The Comedy Store Live Stream Comedy Event As COVID-19 Fundraiser

LA’s Comedy Store streamed a live, three-hour video showcase for comedians on April 21 as a fundraiser for The Comedy Store Family Fund, a charitable effort that has taken on new urgency during COVID-19.

The benefit event billed as a podcast will kick off at 5 PM PT / 5:30 AM IST. Its first hour was hosted by Whitney Cummings and feature comedians Chris D’Elia, Bobby Lee, Andrew Santino and Tim Dillon. The second hour, hosted by Tom Segura, will feature Joey Diaz, Bert Kreischer and Theo Von, and the final hour saw host Neal Brennan welcome Bill Burr, Donnell Rawlings and a special guest. 

Dave Chappelle was also a “special guest” on The Comedy Store’s live broadcast.

The evening’s three, hour-long episodes streamed live on YouTube, Twitch and https://www.comedystore.com followed by on-demand availability via the Comedy Store Channel on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Xbox. Audiences can donate directly to The Comedy Store Family Fund by text message through an interactive feature during the specials.

“The Comedy Store wants to spread some joy as everyone is sheltering in place,” the venue said in announcing the event. “So, we will bring a little bit of The Store to you, at home and we will get through this, together.”

Club officials say they have paid all of their staff since having to close March 13, but the times ahead are uncertain.

The Comedy Store Family Fund stemmed from a 2018 collaboration between the Motion Picture Television Fund and The Comedy Store. The two entities teamed to create The Comedians Assistance Fund to provide a safety net of services to comedians with roots at The Comedy Store. The Family Fund will provide assistance to all eligible Comedy Store employees, with 100% of proceeds from the April 21 benefit going directly to the fund.