JAMIE LISSOW
FROM NIAGRA FALLS TO LATE NIGHT LAUGHS AND GOLDEN MOOSE STATUS
If comedy is a marathon, Jamie Lissow’s been running it barefoot, uphill, and in a blizzard for the past thirty years. But finally, the finish line has come into view, and it’s lined with fans who already know his life story before he even picks up the mic.
Thanks to his regular appearances on Gutfeld!, Lissow has built an audience that’s filling up seats across the country on his Divorced Dad Comedy Tour—a show that, much like Lissow himself, is part stand-up, part therapy, and 100% hilarious.
Lissow’s journey into comedy began with an inexplicable calling—one that made him feel like he was destined to do stand-up before he even knew it was a real job. Inspired by Rodney Dangerfield’s Young Comedians Special, he had a hunch that making people laugh was his path in life.
Like any good aspiring comic, Lissow’s first question was: “How do I bomb in total anonymity?” So he took his first shot at stand-up in Niagara Falls, Canada. The result? A few highs, plenty of lows, and one unforgettable moment when the audience actually laughed. It was enough to keep him chasing that feeling ever since.
That chase led him through law school (for about a week), The Tonight Show in 2001, and countless gigs that were more about survival than stardom. Then came the unexpected break: a friendship with Rob Schneider that would lead to writing gigs and even movie roles. Lissow once joked to himself while watching a Schneider film, “Too bad Rob can’t hear me because I think we’d be friends.” Five years later, he was riffing with Schneider in a car.
Enter Greg Gutfeld. Lissow’s first interaction with the late-night host was a fashion accident. They showed up to an audition for Red Eye wearing the same outfit. That serendipitous moment led to a recurring role on the show, which, years later, turned into a regular guest spot on Gutfeld! when the new program launched. What Lissow didn’t realize at the time was that this wasn’t Red Eye at 3 AM anymore. This was prime-time cable news comedy gold, and it changed everything.
“After my first appearance, I noticed something weird,” Lissow recalls. “People actually started showing up to my stand-up shows because they knew me. That had never happened before.”
As Lissow’s audience grew, so did the average age—and he’s all for it. At a recent show, he spotted an 80-year-old man in the front row, laughing at every joke. “That’s my guy,” Lissow says.
He doesn’t just welcome his older fans. He celebrates them. “I love that my fans are older now,” he says. “My life is better. My shows are earlier. I don’t have to do late nights anymore.”
With his newfound success, Lissow’s schedule has become a balancing act. Living in Alaska, traveling for Gutfeld! appearances, and headlining comedy gigs across the country means racking up more airline miles than a politician in election season. “I think I’m a Golden Moose on Alaska Airlines or something,” he jokes. “Whatever the highest level is, I’m there.”
So, what’s next for Jamie Lissow? More stand-up, more Gutfeld!, and probably a few more standing ovations—each one meaning just a little more than the last. Because while he’s been at this for nearly three decades, he’s still in awe of the fact that people are finally standing up for him. And, as Lissow notes, for some of his elderly fans—that’s no small feat.
