Tom Papa To Host 35th Annual Pollstar Awards At The Wiltern

Comedian Tom Papa has been confirmed as the host of the Pollstar Awards, the only peer-voted awards ceremony in the live entertainment industry. The show takes place at the historic Wiltern in Los Angeles on Feb. 7.

Papa, who has more than two decades of experience as a stand-up and is currently on the road on his “Tom Papa: Good Stuff Tour,” has also found success as an actor, host and author. He’s the host of the podcast “Breaking Bread with Tom Papa” – in which he and a guest eat, drink and have insightful, funny conversations – and also hosts the popular daily Netflix radio show “What A Joke With Papa and Fortune” on Sirius XM Channel 93 and the monthly show “Come To Papa Live” on Channel 94. Papa is represented by United Talent Agency’s Doug Edley.

The 35th annual Pollstar Awards returns to the historic Wiltern in Los Angeles on Feb. 7. The 12-story Art Deco landmark was most recently the site of the Pollstar Awards in 2018. The awards honor the top tours, venues, live music executives, agencies, production companies and more in over 40 categories including Major Tour of the Year with nominees Beyoncé, Drake, Eagles, Ed Sheeran, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen and Taylor Swift.

The awards ceremony is part of Pollstar’s flagship event, Pollstar Live!, the largest gathering of live industry professionals in the world that takes place at the Fairmont Century Plaza in L.A. Feb. 6-8. This year’s conference is close to selling out, with 2024 set to be the biggest in Pollstar Live!’s history.

Netflix released Papa’s fifth comedy special, “What A Day!” in December 2022, featuring his hilarious takes on topics including the frustration of resetting your password on the internet, the antics of his family’s rescue pug Frank, and how his longtime marriage has changed over the years.

Papa also released his third book, “We’re All In This Together,” last year. Director/film producer Judd Apatow says of Papa’s new book: “Tom Papa isn’t just one of our most hilarious comic minds, he is also a big-hearted observer of the human condition.”

Papa’s film appearances include 2023’s “Air” alongside Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Viola Davis and Jason Bateman and 2002’s “Analyze That” starring Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal. He also voiced the character of El Superbeasto in the 2009 animated film “The Haunted World of El Superbeasto,” which Papa co-wrote with Rob Zombie.

His TV roles include a recurring character on the CBS series “The New Adventures of Old Christine” starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Highlights from Papa’s 2023 tour, based on reports submitted to Pollstar Boxoffice, include two shows at the Vic Theatre in Chicago April 22 that sold 1,418 tickets and grossed $62,342 and an Aug. 12 show at City National Grove of Anaheim that sold 963 tickets and grossed $44,863.

Papa’s upcoming tour includes stops at The Parker in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Feb. 2; Vogue Theatre in Vancouver Feb. 23; Balboa Theatre in San Diego Feb. 24; The Wilbur in Boston April 6 and The Theatre at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles May 3 as part of the Netflix Is A Joke fest.

Previous comedians who have hosted the Pollstar Awards include Anjelah Johnson-Reyes, Bert Kreischer, Lewis Black, the Smothers Brothers and the late Ralphie May.

Pollstar Live! & Combo registrations include one Pollstar Award ticket. For more information about the award show and conference visit pollstar.live, where you can also purchase additional award show tickets.