The Laugh Factory is a comedy club in Hollywood on the Sunset Strip.

The club is owned by Jamie Masada, who opened the Laugh Factory in a tiny storefront on the Sunset Strip in 1979. There is also one in New York City, Long Beach, California, and another soon in the San Manuel Indian Casino in Highland.

A weekly stand-up comedy series originating from the Hollywood location, Comic Strip: Live, aired late Saturday nights on the Fox network from 1989-1994. The series was hosted by John Mulrooney (1989), Gary Kroeger (1990-91) and Wayne Cotter (1991-94). For a seven-month period starting in November 1990, the show was renamed Comic Strip: Late Night to differentiate it from a short-lived Sunday prime-time spinoff, which featured weekly guest hosts and originated from other locations.

Comedians who have performed in the club include Dante, Michael Richards, Bob Saget, Carlos Mencia, Richard Pryor, Robin Williams, Rodney Dangerfield, Jeff Dunham, Jerry Seinfeld, Derrick Cameron, Brad Williams, Jim Carrey, Damon Wayans, Paul Rodriguez, Dave Chappelle, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Chris Tucker, Louis CK, Kathy Griffin, Dane Cook, Nick Cannon, Sunda Croonquist, Troy Thirdgill, Max Dolcelli, and Roseanne Barr.

Michael Richards incident

The Laugh Factory made headlines when Michael Richards went into a racist outburst toward two black men who were heckling him during a November 17, 2006 standup comedy routine at the venue. Although Richards performed again the next evening without incident, The Laugh Factory later released a statement stating that "Mr. Richards is no longer welcomed here." Richards later apologized for his remarks.

In response to the Michael Richards incident, The Laugh Factory banned comedians from using the word "nigger" in their acts. The first known incident involving this new rule involved Damon Wayans, who used the word 16 times in a 20 minute show.

He was fined $320 ($20 for each offence) and given a 3-month ban from the club.

Endurance Record

The Laugh Factory keeps track of an endurance record for the comedian who can deliver the longest single set at the prestigious club. The record-holding performances are listed below:

Date	Duration (hr:min)	Performer
2008-01-02	7:00	Dane Cook
2007-12-03	6:12	Dave Chappelle
2007-04-15	6:07	Dave Chappelle
2007-04-10	3:50	Dane Cook
1980	2:41	Richard Pryor

External links

• Associated Press "Dane Cook breaks Laugh Factory's comedy endurance record with 7-hour set". International Herald Tribune, .
• Associated Press "Dave Chappelle's standup marathon: 6 hours, 12 minutes". CNN, .
• Josef Adalian "Chappelle pulls all-nighter at Factory". Variety, .
• Laugh Factory official site