The Sickest Comedy Show Puts Disabled Comics Center Stage in Denver

Gabby Gutierrez-Reed doesn’t remember exactly when they met Helen Driesen, only that she was “super funny.” Gutierrez-Reed does, however, vividly recall seeing Driesen post online about living with chronic illness. Conversations followed, and both comedians began to recognize pieces of themselves in each other’s experiences.

“We started The Sickest Comedy Show because Helen and I both deal with chronic illness,” Gutierrez-Reed says. “The reason I knew about what Helen was going through was because she shared it on social media. Then we talked about it a little bit in person. That’s what’s so powerful about sharing — not that everyone has to be transparent about everything going on in their lives, but if you take the risk to do so, you actually get connected with other people going through the same thing.”

That impulse is what led Gutierrez-Reed and Driesen to create The Sickest Comedy Show, a stand-up show taking place January 23 at Denver’s Dude, IDK Studios. Hosted and produced by the two queer comedians, the show brings together chronically ill and/or disabled performers for an evening of comedy.

Even though lived experience is occasionally mentioned, the show’s performers are not defined by their diagnoses. Instead, the focus is on what brought everyone there in the first place: sharp writing, strong performances and a room where nobody has to justify their presence to take the stage.

“It’s totally up to them what they perform,” Driesen says. “When we booked these people, we booked them because they’re fantastic comedians, and for no other reason. They all just happen to have a chronic illness or a disability. I know three of their sets pretty well and can’t think of a joke where they talk about it. I definitely will, and they’re totally welcome to, but they can talk about whatever they want.”

Gutierrez-Reed and Driesen met through Denver’s comedy circuit, bonding first over humor and later over shared vulnerability. Driesen was open on social media about living with endometriosis, a condition that is both underdiagnosed and underfunded.

“The simplest way to explain it is that tissue grows where it shouldn’t, and it’s extremely painful,” Driesen says. “It looked like nothing, but I was in excruciating pain almost every day. Nobody could give me an answer for four years. It was awesome. I posted about it after I had surgery, because the only way to for sure be diagnosed with endo is surgery in the year 2026. It’s actually crazy; it takes, on average, ten years to get diagnosed. I did it in four, so I’m lucky. It’s messed up.”

Posting about her experience unexpectedly opened doors to connection, something Gutierrez-Reed would later experience firsthand. For Gutierrez-Reed, 2025 was defined by confusion and isolation as unexplained anxiety, pain and digestive issues slowly narrowed their world.

“It felt like my life was shrinking,” Gutierrez-Reed says. “I was becoming smaller, and I definitely made myself smaller. So I lost a bunch of work. I stopped doing stand-up. I just wanted to figure out what’s going on, but doctors can be confusing. They just kind of prescribe things to you without knowing what’s going on.”

Answers came slowly — gut infections followed by difficult treatments that caused other health issues — but what helped most was finding other people living through similar uncertainty. “You realize you’re not alone, and you don’t have to explain yourself just to exist,” Gutierrez-Reed says.

The desire to replace explanation with recognition lies at the heart of The Sickest Comedy Show. The lineup includes Hayden Kristal, Tairee Dillard, Miriam Moreno and Ryan Ergo.

Hosting the show at Dude, IDK Studios was intentional. Both creators describe the venue as a pillar of Denver’s comedy ecosystem.

“Dude, IDK Studios is huge in the Denver comedy scene,” Driesen says. “They’re really kind of jack-of-all-trades and super talented. Some are comedians, some aren’t, but they’re all just really plugged into our world and are super supportive of new show ideas like this, so we’re really excited to be working with them. They’re the best.”

The venue is wheelchair accessible, and the hosts will have free N95 masks available for anyone who wants one. More than a one-off, the co-hosts hint that The Sickest Comedy Show may be the start of something ongoing.

“It’s possible that this could become a recurring show,” Driesen says. “There’s more of us.”

Gutierrez-Reed agreed, but with a caveat. “Not monthly,” they say. “I’m a little too tired for that. But it could be every two to four months or something. That feels possible.”

For both hosts, comedy has served as a lifeline. It’s been a reason to get out of the house, see people and remember who they are beyond their diagnoses. Driesen describes the stage as one of the few places where her body temporarily relaxes its grip.

“For some weird reason, I am never in pain when I’m onstage,” Driesen says. “Sometimes it comes roaring back as soon as I get off, but never onstage. I just love the idea that this is a space that brings together people who have probably had a similar experience, even if they have an illness or disability that is completely different from mine, because I believe the shared mental impact, exhaustion and isolation are something we can all relate to in some way or another.”

Gutierrez-Reed echoes that sense of relief, pointing to how seeing others live openly with illness reshaped their own sense of what was possible.

“The more people you see living out in the world like this, the more comfortable people are to be themselves,” Gutierrez-Reed says. “The Sickest Comedy Show is open to not just people with chronic illness or going through a disability; it’s for everyone. I’m hoping that it makes people feel safe, seen and connected. Maybe they’re going to walk away with a new friend, because they’ll be like, ‘Oh my god, I also use that electrolyte mix,’ or something. The reason I do comedy is to connect with people, and so it would be so meaningful if this show was able to help other people connect.”

The Sickest Comedy Show doors are at 6 p.m. and the show is at 7 p.m. on Friday, January 23 at Dude, IDK Studios, 2801 North Downing Street. Tickets are $18.06 (with service fee). Learn more at dudeidkstudios.com.