A Clown Called Kellen
NEWS | TUESDAY, JUNE 30 | BY FUSION STAFF WRITER, RUDOLFO CARRILLO
Kellen Erskine is an American stand-up comedian known for his clean, deadpan delivery, meticulously crafted observational humor, and subdued stage presence. He has built a massive online following, amassing hundreds of millions of views across social media platforms for his sharp takes on everyday absurdities.
Erskine, one of the most prominent comedians of the “next generation” of American comics, will be making an appearance at FUSION on Saturday, August 15, at 8:00 PM. He’s been making waves in the medium for nearly a decade and has released multiple comedy specials that have tickled the nation’s funny bone, including Composed in 2017 and Negative Comments in 2024, as well as his pandemic-era special, Zoomed Out, in 2022. His signature comedic style frequently focuses on minor annoyances; for instance, his joke regarding why “bike locks should be illegal” became a massive viral hit, generating over fifty million views on social media.
Currently on tour this summer, Erskine also co-hosts the weekly comedy podcast The Book Pile, where he and co-host David Vance summarize and joke about popular non-fiction books. Erskine’s attention to popular culture and the foibles he encounters there will be on full and funny display for his show at FUSION.
To find out more about the man and his funny business, we sat down with Erskine to ask him about his life in comedy. Here’s an essential excerpt of what he told us ahead of his engagement at FUSION on August 15.
Rudolfo Carrillo: Could you please tell me a little bit about your work, your story, how you got involved in the work you do as a stand-up comedian?
Kellen Erskine: I started stand-up doing open mics in the San Francisco comedy scene in the early 2000s. With open mics, you start out in the hardest places, basement pubs and coffee shops. There was a laundromat that I would go to that had an open mic.
How did those first gigs at open mics progress into a career in comedy?
From there you just start. The first couple of years go by; you start meeting other comics who work at clubs. Eventually got into places like the San Francisco Punchline, which is the iconic historical club there, and the San Jose Improv. I didn’t start out thinking that it would be a career. I’m jealous of comics who have that story that they put on a Steve Martin record when they were eight, and that’s when they knew that they wanted to be a comedian. For me, I loved stand-up, and that love was really sparked for me when I was 12 and a friend of mine gave me a cassette tape of Steven Wright. That really unlocked it for me.
How did those early experiences shape your desire to work in comedy?
I knew that one day I wanted to try it. That was the only thing on my bucket list, trying comedy. I just loved it so much from the time I started. Even though I bombed for the first couple of years or so, every once in a while a joke would hit, and it was just like magic. It was like a drug, and that’s what kept me going back and going back and refining my material. I made it through the clubs in the Bay Area, the opener/host scene, and then decided to move to LA to try my luck there. So around ten years ago, I moved to Los Angeles with the five-year plan of getting an agent. That happened about five years in, and that’s when I was able to get on Conan and Jimmy Kimmel and do a couple other things, and finally, finally quit my day job!
What approach have you taken as you’ve evolved as an artist and approached audiences with your own comedic work?
When I started, I sort of emulated other artists, sort of emulate, not copy. You think, “oh, this is what standup is supposed to be.” I admired Steven Wright’s surrealism. But when I started, I just sort of threw everything at the wall. So I was trying surreal one-liners. I even had a little dirtier material, observational stories, impressions. I’m really glad that stuff’s not recorded anywhere, because when you’re first starting, you just don’t know. Eventually the years go by. What tended to come most naturally to me ended up being the observational stuff; that’s what I gravitated toward. As much as I thought I wanted to be a one-liner comedian, the stuff that resonated with me and with audiences tended to be observational; observational, with maybe a fun twist at the end, is sort of how I approach it now. The most interesting thing to me is finding that thing that we can all relate to and then twisting it in a way that maybe no one has thought of before. That’s how I try to challenge myself; that’s where I’ve come. I absolutely love it. I’m grateful every day that there are people in cities that have found my stuff and will come and see me.
Where does Albuquerque fit into that gratitude?
Albuquerque was appealing to me because I’d been there once before. I went there last year with my family. I took my kids there. We did a Route 66 trip. We thought we were going to go as far as Chicago; we made it to Albuquerque. We loved it until then and saw the hot air balloon festival, which was very fun. I wanted to come back and perform there. I’m taking my family on this tour, and we’ll be coming from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Seattle, to Boise, to Denver, and then Albuquerque. We want to check out the scenery between Denver and Albuquerque, the Pueblos, and that sort of thing. So we’re making a very long road trip out of this tour!
What can the audience expect when they come to your show at FUSION on August 15?
I make every show unique. I challenge myself to try and build a unique show around every audience. So that people can feel like this wasn’t just a repeat of Kellen’s special on YouTube, that there will be comedic moments that I know could never be recreated ever again. My aim is that they’ll feel like this night was just for them. It'll be a safe, comfortable, and very funny environment. Everyone is invited!
Kellen Erskine Stand-Up Comedy Show
Saturday, August 15, 2026
8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
FUSION | 708
708 1st Street NorthwestAlbuquerque, New Mexico
Tickets here.