Stand-Up Comic Who Appears Regularly On Gutfeld! Is Friends With Several SNL Alum

Jeff Walker,  Entertainment Writer 

Jamie Recent fans of Jamie Lissow might be surprised the comic actor has been plying his trade for nearly 30 years, long before he became a regular panelist on Gutfeld!, the #1 rated late night talk show on Fox News. During his three decade run Lissow has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Late Show, Last Comic Standing, and his own half hour Comedy Central special, as well as a Dry Bar Comedy Special that has garnered more than 20 million views.

With an already impressive resumé that includes opening gigs for big name comedians and writing for TV shows and movies, Lissow admits guesting on Gutfeld! has increased his celebrity. "Absolutely. I did 'The Tonight Show' back in 2001 and I've been working ever since. But appearing regularly on Greg's show has been a game changer." 

He adds, it's provided him greater exposure on and off the stage. "No doubt. Now people will come up to me throughout the day and say 'I loved to get a picture with you'." Lissow welcomes the attention. "Maybe because it took me so long to get to this level. Most people are incredibly kind when they approach me, so I'm happy to accommodate."

The Rochester NY native who turns 51 in October of this year sensed his comedic calling early on. "Somewhere between 6th and 7th grade I had a bizarre feeling that comedy was in my future."

Still he would go on to attend the State University of New York at Fredonia, earning a bachelor of science degree in both mathematics and psychology. For a brief moment he considered another field. "I applied to law school and went for about a week before I had an epiphany. I really wanted to give stand-up comedy a try."

Lissow went to great lengths early on. "I attended any and all open mic nights I could get too. I would drive hours upon hours, sometimes to Buffalo, Erie (Pa) or even into Ohio. And there's never a guarantee you're going to get on." His confidence and hopes grew over time. "I told myself I'll give it one year. Then it became two. It was a slow build, but I was out there doing it."

While several of his contemporaries mention comedy greats such as Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, or George Carlin as influences, Lissow lists a couple of specific comics that had an early impact on him. "The two big ones were the late Rodney Dangerfield and Kevin Nealon. I was drawn to them for different reasons."

He describes in detail. "What I loved about Rodney is that his comedy was always at his expense. He carried a very cool old school vibe. And Kevin, who I believe is under rated is just off the charts, unbelievably funny. Kevin is not over the top. He talks quietly and get laughs. I pattern myself similar to both of them."

Lissow is among a group of fellow stand-ups who perform clean family friendly comedy. "Early on I may have used the occasional expletive, but it's not me. Once you've used the 'F' word for the fifth or sixth time in your act you've lost your advantage, and resigned yourself to that level of comedy."

He adds, "Cursing to me is a little bit of a crutch. I do my best to stay in my own lane, even politically. It's important to me that everyone in the audience enjoys the show. I certainly don't want anyone to leave for the wrong reason." The few times he cuts loose is on Gutfeld! "I'm not as squeaky clean on Greg's show. I don't stray far, but Greg kind of sets the pace, so I'll go with the flow."

Lissow enjoys working relationships with several 1990's SNL alum including Adam Sandler, Nealon, and David Spade. However, he has a longer connection to Rob Schneider. The two worked on the Netflix series 'Real Rob' (2015-17), which Lissow co-wrote, co-starred, and co-produced with Schneider. 

Their association with Schneider goes further back. "Rob and I have known each other for over 20 years. He's one of my best friends. We talk every week." They met by a twist of fate. "I was doing a morning radio show in Niagara NY, and Rob called in to promote his stand-up show. I told him I was a big fan, and he was always my favorite among the SNL crowd."

The conversation quickly changed to comedy. "So Rob and I are talking, and he asked me what I do. I told him I was a stand-up comic as well. He said come open for me tonight. Our friendship has grown ever since. In fact he was at my wedding a few weeks ago."

Lissow recently got remarried on June 7th. His wife Erika Aragona, is a board-certified family physician who practices telemedicine. They met several years ago when Lissow performed in Erika's hometown of Boise, Idaho. While Lissow maintains a home in Fairbanks, Alaska to visit with his three kids, he and Erika will reside in Boise.

While Lissow has been performing stand-up since the late 1990's at times flying under the radar, he's been active in comedy circles for quite some time. "I opened for Rob on a full time basis. That helped get my name out there." Along the way he be-friended Nealon. "I was one of the writers and producers on 'Man With a Plan' which starred Matt LeBlanc and Kevin." The sitcom ran for four seasons on CBS (2016-20).

Although Lissow dabbles in several comedy outlets, stand-up is still his bread and butter. "I enjoy everything I do in the comedy world, but I'm in my comfort zone when it's just me I'm on stage." He likes playing to different size audiences as well. "When I'm out on tour, half my shows are in theatres and half are in comedy clubs."

He explains the difference. "I'm comfortable in both. But, no question about it, I enjoy playing the 100 seat clubs better than the 1000 seat venue, because they are more personal. Everyone is right there in front of me and if all is going well, I can feed off the crowd." Lissow says he'll do a larger venue during the week, and possibly spend two or three nights performing in a club in a different town.

In 2019 his style of comedy appealed to the folks who produce Dry Bar Comedy, a media service that spotlights comedians that keep it funny for people of all ages and backgrounds. "I know the guys that run this. So I do this half hour show in Utah for essentially a bunch of Mormons. A week later I'm on a conference call with them about putting the video up on Amazon or the Dry Bar app. They asked me what I wanted to call it. I said lets call it 'Jamie Lissow tries not to say the 'F' word', but when I re-thought it I said maybe we should call it 'Is it Mormon in here, or is it just me'."

As for his material. How does he come up with his jokes. Is it observational? "It's sort of a mix. I observe what's happening around me and the rest is just stuff that comes to me." He admits to spending quality time on working up new material. "I'm on a new tour which is about an hour long. One day a week, for about seven hours I'll work on writing new stuff." 

A new funny bit he's been sharing reflects a recent club date on the west coast. "My wife is really pretty and she travels with me. So after a show in Hollywood a really drunk man comes up to me with his partner. He stares at my wife and then he stares at me, and he finally says 'you outkicked your coverage'. I didn't know if I should have been offended or said something. But I looked at his wife and I'm thinking, he got a safety." 

Fans of Jamie Lissow will have an opportunity to witness his brand of funny live when he performs four nights (July 24-27), bringing his 'better off dad' comedy tour to the all new Wit's End Comedy Lounge at 3320 Rivers Ave. North Charleston. Fellow comedian Matt Bergman will be opening for Jamie.

Details at https://www.witsendcharleston.com/events/112418  Prior to coming to Charleston he will be performing in Wilmington NC. For more on all Lissow's tour schedule check out his site at https://www.jamielissow.com/tour