"I never wanted to be a comic. It's not something that I ever said I wanted to grow up and be," said world class comedian and actor Louie Anderson with a slight laugh as he discussed his upcoming June 17 appearance at New Jersey's South Orange PAC.
A comic he became, be it by accident or eventually by design but one thing's for sure; he's turned it into an award winning career. "I went with some friends to a comedy club and saw these guys who I didn't think were really very funny," he recounted in an almost apologetic tone. "So when we left my friends said to me, "If you think you're funnier, you should give it a try" and I thought; why not? So I went back to the same club the next week and I did well and thought to myself, hey, I can do this and I haven't stopped since."
Three Emmy Awards, countless movie and television appearances as well as being named by Comedy Central as, "One of 100 Greatest Stand-up Comedians of All Time," has all come his way over the last 30 years since that evening he got his courage up. However, like most, it was timing and a nice break that led to his career opening up, as once he began pursuing comedy he entered into and took home the first place trophy of the, "1981 Midwest Comedy Competition," hosted by comedic legend Henny Youngman. Youngman found his work and style to his liking and employed him as a writer, allowing Anderson to grow even more.
Youngman is one of several key comedic influences that have shaped Anderson's career, the others being Bob Hope, Jack Benny and the great Johnny Carson; on whose, "Tonight Show" in 1984 he made his national television debut."Johnny, Bob Hope, they had such great writers," he stated as he seemingly searched for the proper terminology to describe the profound effect these forefathers of comedy had on him. "I learned so much from these guys and Johnny, well he was a friend to all young comedians; I'd have to say he was my favorite. Johnny was mid-western guy like me and we have similarities, Jack Benny had the timing, I mean the way he'd just roll the eyes or give that look was perfect and Bob Hope, I modeled my delivery somewhat after him. Hope had this way of delivering his material that was, well, there's not been anyone like him since."
Word spread quickly of Louie's at times self-deprecating, style mixed with stories of his family his childhood and friends and soon Hollywood and television came calling. "I thought I might be a singer," he laughed. "My dad was a jazz trumpet player. He played for Hoagy Carmichael's band and he kind of helped steer me away from that; he was a glass is half empty kind of guy. Growing up with so many siblings (He is one of eleven children), I have no shortage of material and my life was funny at times. When I got the call to be in the Eddie Murphy movie, "Coming To America," that was nice; especially since it helped open some doors for me. Margaret Loesch of "Fox Kids" approached me shortly thereafter and said, "We think you could do a series" and she introduced me to my animator Matt O'Callaghan and he drew me some pictures. I was totally enamored with the idea so we made a pilot episode and it was well received so Fox said, "Lets make another 13 episodes" and we did that for three years and then they sold the program and the network and that ended the run."
"The run" produced three Emmy awards for Anderson and the animated series; one for, "Outstanding Sound editing" and two for, "Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program," as well as garnering three Humanitas Prize awards for animation in a children's series. "That felt great and was unexpected," says Anderson of the Emmy Awards. "That was very fun being nominated and I was surprised when I won because I was up against Ed Asner and Robin Williams."
Anderson was part of a class of comics when he began in the '80's that were fortunate to be able to take their acts to places all over the globe via the growth of cable television. HBO broadcasts of their own half hour specials as well as taped programs from places such as Dangerfield's, Caroline's and The Improv comedy clubs brought talents such as theirs to the masses. When asked who he fancied as a comedian, either a peer or of today's generation; he confidently responded, "Jim Gaffigan." "Gaffigan is a lovely human being; I love all comedians because I know what they go through and I'm a big fan of comedy but Jim is special. How anyone can have that much material and stay above board is a true talent. He keeps it clean and he's funny."
These days, Anderson is kept busy by his stand-up and the role of Christine Baskets on the hit FX comedy series, "Baskets," for which he won his third and most recent Emmy Award in 2016. Louie plays the part of a woman, a role which he modeled after his mother and sisters and he has no problem working the character into his current routine. "This Saturday at the show, I'll be doing some brand new stuff. I 'll be doing the usual mom, sister, brother routines along with plenty of "F" words; food, family and fat and of course there will be Baskets, lots of Baskets."
What can we expect from Louie in the future? "More stand-up, more new material, I'm working on a new one hour special, my sixth one of those. I'm going to be on Colbert doing stand-up; my life is as good as it gets now and I'm really enjoying myself."
This Saturday's show time is 8 p.m. and ticket prices range from $30 - $40 and there is an opening act of Matt Stofsky. The South Orange Performing Arts Center is located at 1 SOPAC Way in South Orange, NJ. To read up on all of the events coming to SOPAC, please go to www.sopacnow.org.
To discover more about Louie Anderson, please visit www.louieanderson.com .
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
Join us for McCarter at the Museum - renowned performing artists in one-night only events at the Princeton University Art Museum.
Jason Robert Brown is a four-time Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist of The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World, 13, The Bridges of Madison County, Honeymoon In Vegas and The Connector, has performed as a soloist or with his band in venues around the world, including sold-out shows at the London Palladium and Carnegie Hall. His albums as a singer-songwriter include Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes and How We React and How We Recover on Ghostlight, and Coming From Inside the House and Live In Concert with Stephen Sondheim on Concord.
With Special Guest Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe. Tony Award-nominated actress Betsy Wolfe is currently starring as Audrey in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, following her recent Broadway run as Madeline Ashton in the hit musical Death Becomes Her. She previously originated the title role in Joy, the new musical inspired by inventor Joy Mangano, and earned a 2023 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her celebrated performance as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Other Broadway credits include starring as Jenna in Waitress, Cordelia in the acclaimed revival of Falsettos, Bullets Over Broadway, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, and 110 in the Shade, as well as her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years. Wolfe made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Fledermaus and has appeared as a guest artist with more than 65 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra, with performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Her screen credits include First One In, Estella Scrooge, CBS’s Instinct, and the film adaptation of The Last Five Years. Wolfe is also the co-founder of BroadwayEvolved, the acclaimed musical theatre training program she launched in 2018 to train and mentor the next generation of theatre artists.
A limited number of early access tickets for McCarter Director’s Circle members and members of the Museum’s Partner Circle are available, on sale Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM. General public on sale begins Friday, September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
Please be aware there is no public drop-off or parking at the Museum. For visitors with mobility needs, please contact the Museum at least three business days in advance of your visit to request special access to the Museum via Elm Drive. Call 609-258-3788 and select option 1 to speak to a visitor services staff member, or email Louise Barrett at [email protected].
