Never too old to laugh
An American stand-up comedian in his 70s has found a whole new international audience thanks to viral videos.
Sharing the laughter
Here are five jokes from Andy’s comedy club routine:
“I started walking toward the stage three comics ago.”
“Before I went onstage, I asked the club manager, ‘How much time do I have?’ He said, ‘Can’t be much.’”
“I joined a dating site for people my age called Carbon Dating.”
“I asked a woman on the site for her number. She told me it was 140 over 95.”
“The great thing about dating a woman in my age bracket? I don’t have to worry about meeting her parents.”
Andy Huggins spent more than four decades sharpening the art of the one‑liner, eventually becoming a beloved fixture of the Houston, Texas comedy scene.
But if it weren’t for a television appearance a few years ago and subsequent clips of his act on TikTok and YouTube, he might not be known outside of his hometown.
Born in 1950, Huggins began his comedy journey in 1977 at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles. He relocated to Houston in the early 1980s, where he became a founding member of the influential Texas Outlaw Comics – a group that included future star Bill Hicks.
The Outlaw Comics were known for their raw honesty, fiercely independent style, and refusal to “sell out” – values that helped Huggins develop his comedic voice.
He spent the 1980s and 1990s touring clubs, building a reputation for sharp timing, observational wit, and jokes delivered with an old‑school ease.
Huggins’ career enjoyed a resurgence when he appeared on America’s Got Talent, where judge Howie Mandel recognised him from their early days in Los Angeles.
His gentle demeanor and razor‑sharp punchlines charmed audiences, introducing him to a new generation of fans.
Although he was eliminated early from the TV competition, the exposure boosted his profile and reignited industry interest in his act.
Far from slowing down, Huggins achieved a major milestone in his seventies: the release of his first full‑length comedy show, Early Bird Special.
The 2023 video showcases his mastery of tight, fast‑paced joke‑telling and highlights hilarious material shaped by age, experience, and reflection.
Huggins’ act mines humour from personal history, including his experience with alcohol (he has been sober since 1988) and the everyday realities of growing older.
In a 2025 interview, he said that he explores ageing in his routine because “it’s what I know better than anything at the moment”.
His audience today spans generations, from young adults to longtime fans who have followed him for decades.
“I am very blessed,” he said in a recent interview. “I see 20-year-olds, and I see 80-year-olds.
“The audience age-wise, generation-wise is very much mixed. For whatever reason, I do better with young kids as an audience.
“Maybe it’s out of respect for somebody that looks like they could be their grandfather, whereas before I looked like somebody who could be their parent. Maybe that’s the difference.”
Although in his mid‑70s, Huggins continues to write and perform—and retirement is not on the agenda.
“I plan on doing it till I literally cannot do it anymore.”
Related reading: NPR, WSHU, Improv Texas, Andy Huggins
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