcase at the Netflix is a Joke Fest. And Reeds, a former festival New Face who has done our Roast Battle of Canada, is making what should be quite the impressive Nasty Show debut.”
The Culture Show’s Alfred Robles and Tara Cannistraci are “poised to become household names.”
JFL
Alfred Robles and Tara Cannistraci, The Culture Show, July 15-19, Club Soda and July 21, Studio TD: “Frequent opening acts for Gabriel Iglesias and Jo Koy, respectively, and touring headliners in their own right, these are two comics, a Mexican and an Italian, respectively, making their Montreal debuts. Hilarious, they are both poised to become household names in the not-too-distant future.”
AT A GLANCE
The 44th Just for Laughs festival runs July 15 to 26. For tickets and schedule information, go to hahaha.com.
