He’s the son of preacher man and he has the jokes to prove it. Andrew Stanley, son of Andy Stanley, the founder and lead pastor of North Point Ministries, has worked as a full-time stand-up comedian since 2018. Now he is preparing to record his first special — Feb. 1, 2025, at Buckhead Theatre.
Stanley, 32, has spent the last seven years traveling the country to perform at private events, comedy clubs, fundraisers and church comedy nights. As hired entertainment, he can’t always do an hourlong set, and he curates his jokes to fit the audience. As he prepares for his special, he’s focused on doing it his way.
“While I still book the private events, this summer I made an intentional effort to book more weekends at comedy clubs,” Stanley said. “Those bookings help me stretch material, lock in what works and make sure it’s as good as it can be.”
Credit: Photo courtesy of Andrew Stanley
Credit: Photo courtesy of Andrew Stanley
Stanley said he has a broad audience and, as a clean comedian, is family friendly depending on the family.
“The reputation of clean comedians is getting better because of guys like Nate Bargatze and Brian Regan,” Stanley said. “The goal is not for people to think you’re a clean comedian, but that you’re a hilarious comedian then later think, ‘Oh, I think he was clean.’”
One of Stanley’s mentors, comedian Leanne Morgan, has been a great resource and friend since they met in 2019. She believes Stanley has found his footing in comedy.
“The most challenging aspect of being a comedian is finding your authentic voice and being able to not fall into what everyone is doing or what is trendy, especially as a young comic,” Morgan said. “Andrew has found his voice so early in his career, and that’s very rare.”
Stanley is continuing to tweak the material for his show, some of which has been written within the past year and some that has evolved since he took his first stab at stand-up in 2016.
“The special is my introduction to a lot of people, so it’s about me, the way I was raised as a home-schooled preacher’s kid — I mined a lot of comedy there. I’ve been married a couple years now, long enough to write some jokes,” Stanley said. “My show will include lots of observations about my life and relationships.”
His wife, Ana, is a good sport, as are his parents and siblings.
“I’m always more worried about them than I need to be,” Stanley said. “They’ve all been so willing to be a part of what I’m doing, but still, I ask before I release certain jokes. Except for my dad. He’s talked about me in sermons for years and years without permission, so he’s fair game.”
Industry folk told him that 10 years into a comedy career is the right amount of time to film a first special. A bit shy of a decade, he feels ready.
“I’ve always known this is the big first thing to do as a comedian — put out a body of work,” Stanley said. “Until you do that, it’s hard to connect with audiences who aren’t seeing you live. It’s hard to put jokes out in the world until you have the final version. Unlike musicians who make an album and go on tour, in comedy no one wants to buy tickets to hear jokes they’ve already heard. They want new jokes.”
Credit: Photo courtesy of Andrew Stanley
Credit: Photo courtesy of Andrew Stanley
Stanley has more 21,000 followers on social media but is selective about what he posts.
“I haven’t found a way to be active on there without burning material I don’t want to release before the special comes out,” Stanley said. “But I’m going to get better about posting regularly, and I know, no matter how good the special is, more people will consume it on TikTok or Instagram than will ever watch the full hour. It’s frustrating because the best version is the full hour, but the flip side is that a 60-second clip could be seen millions of times and lead thousands to go watch the whole thing.”
Stanley and his team will release the special sometime next year but haven’t decided on what platform. The goal, he said, is to have the most people see it as possible.
“I want to grow my fan base so people will come see me when I’m in their city,” Stanley said. “The dream is to go to big markets and fill up big rooms.”
IF YOU GO
Andrew Stanley comedy special live taping
8 p.m. Feb. 1. Buckhead Theatre, Tickets go on sale Friday. 3110 Roswell Road NW, Atlanta, 404-843-2825, andrewstanleycomedy.com, thebuckheadtheatre.com
