#JFLTORONTO: JUST FOR LAUGHS TORONTO 2025 HIGHLIGHTS

Promising ten days of non-stop laughter, JUST FOR LAUGHS TORONTO is back finally and despite being a bit more humble this go, there are plenty of great entertainers – local and international – in-town to bring the laughter! The Festival runs September 18 to 27, 2025 and here are the names who defined the Festival! Check back daily as we add updated reviews to help in your planning!

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AL MADRIGAL

Former Daily Show “Senior Latino Correspondent” Al Madrigal delivered an extended set at the Bluma Appel Theatre. He mused on the cutoff for telling your son the truth about Santa and the Tooth Fairy, when to stop pranking your “little psycho” dad on April Fools Day, and what can happen when you pound a free can of ‘Go Girl’ in Rochester. He also shared his experiences buying unlicensed piñatas for his kids’ birthdays, and how best to “jack IN” your dog. – Nicholas Porteous

RON FUNCHES

Ron Funches returned to Just For Laughs Toronto with a hilarious and contagiously gleeful set about raising his second son, going through his second divorce, and his endless internal struggle over whether he should be a good parent or ‘just eat cookies and die.’ He gave touching insight into the kind of lasting love we all deserve, before ramping into extreme detail about his visions of the Obamas’ sex life. And taking his eldest son to Wrestlemania fuels some incredible laughs at legend John Cena’s expense. Funches performed two shows at Randolph Theatre (736 Bathurst Street). Our only regret is not catching him sooner! – Nicholas Porteous

GABRIEL “FLUFFY” IGLESIAS

Toronto had the absolute honour and pleasure of having Gabriel ‘Fluffy’ Iglesias at Scotiabank Arena for one of the first stops on his 1976 Tour, which started with some openers including Matt Golighty and Martin Moreno, the latter a frequent opener and collaborator with Fluffy. After the openers, we were informed there was a signed (1/50) poster by Fluffy and a meet and greet opportunity backstage – rest assured, this is not a Diddy Party – they assured audiences.

Fluffy went on for an unprecedented two hours and went nearly 30 minutes past curfew, ensuring that everyone got their money’s worth at the show. He told us that he is being sued by singer Bobby McFerrin for $750k because his last tour was named ‘Don’t Worry Be Fluffy’ and he’s still working through it. – Justin Waldman

ZARNA GARG

Things are happening quickly for this Indian-American Queen of Comedy who not only recently opened for Tina Fey & Amy Poehler on their tour, she also starred in acclaimed 2025 film A NICE INDIAN BOY. Toronto got lucky this year to see Zarna Garg at Elgin Theatre two nights at JFL Toronto 2025, bringing her unique perspective and “Indian Auntie logic”, before the sold-out crowds, drawing big laughs from the audience. Whether she’s joking about the very specific needs of brown people versus white people, her mother-in-law or her now-adult kids’ dating lives, she promises an enlightened experience where the audience will leave the show enlightened and wiser. And wiser we are with her energetic wisdom! – Mr. Will

BRITTANY SCHMITT

On the first night of JFL Toronto, we went to the Comedy Bar on Bloor West to see Brittany Schmitt. Before her show started, she had two openers consisting of Karis Anderson and Crystal Ferrier, who both absolutely slayed and got us all amped-up for Brittany to grace the main stage. Anderson and Ferrier played to their strengths (gender stereotypes and cultural comedy), the laughter was uproarious.

Schmitt’s hilarious set consisted of a more crude and vulgar humour – but if you’ve seen her Comedy before, this is truly what is expected. If you haven’t, think a combination of the sexual jokes of Sarah Silverman and the depravity and darkness of Nikki Glaser. She delivered a 60-plus minute set that involved some crowd work, including ripping on some Gen Z audience members who thought ‘their phones were more entertaining’. The set was honest, hilarious, and dark, a name to look out for! – Justin Waldman

ABBY GOVINDAN

28-year old Abby Govindan described her completely self-inflicted viral fame in “Pushing 30”. From the day she issued a formal apology for calling people from the San Fransisco Bay area “annoying” to the extended saga when she pretended to be the creator of Emily in Paris. She also shouted out her dad’s copious use of emojis, everyone’s reluctance to publicly admit they know who Mia Khalifa is, and running into ‘Pakistani uncles’ all over the place. – Nicholas Porteous

SABRINA WU

This up-and-coming Comedian caught our eye first in the raunchy Comedy ROAD TRIP and we’ve been a huge fan since. While this isn’t Wu‘s first Just for Laughs Toronto run, we were eager to see more and they did not disappoint, back with one show at each Comedy Bar location on the west and east end of the City. Awkward sexual jokes and a blend of heartfelt personal anecdotes that explore the American-Chinese cultural conflict growing-up in the U.S. highlight the set, jampacked with supporting talent, including their coming out story to their grandma after a tragic accident! Need more Wu, who recently was seen in Apple TV+‘s MURDERBOT. – Mr. Will

JACOB BALSHIN

Things have taken off very quickly for local hero Jacob Balshin, whose viral food reels, which work both as deadpan satire and actual “influencing”. But does that translate to an actual live Comedy Show? The answer is a resounding yes! Balshin certainly knows how to bring the laughs with a range that spans from local humour, to raunchy jokes (he literally ad libbed a song about circumcision), commentary about the messed-up state of Toronto, to endearing family anecdotes. Very impressed he was able to fill his entire timeslot with polish, yet still have something for another show at a sister Comedy Bar on the opposite end of the City on a 30-minute turnaround. – Mr. Will

TODD BARRY

This veteran Comedian shone bright at Randolph Theatre, putting his mastery of crowdwork on full display. A fan in the front row taught him a new word “clown”, as in making a clown out of someone and he went to town with the word, sparing no victims in his vicinity! Barry, with his signature deadpan delivery, also amused the crowd with funny anecdotes about brushing his cat Michaeleen‘s teeth, which had the audience in stitches. – Mr. Will

CHLOE RADCLIFFE

Chloe Radcliffe has been tipped to be one of the next big breakout stars in Comedy. The New York native delivered a frenetic hour of Comedy at Comedy Bar, one of two shows, flexing her two-time national championship debate-winning skills with various audience members over what she should call her mailing list, and alternative names for Oakville. She also called out which parts of the body should be okay to stare at, jokes that are too mean to say in Canada, and why hooking up with a strange mailman is a kink unto itself. – Nicholas Porteous

PATTI HARRISON

Patti Harrison delivered an explosive, mind-bending set which morphed from jokes to heartfelt ruminations to a McDonald’s-coded powerpoint presentation, a PSA, and finally a podcast comprised of audience volunteers who “didn’t look like they wanted to do it”. She checked-in about the state of her Comedy, what defines “normal” looking people, the duality of porn and true crime, and why the venue probably didn’t trust her to have control of the lighting. She made sure at least a few people in the audience were high-fiving at the right moments. – Nicholas Porteous

COREY B

We first discovered Corey B during Covid with his food reels which made him a viral sensation. His commentaries and sometimes recipe duplications brought us great joy. Looking back, this proved a successful move, leaving audiences wanting more of his boisterous humour and quick wit and now they have a chance to see him live. Marriage jokes, a forced healthy lifestyle (after his wife overcame a terminal illness), and bidet humour highlight his act, playing at Randolph Theatre to a packed house of enthused fans who live for his bathroom humour! – Mr. Will

MARIA BAMFORD

Maria Bamford rocked the Bluma Appel Theatre on JFL Toronto 2025’s closing weekend. She brought her signature Comedy to a completely sold-out theatre, gave an audience member $20 Canadian because “the audience never gets paid for their participation”. Bamford delivered a well-rounded and great 60-odd minute set. She talked about everything from politics, briefly including apologizing for her country, doing jobs (weirdly for Grimace), and some jokes about her abode and where she resides in Los Angeles. If you’ve never seen Bamford before, check her recorded specials, she is a must-see! – Justin Waldman

DROP OUT IMPROV

Dropout Improv took over Meridian Hall and delivered a stellar evening of short form games, scenes and spontaneous songs. They explored a first date (or “big FD”) at a casino, a town hall regarding a turtle takeover (full of Torontonians with embarrassing names), and what happens when you find your old Tamagotchi in the attic—and it’s not happy to see you. They also staged a proposal at a haunted house in Niagara Falls, and spent a good chunk of the evening dissecting an unauthorized, AI-generated promo image for the show, as well as the mean comments in the group chat it inspired. – Nicholas Porteous

HIGHLIGHTS PART TWO:

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(Photo/video credit: Nicholas Porteous/Justin Waldman/Mr. Will Wong)