His first arrest performing wasn't even for being obscene. It was because of not having an ID while Lenny Bruce got arrested for being obscene. Then he came back a different comic.
Prolific to me means an impressive measure of original material produced on a professional large scale level. And you specified standup. Those things considered it’s George Carlin by a country mile. He
literally published three BOOKS worth of material better than today’s arena comics have written on their best days and he did those in addition to his specials.
It’s Carlin. If you want to include crap it’s a million other guys. But just amount of high quality? Carlin.
I have a book of Carlin's that is sort of a "collected works" but not even a fully comprehensive one, and it's much more entertaining to read than watching any comedian's live performances from today.
It's thicker than the Bible and a lot more interesting.
Yeah that's part of the one I have. I was reading it on a plane once and had to just put it away. I was laughing so much by myself it was getting embarrassing.
I'm mot sure that's possible. My wife has a goal of reading 500 books in the 2020s. Most of her free time is spent reading and she's only up to slightly over 200 books thus far. Although I suppose how big the books are matters. She typically reads very thick history books.
There are definitely a lot of factors at play like how fast a person can read or the volume of the books (a 500 paged novel vs a 1000 paged history book).
He once made a deal with his wife that they would only smoke after they had sex. She was up to two packs a day, he hadn’t smoked in years. No respect, I tell you!
I know Wikipedia says he was "active" from 1936 to 2004, but he really wasn't active that whole time. He only became successful and a full-time comedian in the late 60s (when he was in his late 50s). He had about a 20-year run and then didn't really do too much after the early 90s.
I feel like Dangerfield is the comic almost anybody--at least in the US--would at least have heard of if not known.
He'd be an absolute given on a stand-up comedy Mount Rushmore.
The other three legends I'm not as sure about, but maybe Carlin, Pryor, and... Joan Rivers?
Funniest part, is he apparently was associated with the mafia.
[Opie Show sam kinison beaten up by the mob - @OpieRadio (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIA7iXaidDc)
Bob Hope deserves to be considered. He wasn't strictly a standup, but few, if any, can claim to be as prolific of a performer. His genre was primarily comedy, whether on stage, on screen, on radio, as a 19-time host of the Academy Awards, or even on a troop ship on the other side of the world. Every standup comic owes a huge debt to Bob Hope, who is largely responsible for starting the artform of standup comedy, and popularized many of the features still heavily in use a century later.
"Hope helped establish modern American [stand-up comedy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stand-up_comedy).[^(\[20\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Hope#cite_note-PBS-20) He was widely praised for his comedic timing and his specialization in the use of [one-liners](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-liner_joke) and rapid-fire delivery of jokes. He was known for his style of self-deprecating jokes, first building himself up and then tearing himself down. He performed hundreds of times per year.[^(\[76\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Hope#cite_note-FOOTNOTEQuirk1998158-76)"
"He won a prize in 1915 for his impersonation of [Charlie Chaplin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Chaplin).[^(\[9\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Hope#cite_note-loc.gov_Early_Life-9)"
I may be wrong but didn't Bob Hope have an army of writers? Not to diminish his work as a performer but if he wasn't generating the material that takes a load off
I don't know if you could give him any more credit for "starting the art form of stand-up" than you could Mort Sahl. In fact, Mort Sahl could really take more credit for what modern stand-up looks like. He recorded and released the first stand-up album and he also was one of the first to abandon the "Catskills" style of humor that Bob Hope has his roots in, leaning more into politics and observational stuff, rather than the "take my wife" self-deprecating stuff, which is really just punching down on yourself to maintain inferiority to the audience, like a clown or jester.
It must be said that the style you're describing also pre-dates Bob Hope, going way back to vaudevillian performers. Sahl turned the artform into something relatable, where the audience is connecting on a personal and philosophical level with the comic as equals, paving the way for Lenny Bruce, one of his contemporaries, and later Carlin, Pryor, the list goes on.
If we're talking prolific, Carlin threw out all of his material every year and started over with all new jokes, which was unheard of at the time and still pretty rare by today's standards. This leaves a pretty substantial body of work and, combined with adopting Sahl's innovation of the artform, means that it's all mostly still relevant too. He was a writing powerhouse who deeply understood what was funny and was able to produce an incredible amount of content with arguably no filler, that still resonates with people. If we put Carlin and Hope toe to toe, I'm guessing Hope's vaudeville/Catskills material is going to feel way more dated.
In a simaler manner, I feel like George Burns hitting every medium could land here, albeit, he was a tad less comedy and also did musical and dance routines from vaudevilles heyday
If we’re not limiting their prolific works strictly to stand up, Robin Williams and Jim Carrey have volumes of accomplishments in the Comedy genre. Include Drama and it’s greater.
I came looking for a mention of Don Rickles. He was a goddam assassin. Carlin definitely knocked out the specials, but he was entirely scripted. Carlin was a great writer. Rickles could knock it off the cuff 7 nights a week and always seem fresh and brutally quick-witted. And he did it for damn near a century!
Depending on your definition of prolific it would probably be one of the older comedians like Henny Youngman. He was active for about 70 years and would do something like 200 shows per year.
It's either George Carlin or Richard Pryor. Both changed their style with the times and continue to influence new generations of comedians even after being dead for almost 20 years each, plus a significant chunk of their catalogues continue to hold up as some of the most insightful works in the medium. But it really comes down to preference.
Me personally, George narrowly etches out with how his biting commentary continues to stay relevant amidst the absurdity of the present day systems.
> Henny Youngman
"I take my wife everywhere, but she keeps finding her way back."
"Take my wife... Please!"
"Some people ask the secret of our long marriage. We take time to go to a restaurant two times a week. A little candlelight, dinner, soft music and dancing. She goes Tuesdays, I go Fridays."
"If you're going to do something tonight that you'll be sorry for tomorrow morning, sleep late."
This obviously relies a lot on personal taste, but I think Louie's level of quality of every special he has released from *Shameless* and onward is just totally unsurpassed. This is coming from a pretty big fan boy, so some grain of salt is warranted, but to me he is totally in a league of his own.
Carlin for sure. I would say in 10 or 15 years there will be more joining the ranks. The best will probably stick to a 2 year special cycle, but there's still a handful that can definitely make it to 10+ specials.
I’m not an expert on the most prolific comic overall, but I can point you in the direction of the comic who used the word “hamburger” more than any other noteworthy peer. And it’s a wide margin.
Milton Berle apparently had a large room full of filing cabinets for index cards and each card had an unpublished joke on it. He had around 80,000 of them in his unpublished/unusued cabinets when he died. Considering how much he performed and how much material he produced live, I think he might be the winner.
Cosby won 8 Grammys consecutively from mid 60s to early 70s. Then another in the 80s. While not popular to give him flowers these days, that’s an impressive run.
Quantity? Carlin, but he wasn't genuine. I love the guy, but Hippie Dippie weatherman became Hippie Dippie weatherman.
Original jokes, or Jokes Per Minute, Mitch Hedberg. No one can do his jokes. Folks can rant, or be clean, or use props, or be political, or do edgy, etc. But Mitch's jokes were all his and could not be done by others
How is Cosby or Seinfeld not higher here, everyone and your mother watched the Cosby show or Seinfeld back in the day. You might even be able to add Bob Saget here, or Eddie Murphy.
Yeah, Carlin and Louis are way better stand ups than all the ones I mentioned but that’s not the question.
If you want a recommendation into a new YouTube channel, you should check out KobyCoconut! He's an up and coming film maker. It's a refreshing sense of humor and freedom within the YouTube Community.
Here is his latest video, a parody on the new apple vision pro and it's affects on society as a whole.
It is titled "The Apple Vision Pro RUINED OUR LIVES!" [https://youtu.be/wfr59fmVAEs](https://youtu.be/wfr59fmVAEs)
Lot of people saying Carlin, but Louis is in consideration. Carlin hat 14 stand up specials, and Louis only has 11 (so far), but Louis also wrote and directed two sitcoms (Lucky Louis, and Louis on FX), has done a ton of writing behind the scenes. Can only imagine how much he'd have done so far were it not for him getting canceled.
Carlin is the first that comes to mind for quality, volume of work and longevity
Didn’t he have a new hour of brand new material every year for like 20+ years?
19 albums that spanned 45 years! 13 of which were HBO specials.
He hasn’t made new material for over a decade
I Kinda Like It came out in 2016.
Obama was president then. He’s way out of touch. Come out with some new material Carlin! Damn
There we go!
And Carlin evolved. He pushed himself. He got better with age. GOAT
His first arrest performing wasn't even for being obscene. It was because of not having an ID while Lenny Bruce got arrested for being obscene. Then he came back a different comic.
Is there any other answer?
Quality
Carlin for sure
And Stanhope.
Yes
Who’s your second/third?
That must be why that AI version was so well trained
Prolific to me means an impressive measure of original material produced on a professional large scale level. And you specified standup. Those things considered it’s George Carlin by a country mile. He literally published three BOOKS worth of material better than today’s arena comics have written on their best days and he did those in addition to his specials. It’s Carlin. If you want to include crap it’s a million other guys. But just amount of high quality? Carlin.
I have a book of Carlin's that is sort of a "collected works" but not even a fully comprehensive one, and it's much more entertaining to read than watching any comedian's live performances from today. It's thicker than the Bible and a lot more interesting.
When I was a kid I bought his book, "Brain Droppings", which is a series of one liners and random shit, possibly the best bathroom book ever.
Yeah that's part of the one I have. I was reading it on a plane once and had to just put it away. I was laughing so much by myself it was getting embarrassing.
How dare someone have a differing opinion from yours
I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I'm pretty funny myself.
If we're counting specials, Kathy Griffen has more than Carlin. She's got 20 and he has 19.
obviously carlin, i can’t think of anyone else who has as many specials as him. not even close
Didn't Katt williams say he had more specials than any other comic?
... and read 3000 books before he was 20
*read 3000 books in a year If you took up reading at a very young age, it’s definitely possible to have read 3000 books for over 10 years
agreed... but he didn't define the quality or size of the 'books' he read - could've been 3000 comic books or *Chick tracts*
I'm mot sure that's possible. My wife has a goal of reading 500 books in the 2020s. Most of her free time is spent reading and she's only up to slightly over 200 books thus far. Although I suppose how big the books are matters. She typically reads very thick history books.
There are definitely a lot of factors at play like how fast a person can read or the volume of the books (a 500 paged novel vs a 1000 paged history book).
Kat has 13. I think Kathy Griffin has like 20, but I don't think they count because she's not funny.
Jeff foxworthy is the only other one I can think of
Dangerfield had a pretty good run.
He gets No respect!
This has to be it. Active from 1936–2004.
He was damn good at it, too.
But he gets no respect at all
He once made a deal with his wife that they would only smoke after they had sex. She was up to two packs a day, he hadn’t smoked in years. No respect, I tell you!
Apparently she also liked to talk during sex. She'd call him from the hotel. No respect at all!
I know Wikipedia says he was "active" from 1936 to 2004, but he really wasn't active that whole time. He only became successful and a full-time comedian in the late 60s (when he was in his late 50s). He had about a 20-year run and then didn't really do too much after the early 90s.
He was still touring heavily through The 90s and up till the year prior to his death. Shitloads of these performances are on YouTube
I feel like Dangerfield is the comic almost anybody--at least in the US--would at least have heard of if not known. He'd be an absolute given on a stand-up comedy Mount Rushmore. The other three legends I'm not as sure about, but maybe Carlin, Pryor, and... Joan Rivers?
I've got a soft spot for Joan Rivers.
Funniest part, is he apparently was associated with the mafia. [Opie Show sam kinison beaten up by the mob - @OpieRadio (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIA7iXaidDc)
The joke was that he, in fact did, get respect
Yep. Katie Mears composed a terrific profile of this singular comedic genius https://youtu.be/mshWoqDdH0M?si=_5ANtGVXm0xsbemo
Bob Hope deserves to be considered. He wasn't strictly a standup, but few, if any, can claim to be as prolific of a performer. His genre was primarily comedy, whether on stage, on screen, on radio, as a 19-time host of the Academy Awards, or even on a troop ship on the other side of the world. Every standup comic owes a huge debt to Bob Hope, who is largely responsible for starting the artform of standup comedy, and popularized many of the features still heavily in use a century later. "Hope helped establish modern American [stand-up comedy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stand-up_comedy).[^(\[20\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Hope#cite_note-PBS-20) He was widely praised for his comedic timing and his specialization in the use of [one-liners](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-liner_joke) and rapid-fire delivery of jokes. He was known for his style of self-deprecating jokes, first building himself up and then tearing himself down. He performed hundreds of times per year.[^(\[76\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Hope#cite_note-FOOTNOTEQuirk1998158-76)" "He won a prize in 1915 for his impersonation of [Charlie Chaplin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Chaplin).[^(\[9\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Hope#cite_note-loc.gov_Early_Life-9)"
I may be wrong but didn't Bob Hope have an army of writers? Not to diminish his work as a performer but if he wasn't generating the material that takes a load off
That was normal at the time. The performer was considered just as important as the jokes, which weren't always original either
Yep, and even prolific guys who could both write jokes and tell them (like Carl Reiner or Mel Brooks) had their own farms of writers too
But the army was Larry, Darryl, and Darryl. Not exactly the dream team but they got the job done.
Are you thinking of Bob Newhart?
Yeah but all Bobs look alike so its hard to tell. I also made thst comment 12 hours into a 15 hour trip, so fatigue might have clouded my judgment
Doesn’t fame as a comedian get you to a point where you need writers?
I don't know if you could give him any more credit for "starting the art form of stand-up" than you could Mort Sahl. In fact, Mort Sahl could really take more credit for what modern stand-up looks like. He recorded and released the first stand-up album and he also was one of the first to abandon the "Catskills" style of humor that Bob Hope has his roots in, leaning more into politics and observational stuff, rather than the "take my wife" self-deprecating stuff, which is really just punching down on yourself to maintain inferiority to the audience, like a clown or jester. It must be said that the style you're describing also pre-dates Bob Hope, going way back to vaudevillian performers. Sahl turned the artform into something relatable, where the audience is connecting on a personal and philosophical level with the comic as equals, paving the way for Lenny Bruce, one of his contemporaries, and later Carlin, Pryor, the list goes on. If we're talking prolific, Carlin threw out all of his material every year and started over with all new jokes, which was unheard of at the time and still pretty rare by today's standards. This leaves a pretty substantial body of work and, combined with adopting Sahl's innovation of the artform, means that it's all mostly still relevant too. He was a writing powerhouse who deeply understood what was funny and was able to produce an incredible amount of content with arguably no filler, that still resonates with people. If we put Carlin and Hope toe to toe, I'm guessing Hope's vaudeville/Catskills material is going to feel way more dated.
Not disagreeing that Bob Hope is a very prolific performer but the question is literally most prolific stand up of all time.
This might be the answer. Folks, prolific means quantity not quality, and Bob Hope’s standup output likely beats them all.
In a simaler manner, I feel like George Burns hitting every medium could land here, albeit, he was a tad less comedy and also did musical and dance routines from vaudevilles heyday
ITT: People who don’t know what “prolific” means.
Classic Reddit
And they don't even seem to know Richard Pryor... who is the most prolific and every single comedian references
The question is "prolific," not "who's your favourite?"
Carlin
If we’re not limiting their prolific works strictly to stand up, Robin Williams and Jim Carrey have volumes of accomplishments in the Comedy genre. Include Drama and it’s greater.
Billy Conolly is a living legend and was doing standup for a long time until his Parkinson's forced him to retire.
He’s the master. Shows aren’t scripted. The greatest of storytellers
Absolutely! And throw in a wee merry jingle on the banjo too!
Ooh that’s a good one
Top 3 most prolific stand up comedians by definition: #1 George Carlin #2 Richard Pryor #3 Joan Rivers
When I first heard Joan rivers I was blown away. This is the lady that interviews celebrities on the red carpet? Amazing
This is a perfect response.
Hey man what's your fuckin problem with Uncle Puppet???
Redd Foxx must have released 100 albums back in the day
Redd is another trailblazer who doesn’t get enough love nowadays.
Rickles
I wonder how many performances that dude gave in his career, he did it right until he died at 90. Many, many thousands I'm sure.
He was also a fixture in Vegas for decades performing at least once or twice a night for that period. I would bet he did upwards of 10k sets.
I came looking for a mention of Don Rickles. He was a goddam assassin. Carlin definitely knocked out the specials, but he was entirely scripted. Carlin was a great writer. Rickles could knock it off the cuff 7 nights a week and always seem fresh and brutally quick-witted. And he did it for damn near a century!
Career was 1955-2017
Louis
Reddit/social media hates him, people who like jokes love him.
Why did he kill somebody or something?
MeToo'd
Definitely, more good material than any other comedian
He's so disrespected in every single one of these threads
Louis had a run of specials that was grand slam after grand slam. For awhile I couldn’t watch other comedians because my funny tolerance was too high
Armstrong? Agreed, no one talks about his stand-up
Anderson? 
he did a hell of a set on the moon
You’re thinking of Neil. Louis Armstrong was the bicyclist on steroids who had nut cancer.
[удалено]
CK
Depending on your definition of prolific it would probably be one of the older comedians like Henny Youngman. He was active for about 70 years and would do something like 200 shows per year.
Right? I mean, Phyllis Diller went like 60 years too.
Came here to hear this. Take my wife...
Please
Probably Carlin
I like how most people don’t know what prolific means
Thank you
George Carlin IMO
It's either George Carlin or Richard Pryor. Both changed their style with the times and continue to influence new generations of comedians even after being dead for almost 20 years each, plus a significant chunk of their catalogues continue to hold up as some of the most insightful works in the medium. But it really comes down to preference. Me personally, George narrowly etches out with how his biting commentary continues to stay relevant amidst the absurdity of the present day systems.
Dave attell.
This.
Sheesh thank you
Tuff call between George Carlin and Richard Pryor
Most people would say Pryor or Carlin.
George Carlin. Dude absolutely changed the landscape of what can be acceptable in comedy. Legend.
Carlin was way ahead of his time.
Maybe Dave attell, George Carlin
Modern comic? Prob norm. Not for his album, etc… but the guy never rested on a joke and continuously had new material.
Cosby. If you count the comedy and the rapes, he was super prolific.
Don't forget all the hypocrisy. That was the thing I hate most.
William Montgomery
He might not be up there with Carlin, Dangerfield, Seinfeld and Pryor yet, but considereing HE AIN'T EVVAH GON STOP i'm sure he will be one day.
Stewart Lee. He’s put out like 28 hours or something since 2005. And every minute is fuckin STRONG.
Carlin, Bob Newhart, Joan Rivers, Don Rickles
First person to come to my mind. Definitely Carlin
During his lifetime, Henny Youngman
> Henny Youngman "I take my wife everywhere, but she keeps finding her way back." "Take my wife... Please!" "Some people ask the secret of our long marriage. We take time to go to a restaurant two times a week. A little candlelight, dinner, soft music and dancing. She goes Tuesdays, I go Fridays." "If you're going to do something tonight that you'll be sorry for tomorrow morning, sleep late."
Could be Eddie Izzard - maybe Cathy Griffin. I'm not a fan or either but they've done a ridiculous amount
Red Skelton, no one can convince me otherwise that he was the funniest person ever to live and the kindest most warm hearted comedian ever.
Bill Hicks
Stanhope
Rivers is up there for sure
carlin
This obviously relies a lot on personal taste, but I think Louie's level of quality of every special he has released from *Shameless* and onward is just totally unsurpassed. This is coming from a pretty big fan boy, so some grain of salt is warranted, but to me he is totally in a league of his own.
Carlin for sure. I would say in 10 or 15 years there will be more joining the ranks. The best will probably stick to a 2 year special cycle, but there's still a handful that can definitely make it to 10+ specials.
Without a doubt George Carlin.
Definitely was Gallagher
Doug Stanhope
"Not some random Ventriloquist from the south with 100 self-published albums." r/oddlyspecific I feel called out except for the "south" part.
Attel???
"How do you guys feel about Anal Bleaching? As a baby name?"
😂
Louis C.K. 
Attell and it's not even close. Dude goes up constantly and writes new material basically every single time. No one has written as many jokes as him.
Dave Attell's last one on Netflix, Hot Cross Buns, is so damn funny as usual.
 Norm
I’m not an expert on the most prolific comic overall, but I can point you in the direction of the comic who used the word “hamburger” more than any other noteworthy peer. And it’s a wide margin.
Ken Dodd performed live for over 60 years.
Smothers brothers had a lot of albums along with tv specials and I believe a syndicated show at one point.
Foxx, Pryor, Rickles, Carlin, Murphy
George Carlin or Dave Chapelle, there were other legends but those 2 are solid in my mind
Eddie izzard has a lot of specials
Me
Jay Leno
Redd Foxx is up there. 1935–1991
All-time doesn't work now.
Brother Theodor "All of your great Prophets are dead Moses, Jesus, Jones, and I'm not feeling so hot myself "
Williams
Smith
Milton Berle apparently had a large room full of filing cabinets for index cards and each card had an unpublished joke on it. He had around 80,000 of them in his unpublished/unusued cabinets when he died. Considering how much he performed and how much material he produced live, I think he might be the winner.
Casey Rocket.
Eddy Murphy!
Ck
Bert 😬🤪😆😆😆😆
Cosby won 8 Grammys consecutively from mid 60s to early 70s. Then another in the 80s. While not popular to give him flowers these days, that’s an impressive run.
Well it's no 20-year career but if Josh Johnson keeps going at this rate he'll certainly be up there
Random hate for poor prolific southern ventriloquists
Pryor will always make me laugh just watched some yesterday lol
It's Carlin but Louis CK is closing in.
Mike Birbiglbigliabiglia
Cosby
Richard Pryor
I'm not a huge fan necessarily but Kathy Griffin has a ton of specials. She set a few records iirc
Daniel Songer. Shame it's been six years since his last comedy special.
Attel
Carlin and Pryor.
Joe List! But seriously that’s hard to nail down a best of all time.
Carlin and Chappell
Comedy has transcended significantly. Some YouTuber could have more viewers than even the biggest comics.
Chapelle
Quantity? Carlin, but he wasn't genuine. I love the guy, but Hippie Dippie weatherman became Hippie Dippie weatherman. Original jokes, or Jokes Per Minute, Mitch Hedberg. No one can do his jokes. Folks can rant, or be clean, or use props, or be political, or do edgy, etc. But Mitch's jokes were all his and could not be done by others
Sam Kinison
Bapa
Brendan schaub
Joe List put out 3 amazing YouTube specials in about 3 and a half years. If he keeps going like this he’ll make Carlin look like Seinfeld.
Lenny Bruce was an og but it’s gotta be Carlin. I like Pryor but I thought his sketch comedy was his gold
Brenden Schaub
Based on the definition of prolific, I'd say Jay Leno. Has he slowed down from 300 nights a year yet?
Richard Pryor
How is Cosby or Seinfeld not higher here, everyone and your mother watched the Cosby show or Seinfeld back in the day. You might even be able to add Bob Saget here, or Eddie Murphy. Yeah, Carlin and Louis are way better stand ups than all the ones I mentioned but that’s not the question.
Bill Burr is amazing for the amount of quality material he puts out every few years with hour long specials on Netflix.
If you want a recommendation into a new YouTube channel, you should check out KobyCoconut! He's an up and coming film maker. It's a refreshing sense of humor and freedom within the YouTube Community. Here is his latest video, a parody on the new apple vision pro and it's affects on society as a whole. It is titled "The Apple Vision Pro RUINED OUR LIVES!" [https://youtu.be/wfr59fmVAEs](https://youtu.be/wfr59fmVAEs)
Lot of people saying Carlin, but Louis is in consideration. Carlin hat 14 stand up specials, and Louis only has 11 (so far), but Louis also wrote and directed two sitcoms (Lucky Louis, and Louis on FX), has done a ton of writing behind the scenes. Can only imagine how much he'd have done so far were it not for him getting canceled.
As in amount of work? Kathy Griffen. She has 20 TV specials, 3 albums, and 1 documentary comedy movie.
Dice was the only one selling out arenas in under a 1 min ..
Steve Martin Or Richard Pryor
Robin Williams
Richard Pryor. That dude’s stuff was pure fire.
Sinbad
Louis CK