Brooklyn-based stand-up comedian Jonathan Van Halem is set to perform at The Comedy Catch in downtown Chattanooga on Thursday, March 12th.
Currently, Jonathan works at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and previously worked on the animated political satire show, Stephen Colbert Presents Tooning Out the News. His comedy is observational in nature and mostly clean, considered PG-13, with an emphasis on relatable material. He has also written for Clickhole, a vastly successful and well-known parody site famous for absurdist satire.
Jonathan has opened for several notable comedians, too, including David Cross, Kevin Nealon, Rory Scovel, and Kyle Gordon, to name a few. He has also achieved some viral success online, with many of his clips on Instagram and TikTok garnering millions of views.
In speaking with Jonathan about his origins as a comedian, he mentioned that he grew into being a stand-up once he realized that it was an actual, viable career path and that the early years of performing were very challenging but, ultimately, incredibly rewarding, too.
“What pulled me towards comedy was realizing it was even a thing. I had no idea that a career option was “talk about what you think is weird or interesting about things while other people politely listened.” Once I knew that was on the table as a career path, I was in.
The early years of performing comedy were challenging but rewarding. Comedy is an inherently cruel art form because it requires failing in front of other people. Athletes, artists, etc. - get to practice and fail in private. Comedians have no choice but to fail in public. It’s not for the weak-willed, thus why so many give it a try and quit.
A combination of moments made me realize I wanted to be a comedian. The first moment was the profound euphoria I felt the first time I crushed on stage. It’s a great feeling. You know how you feel when your joke crushes at the Thanksgiving table? Imagine that times a thousand. The second moment was the profound sadness I felt sitting at my desk for my day job. I knew that if that was my future for the next forty years, I wasn’t going to make it.”
Jonathan went on to discuss his style as a comedian and the last time he visited Tennessee, which was when he was a mere 16 years old.
“The last time I was in Tennessee was when I was 16 years old. I went as part of a mission trip. I don’t think we actually helped those people as much as we thought we did. I did develop a crush on a girl on the trip, but unfortunately, nothing ever happened. I love performing in all types of venues. I was just out west, where I performed in a movie theater.
That’s intimidating because the seats are so cozy. I had to be more entertaining than the seats were comfortable. Luckily, I was. So long as the chairs at The Comedy Catch aren’t soft and don’t recline, it should be fine.
My comedy is observational. It’s typically “that thing you thought of once that you didn’t realize other people also noticed.” It references pop culture, but not in an alienating way. It’s mostly clean, like PG-13. I’m like John Mulaney or Mike Birbiglia for people who can’t afford to see them. I’d even say Nate Bargatze, but that must be sacrilege in Tennessee.”
Jonathan’s personality is infectious, and his comedy is gut-bustingly funny, akin to the contemporary greats like John Mulaney or, dare I say, Nate Bargatze.
When seeing him live, one gets a sense of his polished sets and bits that often detail real-life awkward encounters or that tie in pop-culture references to help the audience relate. When he’s not doing stand-up comedy, he is waiting eternally for the New York Mets to win the World Series.
When asked what he hopes audiences take from his show on March 12th at The Comedy Catch, he mentioned that he wants people to walk away feeling less alone.
Ultimately, I want an audience member to walk away feeling more seen as a person. I want them to know that their experience of life isn’t all that different from anyone else's and to find some comfort in the fact that we’re all in this together.”
Jonathan Van Halem
- 7 p.m. March 12th.
- $17.50-$22.75.
- The Comedy Catch. 29 Station St., Chattanooga, TN.
- thecomedycatch.com