Joe Pera
About Joe Pera
Joseph Pera (born July 24, 1988) is an American comedian, writer and actor. He was born in Buffalo, New York and raised in the suburb of Amherst, becoming interested in comedy from an early age, which he attributes to his father and both sets of grandparents joking around a lot. During his teenage years he took a comedy course taught by Saturday Night Live writer Alan Zweibel. He studied film at Ithaca College, where he competed in and won the college's stand-up competition three times, graduating in 2010 before moving to New York City to pursue comedy.
Known for his slow, "grandfatherly" delivery and his penchant for wearing sweaters, Pera created the Adult Swim Infomercial Joe Pera Talks You to Sleep (2016), followed by Joe Pera Helps You Find the Perfect Christmas Tree. Their success, through his production company Chestnut Walnut founded with Conner O'Malley, led to the television series Joe Pera Talks with You, which premiered on May 20, 2018, and ran for three seasons before its cancellation was announced on July 7, 2022. The show received critical acclaim for its unique tone and writing; The A.V. Club's Erik Adams called it "a particular type of funny, of the soft-spoken, deadpan, and disarming type that Pera practices onstage."
Pera has appeared on Conan (2017), Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2019). In 2021 he released the book A Bathroom Book for People Not Pooping or Peeing but Using the Bathroom as an Escape, illustrated by Joe Bennett. He launched the sleep-aid podcast Drifting Off With Joe Pera in 2023 and released the 56-minute stand-up special Joe Pera: Slow and Steady on YouTube that October. On February 18, 2026, it was announced that Adult Swim had picked up a new series created by Pera and Dan Licata called My Two Cars.
Videos (168)
Videos 25 to 48 of 168.
22:34Drifting Off w/ Joe Pera | S1E2 | A HISTORY OF CLOCK CHIMES ft. Michael Cormier-O'Leary
171.9K views
24:45Drifting Off w/ Joe Pera | S1E4 | AN AUDIO TOUR OF IRELAND ft. Julianna Barwick & Dr. Art Hughes
169.9K views
19:16Drifting Off w/ Joe Pera | S1E6 | D(R)IVING ft. Director Peter Sohn
166.5K views
4:17'The Perfect Sunday' - with Joe Pera and Nathan Min
166.3K views
3:31HOW TO MAKE IT IN USA - Episode 6: Interstellar
165.4K views
0:55OPEN RELATIONSHIP joke from my ‘Slow & Steady’ standup special, out tonight at 8pm ET on my YouTube!
161K views
29:22WaterfallTV (Drifting Off with Joe Pera - Episode 10)
149.9K views
2:45'The Big Grandkids' by Joe Pera and Graham Kay
145.1K views
23:15Drifting Off w/ Joe Pera | S2E2 | The French Library
136.7K views
1:58Joe Pera: Slow & Steady | Standup Comedy Special | TRAILER
133.5K views
31:06Drifting Off w/ Joe Pera | S1E12 | Australia & its Greatest Horse ft. Cut Worms & Sam Campbell
133.3K views
0:09Good News Report by NY1 News
126.5K views
27:15Drifting Off w/ Joe Pera | S1E9 | Ghosts of New York City ft. Ana Fabrega & Tom Delgado
125.9K views
19:27Drifting Off w/ Joe Pera | S1E5 | MY ANSWERING MACHINE ft. Yo La Tengo & Todd Barry
121.4K views
21:55Drifting Off w/ Joe Pera | S1E8 | Music Shop ft. Karima Walker
121.4K views
0:51Crazy Set by Joe Pera at Caroline's Stand Up Contest
115.3K views
0:23Attempt at crowd work clip
107.4K views
0:56Noticed something wild last night
98.5K views
3:07Shooting Hoops with Joe - "Man-to-Man" (Ep 2 of 382)
94.3K views
0:26Chinese Ai vs US Ai - feels like an appropriate time to share this scene from the show (2018)
93.7K views
1:03When the ice cube trays are empty…
92.8K views
8:06'Popcorn & Peanuts' by Nathan Min and Joe Pera
92.4K views
8:00:01Drifting Off With Joe Pera - S1 Ep. 3: Video Games - Max Drift Edition
92.3K views
0:19Tried Nashville Hot Chicken
90.2K viewsGuest appearances (6)
Videos on other comedians' channels featuring Joe Pera.
Guest appearances 1 to 6 of 6.
5:38Joe Pera Is A Parkour Pro | CONAN on TBS
Conan O'Brien
1.2M views
12:27Joe Pera Announces He's the Next James Bond and Shows Footage of His New Bond Film
Seth Meyers
439K views
7:30Joe Pera Has Some Tips for How to Re-Enter a Party After Using the Bathroom
Seth Meyers
385.6K views
7:04Joe Pera on His Comedy Tour and Doing Crowd Work for Drunk Audiences
Seth Meyers
171.8K views
5:28Joe Pera Stand-Up Performance
Seth Meyers
100.2K views
2:35Joe Pera CANCELLED
Tim Heidecker
63.1K viewsChannels on this page: Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Tim Heidecker
Frequently asked questions
What is Joe Pera best known for?
He is best known as the creator and star of Adult Swim's Joe Pera Talks with You, which ran for three seasons after developing from the 2016 special Joe Pera Talks You to Sleep.
How would you describe Joe Pera's comedic style?
He is known for a slow, soft-spoken, "grandfatherly" delivery, pausing often, with humor coming from kindness and humility rather than mean-spiritedness.
Where did Joe Pera study?
He studied film at Ithaca College, where he won the college's stand-up competition three times, and graduated in 2010.
What podcast does Joe Pera host?
In 2023 he launched Drifting Off With Joe Pera, a podcast designed to help people fall asleep, with monthly episodes featuring a guest interview, a guest musician and a philosophical monologue.
What new project did Joe Pera announce in 2026?
On February 18, 2026, it was announced that Adult Swim had picked up a new series created by Pera and Dan Licata called My Two Cars.
Comedians similar to Joe Pera
Same comedic style, across countries
