Jacksonville comedy 2026
Big comedians coming to Jacksonville in 2026
- Brad Williams brings his Growth Spurt Tour to the Florida Theatre on New Year’s Eve.
- Williams has standup specials and appears in the new Spinal Tap movie.
- Williams stands 4-foot-4.
Brad Williams knows he could torment the audience at his upcoming Florida Theatre show by running long, but he’s not going to bend to the temptation.
Williams plays the Florida Theatre on New Year’s Eve. Showtime is 9 p.m. and the theater doesn’t have a curfew policy, so there’s nothing to stop him from running his mouth onstage long enough to keep the fans entertained until next year.
That’s tempting, Williams said, but three-plus hours of comedy would be pretty taxing on everybody, and there’s a really good fireworks show that starts at midnight just a few blocks from the theater.
“This is a show for my type of people,” Williams said in a phone interview. “One where you just do the show and you want to be done before midnight.”
He said it’s almost unheard of for him to be free on New Year’s Eve.
“Comedians don’t really get New Year’s Eve off,” he said. “It’s a great night; you’re probably going to sell out, everyone likes to go out and laugh and have a good time.”
Williams said he plans to join the crowds welcoming 2026, something that’s out of the ordinary for him. He’s not usually one to hang out after his show is finished.
“So many people think that my life is cocaine and hookers,” he said. “Normally you’d find me with my opening acts in a Waffle House trying to make people laugh.”
Williams has been a professional comedian for more than 20 years and has several cable standup specials and TV and movie appearances on his resume. Williams has an unusual perspective on comedy — he stands just 4-foot-4 and isn’t afraid to offend anyone.
“A lot of topics that are sensitive to people and they might get offended,” he said. “Oh, well. Getting offended is an involuntary response. If I’m talking about something that directly applies to you and I get something wrong, by all means, correct me. But if I talk about something that has nothing to do with yourself whatsoever and you get offended, I really don’t care.”
Many big-name comedians make fans disable their cell phones at concerts by putting them in a bag that blocks all recording and transmission. Williams said he doesn’t go that far, but he understands why some comedians do. Instead, he asks his audience not to record anything.
“Would I like people to not record my set? Well, yeah. Comedy has to be an in-the-moment thing. We’re trying stuff out, without a net, and usually writing a bunch of stuff for a new special. The jokes I’m telling you, I don’t want to get out yet.”
Williams has a role in the new “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues” movie, and says he got yelled at by Elton John on the set. He’s not saying exactly what role he plays, but Spinal Tap fans shouldn’t have difficulty figuring out where a guy of his stature fits in. “It was a great honor. I was a fan of the first one as well. I’m not spoiling anything by telling you what I’m doing in the film. It’s not hard to figure out what I’m doing; there’s a Stonehenge involved.”