The best comedians on Netflix to make you laugh right now

The Netflix comedy special offerings have gone from featuring a handful of decent stand-up events to becoming a full-on comedy hub. If you were looking for a decent stand-up special, you were limited to older specials, most of which had already been thoroughly mined for YouTube clips already. Now there are so many new and great original options it’s hard to pick. That’s why we have curated a list of the best comedians on Netflix. 

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Let’s take a look at our picks on this list. You can watch them now on Netflix by signing up at the link below:

The best comedians on Netflix:

Editor’s note: We’ll be updating this list of the best comedians on Netflix regularly as new comedy specials enter the platform.

Bo Burnham

Before indie darling Bo Burnham directed Eighth Grade, he was best known as a teenage YouTube comedian and a stand-up oddball. His mix of musical comedy with satire and often ruthless introspection is original and downright hilarious. It makes him one of the best Netflix comedians.

Burnham’s got two specials on Netflix, what. and Make Happy. They’re crass, frenetic, and riddled with Burnham’s particularly cutting observational style. Check them out if you’re in the market for musical comedy and don’t mind laughing at yourself a little.

John Mulaney

John Mulaney has been on a real tear the last few years, with what feels like new hilarity every year. He’s without a doubt one of the best comedians on Netflix. If you’re looking for conventional stand-up comedy, check out Kid Gorgeous or The Comeback Kid. They’re both hilarious, featuring Mulaney’s mix of anecdotal stories, social awkwardness, and astute observations.

If you want something a little more involved, check out Oh Hello, a recording of the eponymous Broadway show Mulaney performs with comedian Nick Kroll (The League). The two play a pair of old New Yorkers sharing oddball stories about their past and interacting with various guests. It’s weird as hell in the best way. On top of all that, Mulaney also plays in John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch.

Patton Oswalt

Patton Oswalt isn’t only one of the best comedians on Netflix, he’s also one of the busiest. This guy pops up in a wide variety of content on the service. He has great stand-up specials like Talking for Clapping, Annihilation, and his most recent special, I Love Everything.

Oswalt also plays Happy in the dark comedy of the same name. This is about an imaginary horse accompanying an unhinged ex-cop turned hitman, played by Christopher Meloni (Law and Order). He’s extremely prolific, and it’s not hard to see why. Patton Oswalt is relatable, adorably dorky, and very, very funny.

Ali Wong

How many comedians can say they’ve done a stand-up special pregnant? Not only has Ali Wong done it — and well — she’s done it twice. In her two fantastic specials Baby Cobra and Hard Knock Wife, Ali Wong tackles marriage and motherhood, race and feminism in America, and being pregnant while being a Netflix comedian.

If you’re in for something scripted, Wong’s romantic comedy Always Be My Maybe is on Netflix. In it, she plays a celebrity chef looking for love, alongside Daniel Dae Kim (Lost) and Randall Park (Fresh Off the Boat).

Hannah Gadsby

Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby only has one special on Netflix. However, Nanette is required viewing if you’re a stand-up comedy fan. It’s gut-wrenching, witty, and sometimes hilarious. Gadsby gets into her experiences with sexism and homophobia, in life and in comedy, and why she was planning to leave the scene altogether after the show.

Thankfully, she thought better about that last bit, but nonetheless this is a powerful and honest show everyone should watch. You should also watch her most recent special, Douglas. She is a great Netflix comedian.

Steve Martin & Martin Short

Sometimes, you want to go old-school with your comedians. Thankfully, Netflix has you covered here as well. Long time friends Steve Martin and Martin Short have been touring the US for some time in a show that recalls the vaudeville days. The show itself is called Steve Martin and Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget For the Rest of Your Life. However, it’s likely you will remember this special for some time to come. There are lots of funny quips between the duo, plus some singing and music, particularly from Steve Martin’s bluegrass banjo.

Taylor Tomlinson

Taylor Tomlinson is a relatively young comedian who hit it big with her first Netflix comedy special, Quarter-Life Crisis. She offers her funny takes on growing up, and she continues to expand on her themes of mental health and dating in her second special, Look at You.

Jeff Foxworthy

The man who coined the phrase “You might be a redneck if . . . ” is still going strong as a stand up comedian. He has a new Netflix comedy special, The Good New Days, and he’s just as sharp as ever as he talks about getting older, and learning about texting and other more modern ways to communicate.

Tig Notaro

While she may be getting more acting gigs in movies like Army of the Dead (also on Netflix) and Star Trek: Discovery, Tig Notaro is a comedian first and foremost. Her dry sense of humor comes out in her Netflix special, Happy To Be Here.

Nate Bargatze

Nate Bargatze may not be as well known as some other comedians on this list, but his two Netflix special showcase his average man humor very well. His 2019 special, The Tennessee Kid, was later joined by a follow-up, 2021 The Greatest Average American, which was nominated for Best Comedy Album in the 2022 Grammys.

Eddie Murphy

With his start on Saturday Night Live in the early 1980s, Eddie Murphy soon became one of the most well known comedic actors of that decade. However, he also did some excellent stand up performances, which you can get a sample of when watching the 1987 special Eddie Murphy Raw on Netflix.

Wanda Sykes

Wanda Sykes is a comedy veteran who’s been in comedies and stand-up specials for decades. The selection of her work on the platform is pretty limited, but she’s still one of the best comedians on Netflix. Sykes has a stand-up special on Netflix called Not Normal, where she gets political, tackling race in America, Donald Trump, and more.

Dave Chappelle

Dave Chappelle has become one of the most popular stand-up comedians on Netflix, and for good reason. The comedian isn’t afraid to call it like it is, often bringing up controversial topics with a funny twist. Netflix currently has two of Dave Chappelle’s specials: Equanimity & The Bird Revelation and Sticks & Stones. Additionally, you can find a couple of Dave Chappelle live shows bundled in a “season.”

Earlier this summer, Netflix posted a new short Dave Chappelle special, titled “8:46”, exclusively on its Netflix is a Joke YouTube page. It’s not exactly a comedy routine. Instead, it offers Chappelle’s feelings after the death of George Floyd. It’s more of a way for both Chappelle and us to deal with this tragic event.

Chelsea Peretti

You may recognize Chelsea Peretti from her acting in Brooklyn Nine-Nine. If you thought she was a great actor, she is an even better comedian. Her Netflix special One of the Greats is crude and dark, but also as funny as they get.

Ellen DeGeneres

Oh yes! Ellen DeGeneres is definitely one of the best comedians on Netflix. If her show is hilarious, you can only imagine how great a standup session from the renowned personality is. In the special named Relatable, you can see a side of her we never really see in camera. She opens up about topics like poverty, sexuality, and more, all while keeping the crowd animated. She also jokes about her current wealth and fame!

Gabriel Iglesias

Gabriel Iglesias, also nicknamed “Fluffy,” is easily one of the best comedians on Netflix for those of you with Hispanic heritage. But even though many of his jokes revolve around culture and race, he makes his specials funny and relatable to everyone. His size is another source of funny stories, as are his life adventures.

Gabriel has been featured in two Netflix standup specials: One Show Fits All and I Am Sorry for What I Said When I Was Hungry. He also stars in the series Mr. Iglesias.

Jerry Seinfeld

What else can be said about Jerry Seinfeld? He’s not only one of the best comedians on Netflix, but one of the greatest and most influential comedians, period. While his classic sitcom is not on the service (It’s actually on Hulu), there are still tons of Jerry Seinfeld content to stream. That includes comedy specials like Jerry Before Seinfeld, I’m Telling You For The Last Time, and most recently 23 Hours to Kill.

There’s also the documentary feature, Jerry Seinfeld Comedian, on Netflix. Finally, there’s his show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, where Seinfeld picks up famous comedians (and even non-comedians like former President Barack Obama) and just chats with them while having coffee.

Kevin Hart

Kevin Hart is definitely one of the most successful stand up comedians of the last decade. His in-your-face style has mass appeal, and in the past several years Hart has filled football stadiums with his stand-up tours. Netflix has several of his specials to stream, from 2009’s I’m A Grown Up Little Man, to the more recent Zero F***s Given, which was actually filmed inside Hart’s home living room due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You can also watch the six-episode docuseries Don’t F*** This Up, which chronicles Hart’s life, with a focus on 2018 as his career gets sidetracked over the controversial selection for Hart to host the Oscars, which he later declined.

Seth Meyers

From his Weekend Update appearances on Saturday Night Live to hosting Late Night, Seth Meyers has always been a comedian who has an affinity for politics and news. However, in his Netflix special Lobby Baby, he relates stories from his personal life, including how one of his sons was born in the lobby of his New York City apartment building.

Bert Kreischer

He’s the “bad boy” of comedy who always finds a way to work without wearing a shirt. If that visual doesn’t put you off, you will enjoy Bert Kreischer’s three Netflix specials, along with The Cabin, a reality series where he hosts friends at his remote mountain cabin.

Jo Koy

Jo Koy has been making his mark in comedy for a number of years. You can watch three of his stand alone Netflix specials, along with another special, In His  Elements, where he is joined by a number of other Filipino American comedians.

Richard Pryor

Richard Pryor became one of the biggest entertainers in the 1970s thanks in part to his funny, and very adult, stand up comedy. You can catch his 1979 concert film on Netflix now.

Best comedians on Netflix – honorable mentions

Here are a few more comedians that just missed our “best of” list –

• Jack Whitehall – The British comedian has several specials on Netflix, including his latest one I’m Only Joking, and five seasons of his reality show Travels With My Father.
• Jim Gaffigan – Gaffigan’s clean comedy is hilarious, and you can see that in his many specials on Netflix like Obsessed, and more recently Cinco.
• Bill Burr – Burr doesn’t hold anything back in his highly adult comedy specials on Netflix, including Walk Your Way Out, and Paper Tiger.
• Pete Davison – The currently hot Saturday Night Live performer has a 2020 stand up special to watch, Alive from New York.
• Amy Schumer – One of 2022’s Oscar hosts has two standup specials, The Leather Special and Growing.

Those are just a handful of the comedians you can find on Netflix, with even more available to stream. If you’re in the mood for something else, there’s new content on the streaming service basically every week.