About Joshua Barnes
Born and raised in Washington DC and now Humboldt County’s number one son, Joshua Barnes tests the boundaries of his audience with his clever, smooth and well crafted comedy. One to watch on the Californian circuit and now further afield, Josh ignored his calling to be a comedian for years pursuing his ambitions as a rapper before his friends finally convinced him to give it a shot. Softly spoken but larger than life, Josh’s likeable stage presence, authentic observations and “everybody’s favourite dad” charm has made him a firm favourite across local comedy clubs and competitions.
Recently headlining a comedy takeover show at the Ferndale Repertory Theater and now co-hosting his own weekly Sunday Service, Joshua has certainly made the right move to pursue a career in stand up. He does also have a long held ambition to be abducted by aliens but, as he rightly points out, “I noticed aliens don’t abduct Black people”.
WATCH JOSHUA BARNES: PETTY SINCE ’83

This laid back and cool debut special from Josh Barnes is far from petty, tackling all the big topics: from learning how to handle racism to discovering non binary sex and the realities of becoming a dad. A master of the space he leaves between the words, Josh lets the audience come to their own conclusions with very funny and sometimes fantastical consequences.
Get More Joshua Barnes
Want more of Joshua Barnes? You’re in luck – his full stand-up comedy special is available to watch on NextUp – a digital comedy club where you can stream instantly over 200 comedy specials from some of the exciting names in comedy. Start watching free, no credit card needed.