Kathleen Madigan is an exception. Over the past three decades, most comedians haven’t built and sustained the sort
of touring and specials business she has without some sort of major TV show or movie role. Coming from a long line
of Midwestern union workers, Madigan has always approached stand-up as a job, and by doing so has established
herself as one of the most successful road comics ever as her career continues to explode.
In addition to touring, Madigan has released six stand-up specials including her most recent 2023 special, Hunting
Bigfoot, on Amazon Prime. The special won the Interrobangs’s 2023 Comedy Special of the Year as voted on by
fans. Her previous special, Bothering Jesus, released on NETFLIX, became the highest selling album and most
played comedy album on streaming services since 2015. This April, Madigan filmed her highly anticipated 7th standup special at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, WI. The special will premiere later this fall with a date to be announced
soon.
Over her career, she’s squeezed in over 40 appearances on late-night & day-time talk shows, appeared on
Comedians in Cars getting Coffee with Jerry Seinfeld and has multiple comedy specials airing on Amazon, NETFLIX,
MAX, SHOWTIME and Comedy Central.
In 2020, taking advantage of time off touring on the road because of the pandemic, Madigan created “Madigan’s
Pubcast” which has garnered over 13 million streams and over 200 episodes. She shares her thoughts on everything
from Taylor Swift to Area 51. It’s equal parts silly and sincere and feels as natural and comfortable as chatting with
Madigan herself.
After a recent performance at the Chicago Theater, The Chicago Tribune wrote, “She has all but perfected the art of
crafting and delivering a perfect joke. That singular dedication to the craft shows in both the evolution of her material
over the years and the way she can make a complicated joke with a hidden nub of wisdom seem both effortless and
offhand.”
“I just wanted to tell jokes,” she said. “I didn’t start doing open mic night to become an actor or a celebrity. Those
things never crossed my mind. For a few of us working, telling jokes was our main and only goal. I don’t have any
more goals. Can’t you just have a goal, reach it and enjoy it? Why do we have to set more? I don’t get it. Grab a beer
and enjoy what you’ve done.”
She’s won the American Comedy Award for “Best Female Comedian” and the Phyllis Diller award for “Best Female
Comedian.” She’s done multiple USO tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. “The USO shows are the best. Trust me, no
crowd is more appreciative and fired up to see a show. I’m glad I have the chance to give back for what they do for all
of us.”
RECENT ACCOLADES:
“She has delivered consistently excellent stand-up for over three decades. She is very good at her job.” – VULTURE
“It’s hard to say what we love more, Madigan’s jokes of her delivery because both are so honed, so sharp and yet feel
absolutely off the cuff, as if Madigan is just holding court in the corner of a local pub over pints. Kathleen is a national
treasure and Hunting Bigfoot should be high on your list of specials to watch.” —THE INTERROBANG
“Madigan’s mix of the mundane and somewhat absurd is what makes her act fell fresh and fun, even after decades of
touring.”—ST. LOUIS MAGAZINE
“Madigan has the heartland appeal of Roseanne Barr and the cultural mindset of Chelsea Handler but exists
somewhere between the two of them while not like being either one of them.”—DECIDER.COM
“She’s small, practical and fun. She makes a lot of sense but not too much sense. Just enough to be hilarious.” —
JERRY SEINFELD
“There’s nobody better than Maddy. Smart and just crushes it every time. She’s not just one of the best “female”
comics, she’s one of the best comics period.—RON WHITE
“She’s the fun lady at the end of the bar with a lot of opinions and only half the information. She’s one of the best
comics working today. And she beats me in golf which is just bullshit.”—LEWIS BLACK
Madigan splits her time between Nashville and the Missouri Ozarks and originally hails from St. Louis, Missouri.
