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If you’re putting together a comedy festival, you need to assemble a pretty astounding lineup to grab Angelenos’ attention; after all, we can wander into small clubs just about any night and catch sitcom stars and arena-caliber acts for a relatively small fee. Well, for the third straight time, Netflix certainly has our attention with the lineup for its comedy fest—plus some unexpected music, podcast and TV additions.
After its 2022 debut and 2024 return, Netflix is a Joke Fest will once again take over dozens of venues in Los Angeles for a week this May. The 2026 edition boasts a remarkably impressive lineup of comedians, including Jon Stewart, Conan O’Brien, Adam Sandler, Ali Wong, Kevin Hart, Nate Bargatze, Marcello Hernández, Nikki Glaser, Flight of the Conchords, David Letterman, Taylor Tomlinson, Larry David, John Mulaney and Seth Rogen, among literally hundreds of others.
This year’s event, which runs from May 4 to 10, 2026, also adds in a surprising number of musical acts, including Lizzo, Feid, Jelly Roll, Ben Folds, the B-52s and Danny Elfman (the latter two as part of a tribute to Pee-wee Herman). And it leans really hard into live podcast tapings: There are 20 shows, panels and reunions on the initial lineup, with guests that range from Mike Tyson to the couples of Temptation Island to Kate Hudson, Brenda Song and Mindy Kaling, plus reunions for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Portlandia, and an evening with Charlie Brooker and Philomena Cunk herself, Diane Morgan.
And that’s just the first wave of announcements—if it’s anything like past editions, expect to find shows being added right up until the start of the fest. You’ll find the events spread across 35 venues, including the Hollywood Bowl, the Greek Theatre, Intuit Dome, the Comedy Store, Laugh Factory and Hollywood IMPROV. There’s no word yet about the return of Outside Joke, the outdoor festival-like lot behind the Hollywood Palladium that all ticketholders had access to in previous years. Otherwise, all shows are separately ticketed, and tickets go on sale January 23 at 10am, with presales for some beginning a couple of days earlier.
I’ve had the privilege of covering the first two Netflix is a Joke Fests and seeing some truly one-of-a-kind shows—and when it comes to choosing which events to buy tickets to, I’d certainly suggest those “only during Netflix is a Joke Fest” selections over something that you can catch at Largo on a Tuesday night for half the price. Since there’s no multi-show festival pass, it gets pricey pretty quickly if you plan on seeing more than a couple of blockbuster events (aside from the yet-to-be-announced outdoor area and celebratory vibe, it’s not really a traditional festival). So be a little choosy and—if I can offer one more piece of advice—absolutely take the shuttles to the Bowl or the Greek instead of driving.
The full lineup is still to come, but here’s the already-exhaustingly-long list of shows that Netflix has announced for the first wave of the lineup:
– Night of Too Many Stars, hosted by Jon Stewart, with stand-up, variety and music from Bill Burr, Conan O’Brien, Steve Carell, Ron Funches, Nikki Glaser, Tiffany Haddish, Jimmy Kimmel, Leanne Morgan, John Mulaney, Bob Odenkirk, Matt Rife, Adam Sandler, Sarah Silverman and Ali Wong; presented by Robert and Michelle Smigel with Jill Leiderman to benefit NEXT for Autism (May 7)
– Funny AF with Kevin Hart, the semifinals (May 4) and finale (May 5) of a Netflix stand-up competition show
– Nate Bargatze taping at Intuit Dome (May 9, 10)
– Shane Gillis & Friends at the Hollywood Bowl (May 4)
– John Mulaney: Mister Whatever at the Hollywood Bowl (May 8)
– Feid & Marcello Hernández at the Hollywood Bowl (May 10)
– Seth Goes Greek, music and comedy hosted by Seth Rogen, featuring Eric André, Nikki Glaser, Stavros Halkias, Nick Kroll, Sarah Silverman and Taylor Tomlinson; benefits Hilarity for Charity (May 6)
– Jerry Seinfeld at the Greek, with Leanne Morgan and a TBA musical guest (May 5)
– Beautifully Broken Comedy Night, hosted By Jelly Roll headlined by Andrew Schulz (May 8)
– Lizzo hosts a night of comedy and music from Eric André, Nikki Glaser, Dulcé Sloan and Meg Stalter (May 7)
– A Tribute to Pee-wee Herman, a Patton Oswalt-hosted 40th anniversary celebration of Pee-wee’s Playhouse in partnership with Herman World, with music and comedy performances from the B-52s, Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale of DEVO, Danny Elfman, Fred Armisen, Sheng Wang, Bob the Drag Queen, Patti Harrison, Julio Torres, Michael Carbonaro and Puddles Pity Party, plus appearances by David Arquette, Cheri Oteri, Natasha Lyonne and original Playhouse puppets (May 4)
– Flight of the Conchords, Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie’s first live show together in a decade (May 9)
– Katt Williams at the Intuit Dome (May 5)
– Dodgers Comedy Night, presented by Dodgers catcher Will Smith and hosted by Ken Jeong (May 7)
– Marty, Life is Short, the premiere of a Martin Short documentary directed by Lawrence Kasdan at the Egyptian Theatre.
– Comedy for the Community: Supporting Altadena Eaton Fire Relief, a week of shows hosted by Deon Cole at the Fraternal Order of Eagles 719
– Best in Show at the Dolby, individual shows from Michelle Buteau, Jim Gaffigan, Hasan Minhaj + Ronny Chieng, and Wanda Sykes
– The Not Inappropriate Show with Bob Odenkirk, a family-friendly show
– 2 Bears 5K hosted by Bert Kreischer and Tom Segura, with Jelly Roll, at the Rose Bowl
– Stamptown, a two-night taping hosted by Zach Zucker described as “a raunchy and chaotic, full-on fever dream ”
– The Princess Bride with an appearance by Cary Elwes (May 4) and The Naked Gun with a Q&A with director David Zucker (May 5)
– Nick Cannon Presents: Wild ‘n Out
– Beacher’s Madhouse, billed as “a provocative, high-octane live variety theatrical experience blending circus, cabaret, comedy and nightlife”
– This Better Be Funny with David Letterman at the Montalbán, with interviews with Martin Short (May 7) and John Mulaney (May 5) over two nights
– Rushmore Podcast Live with special guests Larry David & Jerry Seinfeld
– Giggly Squad hosted by Hannah Berner & Paige DeSorbo, with the cast & creators of Running Point: Kate Hudson, Brenda Song and Mindy Kaling (May 7)
– Bill Simmons with the creators of Tires: Shane Gillis, John McKeever and Steve Gerben (May 6)
– Kill Tony (May 7)
– Handsome Podcast with the cast of The Hunting Wives, Brittany Snow and Malin Akerman (May 4)
– This Past Weekend with Theo Von with guest Mike Tyson
– The Pete Davidson Show (May 9)
– Bad Friends with Bobby Lee & Andrew Santino (May 8)
– Barstool Podcast Night featuring Pardon My Take, Spittin’ Chiclets and Ryen Russillo (May 5)
– Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade (May 6)
– Comedy on the Fly with DWade and Chris Spencer (May 7)
– Basement Yard
– Smosh Reads Reddit Stories
– The Viall Files with the couples of Temptation Island (May 6)
– The Tim Dillon Show with the cast of Selling Sunset and Selling the OC
– The Bald and the Beautiful with Trixie and Katya with surprise special guest (May 9)
– Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: 10(ish) Year Reunion (May 9)
– Cunk In Conversation, an evening with Diane Morgan and Charlie Brooker (May 4)
– A Visit From Portlandia with Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein (May 8)