Stepping out of a purple Lamborghini at a hotel valet, a young Hollywood agent proclaims, “JFL is the comedy industry event of the year.” Her colleague agrees, noting that said event, the Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montréal, is the perfect place to find “fresh, interesting new voices ” to sign to their agency. To be fair, both agents were fictional characters from the HBO Max series “Hacks,” which took place in the world of standup, sitcoms and late-night talk shows. But their sentiments about Just for Laughs are entirely true. The decades-old marathon, which this year spans July 15 through 26 at venues all around the city, is as much a draw for audiences hoping for sidesplitting action as it is for comedians, writers, actors, musicians, podcasters and anyone else looking to make a name in comedy — or sign someone who might. Landing a slot in one of the festival’s “New Faces” showcases is probably the surest springboard to the next level. Just ask Vermont’s Tina Friml, whose 2019 appearance jump-started her ascendant career. The lineup runs the gamut from comedy icons such as Jerry Seinfeld to truly offbeat and unclassifiable alt-comedy. Founded in 1982 by Canadian businessman Gilbert Rozon, the festival grew from a two-day French-language event to an international mega franchise with offshoots in cities such as Chicago, London and Toronto. Despite its renown, things have not always run smoothly. In 2024, the festival filed for bankruptcy before being acquired by Montréal presenter ComediHa! After a scaled-down fest that summer, Just for Laughs returned to its former glory last year. It is just as robust this year, with a lineup that runs the gamut from comedy icons such as Jerry Seinfeld to rising stars Atsuko Okatsuka and Jacqueline Novak to truly offbeat and unclassifiable alt-comedy. Read on for a selection of shows to check out at this year’s festival. And remember: All ticket prices shown are in Canadian dollars! ‘The Nasty Show’ Wednesday through Sunday, July 15-21, 9:30 p.m., and Tuesday, July 23, 7 p.m., at Club Soda. $46.68-72.25. What do Nate Bargatze, Ellen DeGeneres and Jerry Seinfeld have in common? Other than superstar status, the famously clean comedians are unlikely to have appeared at “The Nasty Show,” a long-running, shockingly filthy showcase featuring up-and-coming talent. Totally redundant trigger warning: The goal is to push boundaries and make people feel uncomfortable, so if you’re easily offended, perhaps an evening at home with “Bluey” would be a better choice. This year’s lineup includes Ian Fidance, Marito Lopez, Rebecca Reeds, Maddy Smith and host Comedian CP. May these newcomers ingratiate themselves with many, many dick jokes. ‘Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody’ Staged Reading Friday, July 17, 6:30 9 p.m.; Saturday, July 18, 4 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, July 19, 4 7:30 p.m., at Espace St-Denis. $48-68. “What a super-weird year hockey is having,” Jon Stewart said to his “The Daily Show” audience in February. “In four months, [we’ve gone] from Nobody gives a shit about hockey to, Well, I like to watch them fuck.” As the F-word was bleeped, Canadian queer hockey romance “Heated Rivalry” flashed on the screen. Unless you were living under several layers of bedrock, the steamy, nearly pornographic series about two hockey superstars having a secret, slow-burning love affair was surely on your gaydar. It pinged Dylan MarcAurele’s gaydar, too. A staged concert reading of his new musical parody delightfully skewers the smash show, similar to some of the New York composer’s past productions, which featured Meriwether Lewis and William Clark discovering a lot more than the American West, and Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci having a heated rivalry of their own. Jordan Jensen Wednesday, July 22, 7 p.m., at l’Olympia. $52-73. Jordan Jensen Credit: Courtesy “I wanted the red in the curtains to be reminiscent of period blood, reproductive organs,” comedian Jordan Jensen told the Los Angeles Times about the set dressing for her 2025 Netflix special, “Take Me With You.” Confrontational and unapologetically weird, the Ithaca, N.Y.-born comic often feels “like an alien” and, having been raised by lesbian moms, “never understood dressing up with makeup and jewelry.” Though not gay herself, Jensen has likely fooled many with her construction worker background and “utilitarian” energy, as she puts it. If you can’t make it to Montréal, Jensen performs on Friday, July 24, at the Flynn in Burlington. Ron Funches Thursday, July 23, 9:30 p.m., at le Gesù. $50. Ron Funches Credit: Courtesy People with kids might recognize comedian Ron Funches’ distinctive and charismatic voice more than his face. Funches plays Cooper in the Trolls animated franchise and adds his voice to cartoon shows such as “Home: Adventures With Tip Oh” and “Harley Quinn.” The Los Angeles comic has also appeared in plenty of content for grown-ups, such as the American version of reality competition “The Traitors.” In fact, some negative experiences on that show led to Funches’ social media revelation in January that he had been diagnosed as autistic. Given that comedians tend to pull material from their real lives and that Funches is parent to an autistic son, it’s likely he’ll have some thoughts about his recent discovery in his act. Joel Kim Booster Thursday, July 23, 7 p.m., at le Studio TD. $43.25. Joel Kim Booster Credit: Courtesy In the sunny, queer rom-com Fire Island, Joel Kim Booster stands in for Elizabeth Bennet, protagonist of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. As the British author did with her Regency-era novel, the 2022 film similarly explores themes of class and unacknowledged romantic feelings, swapping the English countryside for the most fabulous summer destination for New York City gays. Written by Booster, Fire Island explores the busy intersection of gay and Asian American identities, plus the strain of being a “have-not” surrounded by “haves.” Also released in 2022, the multihyphenate’s Netflix special, “Psychosexual,” deconstructed said identities and smashed them back together ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Saturday, July 25, 9 p.m., at Place des Festivals. Free. Credit: Courtesy of Sam Jones In 2014, “Weird Al” Yankovic’s 14th (and most recent) studio album, Mandatory Fun, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Not on the comedy chart, but rather the one that Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Harry Styles usually headline. To take songs that everyone likes — think Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” and Lorde’s “Royals” — and turn them into something equally crowd-pleasing is Yankovic’s secret sauce. Whether he’s turning a love song into an ode to a Star Wars character or rewriting a grunge anthem to make fun of the genre’s aesthetic, the curly-haired oddball has owned parody since the early ’80s. For his Just for Laughs performance, he revives his 2025 Bigger Weirder tour, a massive retrospective featuring an extra-large band and never-before-heard-live tunes. Yankovic also brings the show to Essex Junction’s Champlain Valley Exposition on Friday, July 24 — but you’ll have to pay for that one. Mae Martin (Netflix Special) Sunday, July 26, 5 8:30 p.m., at Espace St-Denis. $62. Mae Martin Credit: Courtesy Canadian actor, writer and comic Mae Martin offers fans a chance to be in the audience for a taping of their forthcoming, currently untitled Netflix special. Martin came to prominence with “Feel Good,” a British series in which they play a fictionalized version of themselves embarking on a complicated relationship with an inhibited woman on the cusp of sexual actualization. Shame is a recurrent theme in the nonbinary comedian’s oeuvre, such as the Vermont-set Netflix series “Wayward,” which takes place at a home for so-called troubled teens. In a conversation with Interview magazine, Martin said, “I don’t think shame motivates you to change. I think it motivates you to self-destruct, so I think we’ve got to get rid of it.” ➆ Just for Laughs runs July 15 to 26 at various locations in Montréal. Learn more at montreal.hahaha.com. The original print version of this article was headlined “Funny Ha Ha: Montréal’s Just for Laughs comedy festival is nonstop hilarity” This article is part of a travel series on Québec. The province’s destination marketing organization, Alliance de l’industrie touristique du Québec, under the Bonjour Québec brand, is a financial underwriter of the project but has no influence over story selection or content. Find the complete series plus travel tips at sevendaysvt.com/quebec. The post Montréal’s Just for Laughs Comedy Fest Is Nonstop Hilarity appeared first on Seven Days. ...read more read less