Adam Friedland

Born in Santa Monica, California, on April 10, 1987, Adam Dean Friedland is an American stand-up comedian, talk-show host, and podcaster. His parents, Max D. Friedland, an architect, and Joanne Friedland, a classically trained actress, were Lithuanian-Jewish South African immigrants. Friedland’s early life involved growing up across California, South Africa, and Las Vegas. After high school, he spent a year in Israel, working with the ambulance service. He then pursued higher education at George Washington University, majoring in Middle Eastern studies with an initial intent to go into law.

Friedland’s comedy career began in Washington, D.C., in 2009, following his college graduation. His early professional roles included a two-and-a-half-month stint as a paralegal at Vox Media. For the next two and a half years, he was instrumental in running Subterranean A, a DIY venue that hosted a variety of musical artists and comedy acts, including James Adomian. He also hosted various alternative comedy shows, gaining recognition in the D.C. scene for his unique, performance-piece-oriented humor. Notably, he hosted ‘Funny Moms’ with co-host Sara Starmour, which started in 2012. He performed at the Bentzen Ball comedy festival in 2013 and 2014 and was featured in the “Best of D.C.” list by the Washington City Paper. In 2014, Friedland relocated to New York City.

A significant turning point in his career came in 2016 when he joined Nick Mullen and Stavros Halkias as co-host of the comedy podcast “Cum Town,” which became known for its absurdist and often controversial content. From 2017 to 2018, he also co-hosted the sports podcast “White Chocolate NBA Pipecast” with Halkias. In 2018, he appeared on i24NEWS to discuss the changing views of young American Jews regarding Israel. Following the conclusion of “Cum Town” in 2022, Friedland launched “The Adam Friedland Show,” an online comedy talk show where he interviews guests on a range of topics, further solidifying his position as a commentator with a distinct voice in media.