From a Weekly Austin Open Mic to a #1 Live Comedy Podcast: The Kill Tony Story

It started as a weekly show, not a tour

Kill Tony launched in 2013 at Joe Rogan's Comedy Mothership in Austin, Texas, built around a simple, brutal format: a name pulled from a bucket, sixty seconds on stage, and unfiltered live feedback from Tony Hinchcliffe and whoever was on the panel that week.

The format is the whole point

Unlike a normal stand-up showcase, nothing about a Kill Tony set is prepared for by the host. Performers range from total unknowns to comedians who already have specials out, and the panel's reaction — supportive, savage, or somewhere in between — is what turns a 60-second set into something people talk about for years.

Why the tour exists

Austin's Comedy Mothership can only hold so many people on a given Thursday. As the podcast's audience grew nationally and internationally, the Kill Tony Tour became the way to bring that exact format to fans who'd only ever experienced it through headphones — while Austin remains the show's home base and the place regulars sharpen new material.

A pipeline for new comedians

Several comedians who first got real audience feedback on a Kill Tony stage now headline their own shows. That track record is part of why a Kill Tony Tour stop feels different from a normal comedy night — there's a real chance you're watching someone's first big break happen live.