> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.layeredentertainment.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # JokeWrld Fest 2026 Review - URL: https://www.layeredentertainment.com/jokewrld-fest-comics-2026/ - Published: 2026-09-03T16:00:18.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-03T16:00:18.000Z - Description: I will be back next year. And next year, I am going to see the female showcase along with many others. - Author: Alivia Arliss - Tags: Live, Jokewrld-Fest, stand-up, casey-rocket, uncle-lazer, joe-derosa, comedy-festival, kill-tony [**JokeWrld**](https://www.jokewrldfest.com/?ref=layeredentertainment.com) **Fest 2026: The Comics Worth Knowing** Working front of house at JokeWrld Fest meant I caught most of the weekend in glimpses — a few minutes of a set here, a walk-past there, the tail end of a bit while managing a crowd. It was not the way I would have chosen to experience the festival if given the option, but it gave me something a ticket holder never gets. I saw these comics in the hallways, in line for the bathroom, walking between venues. There was no backstage barrier, no green room mystique. They were just people, doing the same thing everyone else was doing, and that changed how I see all of them. This is not a full review of every set. I did not see enough of anyone to give you that. What I can give you is an honest account of who caught my attention, who I wish I had seen, and why all of them are worth paying attention to. --- **Who I Caught** [**Casey Rocket**](https://www.layeredentertainment.com/kill-tony-comics-to-watch/) was everything I expected and then some. He owned the stage from the moment he walked out — physically moving through every inch of the space the way only he does, making the room feel smaller and more his with every step. I have written about Casey before on Layered, but seeing him at JokeWrld confirmed everything. He is dynamic in a way that translates whether you are watching from a seat or catching the last two minutes from the doorway. **Timmy No Brakes** was listed as a surprise guest, which I clocked the second he walked in. He was not on any schedule I had seen and the energy shifted immediately when he appeared. If you have read the Kill Tony piece on this site, you already know what he does — the line between stand-up and improv, the persona he inhabits so fully it sometimes works against him. At JokeWrld it worked completely. A great surprise addition to the weekend. **Jeremiah Watkins** has an energy that fills a room before he even starts a bit. What I caught of his set was high octane from the first second, the kind of performer who makes the people around you lean forward without realizing it. **Uncle Lazer** was an absolute riot on and off the stage, and he is now firmly on my list of must-sees. If you do not know him yet, here is the short version: Texas-born, spent over a decade working in the oil fields before transitioning to stand-up, broke through on Kill Tony with a raw blue-collar style that does not resemble anything else in that universe. He was just as funny walking around the festival as he was on stage, which is either very rare or very telling about who he actually is. Either way, add him to your list. **Brendan Sagalow** was a genuine discovery for me at the festival. NYC-based with over a decade in stand-up, a Just For Laughs New Face in 2022, and a debut special called *Thin Lips* on YouTube that I went and watched after seeing him. Sharp observational comedy with self-deprecation that actually lands rather than just filling time. The kind of comic you find at a festival and immediately wonder why you had not heard of before. [**Greg Fitzsimmons**](https://www.layeredentertainment.com/netflix-is-a-joke-fest/) is a veteran in the best sense of the word. Seeing him in a festival environment alongside comics who are just starting to build their names puts his craft into context immediately. He makes it look effortless in a way that only comes from doing it for decades. His presence on a lineup like this legitimizes the whole weekend. [**Joe DeRosa**](https://www.layeredentertainment.com/the-deep-dive-august-30-2026/) I have already talked about in the JokeWrld recap piece — a brief interaction that changed the energy of the whole weekend. I caught some of his set and it was exactly what you would expect from someone who has been doing this long enough to make it feel completely natural. Six charting albums and a reputation for dark, precise comedy that earns every laugh rather than chasing them. I also caught glimpses of **Jack Shaw**, **Brent Weinbach**, **Tommy Pope**, **Tim Butterly**, **Peyton Ruddy**, and **Ehsan Ahmad** throughout the weekend. Not enough to give any of them a proper assessment, but enough to know I would see all of them again without hesitation. ![Casey Rocket](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/e4/abe46c16-d00d-48eb-a4c3-4d0258671c94/content/images/2026/08/unnamed.webp) Photo by JokeWrld --- **Who I Missed — and Why It Stings** The showcase I most wanted to see and did not get to was the female comics showcase. It featured **Jessie "Jetski" Johnson**, **Liz Splatt**, **Christina Mariani**, and **Maddie Mays**, among others, and it was exactly the kind of lineup that makes a festival worth attending in the first place. Female comics are still underrepresented in the circuit that JokeWrld draws from, so getting several of the best ones on the same stage at the same time is not something you pass up lightly. I passed it up because I was working, which is the right reason to miss something and also the most frustrating one. **Liz Splatt** is the 2024 Funniest Person in Austin and a Kill Tony regular whose rapid-fire delivery and candid observations have built her a real following in the Austin scene. **Jessie "Jetski" Johnson** is a festival circuit staple who keeps showing up on lineups worth paying attention to. **Maddie Mays** is someone I wanted to know more about going in and still want to know more about coming out. She recently made a list of rising talent to watch. I also missed **Sam Tallent**, which stings separately. He is not just a stand-up — he is a novelist with a Random House deal, and the multi-disciplinary creative angle makes his comedy more interesting to me, not less. The kind of person who brings something to a set beyond the set itself. And **Tim Butterly**, who released a new special on YouTube just three days before the festival aired. The timing alone made him someone to watch that weekend. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ab/e4/abe46c16-d00d-48eb-a4c3-4d0258671c94/content/images/2026/08/unnamed--2-.webp) Photo by JokeWrld --- **What the Festival Taught Me About All of Them** Seeing comics in a festival environment where they are walking the same hallways, using the same bathrooms, talking to whoever approaches them changes something. They are not hidden backstage or surrounded by handlers. They are just there, and you realize quickly that the distance you feel watching someone on a screen is entirely constructed. Every one of these people is reachable, accessible, and in most cases genuinely happy to be there. I will be back next year. And next year, I am going to see the female showcase along with many others. Weeks later, I still feel so grateful for the chance to be a part of such a great experience. I hope this festival is around for years to come. --- Comedian Andy Malafarina, who performed at the festival, summed it up better than I ever could. His breakdown is definitely worth the watch: