Laugh Factory
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Laugh Factory is a comedy club in Hollywood.
Comedians who have performed in the club include Michael Richards, Bob Saget, Carlos Mencia, Richard Pryor, Robin Williams, Rodney Dangerfield, Jeff Dunham, Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Carrey, Damon Wayans, Paul Rodriguez, Dave Chappelle, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Chris Tucker, Louis CK, Kathy Griffin, Dane Cook, Nick Cannon, Sunda Croonquist 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. There is also one in New York City and one to open in 2008 in Long Beach, California.
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 when Michael Richards went into a racist outburst toward 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 a 20 minute show.
He was fined $320 ($20 for each offence) and given a 3-month ban from the club. [2]
[edit] Endurance Record
The Laugh Factory keeps track of an endurance record for the comedian who can deliver the longest single set at the prestigious club. The record-holding performances are listed below:
| Date | Duration (hr:min) | Performer |
|---|---|---|
| 2008-01-02 | 7:00 | Dane Cook |
| 2007-12-03 | 6:12 | Dave Chappelle |
| 2007-04-15 | 6:07 | Dave Chappelle |
| 2007-04-10 | 3:50 | Dane Cook |
| 1980 | 2:41 | Richard Pryor |
[edit] External links
- Associated Press. "Dane Cook breaks Laugh Factory's comedy endurance record with 7-hour set", International Herald Tribune, 2008-01-04.
- Associated Press. "Dave Chappelle's standup marathon: 6 hours, 12 minutes", CNN, 2007-12-04.
- Josef Adalian. "Chappelle pulls all-nighter at Factory", Variety, 2007-04-16.
- Laugh Factory official site
