Meet Jimmy Shubert

Jimmy Shubert delivers ‘tough love’ with side-splitting skill.

San Antonio News

Jimmy has a banner year for 2023 locked and loaded: The release of a new one-hour special, “Clown Shoes,” is currently in post-production along with a new comedy album. His last album, “Zero Tolerance,” went to #1 on the iTunes comedy charts, and “Clown Shoes” is poised for even greater success. He also has three major motion pictures headed for theatrical release and streaming: “Puppy Love” with Hopper Penn, Michael Madsen and, Rosanne Arquette is heading for a theatrical release in 2023.  “Topper,” a film starring Mark O’Brien and Amanda Clayton (currently in post production)  “Don’t Suck” A comedy horror movie with Matt Rife, Ellen Hollman, Russell Peters and Jamie Kennedy. He can currently be seen as Hugh Bluff in “American Nightmares” with Danny Trejo, on Cinemax.

As an national touring headlining comedian Jimmy Shubert has built an very impressive resume and, as an actor, when he is not stealing scenes on the big screen or, popping up all over your television set. He is busy blowing the roof off of A list comedy clubs, Casinos and, Theaters all across America. Jimmy Shubert is one of stand-up’s busiest comedians working today.

Jimmy Shubert has been described as a renegade wordsmith that works to the top of his intelligence. His hilarious high-energy performances that seem to dance fearlessly on the high wire of emotion intensity and imagination, A comedian with an edge who can effectively reference a “Gossamer-winged butterfly” and, “Flesh Musket” all within the same sentence. He became a finalist on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” and, appeared on Comedy Central as the closing act on Dave Atell’s Comedy Underground. His Last hour special entitled “Zero Tolerance” –is 57 minutes of non-stop laughs. It is a theatrical presentation of Shubert’s stand-up persona of a blue collar working man’s man. He combines the outlook of a modern-day Archie Bunker with an utterly real world sensibility to create signature pieces of comedy, on Therapy cats, Smart Phones, Male grooming and, the dumbing down of America. Shubert loves playing the part of a pop culture Iconoclast. His full-contact comedy has led him from headlining both the Improv in West Hollywood and the Comedy Store on Sunset Boulevard to his own stand-up special on Comedy Central. He was a featured cast member for five years on CBS’s “King of Queens” and chalked up several appearances on HBO’s “Entourage” for good measure.

It was Jimmy’s performance as the lollipop-sucking strip club bouncer Vic jr. in Columbia Pictures’ “Go”, directed by Doug Liman, that jump started his acting career.

Jimmy has a wide range as an actor and has played everything from a prison guard in a hostage crisis to a murder victim on “Monk.” On the small screen, He did a guest star on IFC’s  ”Maron” ABC’s “Back in the game” with James Caan, He appeared on Disney’s hit show “Zeke and Luther” as Bobby Dicey”-World’s Greatest Daredevil, and “Barely Legal” a pilot presentation about a dysfunctional family law firm, He has also made appearances on “2 Broke Girls” “Heist,” “ER,” “Reno 911,” “Rude Awakenings,” “Angel,” “Once and Again,” “Lucky,” “New Car Smell,” “Secret Service Guy,” “Just Shoot Me” and “Youth in Revolt.” He has worked with such marquee names as Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron, Katie Holmes, and Robin Williams.

A veteran of stage and screen, Jimmy is one of the rare triple threats in today’s comedy scene. “I like to entertain people in any form under any circumstances,” he says. “Whether it’s in a sold-out three thousand seat theater or in the middle of a war zone in Afghanistan, my mission is to make ‘em laugh as hard as I can.” In a world that wants to rob you of what little joy we have left, “I am a first responder.”

He has produced five albums of his original material and 4 concert performance DVDs, which showcase his hilarious, take on the world at large.

“I call them like I see them,” he says in his native Philadelphia rasp that’s as authentic as a Philly cheese steak. “I think people are fed up with all the nonsense we are subjected to on a daily basis. It’s a virtual assault on our senses from every angle. It’s like walking through a mine field in Clown Shoes” and, I make no apologies. I think audiences appreciate the candor.”

Growing up as the son of a Philadelphia Detective. He says, “It was like living with Lieutenant Colombo.” Jimmy and his band of five brothers were always getting into trouble. Jimmy was the middle child, so most of his childhood days were spent wearing bloodstained hand-me downs from his older brothers. He attended the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, majoring in Drama. It was from those experiences in acting class that Jimmy knew he wanted to be an Actor/Stand Up Comedian. Always the class clown and performer, Jimmy performed magic tricks for his friends and family at nine years of age. By the age of 15, he had become an accomplished professional magician. (he is currently a magician member of the World Famous Magic Castle) He later channeled that energy into stand-up comedy.

Jimmy started performing right out of high school in comedy clubs around the Philly area. He later moved to Los Angeles and started working at the Comedy Store, performing and writing material for acts like Yakov Smirnoff, Jimmy Walker, and Andrew “Dice” Clay. It was the Comedy Store where he later met Sam Kinison and they became friends. Kinison liked Shubert’s chutzpah and included him as one of the original “Outlaws of Comedy” which he toured with for five years, playing major casinos in Las Vegas and other venues like the Universal Amphitheater in front of audiences as large as 6,500 people. After a well-recognized performance at the prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, he was spotted by the late Brandon Tartikoff who signed Jimmy to a holding deal to develop a pilot sitcom for him to star in at 20th Century Fox.

Jimmy recorded his first half-hour special for Comedy Central at the Hudson Theater in New York City, which received rave reviews and a standing ovation from the discerning New York audience. In addition, he has released four breakout comedy albums, “Animal Instincts”  “Pandemonium,” “Alive & Kickin”  “Zero Tolerance” all produced by Grammy-winning producer Dan Schlissel, which have sold incredibly well and are in current rotation on Sirius and XM radio. He has performed in China- three tours….pre pandemic (Bejing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hong Kong, Macau) Canada, India, Ireland, The Bahamas, South Korea, Germany, The Netherlands, Brussels and, along with Drew Carey, performed for the troops in the Middle East and Afghanistan as part of the “America Supports You” program for the Defense Department and Armed Forces Entertainment.

Jimmy’s comedy routine is usually performed with an observational point of view, in comedic short-story form, and typically focuses on poking fun at pop culture. As AllMusic.com put it, “His confidence and lucid delivery enhances his humor, making even his most perverse moments hilarious.”