Can You Score 20/20? The Ultimate Stand-Up Comedy Trivia Quiz Challenge!

Answers Below – No Peeking!

Think you’re a true fan of stand-up comedy? From legendary pioneers to modern icons, this quiz tests your knowledge of hilarious specials, awards, and comedy history with questions ranging from easy warm-ups to devilishly hard brain-teasers. Grab a pen and dive in!

20 Trivia Questions on Stand-Up Comedy

Question 1: Which comedian won the first Grammy for Best Comedy Performance (musical) in 1960 with The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart?

A. Mort Sahl
B. Jonathan Winters
C. Bob Newhart
D. Lenny Bruce

Question 2: In what year was Richard Pryor’s Grammy-winning album That Nigger’s Crazy released?

A. 1971
B. 1974
C. 1977
D. 1980

Question 3: On which George Carlin album did the famous routine "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television" first appear?

A. FM & AM
B. Occupation: Foole
C. Class Clown
D. A Place for My Stuff

Question 4: In what year did Eddie Murphy’s iconic HBO special Delirious premiere?

A. 1981
B. 1983
C. 1985
D. 1987

Question 5: How many Grammy Awards did Richard Pryor win for Best Comedy Album?

A. Three
B. Five
C. Seven
D. One

Question 6: In what year did The Comedy Store open in Los Angeles?

A. 1968
B. 1972
C. 1976
D. 1980

Question 7: Which comedian’s HBO special Bring the Pain won an Emmy Award in 1997?

A. Dave Chappelle
B. Bill Burr
C. Chris Rock
D. Kevin Hart

Question 8: Who received the first Mark Twain Prize for American Humour in 1998?

A. Lily Tomlin
B. Carl Reiner
C. Richard Pryor
D. Steve Martin

Question 9: In what year did George Carlin’s first HBO special, George Carlin at USC, air?

A. 1975
B. 1977
C. 1979
D. 1981

Question 10: What was Rodney Dangerfield’s real birth name?

A. Gerald Larsen
B. Jack Roy
C. Larry David
D. Jacob Cohen

Question 11: In what year did the Montreal Just for Laughs comedy festival begin?

A. 1979
B. 1983
C. 1985
D. 1980

Question 12: Steve Martin’s first comedy album, Let’s Get Small, was released in what year?

A. 1975
B. 1977
C. 1979
D. 1981

Question 13: Robin Williams’ debut HBO stand-up special Live at the Roxy aired in what year?

A. 1978
B. 1980
C. 1982
D. 1976

Question 14: In what year did Lenny Bruce die at age 40?

A. 1964
B. 1966
C. 1968
D. 1970

Question 15: The London Comedy Store, a key venue for alternative comedy, opened in what year?

A. 1975
B. 1979
C. 1983
D. 1972

Question 16: Which comedian’s 1982 concert film Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip was a major box office hit?

A. Eddie Murphy
B. Richard Pryor
C. Andrew Dice Clay
D. Bill Cosby

Question 17: Louis C.K.’s special Chewed Up premiered on which network in 2008?

A. HBO
B. Comedy Central
C. Showtime
D. Netflix

Question 18: Which comedian won the Grammy for Best Comedy Album in 2020 for Sticks & Stones?

A. Trevor Noah
B. Bill Burr
C. Dave Chappelle
D. Nate Bargatze

Question 19: Who is the comedian famous for the stand-up character Ali G?

A. Ricky Gervais
B. Peter Kay
C. Sacha Baron Cohen
D. Russell Brand

Question 20: In what year did The Comedy Store in Los Angeles face a major comedians’ strike for better pay?

A. 1978
B. 1979
C. 1980
D. 1977

Answers

  1. C. Bob Newhart – He won for The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart at the 2nd Grammys in 1960; others were contemporaries but didn’t win first.
  2. B. 1974 – The album revolutionised raw stand-up and earned Pryor his first Grammy; earlier works like Richard Pryor (1968) didn’t win.
  3. C. Class Clown – Released in 1972, it featured the routine that sparked an FCC obscenity case; FM & AM was same year but different content.
  4. B. 1983 – Filmed at Constitution Hall when Murphy was 22, it became a cultural phenomenon; Raw followed in 1987.
  5. B. Five – Pryor won for albums including 1974’s That Nigger’s Crazy, 1976’s Bicentennial Nigger, and others up to 1986.
  6. B. 1972 – Founded by Sammy Shore and Rudy DeLuca, it launched stars like Robin Williams amid later labour disputes.
  7. C. Chris Rock – The 1996 special boosted his career with Peabody and Emmy wins; others had later acclaimed specials.
  8. C. Richard Pryor – Awarded by the Kennedy Center in 1998 for lifetime achievement; Tomlin won in 2000.
  9. B. 1977 – It marked Carlin’s TV breakthrough on HBO; later specials like Jammin’ in New York (1992) followed.
  10. B. Jack Roy – Born Jacob Cohen in 1921, he adopted the stage name in the 1960s; others are different comics.
  11. B. 1983 – Founded by Gilbert Rozon, it’s the world’s largest comedy festival; others are close but incorrect.
  12. B. 1977 – It went platinum and won a Grammy; A Wild and Crazy Guy followed in 1978.
  13. A. 1978 – Recorded shortly after Mork & Mindy fame; later specials built on it.
  14. B. 1966 – Arrested multiple times for obscenity, Bruce died of a morphine overdose on 3 August; he was a free speech pioneer.
  15. B. 1979 – Opened by Peter Rosengard, it birthed alternative comedy with acts like Alexei Sayle; LA Store was earlier.
  16. B. Richard Pryor – Directed by Joe Layton, it grossed over $30 million; Murphy’s films came later.
  17. C. Showtime – It earned critical acclaim and multiple Emmy noms; his Comedy Central work was earlier.
  18. C. Dave Chappelle – The controversial Netflix special won despite backlash; Bargatze won in 2022.
  19. C. Sacha Baron Cohen – Debuted in UK TV 1998-2000, leading to Da Ali G Show; others are British peers.
  20. B. 1979 – Over 100 comedians including Jay Leno struck for residuals and pay; resolved after months.

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