That Weird Dude From ‘The Bear’ Is Secretly a Comedy Genius
Carmen Christopher is one of those comedians who you’ve definitely seen before, but can’t totally be sure how you know his face. Over the past several years, he’s popped up in bit parts on shows like Shrill, I Think You Should Leave, and most notably—given his born-and-bred Chicago roots—all three seasons of The Bear.
In this episode of The Last Laugh podcast, Christopher talks about putting together his breakthrough, Chicago-themed stand-up special Live From the Windy City, which arrives on the Veeps streaming platform Aug. 1. He also shares stories about collaborating with alt-comedy icons including Joe Pera and Tim Robinson, why he’s no longer interested in pursuing SNL after two unsuccessful auditions, that time he almost killed David Letterman, serving as a writer on Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie’s The Curse and more.
When I joke early in our conversation that Carmen Christopher must have been the inspiration for Jeremy Allen White’s Carmy character on The Bear, the trained improviser immediately goes with it.