Every once in a while you come across someone who is absolutely unstoppable, overcoming all the odds stacked against them. Josh Blue is one of these people. A few months ago we had the privilege of watching Josh on stage for the first time, and his performance was hilarious.
Josh Blue is an American comedian, born on November 27, 1978. Blue has cerebral palsy, which explains a lot of his self-deprecating humor. Blue was born in Cameroon, where his father, Walter Blue, taught Romance languages at Hamline University while on a mission.
Blue attended Como Park Senior High School in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and graduated in 1997. While pursuing a creative writing degree at The Evergreen State College, he began his career as a comedian. He returned to Africa during college to assist as an intern at Parc de Hahn, a Senegalese zoo. Josh once trapped himself in an empty animal exhibit for eight hours as a joke on a busy weekend and a bemused throng throws him bananas and peanuts.
That was the best day I ate in Senegal!
Josh quips during one of his shows.
While attending The Evergreen State College, Blue got his start in comedy by performing open mic shows. Blue began building a name for himself on the comedy circuit after audiences reacted positively to his self-deprecating humor. He won the prestigious Comedy Works New Faces competition in 2002. He has appeared on Comedy Central's Mind of Mencia multiple times. Blue took first place in the 2004 Royal Flush Comedy Competition at the Las Vegas Comedy Festival, winning $10,000.
He was the first comedian to do stand-up on The Ellen DeGeneres Show after winning the 2006 season of NBC's reality show Last Comic Standing. Live with Regis and Kelly, Comics Unleashed, and countless appearances on Fox, CBS, ABC, and MSNBC are among his other television credits.
In Comedy Central's Stand-up Comedy Showdown 2010, viewers named Josh the 13th best comedian. Blue also appears in the music video “The Psychoanalyst” by Boulder band Rose Hill Drive.
Blue auditioned for Season 16 of America's Got Talent in 2021, receiving four yeses from the judges and progressing through the live rounds. Blue now lives in Denver, Colorado, with his two children, Simon, a son, and Seika, a daughter. He also makes sculptures and sells paintings.
Blue suffers from cerebral palsy, specifically spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy, and many of his jokes revolve around his disability, how he copes with it, and how others see him.
“Make people aware of the reality that people with disabilities can make a difference,”
Blue said on Last Comic Standing. During his final set of the show's final round, he coined the term “palsy punch,” explaining that the palsy punch is useful in a fight because “first and foremost, they don't know where the punch is coming from, and second and foremost, neither do I.”
One of Blue's competitors described him as having “an abnormal degree of likability,” while another described him as “simply a good guy.” Blue also quipped that writing an autograph takes 45 minutes and that he needs a “big ol' stack of paper” to jot down his phone number.
Blue has also participated in Paralympic seven-a-side soccer, representing the United States in the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, Greece.
Josh Blue Upcoming Events for 2022
Josh has 7 upcoming public performances scheduled for this year.
- Arlington Drafthouse, Arlington, VA – Thurs, June 23 – Sat, June 25
- Comedy Works South, Greenwood Village, CO – Fri, July 1 – Sat, July 2
- Northern Quest Resort & Casino w/ Larry the Cable Guy, Airway Heights, WA – Thurs, Aug 18
- Helium Comedy Club, Buffalo, NY – Thurs, Aug 25 – Sat, Aug 27
- Historic Everett Theatre, Everett, WA – Thurs, Sept 22
- Tacoma Comedy Club Tacoma, WA – Fri, Sept 23 – Sat, Sept 24
- The Newberry Great Falls, MT – Thurs, Nov 17
What are you in for at a Josh Blue show?
Here is a Youtube video of one of his shows at DryBar Comedy Club.
Janice is a full-time mom who likes to write on a range of topics in her spare time. She specializes in the Home, Garden, and Recycling topics. Janice is our Lifestyle and positive vibe expert. She keeps the office running.
