COMEDIAN — FORMER LAWYER — PROFESSIONAL DISAPPOINTMENT TO HIS MOTHER
The Al Lubel Story
Al Lubel became a lawyer to satisfy his mother. Three years later he quit the law for stand-up comedy. Not to satisfy himself — to displease her. That tension — between obligation and rebellion, between the sensible path and the absurd one — has been fueling one of the most original voices in comedy for over three decades.
The Origin
After graduating from the University of Miami School of Law, Al moved to California, passed the bar exam on his first try, and immediately began moonlighting as a stand-up comedian. Lawyer by day, comedian by night — doing justice to neither.
At comedy clubs, the crowds would stare. In court, the juries would laugh. Getting stage time is brutal for a new comic, so Al found a workaround: he would stand up unannounced in the middle of restaurants and do his five minutes. As he puts it, he almost always got big laughs — mostly because everyone was terrified he might hurt them. He may have invented pop-up stand-up.
The Breakthrough
Al gradually left the law behind and committed to comedy full time. Within a year, he won the $100,000 Comedy Grand Prize on Star Search — the biggest talent competition on television in 1988.
Doing The Tonight Show had been a childhood dream. When Al heard Johnny Carson was retiring, he auditioned and became one of the last comedians to perform while Carson was still host. He went on to make six appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and five on The Late Show with David Letterman.
“There’s something wrong with you, Al.”
— David Letterman
Television & Film
Beyond late night, Al played an attorney on the Blake Clark HBO Comedy Hour in 1990 — a role that required very little acting. In 1992, he was the subject of “A Standup Life,” a BBC documentary about American stand-up directed by Peter Lydon, featuring Jerry Seinfeld, Bob Hope, Mort Sahl, and Joan Rivers.
In 2002, he played basketball legend Bill Walton’s sidekick in the ESPN series “Bill Walton’s Long Strange Trip.” He also appeared in Judd Apatow’s 2009 film “Funny People.”
Edinburgh & Solo Shows
Al’s solo show “Mentally Al” won the Amused Moose Judges Prize as the best one-person show at the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. His follow-up, “I’m Still Al Lubel,” earned rave reviews in 2014. In 2015, “Al Lubel Free” saw him nominated for best performer of a solo show by the Barry Awards at the Edinburgh Fringe.
If anyone is wondering, Al lost. He wants you to know that.
In 2022, he returned to Edinburgh with what may be the greatest show title in Fringe history: “Al Lubel Talks About His Name for Fifty-Six Minutes and About Something Else for Four Minutes.” The title was not an exaggeration. For nearly an hour, Al deconstructed, spelled, sang, and philosophized about two words — his own name — and somehow made it one of the most captivating shows at the festival.
The Documentary
In 2020, director Joshua Edelman released “Mentally Al,” a feature-length documentary following Al’s life and career. The film features Sarah Silverman, Judd Apatow, and Kevin Nealon, and was recognized by the New York Times as the best comedy documentary of 2021.
The documentary is available on Amazon Prime and YouTube.
What Makes Al Different
Al Lubel is not easy to categorize, which is part of the point. His comedy is cerebral, linguistic, and deeply personal. He spirals inward — obsessing over words, identity, family, and the absurdity of being alive — and somehow makes the spiral hilarious.
He gives the impression he’s winging it, that this show is just his rehearsal and the real performance happens later, at home, in front of his mirror. Fellow comedian Adam Bloom once said Al had “the most original first ten minutes of comedy I’ve ever seen.” Jerry Seinfeld has called one of Al’s jokes one of the funniest he’s ever heard. These are not casual compliments from people who hear thousands of jokes a year.
And yet, Al Lubel remains one of comedy’s best-kept secrets. This site exists because we think that should change.