"We're the most woke-unwoke show ever," says Brian Moses, the event's founder. "We walk down that razor's edge of what’s acceptable because we welcome anybody of any background in any diversity and make jokes about everything. We’ve had people who are HIV-positive, people with cerebral palsy and trans Black women; everybody is welcome to participate in Roast Battle."
In this hilariously savage contest, international comedians go head-to-head in the ultimate joke-writer showcase. The comedians were chosen from the twelve locations currently in the Roast Battle League: Los Angeles, New York, the Bay Area, Chicago, Austin, Denver, Tokyo, Toronto, London, Barcelona, Scotland and Australia. With a lineup of comedic talents including Ryan Nesen from Los Angeles, John Ajodah from New York City, Shalaka Kurup from London and Ryan Cullen from Scotland, the event promises an unforgettable evening that culminates in crowning a world champion roaster.
"I think it's incredible exposure for this market," says Chris Gottlieb, general manager of Denver Improv. "When you look at the major markets in the United States, you see New York, Los Angeles and Chicago; they are massive, but Denver is not far behind. ... Out of this whole experience with Roast Battle, I hope the rest of these markets see that Denver is a major player in this industry."
The Roast Battle has become an international comedy sensation, and it all stems from a drunken kerfuffle at an open mic that Moses hosted back in 2013 at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles. The infamous argument that started it all happened between an employee who had just gotten off work and a newer comic to the scene.
"There was a lot of toxic masculinity in there. This was the early 2010s, so everybody was kind of aggressive," recalls Moses. "This newer comic was underage, and the employee who had just gotten off work was drunk and didn't like this guy. He said, ‘Hey, just so you guys know, that kid is underage and he shouldn't be here.’ And that guy was like, ‘I turn 21 next week; I’ll come back and beat your ass.’ And then, because I was on stage and hosting, I was like, ‘Yeah, you should. You guys should slap box, and then we should all judge it.’ ... Nothing happened that night because cooler heads prevailed. But then I was like, ‘How about you guys talk some shit, and then we'll judge it,' and when [the comic] turned 21, he showed up at the end of July 2013."
So began the first roast battle at the Comedy Store, but it was far from the last: "Every Tuesday after that, we’ve had a battle," Moses says. Roast Battle has grown from its humble beginnings to include two television shows, Comedy Central's Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle and the British Roast Battle; live shows around the world; and the weekly podcast Roast Battle League Weekly, in which the team discusses the international Roast Battle League. "There was a lot of animosity in the community, and I guess doing a meta version of, ‘Hey, we all hate each other. Let's just talk shit about each other in the open,' galvanized the community," he muses.
The upcoming event at Denver Improv will be the Roast Battle's inaugural worldwide championship, something the Mile High was an ideal city for. "The Denver of it all is it's a hell of a comedy scene," says Moses. "We really want to be here. We've been scouting this whole league since the pandemic let us out. We heard that Austin Langley was doing roast battles at Wide Right, because those guys came out to Austin to see us during South by Southwest in 2022."
In June 2023, Langley collaborated with the Roast Battle and Denver Improv teams to produce roast battles at the Improv, where the shows have been a huge success and will continue to happen monthly on the third Friday of each month through 2024.
"Denver is the perfect comedy city," says Pat Barker, a comedian who serves as commissioner of the Roast Battle League and hosts the Roast Battle podcast. "Denver has sort of that Middle American, blue-collar sensibility that I love, but it's an intellectual city on top of that. Nobody's too sensitive about anything, but they're smart enough to get all the jokes. It's the perfect middle ground for that kind of Venn diagram of America. Regarding Denver's role in the League, we toyed around with the League in 2022, and then in 2023, we first officially launched. Denver became our sixth U..S city. ... As for the championship, it was a combination of the crowd and the desire for it to be in a neutral location. It was Denver's first season, and it looked like they were not going to make the playoffs. We didn’t want any home-field advantage in the championship, so it was kind of a no-brainer; if we can get out to Denver, let's make that happen."
With Moses hosting the championship and Barker leading the judging panel — which they tease will include a huge special guest judge — the Roast Battle: World Championship is set to be an uproarious blend of humor, creativity and unexpected twists. For aspiring roasters who want to get in on the action, Barker offers this advice: "It's just like anything else in life — it comes down to effort, repetition and just taking the sport seriously."
"And remember: It's a joke writer showcase," adds Moses. "It's not standup. It's not improv. It's not a sketch. It’s not podcasting. It's a roast battle. It's like a dunk contest or a home run derby; you're just going for the hits. Eventually, we want to get the [Roast Battle League] on TV and be considered a real sport. Hopefully, we'll have betting down the line, like how they have it for the UFC and lacrosse; some of these other young sports have grown, and we want to be just like that. Watch out, cricket: We’re on your heels!"
Ken Flores appears as a guest judge after headlining the Improv earlier that evening.
Courtesy of Jeff Stonic
"It’s really cool that there is this world that we've created," Barker says. "I went out and battled in Tokyo last year, and when I got there, people knew who I was. That's psychotic — to go into a comedy club in Japan and have people be like, ‘I can't believe you're here.’ I'm not nearly successful enough to warrant that, but we have created this global community where everybody knows each other. It's a cool thing to have helped create, and we're really excited to host the world championship in Denver, because it's a hell of a comedy city."
Roast Battle: World Championship 2024, Wednesday, January 31, Denver Improv, 8246 Northfield Boulevard, Unit 1400. Get tickets at denver.improv.com.
