Vinnie Favorito (born August 23, 1960) is an American
stand-up comedian
Stand-up comedy is a comedy, comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up.
Stand-up comedy consists of One-line joke ...
. He is known for high-profile
celebrity roast
A roast is a form of humor in which a specific individual, a guest of honor, is subjected to jokes at their expense, intended to amuse the event's wider audience. Such events are intended to honor a specific individual in a unique way. In addition ...
s of notable figures in American culture and sports, as well as his 20-year history as a headlining comedian in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
.
He currently performs five nights a week in the show "Vinnie Favorito Unfiltered" at the
Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino
The Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino is a hotel, casino, and timeshare resort in Winchester, Nevada. Located near the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip, it is owned by Westgate Resorts. It opened in 1969 as the International Hotel, and was ...
.
Career
Favorito started his comedy career in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
in 1986 alongside comedians
Joe Rogan
Joseph James Rogan (born August 11, 1967) is an American UFC
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly ...
,
Nick Di Paolo
Nicholas Rocco Di Paolo (born ) is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor, radio personality and podcast host. He is the host of '' The Nick Di Paolo Show'' podcast, and is best known for his appearances as a regular on ''Tough Crowd ...
,
Jackie Flynn,
Louis C.K.
Louis Alfred Székely (; born September 12, 1967), known professionally as Louis C.K. (), is an American stand-up comedian, screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker. C.K. won three Peabody Awards, three Grammy Awards, six Primetime Emmy Awards, and a ...
, and
David Cross
David Cross (born April 4, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, director, and writer known for his stand-up performances, the HBO sketch comedy series ''Mr. Show'' (1995–1998), and his role as Tobias Fünke in the Fox/Netflix sitcom ...
. Favorito stayed in Boston for ten years, playing shows at every major comedy club in the city such as Nick's Comedy Stop, Comedy Connection, Stitches, and Play it Again Sam's, frequently with touring comics such as
Drew Carey
Drew Allison Carey (born May 23, 1958) is an American comedian, actor and game show host. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, he gained stardom in his own sitcom, ''The Drew Carey Show'', an ...
and
Ray Romano
Raymond Albert Romano (born December 21, 1957) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Ray Barone on the CBS sitcom ''Everybody Loves Raymond'', for which he received an Emmy Award, and as the ...
. By 1990, Favorito was voted one of the Top Ten comics in Boston by the
Boston Herald
The ''Boston Herald'' is an American daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarded eight Pulit ...
.
"The best comics came out of Boston. Most of us have gone through shit but we are survivors and our talent keeps us going. We truly did have great times. Pranks, long fun drives going from gig to gig. So much fun." -Vinnie Favorito on the Boston comedy scene, 2016.
After a decade in Boston, Favorito moved to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
for five years where he was a frequent performer at clubs like
The Comedy Store
The Comedy Store is an American comedy club opened in April 1972. It is located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. An associated club is located in La Jolla, San Diego, California.
History
The Comedy ...
and
The Improv
The Improv is a comedy club franchise. It was founded as a single venue in the Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City in 1963, and expanded into a chain of venues in the late 1970s.
History
Originally, it was a ...
. In 1998, he won the
San Francisco International Comedy Competition and performed at the
Montreal Comedy Festival which earned Favorito notoriety in the industry. Afterward, Favorito went on tour, performing in major comedy clubs all over the country. He was soon offered two television deals by CBS which he turned down. He subsequently shot a pilot for Fox Family called "Favor and Family." When the pilot was not picked up, he was offered his own show in Las Vegas.
As a comedian, Favorito has specialized in celebrity roasts, drawing comparisons to the great roastmasters of
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast
''The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast'' is a series of television specials hosted by entertainer Dean Martin and airing from 1974 to 1984. For a series of 54 specials and shows, Martin and his friends would "roast" a celebrity. The roasts were patter ...
s. Favorito has roasted celebrities such as
Tom Arnold Tom Arnold may refer to:
* Tom Arnold (actor) (born 1959), American actor
* Tom Arnold (economist) (born 1948), Irish CEO of Concern Worldwide
* Tom Arnold (footballer) (1878–?), English footballer
* Tom Arnold (literary scholar) (1823–1900), ...
,
Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. He is often regarded as the greatest point guard of all-time and has been compared with Stephen Curry. Johnson played 13 seasons in the ...
,
Pat O'Brien Pat O'Brien may refer to:
Politicians
* Pat O'Brien (Canadian politician) (born 1948), member of the Canadian House of Commons
*Pat O'Brien (Irish politician) (c. 1847–1917), Irish Nationalist MP in the United Kingdom Parliament
Others
*Pat O'Br ...
,
Stan Winston
Stanley Winston (April 7, 1946 – June 15, 2008) was an American television and film Prosthetic makeup, special make-up effects creator, best known for his work in the Terminator (franchise), ''Terminator'' series, the first three ''Jurassic Pa ...
,
Jerry Springer
Gerald Norman Springer (born February 13, 1944) is a British-American broadcaster, journalist, actor, producer, former lawyer, and politician. He hosted the tabloid talk show ''Jerry Springer'' between September 30, 1991 and July 26, 2018, an ...
,
Larry Flynt
Larry Claxton Flynt Jr. (; November 1, 1942 – February 10, 2021) was an American publisher and the president of Larry Flynt Publications (LFP). LFP mainly produces pornographic magazines, such as ''Hustler'', pornographic videos, and three por ...
, and
Larry King
Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger; November 19, 1933 – January 23, 2021) was an American television and radio host, whose awards included 2 Peabodys
The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program ...
. Favorito brings the comedy atmosphere of a celebrity roast to his stage shows where each member of the audience becomes the subject of their own celebrity roast.
From 2003 to 2004, Favorito headlined at
Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel
Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel, formerly Binion's Horseshoe, is a casino on Fremont Street along the Fremont Street Experience mall in Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned by TLC Casino Enterprises. The casino is named for its founder, Benn ...
, becoming their first-ever headliner. From 2004 to 2008, Favorito performed at
O'Shea's Casino. From there, Favorito began his long run at the
Flamingo Las Vegas
Flamingo Las Vegas (formerly The Fabulous Flamingo and Flamingo Hilton Las Vegas) is a casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment.
The property includes a casino along with 3,46 ...
, where he performed multiple times a week from 2008 to 2014. He currently performs in his new show, Vinnie Favorito Unfiltered, five nights a week at the
Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino
The Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino is a hotel, casino, and timeshare resort in Winchester, Nevada. Located near the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip, it is owned by Westgate Resorts. It opened in 1969 as the International Hotel, and was ...
.
In addition to stage performances, Favorito is also known for his work in radio and television. He regularly appears on ''
The Best Damn Sports Show Period
''The Best Damn Sports Show Period'' was an American sports television show that aired on Fox Sports Net and Comcast SportsNet. The show regularly featured irreverent and opinionated interviews with top athletes, coaches, celebrities, and entertai ...
'' and hosted his own show on Fox Sports Radio called ''The Wise Guys''. Additional television and film appearances include ''
Clueless
''Clueless'' is a 1995 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written and directed by Amy Heckerling. It stars Alicia Silverstone with supporting roles by Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy and Paul Rudd. It was produced by Scott Rudin and Robert La ...
'', ''One World'', ''
The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn
''The Late Late Show'' is an American late-night television talk and variety comedy show on CBS. It first aired in January 1995, with host Tom Snyder, who was followed by Craig Kilborn, Craig Ferguson, and current host James Corden. The show o ...
'', among others.
Controversy
Vinnie Favorito has been profiled in the Las Vegas Review Journal as someone who borrowed money from venue staff where he performed, and from unsuspecting fans, partners, etc., and then not repaying the debt/loan. This behavior continues to this day as he continues to borrow from friends and acquaintances in the Boston area.
That behavior led Caesars Entertainment to end its involvement with Favorito by revoking the agreement for the performance space Favorito leased, forcing the closure of his show; Favorito's show rented space from the Flamingo Casino in Las Vegas; the show was not a contracted/hired show. Vinnie Favorito's abuse of debt led to a bankruptcy filing on September 7, 2016, wherein "claiming he has less than $50,000 in assets and owes $1 million to $10 million (a wide range indeed, but it’s one of the brackets to check on the U.S. Bankruptcy Court’s filing form)."
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Favorito, Vinnie
American people of Italian descent
American stand-up comedians
Living people
Male actors from Boston
1960 births
21st-century American comedians