Draft:Kill Tony

Kill Tony is an American live podcast stand-up comedy variety show created and hosted by Tony Hinchcliffe and produced and co-hosted by Brian Redban. The show premiered on June 3, 2013 and has released a new episode every Monday night since. It streams on YouTube and other online platforms, achieving around 2 million downloads per episode.

In each episode, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe and Brian Redban, usually joined by a celebrity guest host or hosts, randomly draw names from a bucket of aspiring stand-up comedians who are given the opportunity to perform a minute of stand-up comedy for the panel and a live audience, followed by an interview. Comedians who generate laughs and do well are usually given further opportunities to perform comedy by the show's hosts, such as spots on their respective comedy tours, or chances to perform as "regulars" on Kill Tony.

Originally recorded at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles, California, Kill Tony moved to Austin, Texas for its 487th episode, recording at Antone's Nightclub for 18 episodes, Vulcan Gas Company for 92 episodes, and currently records at the Comedy Mothership on Sixth Street. It celebrated its 10 year anniversary as a show in 2023. The 647th and 648th episodes were recorded in front of the show's largest live audiences yet at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park of Austin, Texas on New Year's Eve, leading into 2024. It recorded its 650th episode on January 22, 2024. For 2024, Kill Tony announced shows at Madison Square Garden and the LA Forum. The show has also recorded shows in cities including Brisbane, Calgary, Chicago, Dallas, London, Manchester, Nashville, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, Sydney, Toronto, Vancouver, and Washington, D.C. In 2024, Kill Tony signed with Studio71 for distribution, ad sales, and marketing. Netflix is a Joke Fest 2024 featured a Kill Tony show.

Kill Tony is notable for launching the careers of Kim Congdon, William Montgomery, David Lucas, Hans Kim, and Kam Patterson, and giving stage time to up-and-coming comics, with many following the show's move to Austin. Notable guest hosts have included Dave Attell, Roseanne Barr, Doug Benson, Tucker Carlson, Whitney Cummings, Tim Dillon, Ric Flair, Jim Gaffigan, Shane Gillis, Gilbert Gottfried, Tony Hawk, Alex Jones, David Koechner, Bert Kreischer, Howie Mandel, Post Malone, Mark Normand, Suga Sean O'Malley, Russell Peters, Paul Provenza, Adam Ray, Joe Rogan, Jeff Ross, Bob Saget, Tom Segura, Ari Shaffir, Pauly Shore, Sarah Silverman, David Spade, Doug Stanhope, Steve-O, Nick Swardson, Duncan Trussell, Theo Von, and Ron White, with notable appearances from Dr. Phil McGraw and MrBeast at the H-E-B Center on New Year's Eve.

Regulars
Select comedians known as the series "regulars" perform a new, minute-long set of stand-up comedy in each episode of the show. This is in contrast with the comedians who are "bucket pulls" and are selected at random. To date, 14 different comedians have been given status as regulars on Kill Tony.


 * 1) Sara Mostajabi – 23 sets (2013 as regular; died 2022 )
 * 2) Kim Congdon – 111 sets (2013–2015 as regular)
 * 3) Sara Weinshenk – 100 sets (2013–2015 as regular)
 * 4) Vanessa Johnston – 47 sets (2015–2016 as regular)
 * 5) Ali Macofsky – 70 sets (2015–2018 as regular)
 * 6) Melissa Eslinger – 49 sets (2015–2016 as regular)
 * 7) Malcolm Hatchett – 44 sets (2018–2019 as regular)
 * 8) William Montgomery – 254 sets (2018–present as regular)
 * 9) David Lucas – 136 sets (2019–2023 as regular)
 * 10) Michael Lehrer  – 102 sets (2020–2022 as regular; died 2023)
 * 11) Hans Kim – 141 sets (2021–present as regular)
 * 12) Ellis Aych – 15 sets (2022 as regular)
 * 13) Kam Patterson – 37 sets (2023–present as regular)
 * 14) Casey Rocket – 5 sets (2024–present as regular)

Michael Lehrer, William Montgomery, and David Lucas are also members of the Kill Tony Hall of Fame.

Golden Ticket Winners
Another select group of comedians known as the series "golden ticket winners" are promised a minute to perform in any episode of their choosing. It is considered the next-highest honor to becoming a regular on the show, usually given to comedians who live outside of the area where the show is recorded. Only one golden ticket was ever rescinded, from Ric Diez after losing a challenge to Hans Kim. To date, 17 different comedians have been awarded the golden ticket.


 * 1) Enrique Chacón – 11 sets
 * 2) John Callahan – 2 sets
 * 3) Caroline Smith – 1 set
 * 4) Tristan Bowling – 13 sets
 * 5) Todd Royce – 6 sets
 * 6) Ryan Midandorph – 1 set
 * 7) Aloe Mean – 6 sets
 * 8) Nicole Tran – 14 sets
 * 9) Liam O'Brien – 1 set
 * 10) Martin Phillips – 10 sets
 * 11) Dante Verdusco – 1 set
 * 12) Jared Nathan – 25 sets
 * 13) "Gary Falcon" – 1 set
 * 14) Ahren Belisle – 12 sets
 * 15) Ric Diez – 6 sets (rescinded )
 * 16) Heath Cordes – 5 sets
 * 17) Steve Lee – 10 sets

After becoming a Golden Ticket Winner, Ahren Belisle would later go on to become a finalist in Season 18 of America's Got Talent.