April Fool’s Day is filled with pranks, jokes and laughter. For those who want to have some good laughs while maintaining social distance, Spilled Ink reviewed several comedians, and rated them based on how hard they made us laugh on a scale of one to 10. For each comedian, we included the genre and bit we reviewed, the rating and our thoughts. 

Rating Scale: 

         1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10

Giggle —————-> Busted Rib

John Mulaney

Genre of comedy: Stand-Up

Rank: 9/10 

Thoughts: We watched clips of Mulaney’s Netflix special “John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous At Radio City” filmed in 2018. Mulaney made us laugh hard enough to wheeze. What made Mulaney so entertaining was his ability to personalize the content to his style of comedy which is very expressive and self deprecating humor, or also known as “millennial humor.” Mulaney’s use of repetition of certain phrases (“Street smarts!”) and enthusiastic acting prompt a positive reaction from the audience. Additionally, he delivers his punchline at the perfect time, without dragging it out too long. Mulaney is on the lighter side of cursing, compared to other comedians on this list. The distinct style of comedy that Mulaney presents, along with his lively performances leave us eager to watch to watch more of him and possibly bust a rib from laughing. 

Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias

Genre of comedy: Stand-Up 

Rank: 8/10 

Thoughts: Fluffy got us all to laugh consistently. Whereas other comedians will get a good laugh every once in a while, Fluffy kept us snickering the whole time. Fluffy kept us snickering. His stand-up topics can range from adult content to family friendly. The clips we watched “Chocolate Cake Shake” and “Making Cops Laugh/Krispy Kreme Doughnuts” contained some mature language, but weren’t littered with it. A big factor in Fluffy’s ability to make us laugh was through his self-deprecation and his anecdotal approach. What tied his humor together and made us laugh the most were his sound effects. When he created a police siren in his “Making Cops Laugh/Krispy Kreme Doughnuts” was essential to the story and perfectly set up his punch line. We would love to watch more of Fluffy to hear more of his ridiculously goofy sound effects and stories.  

Jay Larson

Genre of comedy: Stand-Up 

Rank: 6/10 

Thoughts: We watched “Wrong Cell Phone Number,” and while it got a couple of chuckles, it did not leave us wanting more. Larson does do a fantastic job of getting the audience involved and rooting for him throughout the story, but the bit was long and wasn’t quick to the punch line. Larson spends more time setting up the exposition for the punchline, in comparison with Mulaney and Fluffy, who keep their stories shorter. Larson is a comedian who will cause a good belly laugh if you don’t mind a more extensive buildup to the punchline.

Taylor Tomlinson

Genre of comedy: Stand-Up

Rating: 7/10 

Thoughts: Tomlinson toes the line between raunchy and appropriate and her ability to take the topics many comedians discuss (eg. partying) and put her own spin on them, is the mark of a master. In addition, the small jabs and comments she works into her bits are almost indiscernible, but make her comedy consistently funny. The flow of Tomlinson’s bit, “Taylor Tomlinson Hates Being in Her 20s” was a bit slow for us, but she’s a great comedian who got several uncontrollable snorts of laughter. 

Katt Williams

Genre of comedy: Stand-Up 

Rank: 4/10 

Thoughts: We watched a bit from “It’s Pimpin’ Pimpin’.” Our general consensus is that Williams was too raunchy for us (too much of mature language). That being said, he still made us laugh with his exploration of certain topics and his larger than life persona. We recommend watching Williams with those who appreciate this type of humor.

Kevin Hart

Genre of comedy: Stand-Up 

Rank: 7/10 

Thoughts: Hart’s bit “Cussing Out My Teacher” showcases his expressive nature in stand-up comedy and his ability to combine his stories as a father with his own childhood experiences offer a new style of anecdotal comedy. Hart does fit the more stereotypical male comedian character, by covering the topics that are commonly discussed by many male comedians, despite this, his comedic content isn’t dry or boring. That being said, his comedic talent in movies  (like Grown Ups or Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle) can be more engaging. 

Hasan Minaj

Genre of comedy: Stand-Up 

Rank: 6/10 

Thoughts: The bit “Hasan Minhaj’s Dad Hates Yogurt” demonstrates his fast-paced comedy style, in contrast to the other comedians on this list, and his casual storytelling makes the audience feel as if he is telling a story to a group of friends rather than a stadium. He is able to combine his experience as a first generation American with events—like awkwardness at prom—that are relatable, making his stories understandable. Minhaj didn’t make us all laugh as hard, but his different perspective made for an intriguing show and made us snicker. 

Pete Davidson

Genre of comedy: Stand-Up 

Rating: 5/10 

Thoughts: Davidson’s jokes ebb and flow, as shown in the bit from his Netflix special “Alive in New York” and make us feel like his stand-up moved too slow for us. Davidson’s style of comedy is extremely-mature, often discussing topics such as sex, drugs and other mature content. We agree that Davidson is funnier in comedic skits (like on SNL) or movies (King of Staten Island) instead of stand-up. 

Ronny Chieng

Genre of comedy: Stand-Up

Rating: 8/10

Thoughts: We watched the bit on wedding invitations in the Netflix special “Asian Comedian Destroys America!” and were somewhat divided on Chieng, we loved his sarcasm and ability to command the crowd, however, it moved too slow at points and employed a lot of mature language. He still achieved a high rating because of his ability to make us all laugh by explaining his culture in a way that is self aware, and delivering his punchline at the right time. A big selling point for us was his deadpan sarcasm, it added to his presence on stage, built up his jokes to a hilarious crescendo of laughter. 

Michelle Wolf

Genre of comedy: Stand-Up

Rating: 8/10 

Thoughts: Wolf’s dauntlessness in the 2018 White House Correspondents’ Dinner really won our laughs. In that speech, Wolf proves fearless in her jokes and commentary that openly discusses societal issues, centering on politics. She pushes the boundaries, which we consider to be an important aspect of comedy—no one achieves anything by playing it safe. Wolf gets the audience involved; her jokes show she does her research, and she uses her platform to speak out for others, something difficult in a comedic setting. Overall, Wolf has our respect and belly aching laughs.

Key and Peele

Genre of comedy: Skit

Rating: 7/10 

Thoughts: We really liked Key and Peele’s skits; with the ability to create stories that make a point, make us laugh and leave us wanting more. T It was amazing to see societal issues incorporated into their skits subtly —they are the perfect example of satire. Despite their comedic prowess as a duo, they are equally (and sometimes funnier) on their own (check out Keegan Michael-Key’s President Obama’s Anger Translator from 2015).