# Andrew Schulz
**Andrew Cameron Schulz** (born 1983) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and podcaster from New York City, known for unapologetic observational comedy built heavily on improvised crowd work and for a distribution model built on YouTube and direct-to-fan releases rather than television or streaming gatekeepers.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name and birth | Andrew Cameron Schulz, born 1983, New York City[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3683006/bio/) |
| Breakthrough medium | Self-releasing specials and crowd-work clips on YouTube beginning around 2018, rather than the TV-special route[2](https://curatedramblingsblog.wordpress.com/2022/07/27/is-comedian-andrew-schulz-really-saving-comedy/) |
| Netflix specials | Four-part *Schulz Saves America* (2020); *LIFE* (March 2025), about his and his wife's IVF journey[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3683006/bio/) • [3](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81741999) |
| Independent special | *INFAMOUS* (July 17, 2022), bought back from a streamer and released on his own website and YouTube[4](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-infamous-andrew-schulz/id1570872415?i=1000570015886) |
| Podcasts | *Flagrant* with Akaash Singh and *The Brilliant Idiots* with Charlamagne tha God[5](https://www.dead-frog.com/comedians/comic/andrew-schulz) |
| Signature tagline | "Everyone gets these jokes," a claim of equal-opportunity offense[6](https://www.vanityfair.com/style/story/andrew-schulz-and-the-new-media-nerve-center) |
| Arena headliner | Sold out Madison Square Garden twice, the Kia Forum, Toronto's Scotiabank Arena twice, and London's Royal Albert Hall[5](https://www.dead-frog.com/comedians/comic/andrew-schulz) • [7](https://www.playhousesquare.org/assets/doc/Press-Release-Andrew-Shulz-b2ba28e82a.pdf) |
## Early life and start in comedy
Schulz was raised in Manhattan's East Village, the son of dance instructors who ran a studio; his father, an Army veteran, took a particular interest in preserving swing traditions from Harlem[6](https://www.vanityfair.com/style/story/andrew-schulz-and-the-new-media-nerve-center). He grew up as a student of Black comedians, including [Patrice O'Neal](https://www.edgepedia.org/patrice-oneal), Bernie Mac, and [Eddie Murphy](https://www.edgepedia.org/eddie-murphy), and of *Def Comedy Jam*, while listening to hip-hop radio[6](https://www.vanityfair.com/style/story/andrew-schulz-and-the-new-media-nerve-center).
He did not intend to perform stand-up until he was attending UC Santa Barbara, where he was managing a restaurant that happened to hold a comedy night and was encouraged to go on stage[8](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/andrew-schulz-mn0003741328/biography). He returned to New York, became a regular at the Comedy Village, and made his Edinburgh Comedy Festival debut in 2008[8](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/andrew-schulz-mn0003741328/biography). In an early-career interview he described deliberately hoarding stage time, estimating that in five and a half years he had spent more hours on stage than most comedians[9](https://bestcomedytickets.com/andrew-schulz-interview/).
## Television and podcasts
Schulz's first screen exposure came through MTV2's comedy-reality series *Guy Code*, which he joined in 2011 along with its spin-off *Guy Court*[8](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/andrew-schulz-mn0003741328/biography). In 2014 he teamed up with fellow MTV2 alumnus [Charlamagne tha God](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlamagne-tha-god), the radio and television personality, to create and co-host *The Brilliant Idiots*, a podcast on current events and pop culture[8](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/andrew-schulz-mn0003741328/biography). Acting credits followed: a lead role in the IFC comedy series *Benders* (2015, eight episodes), a recurring role on Amazon's crime series *Sneaky Pete* (2015 to 2017), and a part in Hulu's *There's... Johnny!* (2017)[8](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/andrew-schulz-mn0003741328/biography).
The *Flagrant* podcast, which he co-hosts with comedian Akaash Singh alongside Alexx Media and Mark Gagnon, bills itself as delivering "unfiltered, unapologetic, and unruly hot takes"; in a period when the show ran weekly it drew on the order of 4 to 5 million weekly viewers and crossed 1.4 billion total views on YouTube[10](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/andrew-schulzs-flagrant-2-with-akaash-and-kaz/id1288641267) • [7](https://www.playhousesquare.org/assets/doc/Press-Release-Andrew-Shulz-b2ba28e82a.pdf) • [5](https://www.dead-frog.com/comedians/comic/andrew-schulz).
## The independent distribution model
**Bypassing the gatekeepers** became Schulz's defining career move. After more than a decade on the club circuit, he began releasing clips of his stand-up directly to YouTube and other platforms, building an internet following without a late-night booking or a streaming deal[2](https://curatedramblingsblog.wordpress.com/2022/07/27/is-comedian-andrew-schulz-really-saving-comedy/). In 2018, one of his self-published specials reached number one across Apple Music, Google Play, and Amazon, and 800 Pound Gorilla Records released his debut comedy album, *5:5:1 (5 Clubs, 5 Sets, 1 Night): A NYC Comedy Experience*, which topped the Billboard comedy chart[4](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-infamous-andrew-schulz/id1570872415?i=1000570015886) • [8](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/andrew-schulz-mn0003741328/biography). That success led to sold-out shows at [Radio City Music Hall](https://www.edgepedia.org/radio-city-music-hall) and to *Schulz Saves America*, a four-part Netflix series that premiered December 17, 2020, addressing pandemics, predators, protests, and presidents in 15-minute episodes[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3683006/bio/) • [2](https://curatedramblingsblog.wordpress.com/2022/07/27/is-comedian-andrew-schulz-really-saving-comedy/).
The decisive break came with his next special. As he prepared to release it through a major streamer, he was told he would need to edit out some of his most offensive jokes; instead, he bought back the rights, released it through his own website on July 17, 2022, and then put it on YouTube[4](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-infamous-andrew-schulz/id1570872415?i=1000570015886). The special, *INFAMOUS*, was filmed at The Paramount in [Austin, Texas](https://www.edgepedia.org/austin-texas), at the end of a 10-month sold-out "Infamous Tour," and his stated rule, "everyone gets these jokes," is written into its synopsis[11](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/andrew_schulz_infamous). The gamble drew wide attention and the special became one of YouTube's most-viewed comedy specials, with view counts reported in the tens of millions[5](https://www.dead-frog.com/comedians/comic/andrew-schulz) • [7](https://www.playhousesquare.org/assets/doc/Press-Release-Andrew-Shulz-b2ba28e82a.pdf).
Clipping his crowd-work bits into shorts and reels fed the whole strategy: the clips promoted the specials and the tours without giving away the scripted material, and other comedians have since copied the model[12](https://readysteadycut.com/2025/03/04/andrew-schulz-life-review/) • [13](https://looksmaxxing.guide/en/influencers/andrew-schulz/).
## Crowd work and style
Schulz is best known for crowd work, the improvised banter with front-row audience members that most comics treat as warm-up. His critics' summaries converge on the same picture: a brash, sexually explicit, deliberately offensive style in the vein of [Andrew Dice Clay](https://www.edgepedia.org/andrew-dice-clay), with a road comic's delivery and an anti-establishment stance[2](https://curatedramblingsblog.wordpress.com/2022/07/27/is-comedian-andrew-schulz-really-saving-comedy/). A 2018 Chortle review of his London show *View From The Cis* described him as "hilarious" and "problematical," noting material that flirts openly with taboo language and misogyny while playing to a young, multiracial crowd that gave him a standing ovation[14](https://www.chortle.co.uk/review/2018/09/12/41225/andrew_schulz%3A_view_from_the_cis). His audiences are described as among the most diverse of any working comedian, with fans competing for front-row seats for the crowd work[7](https://www.playhousesquare.org/assets/doc/Press-Release-Andrew-Shulz-b2ba28e82a.pdf).
He personalizes sets by city: a 2024 review of his return to [Abu Dhabi](https://www.edgepedia.org/abu-dhabi)'s Etihad Arena noted that jokes were tailored to the region and that nothing seemed filtered for the local audience[15](https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/music-stage/2024/05/23/andrew-schulz-abu-dhabi/). A widely discussed experiment in the form was *The Crowd Work Special* (2019), in which the improvised interactions were the show itself[16](https://letterboxd.com/film/andrew-schulz-the-crowd-work-special/reviews/).
## Politics and the 2024 election
Schulz's political engagement runs mainly through his podcasts. In October 2024, with 29 days left in the presidential campaign, he interviewed Donald Trump on *Flagrant*; the 90-minute conversation passed 2.8 million YouTube views within 48 hours, and the Harris-Walz campaign cut an election ad from the moment Trump froze when Schulz asked what had happened to his vice president, [Mike Pence](https://www.edgepedia.org/mike-pence)[17](https://www.thedailybeast.com/who-is-andrew-schulz-the-comedy-podcaster-who-roasted-trump-to-his-face/). Trump also gave lengthy interviews that season to [Joe Rogan](https://www.edgepedia.org/joe-rogan) and [Theo Von](https://www.edgepedia.org/theo-von), and analysts credited the podcast circuit with boosting the president's appeal to young men[18](https://assets.newrepublic.com/assets/issues/may-2025.pdf). Schulz himself offered a modest assessment, saying he did not think the podcasts changed votes so much as made people more comfortable voicing choices they had already made[19](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2025-03-04/andrew-schulz-new-netflix-stand-up-special-life-ivf-donald-trump-brilliant-idiots-flagrant).
The relationship did not last. On a July 2025 episode of *Flagrant*, Schulz said Trump was "doing the exact opposite of everything I voted for," citing the wars the administration was funding[20](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/andrew-schulz-donald-trump-voter-politics-b2787441.html). That October, after podcast host [Marc Maron](https://www.edgepedia.org/marc-maron) criticized the American comedians, including Schulz, who performed at Saudi Arabia's state-sponsored [Riyadh Comedy Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/riyadh-comedy-festival) for taking money from "the folks who brought you 9/11," Schulz responded on his own show that Maron and "a lot of these comedians ain't s--t," and compared Maron's interviews with [Barack Obama](https://www.edgepedia.org/barack-obama) to his own Trump interview[21](https://www.thedailybeast.com/andrew-schulz-fires-back-at-marc-maron-over-saudi-criticism).
## LIFE and later work
In March 2025 Schulz returned to Netflix with *LIFE*, described by the platform as his most personal special: it covers the IVF process through which he and his wife, Emma Turner, conceived their daughter, Shiloh[3](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81741999) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3683006/bio/) • [12](https://readysteadycut.com/2025/03/04/andrew-schulz-life-review/). The special was taped on the Life Tour after the Brooklyn Academy of Music canceled its booking hours after the Trump interview aired; New York's Beacon Theatre hosted instead and sold out[12](https://readysteadycut.com/2025/03/04/andrew-schulz-life-review/). The tour itself made more than 40 stops across North America for over 150,000 fans, and included two sold-out hometown shows at [Madison Square Garden](https://www.edgepedia.org/madison-square-garden), two nights at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena drawing more than 26,000 fans, the [Kia Forum](https://www.edgepedia.org/kia-forum) in Los Angeles, and the Royal Albert Hall in London[7](https://www.playhousesquare.org/assets/doc/Press-Release-Andrew-Shulz-b2ba28e82a.pdf) • [5](https://www.dead-frog.com/comedians/comic/andrew-schulz). Reviewers noted how different it was from his earlier work: determinedly apolitical, with almost no crowd work, and centered on fatherhood[12](https://readysteadycut.com/2025/03/04/andrew-schulz-life-review/).
His visibility extended beyond his own shows. He delivered one of the most talked-about sets at Netflix's live *Roast of Tom Brady* in May 2024, which drew 1.67 billion minutes of viewing in its first week[5](https://www.dead-frog.com/comedians/comic/andrew-schulz) • [7](https://www.playhousesquare.org/assets/doc/Press-Release-Andrew-Shulz-b2ba28e82a.pdf), and Kendrick Lamar appeared to target him in a lyric on the album *GNX* after a remark Schulz made about white men with Black girlfriends[6](https://www.vanityfair.com/style/story/andrew-schulz-and-the-new-media-nerve-center). His stand-up and podcast content reaches a reported 30 million viewers weekly across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok[5](https://www.dead-frog.com/comedians/comic/andrew-schulz), and Pollstar's February 2026 ranking placed him 92nd among North American comedy tours with $1,425,716 in grosses from seven shows and 22,971 tickets[22](https://static.pollstar.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/feb.26.top100.comedy.tours_digital.pdf).
## References
1. [Andrew Schulz – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3683006/bio/)
2. [Is comedian Andrew Schulz really saving comedy? – Curated Ramblings, July 27, 2022](https://curatedramblingsblog.wordpress.com/2022/07/27/is-comedian-andrew-schulz-really-saving-comedy/)
3. [Andrew Schulz: LIFE – Netflix Media Center](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81741999)
4. [The Infamous Andrew Schulz – Honestly with Bari Weiss, The Free Press (July 15, 2022)](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-infamous-andrew-schulz/id1570872415?i=1000570015886)
5. [Andrew Schulz – Stand-Up Comedy Database, Dead-Frog](https://www.dead-frog.com/comedians/comic/andrew-schulz)
6. [Andrew Schulz and the New Media Nerve Center – Vanity Fair, April 2, 2025](https://www.vanityfair.com/style/story/andrew-schulz-and-the-new-media-nerve-center)
7. [About Andrew Schulz – Playhouse Square press release](https://www.playhousesquare.org/assets/doc/Press-Release-Andrew-Shulz-b2ba28e82a.pdf)
8. [Andrew Schulz Biography by Marcy Donelson – AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/andrew-schulz-mn0003741328/biography)
9. [Stand Up Comedian Andrew Schulz Interview – Best Comedy Tickets](https://bestcomedytickets.com/andrew-schulz-interview/)
10. [Andrew Schulz's Flagrant with Akaash Singh – Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/andrew-schulzs-flagrant-2-with-akaash-and-kaz/id1288641267)
11. [Andrew Schulz: Infamous – Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/andrew_schulz_infamous)
12. ['Andrew Schulz: Life' Review – Fatherhood Has Tamed an Un-Cancellable Comic – Ready Steady Cut, March 4, 2025](https://readysteadycut.com/2025/03/04/andrew-schulz-life-review/)
13. [Andrew Schulz – looksmaxxing.guide profile](https://looksmaxxing.guide/en/influencers/andrew-schulz/)
14. [Andrew Schulz: View From The Cis – Chortle, September 12, 2018](https://www.chortle.co.uk/review/2018/09/12/41225/andrew_schulz%3A_view_from_the_cis)
15. [Andrew Schulz in Abu Dhabi review – The National, May 2024](https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/music-stage/2024/05/23/andrew-schulz-abu-dhabi/)
16. [Reviews of Andrew Schulz: The Crowd Work Special (2019) – Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/film/andrew-schulz-the-crowd-work-special/reviews/)
17. [Who Is Andrew Schulz? The Comedy Podcaster Who Roasted Trump to His Face – The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/who-is-andrew-schulz-the-comedy-podcaster-who-roasted-trump-to-his-face/)
18. [The New Republic, May 2025 issue](https://assets.newrepublic.com/assets/issues/may-2025.pdf)
19. [Andrew Schulz talks Trump, fatherhood and his new Netflix special, 'Life' – Los Angeles Times, March 4, 2025](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2025-03-04/andrew-schulz-new-netflix-stand-up-special-life-ivf-donald-trump-brilliant-idiots-flagrant)
20. [Comedian Andrew Schulz turns on Trump – The Independent, July 11, 2025](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/andrew-schulz-donald-trump-voter-politics-b2787441.html)
21. [Andrew Schulz Fires Back at Marc Maron Over Saudi Criticism – The Daily Beast, October 15, 2025](https://www.thedailybeast.com/andrew-schulz-fires-back-at-marc-maron-over-saudi-criticism)
22. [Pollstar Top 100 Comedy Tours, February 2026](https://static.pollstar.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/feb.26.top100.comedy.tours_digital.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Theater and dance › Stand-up comedy and comedians › American stand-up comedians, contemporary › Stand-up comedians born 1980 onward › Surnames N to Z*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license