The University Series at Stephen F. Austin State University brings comedian Joe Zimmerman to Nacogdoches for a performance at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22, in W.M. Turner Auditorium, Griffith Fine Arts Building, on the SFA campus.
A favorite of late-night shows such as “The Tonight Show,” “Last Comic Standing” and “Comedy Central,” Zimmerman is a frequent performer on university campuses and at corporate events.
“I am a huge comedy fan,” said Dr. Gary Wurtz, dean of the Micky Elliott College of Fine Arts, which hosts the University Series. “I became aware of Joe Zimmerman after hearing him on Sirius radio, as well as watching his performances on YouTube. When I had the opportunity to book him on this year’s University Series, I jumped on it and can’t wait to have him here.”
Zimmerman grew up in Morgantown, West Virginia, and started his comedy career in North Carolina shortly after graduating Davidson College where he was an English major. While starting out in the South, he launched a tour with three friends called “The Beards of Comedy” and landed a record deal with Comedy Central Records. In 2012, he moved to New York City, quickly appearing on “The Late Late Show” and John Oliver’s “New York Stand-Up Show,” as well as Montreal’s “Just for Laughs” festival.
His resume has since grown to include “The Tonight Show,” “Conan,” “Nickelodeon,” “Last Comic Standing,” his own “Comedy Central Half Hour,” and the Comedy Cellar’s topical show, “This Week at the Comedy Cellar.” His first solo album, “Smiling at Wolves,” reached No. 2 on the iTunes comedy charts, and, shortly after, Paste Magazine named him one of 10 Best Comedians from the South. His second album, “Innocence,” came out on Comedy Central Records in 2018 and is played regularly on Sirius XM radio. In 2019, he recorded a dry bar special with upwards of a million views on YouTube. His one-hour comedy special “Cult Classic,” directed by Nate Bargatze and produced by 800 Pound Gorilla, came out in 2023. Zimmerman has also contributed humor writing to The New York Times and The New Yorker, and he has appeared on numerous podcasts and radio.
His opening act is Justin Smith, a New York City-based comedian from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Smith’s biography states he was “raised in a religious household, went to a conservative Christian college, worked in the oilfield and loves BBQ and the phrase ‘fixen to.'” He is also described as “quick-witted, brutally honest and incredibly engaging.” His show dialog ranges from making fun of high school proms on MTV to talking about the intricate details of comedy on PBS.
Single event tickets for Joe Zimmerman and Justin Smith are adult, $30; senior (62 or better), $24; SFA faculty/staff, $15; non-SFA student/youth, $12; SFA student, $3. To purchase tickets, call the Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS, or visit sfasu.edu/boxoffice. The Fine Arts Box Office is located in the second floor lobby, Griffith Fine Arts Building, SFA campus. A reception will be held in the second-floor lobby immediately following the performance.
