Eddie Murphy was spotted at an exclusive VIP brunch alongside a host of celebrated comedians this week. The gathering, known as the Is A Joke Festival, was hosted by Netflix at a private residence in Los Angeles on Thursday. It brought together a veritable who's who of the funniest figures in entertainment, who shared jokes and discussed the evolving landscape of the industry.
One photograph captured a constellation of A-listers who have dominated Hollywood for decades. In addition to Murphy, the image features Alex Edelman, Robbie Praw, Jeff Ross, Donnell Rawlings, Earthquake, David Letterman, Dave Chappelle, Nicole Avant, Ted Sarandos, Chris Rock, Jon Stewart, and Jeff Garlin. Here is a closer look at each notable attendee and their achievements.
Alex Edelman
Alex Edelman, 37, is a stand-up comedian known for his routines about growing up in a modern Orthodox Jewish household. He was named Best Newcomer at the 2014 Edinburgh Festival Fringe for his show Millennial. Since then, he has toured three shows: Millennial (2014–2015), Everything Handed to You (2015–2016), and Just for Us (2018–2020; 2023–2024). Just for Us opened Off-Broadway in 2022 before premiering on Broadway at The Hudson Theatre in 2023, earning a New York Times Critic's Pick both times and winning him a 2024 special Tony Award and an Emmy Award. In 2024, he was named to the Time 100 list of the world's most influential people.
Robbie Praw
Robbie Praw, 44, is known for his work on Just for Laughs: All-Access (2012), Funny as Hell (2011), and Seth Rogen's Hilarity for Charity (2014). He is a prominent Netflix comedy executive, playing a key role in shaping the platform's stand-up comedy strategy.
Jeff Ross
Jeffrey Ross, 60, is a stand-up comedian, actor, director, and producer renowned for his writing skills. Nicknamed the Roastmaster General, he is famous for his insult comedy and appearances at celebrity roasts held by the New York Friars Club, the Comedy Central Roast series, and Netflix's Historical Roasts. In 2009, the Chicago Tribune called Ross 'the new millennium Don Rickles.' His directorial debut, the 2006 documentary Patriot Act: A Jeffrey Ross Home Movie, won Best Film at the Comedia film festival during the Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal.
Donnell Rawlings
Donnell Rawlings, 57, is a comedian and radio host who was a cast member on Comedy Central's Chappelle's Show and HBO's The Wire. Growing up in Virginia, he often appeared in sketches on Chappelle's Show and hosted the third season alongside Charlie Murphy. His catchphrase on the show was 'I'm rich, biaaaaatch!' Rawlings reprised his role as the hater Beautiful on Chappelle's episode of Saturday Night Live and starred in the sketch comedy series From Ashy to Classy, featuring his character Ashy Larry.
Earthquake
Earthquake, whose real name is Nathaniel Stroman, is a stand-up comedian, voice artist, and radio personality. He hosted a radio show called Quakeshouse for SiriusXM and Kevin Hart's Laugh Out Loud Network. His first Netflix special, Dave Chappelle's Home Team - Legendary: Earthquake, was produced by Chappelle and his Magic Lemonade production entity in February 2022. He performed a half-hour HBO special as part of the One Night Stand series in 2005. His film credits include a small role in Kevin Smith's Clerks II (2006) and a supporting role in The Longshots (2008). Television appearances include a recurring role on CBS's The Neighborhood (2018–2021), cameos on South Side (2019) and In the Cut (2017), and a role as Uncle Mike on Chris Rock's Everybody Hates Chris.
David Letterman
David Letterman, 79, is a former talk show host who was one of the most popular comedians on TV after prime time from 1982 until 2015. He is also a television and film producer. His company, Worldwide Pants, produced his shows as well as The Late Late Show and several primetime comedies, most successfully the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. Several late-night hosts, including Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, and Jon Stewart, have cited Letterman's influence. Since 2018, he has hosted the Netflix series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman.
Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy, 65, is a massive movie star who broke through in the 1980s with comedic films such as 48 Hrs., Trading Places, and Beverly Hills Cop. He also starred in hit films like Coming to America (1988), Boomerang (1992), The Nutty Professor (1996), Dr. Dolittle (1998), Bowfinger (1999), Daddy Day Care (2003), and Norbit (2007). Before his movie career, he worked as a stand-up comedian in the 1970s and was on Saturday Night Live from 1980 to 1984. Murphy is currently working on Shrek 5 with Cameron Diaz and Mike Myers. He has also released three studio albums: How Could It Be (1985), So Happy (1989), and Love's Alright (1993).
Dave Chappelle
Dave Chappelle, 52, is best known for his sketch comedy series Chappelle's Show, which aired from 2003 to 2006. He has appeared in films including Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), The Nutty Professor (1996), Con Air (1997), You've Got Mail (1998), Blue Streak (1999), Undercover Brother (2002), Dave Chappelle's Block Party (2005), Chi-Raq (2015), and A Star Is Born (2018). In 2016, he signed a $20-million-per-release comedy-special deal with Netflix and has released eight specials for the platform. He has won six Grammy Awards, six Emmy Awards, and the 2019 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
Nicole Avant
Nicole Avant, 58, is a diplomat married to Ted Sarandos, the CEO of Netflix. She served as the United States ambassador to the Bahamas from 2009 to 2011 and is the daughter of Clarence and Jacqueline Avant. She worked for Barack Obama during his presidency. Growing up in Los Angeles, she was surrounded by fame; her father was chairman of Motown Records and friends with Jimmy Carter, Tom Bradley, Gray Davis, and Jerry Brown. She began her career in the promotion division of A&M Records and later became vice president of Interior Music Publishing, her father's music company, in 1988.
Ted Sarandos
Ted Sarandos, 61, has been the co-chief executive officer of Netflix since 2020. He grew up in Arizona and started at West Coast Video before joining Netflix in 2000. He spearheaded the company's shift into original programming, overseeing hits like House of Cards, Orange Is the New Black, Stranger Things, and the global phenomenon Squid Game. He is married to Nicole Avant.
Chris Rock
Chris Rock, 61, began his career as a stand-up comedian in the 1980s, focusing on race relations, sex, and money. He landed an acting role in Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) and performed on Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1993. He earned acclaim for Bring the Pain (1996) and later specials including Bigger & Blacker (1999), Never Scared (2004), Kill the Messenger (2008), Tamborine (2018), and Selective Outrage (2023). He developed, wrote, produced, and narrated the sitcom Everybody Hates Chris (2005–2009) and hosted The Chris Rock Show (1997–2000). His film roles include Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), Dogma (1999), The Longest Yard (2005), the Madagascar franchise (2005–2012), I Think I Love My Wife (2007), Grown Ups (2010), Death at a Funeral (2010), Top Five (2014), The Week Of (2018), Spiral (2021), Amsterdam (2022), and Rustin (2023). He was famously slapped by Will Smith while hosting the 2022 Oscars.
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart, 63, is best known for The Daily Show on Comedy Central, which he hosted full-time from 1999 to 2015 and part-time since 2024. He started as a stand-up comedian before moving to TV, hosting Short Attention Span Theater, You Wrote It, You Watch It (1992–1993), and The Jon Stewart Show (1993–1995). He has appeared in films such as Big Daddy (1999) and Death to Smoochy (2002) and hosted the 78th and 80th Academy Awards.
Jeff Garlin
Jeff Garlin, 63, began with the comedy troupe The Second City before becoming a comedy writer on The Tonight Show. He worked with Denis Leary, Jon Stewart, and Larry David. He is best known for playing Jeff Greene on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm and Murray Goldberg on The Goldbergs. He also played Marvin on Mad About You and Mort Meyers on Arrested Development. Garlin voiced Buttercup in Toy Story 3, Toy Story 4, and Toy Story 5. Other appearances include Run Ronnie Run!, After the Sunset, Fat Albert, Sleepover, Steven Soderbergh's Full Frontal (2002), Daddy Day Care (2003), and Fun with Dick and Jane (2005).
