Alex Calleja

Alex Calleja is a Filipino stand-up comedian, writer, director and television personality regarded as one of the pioneers of club-based stand-up comedy in the Philippines. Before comedy he worked in construction, as a thrift-shop porter in Bangkal, Makati, in fast food, as a data processing officer, a teacher at AMA University and an IT programmer, before attending a stand-up workshop at Accenture and starting to perform in bars. He placed as runner-up in Laugh Factory's Funniest Person in the World competition in 2016. Calleja leads The Comedy Crew, a Manila-based stand-up collective, and has built a live comedy career spanning nearly two decades that now sells out bar shows and theaters across the Philippines and abroad. In February 2025 he released his debut Netflix special, Tamang Panahon, which became the first special by a Filipino stand-up comedian to reach number one on Netflix Philippines, holding the top spot for nine consecutive days. In March 2026 he followed it with a second Netflix special, Past Is Past, which also reached number one in the Philippines. Outside stand-up, Calleja has written for Philippine television shows including Goin' Bulilit, It's Showtime, Umagang Kay Ganda and Toda Max.