What started as a heated exchange between two comedians has become a global sensation known as “Roast Battle.”
In 2013, two comedians started arguing in the parking lot of the renowned Comedy Store in Los Angeles when fellow comics Rell Battle and Brian Moses broke it up and insisted they metaphorically duke it out with insults before a crowd.
It was an instant hit and Roast Battle was born.
“The next week, people came back thinking it was going to happen again,” Battle told amNewYork. “And then over the course of time, any two comics who had an issue with each other or even friends, we just go at each other and then we just kind of started saying, ‘wait a minute, this might be something.’”
Rounds can be awkward and slow, and others are quick-witted and sharp, sometimes turning friends into enemies and lovers into exes in a hilarious blow-for-blow competition, but not all with sharp tongues have thick skins.
Long history of roasts in NYC
While the famous Friar’s Club had been roasting comics for decades, with Sam Levinson being their first victim in 1950, the structure of having two comedians slinging insults back and forth was innovative. Taking its cues from rap battle culture, word of this new style of comedy spread quickly and attracted high profile comedians and club owners, including Emilio Savone, co-owner of the New York Comedy Club in Manhattan.
In 2014, he and his partner E. Scott Linder bought the New York Comedy Club on 24th Street after the owner they worked with for a decade, Al Martin, died at the age of 65. However, young owners with fresh ideas was exactly what the club needed and in 2015,
Savone brought Roast Battle to what they call the Midtown stage, although the club is in Gramercy. The club also has locations in the East Village, Connecticut, and its recently opened Upper West Side location on 78th Street, which will celebrate one year in August.
“I got the roast battle at the Gramercy theater and it blew my freaking mind away,” said Savone. “Because it focused on young comics. It had a blend of like bigger comics judging and younger comics performing, and it was very kind of like a hang, and it had a very communal feel to it.”
Roast Battle was unstoppable, getting picked by Comedy Central in 2016 with Jeff Ross as host and later by Jimmy Carr in a U.K. version in 2018. Moses and Battle split due to personal differences, but both still share ownership of the intellectual property, with Rell focusing on the live shows, which have since gone international.
”There’s one in Japan, one in Montreal, Vancouver, there’s one in London, there’s one in Australia — it’s everywhere,” Battle told amNewYork.
On Thursday, July 17, the New York Comedy Club at 241 E. 24th St. celebrates its 10th annual Roast Battle with six comics who will go head-to-head, tearing each other down with jokes before a live audience and a panel of three judges – Rell Battle, Mike Lawrence, and Yamaneika Saunders.
Two comics take turns dishing a total of 13 jokes per round for a total of three rounds. This special anniversary show features Tommy Farrell v. Charity Gregory, Dan Wickes v. Malia Simon, and James Pontillo v. Irina Chelidze in a women versus men takedown.
“I always try to make it diverse,” said Pontillo, who has also been a long-time producer of the NY show and is responsible for booking the comics. “I’ll book anyone.”
Historically, white men have dominated the comedy spotlight, a position they still hold. However, it has been slowly changing over the years as Black comics gain prominence and social media exposes viewers to more comedians around the world.
Tickets start at $25 plus a $20 minimum and can be purchased at newyorkcomedyclub.com. Don’t miss your chance to witness the gut-punching insults and see who comes out on top.
“There’s winners of Roast Battle, but there’s really not any loser,” said Neko White who has hosted the show for the last seven years and will be hosting the 10th annual showdown this week. “If your round puts on a great show for the audience, you still ‘win.’”
Reach ET Rodriguez at etrodriguez317@gmail.com. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @amnewyork
