Josh Blue
Encyclopedia
Josh Blue is an American
comedian
. He was voted the Last Comic Standing on NBC
's reality show Last Comic Standing
during its fourth season
, which aired May–August 2006. Blue has cerebral palsy
, and much of his self-deprecating humor is centered on this.
, where his father, Walter Blue, a professor of Romance languages
from Hamline University
, was teaching in a mission
. Blue grew up in Saint Paul, Minnesota
and graduated from Como Park Senior High School
in 1997. He began his career as a comedian while seeking a creative writing degree at The Evergreen State College
.
. Audiences reacted enthusiastically to his self-deprecating humor, and Blue started making a name for himself on the comedy circuit. In 2002, he won the prestigious Comedy Works
New Talent Search contest. He has appeared several times on Comedy Central
's Mind of Mencia
. Blue won $10,000 for finishing in first place at 2004 Las Vegas Comedy Festival's 2004 Royal Flush Comedy Competition.
He was the first comedian to do stand-up on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. His other television credits include Live with Regis and Kelly
, Comics Unleashed
, plus numerous appearances on Fox
, CBS
, ABC
, and MSNBC
.
He appeared in the 2009 low budget horror film Feast 3: The Happy Finish
.
Josh was voted the 13th best comedian by viewers in Comedy Central's Stand-up Comedy Showdown 2010.
Josh was voted the 11th best comedian by viewers in Comedy Central's Stand-up Comedy Showdown 2011.
.
Outside of comedy, Blue is also known for his skills in soccer
as he played a part in the 2004 U.S. Paralympic
team. Blue has also created various sculptures and paintings, which he is currently selling. One particular piece he sells at an extremely high price, because, as he said on his appearance on the The Ellen DeGeneres Show
, "I nearly died making it."
Blue has cerebral palsy
and many of his jokes center on living with his disability, how he deals with it and how other people view him. Blue appeared on the Last Comic Standing to "make people aware of the fact that people with disabilities can make an impact." He coined the term "palsy punch" during his final set of the final round of the show, when he said that the palsy punch is effective in a fight because "first of all, they don't know where the punch is coming from, and second of all, neither do I." One of Blue's competitors said he has "an unreasonable amount of likability" while another of his competitors said "he is just a good guy". Blue also joked that signing an autograph takes 45 minutes, and that to write down his phone number he has to find a "big ol' stack of paper."
Blue recently appeared in Boulder band Rose Hill Drive's music video "The Psychoanalyst"
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
. He was voted the Last Comic Standing on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's reality show Last Comic Standing
Last Comic Standing
Last Comic Standing is an American reality television talent show that has aired from 2003 through 2010.The goal of the program is to select a comedian from a group, who will receive a development contract with the NBC network, and a television special first to air on the cable-TV network Comedy...
during its fourth season
Last Comic Standing 4
On May 30, 2006, competitive reality show Last Comic Standing began airing its fourth season on NBC with a 2 hour special and a new host, Anthony Clark.-Auditions:...
, which aired May–August 2006. Blue has cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....
, and much of his self-deprecating humor is centered on this.
Early life
Blue was born in CameroonCameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, where his father, Walter Blue, a professor of Romance languages
Romance languages
The Romance languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family, more precisely of the Italic languages subfamily, comprising all the languages that descend from Vulgar Latin, the language of ancient Rome...
from Hamline University
Hamline University
-Red Wing location :Hamline was named in honor of Leonidas Lent Hamline, a bishop of the Methodist Church whose interest in the frontier led him to donate $25,000 toward the building of an institution of higher learning in what was then the territory of Minnesota. Today, a statue of Bishop Hamline...
, was teaching in a mission
Mission (station)
A religious mission or mission station is a location for missionary work.While primarily a Christian term, the concept of the religious "mission" is also used prominently by the Church of Scientology and their Scientology Missions International....
. Blue grew up in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
and graduated from Como Park Senior High School
Como Park Senior High School
Como Park Senior High School is a public high school located in the Lake Como area of Saint Paul, Minnesota, serving grades nine through twelve. Along with six other public high schools, Como Park comprises the Saint Paul Public Schools...
in 1997. He began his career as a comedian while seeking a creative writing degree at The Evergreen State College
The Evergreen State College
The Evergreen State College is an accredited public liberal arts college and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. It is located in Olympia, Washington, USA. Founded in 1967, Evergreen was formed to be an experimental and non-traditional college...
.
Career
Blue got his start in comedy doing open mic sets while attending The Evergreen State CollegeThe Evergreen State College
The Evergreen State College is an accredited public liberal arts college and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. It is located in Olympia, Washington, USA. Founded in 1967, Evergreen was formed to be an experimental and non-traditional college...
. Audiences reacted enthusiastically to his self-deprecating humor, and Blue started making a name for himself on the comedy circuit. In 2002, he won the prestigious Comedy Works
Comedy Works
Comedy Works is a stand-up comedy club with two locations in the Denver, CO area. The downtown club is located in historic at 1226 15th Street. The south club is part of development in Greenwood Village at 5345 Landmark Place....
New Talent Search contest. He has appeared several times on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
's Mind of Mencia
Mind of Mencia
Mind of Mencia is an American television comedy series on the cable channel Comedy Central. Hosted by Carlos Mencia, it aired from 2005 to 2008.- History :...
. Blue won $10,000 for finishing in first place at 2004 Las Vegas Comedy Festival's 2004 Royal Flush Comedy Competition.
He was the first comedian to do stand-up on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. His other television credits include Live with Regis and Kelly
Live with Regis and Kelly
Live! with Kelly is a syndicated American television morning talk show, hosted by Kelly Ripa. The show has aired since 1983 in New York City and 1988 nationwide. Tony Pigg has been the show's announcer since its inception...
, Comics Unleashed
Comics Unleashed
Comics Unleashed is a half-hour comedic talk show produced by the Entertainment Studios production company and hosted by Byron Allen, with John Cramer as announcer and ' providing music support. The show features a panel of four guest comedians performing their standup bits thinly disguised as a...
, plus numerous appearances on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, and MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
.
He appeared in the 2009 low budget horror film Feast 3: The Happy Finish
Feast 3: The Happy Finish
Feast 3: Happy Finish is the third entry in the Feast trilogy. The film was released, direct to DVD, on February 17, 2009.-Plot:The film picks up where the previous film left off. Honey Pie is mauled and beheaded by a monster. Lightning survived the explosion near him and stumbles off...
.
Josh was voted the 13th best comedian by viewers in Comedy Central's Stand-up Comedy Showdown 2010.
Josh was voted the 11th best comedian by viewers in Comedy Central's Stand-up Comedy Showdown 2011.
Personal life
Blue currently resides in Denver, ColoradoDenver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
.
Outside of comedy, Blue is also known for his skills in soccer
Paralympic football
Paralympic football consists of adaptations of the sport of association football for athletes with a physical disability. These sports are typically played using International Federation of Association Football rules, with modifications to the field of play, equipment, numbers of players, and...
as he played a part in the 2004 U.S. Paralympic
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
team. Blue has also created various sculptures and paintings, which he is currently selling. One particular piece he sells at an extremely high price, because, as he said on his appearance on the The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
, "I nearly died making it."
Blue has cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....
and many of his jokes center on living with his disability, how he deals with it and how other people view him. Blue appeared on the Last Comic Standing to "make people aware of the fact that people with disabilities can make an impact." He coined the term "palsy punch" during his final set of the final round of the show, when he said that the palsy punch is effective in a fight because "first of all, they don't know where the punch is coming from, and second of all, neither do I." One of Blue's competitors said he has "an unreasonable amount of likability" while another of his competitors said "he is just a good guy". Blue also joked that signing an autograph takes 45 minutes, and that to write down his phone number he has to find a "big ol' stack of paper."
Blue recently appeared in Boulder band Rose Hill Drive's music video "The Psychoanalyst"