Comedian Dan Nainan Punched A Tweeting Critic In The Face After His Show

When it comes to stand-up comedy, this year has been a pretty interesting one. Between Chicago Tribune writers basically encouraging people to heckle comics for no reason (unless you count “They’re pros, they can take it”) and Sammy Rhodes trying to validate the profession of a “cover comic,” we’ve learned a lot about how comics feel about the people on the outside looking in at their business. And now, thanks to Indiana-born comic Dan Nainan, we know how at least one guy feels about people Tweeting about his set as it takes place.

Josh Rogin, a senior correspondent for The Daily Beast, was at Nainan’s show in Washington DC last night, and he Tweeted several criticisms of the comedian’s set. Once Nainan was done, he either searched his own name on Twitter or someone was doing it for him, but either way, he searched for Rogin in the audience, found him and allegedly punched him in the face twice. I’ve heard of a tough crowd before, but this is ridiculous.

As for the criticisms…

And the literal punchline…

Nainan was arrested for simple assault, but still Tweeted that he “had a blast” as the headliner of the show. I don’t know if “blast” was a reference to the incident or not, but the people who responded to the Tweet took care of the rest.

The Washington Post clarified that this was actually a charity event known as the “Funniest Celebrity in Washington” and Nainan was on hand as the pro comic that showed everyone how it’s really done. Rogin claims that he was there as a journalist and Tweeting his criticisms was just part of the job. While this is simply one man’s word against another’s (unless you count all of the people who watched Nainan punch Rogin and told the police about it) this is definitely an unusual situation.

On one hand, if Rogin’s Tweets about Nainan’s jokes were accurate, YEESH. I can hear the crickets chirping from here. On the other hand, it’s a charity event, so what’s the point of busting a guy’s balls for using some old routines in the name of a good cause? If you ask me, they should both be forced to fight for charity. I’ll chip in the first $5.

(Banner via Getty)

×