The Stress Factory
The Stress Factory is a stand-up comedy club chain owned by comedian Vinnie Brand. The clubs are in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and Bridgeport, Connecticut.[1][2]
Incidents
Greg Giraldo's final performance
On September 24, 2010, Greg Giraldo performed his last comedy stand-up routine at the New Brunswick club, and was scheduled to perform the following Saturday and Sunday as well.[3][4][5] However, the next day, Giraldo overdosed on prescription pills in his New Jersey hotel room, and then, all the other shows were replaced with by Kevin Brennan.[6] Giraldo eventually died on September 29, 2010, as a result of the overdose. Although there are over 700 videos of recorded past events and shows from the Stress Factory on YouTube,[7] the Stress Factory had removed any footage of Greg Giraldo's previous shows that happened before the incident.[8][9] On October 3, 2010, TMZ.com posted a video on their web site of his final performance at the Stress Factory.[10]
Pete Davidson walkout
On April 29, 2019, Saturday Night Live alleged comedian Pete Davidson walked out of a scheduled performance for the Bridgeport club after Davidson claimed the owner, Vinnie Brand, "disrespected" him for mentioning Ariana Grande and Kate Beckinsale on stage before his scheduled time slot. However, Brand claimed that he was only accommodating what Davidson's security guard told him to do by telling the audience to not call out those names while Davidson would have been on stage.[11][12]
References
- ^ "Pete Davidson slams comedy club, owner Vinnie Brand fires back". Fox News. April 30, 2019.
- ^ "Bridgeport's comedy club has so far survived COVID. But now it seeks 'to thrive.'". October 18, 2020.
- ^ Amanda Bolden-Weaver (September 28, 2010). "Comedian Greg Giraldo Stabilized after Drug Overdose". TheCelebrityCafe.com. Archived from the original on October 1, 2010. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ http://www.stressfactory.com/greg-giraldo-randy-quaid-contest [permanent dead link]
- ^ "Comedian Greg Giraldo critical after drug overdose". Allvoices.com. September 28, 2010. Archived from the original on March 13, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ "Greg Giraldo in critical care unit of N.J. Hospital – the Comic's Comic".
- ^ "stress factory". YouTube. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ "The Stress Factory Removed The Greg Giraldo Videos!". YouTube. September 27, 2010. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ "YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ^ "Greg Giraldo – The Final Performance". TMZ.com. October 3, 2010. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ "Pete Davidson Walked Out of a Comedy Show After Someone Mentioned His Exes and It's a Whole Mess". BuzzFeed.
- ^ "Pete Davidson Bails on Gig Over Kate and Ariana Mention, Crowd Turns on Him".