# Stavros Halkias
**Stavros Halkias** is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and podcaster from Baltimore, Maryland, known for his crowd-work-driven comedy, his role as a founding co-host of the podcast *Cum Town* (2016–2022), and his Netflix special *Fat Rascal* (2023). He is the son of Greek immigrants and is based in Queens, New York.[1](https://www.unitedtalent.com/talent/comedy-touring/stavros-halkias) • [2](https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/artsentertainment/stavros-halkias-comedian-actor-podcaster-profile-greektown-baltimore-native-rise-to-fame/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Background | Raised in Baltimore's Greektown by parents who emigrated from Greece; attended UMBC on a full academic scholarship[2](https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/artsentertainment/stavros-halkias-comedian-actor-podcaster-profile-greektown-baltimore-native-rise-to-fame/) |
| Early milestone | Won Magooby's 2012 New Comedian of the Year award; worked as a paralegal while developing his act[2](https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/artsentertainment/stavros-halkias-comedian-actor-podcaster-profile-greektown-baltimore-native-rise-to-fame/) |
| Podcasts | Founding co-host of *Cum Town* (2016–2022); host of the call-in show *Stavvy's World*, which debuted at #3 on the iTunes comedy charts[2](https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/artsentertainment/stavros-halkias-comedian-actor-podcaster-profile-greektown-baltimore-native-rise-to-fame/) • [3](https://deadline.com/2023/12/stavros-halkias-fat-rascal-interview-steven-soderbergh-1235648995/) |
| Specials | *Live at the Lodge Room* (2022, self-released on YouTube); *Fat Rascal* (2023, Netflix, taped at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas)[2](https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/artsentertainment/stavros-halkias-comedian-actor-podcaster-profile-greektown-baltimore-native-rise-to-fame/) • [3](https://deadline.com/2023/12/stavros-halkias-fat-rascal-interview-steven-soderbergh-1235648995/) |
| Touring | 2023 tour: more than 86,000 tickets across 74 shows, netting over $2 million; 2025 tour: more than 82,000 tickets[3](https://deadline.com/2023/12/stavros-halkias-fat-rascal-interview-steven-soderbergh-1235648995/) • [2](https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/artsentertainment/stavros-halkias-comedian-actor-podcaster-profile-greektown-baltimore-native-rise-to-fame/) |
| Acting | Dave in Netflix's *Tires*; Chip in *Let's Start a Cult* (2024); roles in Yorgos Lanthimos's *Bugonia* (2025) and A24's *Tony*[2](https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/artsentertainment/stavros-halkias-comedian-actor-podcaster-profile-greektown-baltimore-native-rise-to-fame/) • [4](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2024-10-17/stavros-halkias-lets-start-a-cult-interview) • [5](https://slate.com/culture/2025/10/stavros-halkias-stavvy-bugonia-comedian-cum-town-interview.html) • [6](https://www.npr.org/2026/08/18/nx-s1-5935476/stavros-halkias) |
## Early life and background
Halkias grew up in Greektown, a neighborhood in Southeast Baltimore, in a family shaped by his parents' emigration from Greece. His father worked as a carpenter; his mother repaired carpets and waited tables at Ikaros, a Greektown restaurant.[2](https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/artsentertainment/stavros-halkias-comedian-actor-podcaster-profile-greektown-baltimore-native-rise-to-fame/) His comedy draws on this background: he is known for portraits of Southeast Baltimore characters, including the Ravens-obsessed Ronnie.[3](https://deadline.com/2023/12/stavros-halkias-fat-rascal-interview-steven-soderbergh-1235648995/)
He attended the [University of Maryland, Baltimore County](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-maryland-baltimore-county) (UMBC) on a full academic scholarship and began performing stand-up at 19. In 2012 he won Magooby's New Comedian of the Year. After college he worked as a paralegal while developing his act.[2](https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/artsentertainment/stavros-halkias-comedian-actor-podcaster-profile-greektown-baltimore-native-rise-to-fame/)
## Career
Halkias moved to New York and built his club career in part by opening for his mentor Robert Kelly and for [Tom Papa](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-papa).[2](https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/artsentertainment/stavros-halkias-comedian-actor-podcaster-profile-greektown-baltimore-native-rise-to-fame/) Early television work included serving as a staff writer and regular performer on MSG Network's late-night show *People Talking Sports* *and Other Stuff*, an appearance in [Comedy Central](https://www.edgepedia.org/comedy-central)'s *Stand Up Featuring*, and a starring role in the independent film *Salesmen*.[1](https://www.unitedtalent.com/talent/comedy-touring/stavros-halkias)
## Cum Town and podcasting
In 2016 the comedian [Nick Mullen](https://www.edgepedia.org/nick-mullen) came up with the concept and shock-value name of the podcast *Cum Town*; Halkias became a co-host, and [Adam Friedland](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-friedland) joined soon after.[2](https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/artsentertainment/stavros-halkias-comedian-actor-podcaster-profile-greektown-baltimore-native-rise-to-fame/) The show ran from 2016 to 2022, when Halkias left, six years after its debut. He explained the decision in blunt terms: "The show was fucking fun for a while, and then, you know I was like, 'Damn, am I going to be the Cum Town guy when I'm 40? When the brand is semen?'"[2](https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/artsentertainment/stavros-halkias-comedian-actor-podcaster-profile-greektown-baltimore-native-rise-to-fame/)
He then launched *Stavvy's World*, a call-in show he had conceived during the pandemic. It debuted at #3 on the iTunes comedy charts and gained hundreds of thousands of subscribers in under a year.[3](https://deadline.com/2023/12/stavros-halkias-fat-rascal-interview-steven-soderbergh-1235648995/) A March 2025 episode reuniting the *Cum Town* co-hosts drew 1.2 million views.[2](https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/artsentertainment/stavros-halkias-comedian-actor-podcaster-profile-greektown-baltimore-native-rise-to-fame/)
## Comedy specials and style
His debut special, *Live at the Lodge Room*, was self-financed and released on his YouTube channel in 2022; it reached one million views in its first four days, and by December 2023 Deadline reported more than six million views, while his [United Talent Agency](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-talent-agency) bio gives a figure of almost five million.[2](https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/artsentertainment/stavros-halkias-comedian-actor-podcaster-profile-greektown-baltimore-native-rise-to-fame/) • [1](https://www.unitedtalent.com/talent/comedy-touring/stavros-halkias) • [3](https://deadline.com/2023/12/stavros-halkias-fat-rascal-interview-steven-soderbergh-1235648995/) His first Netflix special, *Fat Rascal*, followed a year later, taped at the Paramount Theatre in [Austin, Texas](https://www.edgepedia.org/austin-texas).[3](https://deadline.com/2023/12/stavros-halkias-fat-rascal-interview-steven-soderbergh-1235648995/)
*Fat Rascal* explores food, weight, addiction, dating, and family. Following advice from [Bill Burr](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-burr), Halkias added act-outs and physical comedy, and he worked with [Steven Soderbergh](https://www.edgepedia.org/steven-soderbergh) on the special.[3](https://deadline.com/2023/12/stavros-halkias-fat-rascal-interview-steven-soderbergh-1235648995/) His crowd work, the element that spread his reputation online, is described as a two-way conversation rather than a roast, with everyone in on the joke; he has said acting made him more aware of his face, movements, and physical presence.[4](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2024-10-17/stavros-halkias-lets-start-a-cult-interview) He credits formative Saturday nights watching *Saturday Night Live* as an influence.[7](https://www.vulture.com/article/stavros-halkias-comedians-you-should-know-2023.html)
## Acting and other work
Halkias's film career began with independent work including *Salesmen*.[1](https://www.unitedtalent.com/talent/comedy-touring/stavros-halkias) He stars as Chip, a misfit cult member who misses a date with ritual suicide, in *Let's Start a Cult*, released beginning October 25, 2024.[4](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2024-10-17/stavros-halkias-lets-start-a-cult-interview) On television he plays the often-snacking Dave in the Netflix series *Tires*, whose second season dropped in June 2025.[2](https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/artsentertainment/stavros-halkias-comedian-actor-podcaster-profile-greektown-baltimore-native-rise-to-fame/) He appeared in [Yorgos Lanthimos](https://www.edgepedia.org/yorgos-lanthimos)'s *Bugonia* (2025)[5](https://slate.com/culture/2025/10/stavros-halkias-stavvy-bugonia-comedian-cum-town-interview.html) and in A24's *Tony*, which he discussed in an August 2026 NPR interview.[6](https://www.npr.org/2026/08/18/nx-s1-5935476/stavros-halkias)
## By the numbers
The commercial arc since 2022 is measurable. The 2023 tour sold more than 86,000 tickets across 74 shows, netting over $2 million; the 2025 tour sold more than 82,000 tickets.[3](https://deadline.com/2023/12/stavros-halkias-fat-rascal-interview-steven-soderbergh-1235648995/) • [2](https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/artsentertainment/stavros-halkias-comedian-actor-podcaster-profile-greektown-baltimore-native-rise-to-fame/) Crowd-work clips grew his YouTube following from about 20,000 subscribers into the hundreds of thousands.[3](https://deadline.com/2023/12/stavros-halkias-fat-rascal-interview-steven-soderbergh-1235648995/) *Stavvy's World* reached hundreds of thousands of subscribers in under a year, and the 2025 *Cum Town* reunion episode drew 1.2 million views.[3](https://deadline.com/2023/12/stavros-halkias-fat-rascal-interview-steven-soderbergh-1235648995/) • [2](https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/artsentertainment/stavros-halkias-comedian-actor-podcaster-profile-greektown-baltimore-native-rise-to-fame/)
## What has changed since 2023
*Fat Rascal* marked a transition from podcast-famous comedian to mainstream visibility. The special debuted on Netflix in December 2023, when Halkias was 34, marking 15 years in stand-up since he started at 19.[3](https://deadline.com/2023/12/stavros-halkias-fat-rascal-interview-steven-soderbergh-1235648995/) Afterward came film roles in *Let's Start a Cult*, *Tires*, *Bugonia*, and *Tony*, plus network appearances on *Everybody's Live* with [John Mulaney](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-mulaney), alongside [John Waters](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-waters), Wanda Sykes, and [Neal Katyal](https://www.edgepedia.org/neal-katyal), and on *Hot Ones*.[4](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2024-10-17/stavros-halkias-lets-start-a-cult-interview) • [2](https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/artsentertainment/stavros-halkias-comedian-actor-podcaster-profile-greektown-baltimore-native-rise-to-fame/) • [5](https://slate.com/culture/2025/10/stavros-halkias-stavvy-bugonia-comedian-cum-town-interview.html) • [6](https://www.npr.org/2026/08/18/nx-s1-5935476/stavros-halkias) A 2025 *New York Times Magazine* profile framed the tension in this transition: his podcast-era fan base demands crowd work, while he aims at a broader career, and previous tours had exacted a cost in metabolic health.[8](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/magazine/stavros-halkias.html) Slate framed his trajectory from *Cum Town* to a Lanthimos film as a notable podcast-to-mainstream path; Halkias told the magazine his original ambition was to make $65,000 a year playing B-level clubs.[5](https://slate.com/culture/2025/10/stavros-halkias-stavvy-bugonia-comedian-cum-town-interview.html)
## Reception and standing
Vulture named Halkias a comedian to know in 2023.[7](https://www.vulture.com/article/stavros-halkias-comedians-you-should-know-2023.html) By October 2025 he was performing to enthusiastic crowds at theaters such as [Madison, Wisconsin](https://www.edgepedia.org/madison-wisconsin)'s Orpheum Theater, with profiles in the *New York Times Magazine* and Slate treating him as a case study in how podcast-era comedians cross into film and television.[8](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/magazine/stavros-halkias.html) • [5](https://slate.com/culture/2025/10/stavros-halkias-stavvy-bugonia-comedian-cum-town-interview.html) His *Stavvy's World* audience has been described as numbering in the millions of listeners.[6](https://www.npr.org/2026/08/18/nx-s1-5935476/stavros-halkias)
## References
1. [United Talent Agency: Stavros Halkias](https://www.unitedtalent.com/talent/comedy-touring/stavros-halkias)
2. [Stavros Halkias Goes to Hollywood, Baltimore Magazine](https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/artsentertainment/stavros-halkias-comedian-actor-podcaster-profile-greektown-baltimore-native-rise-to-fame/)
3. [Stavros Halkias On 'Fat Rascal' Special, Working With Steven Soderbergh, Deadline](https://deadline.com/2023/12/stavros-halkias-fat-rascal-interview-steven-soderbergh-1235648995/)
4. [Comedian Stavros Halkias breaks out with 'Let's Start a Cult', Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2024-10-17/stavros-halkias-lets-start-a-cult-interview)
5. [Stavros Halkias: How the comedian went from Cum Town to Bugonia, Slate](https://slate.com/culture/2025/10/stavros-halkias-stavvy-bugonia-comedian-cum-town-interview.html)
6. [Stavros Halkias on A24's Tony, New York's comedy scene and more, NPR](https://www.npr.org/2026/08/18/nx-s1-5935476/stavros-halkias)
7. [Stavros Halkias: A Comedian You Should Know in 2023, Vulture](https://www.vulture.com/article/stavros-halkias-comedians-you-should-know-2023.html)
8. [Stavros Halkias Wants a Career. Will His Fans Let Him Have One?, New York Times Magazine](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/magazine/stavros-halkias.html)
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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 A to M*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 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