Welcome to the world of Chris Gethard, where humor meets vulnerability, and wit intertwines with introspection. Chris Gethard, a renowned comedian, actor, and writer, is celebrated for his unique brand of comedy that delves into the complexities of the human experience. With a knack for blending absurdity with authenticity, Gethard has carved out a distinct voice in the entertainment industry, captivating audiences with his unfiltered and thought-provoking performances.
Born and raised in New Jersey, Chris Gethard rose to prominence through his innovative approach to comedy, which often pushes the boundaries of conventional humor. From his acclaimed one-man shows to his cult-favorite podcast, Gethard consistently challenges societal norms while offering refreshing insights into the human condition. With a blend of self-deprecation and empathy, he fearlessly tackles topics ranging from mental health struggles to existential crises, resonating with audiences worldwide.
Below, you’ll find a collection of Chris Gethard’s most memorable and insightful quotes. Whether you’re seeking inspiration, a good laugh, or a moment of reflection, these quotes are sure to leave an impression. Feel free to use them as captions, share them with friends, or let them serve as a reminder of the power of laughter and authenticity in navigating life’s ups and downs. Enjoy!
Cops in New York City don’t have the best reputation. It’s a fast-paced city, and they deal with a lot, and many people have seen lots of cops interact with the public utilizing what can be gently called ‘not the best customer service.’ Chris Gethard
Everyone likes to laugh. Everyone likes to dance along to some music. Chris Gethard
My sadness compels me to hide it so that people won’t judge me. Seeking help would have blown my cover. Meanwhile, my mania convinces me that it’s making me fun so I’ll want to dive further into it. Seeking help would’ve ruined that good time. Chris Gethard
A lot of the things I loved the most growing up were, on the surface, kind of challenging or impenetrable. I loved Andy Kaufman, and half his shows, people would walk out in a rage. I love punk rock, which is notoriously music that doesn’t always sound very inviting or appealing but, I think, unquestionably has the most heart, the most integrity. Chris Gethard
I had bedbugs in 2005. I felt like a leper. Worse than a leper. At least lepers had a colony they could go and live in with other people who empathized. I instead had friends stand up from tables and walk out of restaurants when I told them I had bedbugs, because they were afraid I’d transfer the bugs to them. Chris Gethard
I have no desire to get on a soapbox or be preachy. I don’t think comedy needs to be ‘brave’ or ‘important.’ Chris Gethard
I think, in my own life, I’m pretty political. I think I have some very strong ideals, and I struggle a lot with it. I struggle a lot with feeling like, ‘I have a platform; should I be saying more?’ Chris Gethard
Bedbugs have never been cool, and bedbugs will never be cool. Chris Gethard
As a largely unsuccessful comedian, I’ve become someone that younger people sometimes find and ask for advice, which I’m happy to give, even though it makes me feel old. Chris Gethard
I’ve taught people in improv classes, then watched them move to Los Angeles to become Emmy winners and movie stars. That experience, for anyone wondering, is both super exciting and also makes you put a microscope on your own life choices. It causes you to question why you still perform stand-up in so many Brooklyn basements. Chris Gethard
As a stand-up, as a storyteller, as an improviser, I’ve done thousands of shows. They allow me to work out new material that might turn into something later. They let me keep my muscles sharp for when the rent-paying gigs do come along. They keep me sane. Chris Gethard
In late 2004, I left my much-maligned home state of New Jersey for the supposedly greener pastures of Astoria, Queens. I’d finally be in the mix, living off the subway line, able to go from audition to audition during the day and from late night show to late night show in the wee hours of the morning. Chris Gethard
I always just try to remind myself, like, at the end of the day, no matter how much pressure it is to be a TV show host, you still get to be a TV show host. Chris Gethard
I take medications every morning and night – they’re my breakfast, and they’re my dessert. I love them. Chris Gethard
To a crowd that loves improv, Robin Williams is like Chuck Berry. Chris Gethard
When people ask me, ‘Why don’t you drink?’ I usually smile and say ‘Because I’m not good at it.’ Chris Gethard
I am scared of horror movies. Chris Gethard
I get to do comedy for a living. Chris Gethard
Creativity saved me. Chris Gethard
Shows are my saving grace. In between actual jobs, the only thing that keeps me sane is the knowledge that I can go up on stages. Chris Gethard
I don’t think I’m ugly per se, but on bad days, I have been told that I look like the monster from ‘The Hills Have Eyes.’ That was extremely confidence-shattering, so I try to take care of myself. Chris Gethard
Thank you to anyone who’s ever watched or supported ‘TCGS.’ Even if you checked it out once, hated it, and never checked it out again – thank you for giving us a chance. Chris Gethard
I just really remember the feeling of being a younger comedian who was kind of an outlier for being experimental and weird and how that could feel lonely or hopeless. Chris Gethard
Having money didn’t make me less of a socially incapable loser; it just made me a socially incapable loser who wasn’t in debt. Chris Gethard
By August of 2003, I had graduated from Rutgers, gone through a stretch of living at my parents’ house, and wound up sharing an apartment with a college friend of mine in Montclair, New Jersey. Chris Gethard
Cops are everywhere in New York City. Cars drive by every few minutes. Uniforms stand nonchalantly at street corners. Chris Gethard
In 2002, I was taking an improv class because, as a white male with glasses who was born between 1978 and 1994, it’s legally required that I take at least one improv class in my life. Chris Gethard
I’ve exceeded the expectations people had for me as an unconfident runt who grew up in North Jersey as well as the expectations I had for myself. Chris Gethard
The street I lived on for the first handful of years of my life was lined with modest, lower-middle-class houses with small front yards and cracked driveways – your typical North Jersey neighborhood, with all the odd hidden darkness that that implies. Chris Gethard
I always think all the other comedians in New York hate me – I’m just convinced that they all dislike me – when, generally, I think I’m a pretty well-respected guy. Chris Gethard
‘What if?’ is just about the worst question I can ask myself, and I want to avoid it at all costs for the rest of my life. Chris Gethard
One thing I’ve realized is that being a nerd has transformed. I like that it’s easier to read comic books and, like, ‘Lord of the Rings’ now. You don’t have to get punched in the chest in the gym locker room for that anymore. Chris Gethard
I think so often about how, when I was starting out at UCB, Conan O’Brien was in town, and on his show back then, they sometimes did character bits, and I started getting paid to dress up as a page or a Dutch boy on his show. Chris Gethard
I’ve seen situations where I think comics are really unrealistic about what creative expression and what the artistic freedom, what that entails. Chris Gethard
In 2010, I was the star of a sitcom. It came and went pretty fast. But in the months from when I was cast in the sitcom through when it was done airing, my life did change remarkably. Chris Gethard
Maria Bamford is someone who’s really inspired me in a big way. Chris Gethard
What all my favorite comedians have in common is extraordinary honesty. Chris Gethard
I think Carmen Christopher is going to be massively huge. He’s just too funny. He’s got funny in his bones, and he wants to conquer every room. Chris Gethard
I’m very happy with my decision to go sober. It’s helped my life. It’s helped my mental stability. Chris Gethard
I classify myself as a comedian, but I’m one of those comedians who also acts so that I can split the difference and feel insecure about both. Chris Gethard
Any notable moments spent on a subway usually do nothing more than expose human awfulness at its most pronounced. Chris Gethard
I’ve always been really open onstage. Chris Gethard
The stereotype of New Yorkers is that we’re people who avoid warm human interaction, we’re always in too much of a rush to enjoy simple things, and that we’re just generally rude. Chris Gethard
I remember the people who mentored me, and I just love being able to do that for other people. Chris Gethard
There are certain fundamental things that scream, ‘I just moved to New York.’ Things like eating cheesecake at Junior’s or heading out to Coney Island to ride the Cyclone. Chris Gethard
I will say I miss teaching improv way more than I miss performing improv. Chris Gethard
The UCB has long been known as a hub of the best comedy in New York City, but it’s never been the most well organized or cared for place in the world. Chris Gethard
Both creatively and organizationally, being medicated has helped me immensely. Chris Gethard
Public transportation is like a magnifying glass that shows you civilization up close. Chris Gethard
I quit drinking in 2002, mere months before my college graduation. Chris Gethard
I think the key to improv is always listening. It’s embracing. It’s positivity. It’s hearing things and not shutting them down. Chris Gethard
I moved to Queens from New Jersey in 2004 and have continued to stick with New York to such a degree that when people ask me to explain it, I’m sometimes unable to provide an answer. Chris Gethard
The one-word story about why I have a chip on my shoulder is ‘bullying.’ Chris Gethard
I grew up a loser, and I always felt like one, but I turned out pretty okay. I may be living proof that you can spend your whole life feeling like you’re falling down a set of steps and still maybe land on your feet at the bottom. Chris Gethard
Anyone who’s ever been around an emergency in Manhattan realizes that there are plainclothes officers on these streets walking past us more than we ever realize. Chris Gethard
My medications make me easier to deal with. They don’t interfere with my creativity or turn me into a zombie or dull my real personality. They help me connect with people, allow me to stay calm when situations seem overwhelming, and help keep my thoughts from racing out of control. They help me leave the house when I’m scared to. They help. Chris Gethard
I think one of the things about listening is that it’s always at its most powerful when it’s present, when it’s right here, when it’s right now. And that’s a lesson about improv that I think just made me a much more social person. Chris Gethard
Sometimes I get gigs in weird, artsy places because weird, artsy people embraced my public-access show, which I could only have done in the way I did in New York. Chris Gethard
If you are dating someone in New York City, and they invite you over to watch a movie, they don’t really want to watch a movie. Chris Gethard
If I pretended to be confident all the time, that would just be a lie. Chris Gethard
Bits are fake conversations comedians have because they are uncomfortable being vulnerable with other human beings in any way. Chris Gethard
I will never forget what happened on August 14, 2003. I know the exact sequence of where I was for every moment of that evening. It was a tragic day, and it’s burned into my memory. Many people might remember that date, vaguely, as the date of the infamous eastern seaboard blackout that plunged all of New York City into darkness. Chris Gethard
One of the reasons I stay in New York is because you’re always around so many other types of arts, and it’s easy to just get lost in it. Chris Gethard
I’ve said some things on stage where the crowd was like, ‘Whoa, that’s bad’ – and I never say it again because that’s the feedback I get. Chris Gethard
I think there’s enough TV that makes people feel dumb out there. Chris Gethard
I can legitimately say without being arrogant that there’s probably a stretch where I was one of the better teachers of improv in the country. Chris Gethard
I’m hungry in the ways that every artist is, but I also have this extra layer. I’ve done a lot of things that were consciously not for money, but because I’m so convinced I’m going to die in my mid-30s, I’m like, ‘That’s not what’s important. Doing cool stuff and having that legacy is what’s important.’ Chris Gethard
West Orange, where I grew up, is the hometown of Ian Ziering from ‘Beverly Hills, 90210,’ Scott Wolf from ‘Party of Five,’ David Cassidy from the ‘Partridge Family,’ and Mike Pitt of ‘Boardwalk Empire’ and ‘Dawson’s Creek.’ Chris Gethard
I think I’m a very notoriously positive comic. Chris Gethard
No one in New York hangs out in their apartments. Chris Gethard
I think comics do need permission to fail. I think comics do need permission to go up and try stuff. Chris Gethard
When my TV show was in production, dozens of women asked me out on Facebook. Some were shy about it; some were blatant. Some I knew, some were total strangers. But they went for it. Chris Gethard
Even though I live in New York, I still have this Jersey thing where I feel like I have to prove myself. I’m grateful for any chance I get to be the least talented person in the room, because it’ll make me work that much harder. Chris Gethard
I do know I’ve lived through a bunch of things that people would maybe prefer I keep behind closed doors. Chris Gethard
I’m a pescatarian. Chris Gethard
I am a stereotypical northeasterner. I’m always in a rush. I’ve attracted stares from out-of-towners when I’ve shoved past someone blocking the subway door. Chris Gethard
I think there’s too many gay jokes in comedy and not enough honest explorations of sexuality. Chris Gethard
You don’t often see vulnerability on TV, especially talk shows. Chris Gethard
When I really have it together, I think I successfully pull off looking like the exact middle point between Macklemore and Ron Howard, only with a much bigger forehead than either of them. Chris Gethard
I’m not exactly Don Draper when it comes to physical attractiveness. Chris Gethard
The whole romanticized ‘sad clown’ thing, we gotta get rid of that. That has to go! That’s just getting sick people to voluntarily stay sicker and sadder than they have to be. Chris Gethard
I didn’t like who I was. I spent a lot of my life regretting who I was, which is a sad thing to say. Chris Gethard
When I was growing up, I think I was expected to be seen and not heard. You’re this little, nerdy kid; no one wants to hear about how sad you are. Nobody wants to hear that you feel lonely. Chris Gethard
No aspect of my brief and mild fame actually made me happier. Chris Gethard
Part of North Jersey life is that everyone is obsessed with being tough all the time. Chris Gethard
Northern New Jersey looks like a cluster of idyllic suburbs, but each of those seemingly normal towns has a dark side that’s constantly gossiped about but never publicly acknowledged. They seem to thrive on their strangenesses. Chris Gethard
I’m a dummy from New Jersey. Chris Gethard
There’s a teacher at the Renzo Gracie Academy in New York named John Danaher. He’s leading this whole group of fighters named the Danaher Death Squad, and they’re revolutionizing how that world works. I actually went and signed up for classes mostly because, man, if there’s innovation like that happening in New York, I want to be around it. Chris Gethard
As far as comedy goes, I’m endlessly inspired by Jo Firestone. Chris Gethard
It’s a fun uphill struggle, making health insurance as a comedian, actor, and author. But it’s hard to explain to people how I make a living. In New York, most people know enough creative types that I make some sense. But when I’m talking to someone like my suburban cousins or my mom’s friends, it doesn’t always go smoothly. Chris Gethard
I know there are many things California can offer – personally, professionally, meteorologically – that New York can’t. It sounds awesome. Chris Gethard
Sometimes we get bored and want to shake up our format. It’s a luxury we have on public access – no one cares about us. It literally doesn’t matter if we fail, so sometimes we try to go really big and out of the box. Chris Gethard
The bad you see in N.Y.C. is troubling to know when it rears its ugly head. Chris Gethard
I feel like a lot of performers’ worst shows happened in Philly. There’s something about that town. Chris Gethard
Getting help for my issues was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, because when I get dangerously sad or manic, those feelings seek to perpetuate themselves. Chris Gethard
Anyone who lives in N.Y.C. will tell you that getting into a confrontation on a city street is a complete nightmare 100 percent of the time. Chris Gethard
I think what I have learned is you can’t avoid losing. You’re going to strike out a million times. The whole point is not to dodge losing – it’s to learn how to lose well. Chris Gethard
I do not like confrontations in New York City. Chris Gethard
I very classically would go into manic phases, which were as dangerous, if not more so, than the depressed phases, and I think I’d come up with the best ideas I ever had, and then the next day, I’d look at them and be like, ‘This is nonsense,’ because it was born out of a manic episode. What a waste of time. Chris Gethard
New Yorkers will be rude, but at least they do so out of the rationale that everyone around them is always slowing them down. Los Angeles, I learned, is a city full of people who have the personality of the coolest pretty boy from your eighth-grade class. Chris Gethard
