Leonard Ouzts: Bio, Comedy Style, and Where to Watch

Who is Leonard Ouzts?

Leonard Ouzts is originally from South Carolina, grew up in Chesapeake, Virginia, and has been doing stand-up comedy since 2001. He started locally in Virginia, traveled the region, and eventually built a national profile that has placed him on some of the most prominent stages in comedy and television. Rolling Stone named him a Top Ten Comic to Watch.

He was selected as a New Face at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal in 2015 and made his late-night debut on Conan in 2016, receiving a standing ovation. His acting breakthrough came with a recurring role as Lawrence, the producer, in Season 2 of Netflix’s Emmy Award-winning series Master of None. He has appeared on NBC’s Abby’s, in the films Set It Up (with Lucy Liu), Like Father (with Kelsey Grammar and Kristen Bell), and Standing Up, Falling Down (with Billy Crystal and Ben Schwartz). He has performed on Adam Devine’s House Party, AXS TV’s Gotham Comedy Live, TruTV’s Comedy Knockout, and MTV’s Wild ‘N Out and Joking Off. He co-starred in the viral Tristate “3 Brothers Moving” commercial. His debut comedy special The Big Joker is available on 85 South’s YouTube. He co-founded the live comedy show series Young, Black, and Funny with comedian Vincent Bryant. He was mentored by comedians including Micah “Bamm Bamm” White, Bodacious, Angus Black, and Alycia Cooper.

Leonard Ouzts’s Comedy Style

Ouzts’s comedy is observational and rooted in his Southern upbringing — down to earth, real, and thought-provoking in the way that the best club comedy manages to be. His Master of None work demonstrated range as an actor, but the stand-up is the foundation: material centered on family, current events, and the things you notice walking down the street that everyone else has decided not to mention.

Where to Find Leonard Ouzts

The Big Joker is on 85 South’s YouTube. Find tour dates at leonardouzts.com.

Leonard Ouzts has performed at the Comedy Cellar in New York City’s Greenwich Village. Check the current lineup and upcoming shows at comedycellar.com.

Catch Comedy Cellar shows live from New York on Mint Comedy at watch.mintcomedy.com.