Steve Hofstetter touts himself as a “Nobel Peace Prize-nominated comedian.” No context, no explanation, just “Nobel Peace Prize-nominated comedian.” Hofstetter sees the humor in the juxtaposition of that moniker. He has acknowledged outright how silly (and moving) it is to have received such an honor, but his temperament is equally clear from the opening of his 2023 special, The Recipe. In the intro Hofstetter stands in his old high school gymnasium and earnestly describes his childhood in Queens while holding a soccer ball on a basketball court. Hofstetter punctuates his story by turning around and shooting the ball at the basket behind him – a painful airball. He clearly sees humor in the incongruous and is not a man afraid to laugh at himself.
On Monday, July 14th, Hofstetter, will bring his gimlet-eyed brand of standup to Perrysburg’s Funny Bone comedy club. His 2020 nomination for the humanitarian award was for his years of charity work supporting and elevating the comedy community.
A revealing commentary
Comedians have long had a reputation for highlighting, through humor, the cracks in society that we aren’t always able to see for ourselves. A refresh- ing recent development has seen comedians increasingly turn that critical eye on their own experiences, making it easier for the audience to do the same. Hofstetter’s work – including The Recipe and 2024’s Me, Myself, and ID – is no different. The latter special is about the thorny topics of change, growth, fighting our prejudices, and accepting difference. He starts with an anecdote about a sexist joke he told as a “deeply unpopular 15-year-old boy.” His point is that he was sexist at one time, but that he has since grown into a proud feminist. It’s an honest admission that sets the stage for what follows; Hofstetter is not asking anything of his audience that he hasn’t already asked of himself.
Hofstetter is also a master of setup and punchline. His specials are punctuated by expert callbacks to earlier material – he begins one section by talking about trans rights, pivots to a seemingly unrelated bit about how much he hates judgmental coffee snobs, then reveals that the whole exercise was a demonstration of how ludicrous it is to invalidate people with different lived experiences simply because you don’t share them. The point is clear, the road to it is funny, and the reveal elicits a well-earned chorus of laughs.
One rarely gets the chance to say they’ve seen a Nobel Peace Prize nominee in person, but on July 14th, Northwest Ohio has the opportunity to do just that. People may laugh when they learn such a prestigious person is “just” a comedian, and Steve Hofstetter will be laughing along with them.
Monday, July 14th 7PM (5:30PM Doors) $37+.
Funny Bone Comedy Club.
6140 Levis Commons Blvd,
Perrysburg, OH 43551.
toledo.funnybone.com/shows
