Laugh Factory
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Laugh Factory is a comedy club in West Hollywood, California.
Comedians who have performed in the club include Michael Richards, Kip Addotta, Bob Saget, Carlos Mencia, Richard Pryor, Robin Williams, Rodney Dangerfield, Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Carrey, Damon Wayans, Paul Rodriguez, Dave Chappelle, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Chris Tucker, Kathy Griffin, Dane Cook, Nick Cannon, and Roseanne Barr.
The club is owned by Jamie Masada, who opened the Laugh Factory in a tiny storefront on the Sunset Strip in 1979. Today there are three locations: the original location in West Hollywood, California, plus locations in Long Beach, California, and Times Square, Manhattan, New York.
A weekly stand-up comedy series originating from the Hollywood location, Comic Strip: Live, aired late Saturday nights on the Fox network from 1989-1994. The series was hosted by John Mulrooney (1989), Gary Kroeger (1990-91) and Wayne Cotter (1991-94). For a seven-month period starting in November 1990, the show was renamed Comic Strip: Late Night to differentiate it from a short-lived Sunday prime-time spinoff, which featured weekly guest hosts and originated from other locations.
[edit] Michael Richards incident
The Laugh Factory made headlines in late 2006 when Michael Richards made racist comments towards two black men who were heckling him during a November 17, 2006 standup comedy routine at the venue. Although Richards performed again the next evening without incident, The Laugh Factory later released a statement [1] stating that "Mr. Richards is no longer welcomed here." Richards later apologized for his remarks.
In response to the Michael Richards incident, The Laugh Factory banned comedians from using the word nigger in their acts. The first known incident involving this new rule involved Damon Wayans, who used the word 16 times in 20 minutes, facing a fine of $320 and a 3-month ban from the club. [2]
