Gotham Comedy Club opened its doors on May 10, 1996 and has never looked back.
Founded by Chris Mazzilli and Mike Reisman, the club’s opening night featured Paul Provenza, Mike Royce, Sarah Silverman, and Dave Chappelle.
Currently owned and operated by brothers Chris and Steven Mazzilli, who teamed up in 2005, the club has launched the careers of some of the biggest stars in comedy like Jim Gaffigan and Amy Schumer while serving as the NYC home to heavyweights Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Gaffigan, Sebastian Maniscalco, and Trevor Noah.
This upscale comedy club has a long history of film and television production. Jerry Seinfeld filmed his documentary Comedian at the club. The Emmy-nominated Last Comic Standing spent four seasons at Gotham. Live at Gotham for Comedy Central, hosted by icons like Kevin Hart, Bill Burr, Jim Breuer, and Lewis Black, turned the venue into a household name. Jim Gaffigan chose the club as the backdrop for his series The Jim Gaffigan Show.
Next came Gotham Comedy Live on AXS TV. The show featured Craig Robinson, Anthony Anderson, Fran Drescher, Pete Davidson, and Michael Che as hosts.
In 2019, Gotham partnered with NextVR and Oculus to launch Live in Gotham, the first stand-up series shot live in virtual reality. The show was hosted by Yannis Pappas and aired in more than thirty countries.
Gotham’s main showroom was converted into The Copacabana for Martin Scorsese’s 2019 blockbuster The Irishman. The scene featured Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Sebastian Maniscalco, and Jim Norton as legendary comedian Don Rickles.