2025 New York Comedy Festival boasts Strangers With Candy, Margaret Cho, and, um, Louis C.K.

A sure sign podcast ecosystem has become inextricable from the comedy community is The Basement Yard headlining the 2025 New York Comedy Festival with a show at Madison Square Garden. The pod (hosted by New York natives Joe Santagato and Frank Alvarez) is the first headliner mentioned in the New York Comedy Festival promo video, followed by Giggly Squad‘s Hannah Berner. But don’t worry, other headliners for the festival (which takes place November 7 to November 15) include some of comedy’s old guard like Margaret Cho, Pete Holmes, and… yeah, looks like Louis C.K. is on this lineup too.

Since being accused of sexual misconduct in 2017 C.K. has made a quiet comeback of sorts, winning a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album in 2022, selling out Madison Square Garden in 2023, and touring his new show Ridiculous throughout 2025, which is the set he’ll do for the New York Comedy Festival. He’s enjoyed the support of comedy friends like Dave Chappelle, Jerry Seinfeld, Sarah Silverman and more, but he hasn’t exactly been welcomed back into the fold like he was back in the Louie days. But it’s not for the New York Comedy Festival to judge the performers or their material, we suppose, just to program stuff that will get people to buy tickets. 

That said, the festival will encompass more than 100 shows with more than 200 comedians from around the world. More details are forthcoming on the festival’s events, but one standout headliner event is the Strangers With Candy reunion featuring Stephen Colbert, Paul Dinello, and Amy Sedaris at Town Hall on November 8. The event is billed as “A Celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Cancellation of Strangers With Candy.” (“We never knew we had an audience. We never knew what the ratings were—we still haven’t been told we were canceled!” Sedaris told The A.V. Club in 2016. “But we were fine doing more or not doing more, either way. I’m not complaining at all, and neither would Paul or Steve.”)

“We’re thrilled to unveil this year’s incredible lineup—a dynamic mix of global headliners and rising voices that reflect where comedy is right now and where it’s headed. We’re proud to continue to bring New York City the very best of the best,” Caroline Hirsch, Founder and Owner of the New York Comedy Festival, said in a statement. “In a constantly shifting landscape, we stay committed to spotlighting new voices, championing fresh perspectives, breaking form, and shaping a festival that sets the standard both creatively and commercially.” You can check out the full headlining schedule below.

THE 2025 NEW YORK COMEDY FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7

7:00 PM & 9:45 PM – Ryan Long at The Venue at Hard Rock Hotel New York

7:30 PM or 8:00 PM (TBD)—Nurse John: The Short-Staffed Tour at The Beacon Theatre

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8