Matt Ruby: Bio, Comedy Style, and Where to Watch

Who is Matt Ruby?

Matt Ruby is a comedian, writer, and filmmaker based in New York City. The New York Times called his stand-up “button-pushing” and “funny.” Judd Apatow called his newsletter “great.” He is a co-author of the New York Times bestseller Rework. He was the former frontman of the indie rock band Plastics Hi-Fi. His influences include George Carlin, Leonard Cohen, Fran Lebowitz, and Norm Macdonald.

His stand-up has been filmed by Comedy Central, MTV, NBC/Seeso, and FOX. His most recent stand-up special is BOLO, available free on YouTube, which Standupworld called “Matt at his best: raw, real, and ripping into life’s absurdities.” He also released the special Feels Like Matt Ruby (2020). He created, produced, and starred in Vooza, a video comic strip about the startup world with over 180 episodes viewed millions of times. He hosts the podcast Kind of a Lot with Matt Ruby, which covers comedy, technology, art, mindfulness, and culture. He writes two newsletters — The Rubesletter (comedy, tech, art, culture) and Funny How: Letters to a Young Comedian (craft of stand-up, featuring advice from comedy legends) — with over 17,000 combined subscribers. He is a Comedy Cellar regular.

Matt Ruby’s Comedy Style

Ruby describes his comedy as smart and dark. The Times endorsement of “button-pushing” is apt — his material is intellectually engaged in a way that doesn’t announce itself as such, built on genuine curiosity about technology, culture, politics, and the self. He is interested in jokes that make you think and laugh simultaneously, which is a harder trick to pull off than either one alone. The Carlin and Cohen influences are audible: someone who takes ideas seriously and has strong opinions about what comedy is for.

Where to Find Matt Ruby

BOLO is free on YouTube. Subscribe to his newsletters at mattruby.substack.com and find tour dates at mattrubycomedy.com.

Matt Ruby 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.