Off of Broadway and 9th, a grand, shimmering marquee outside of the Ace Hotel announces “LIVE NATION PRESENTS NOEL MILLER APRIL 27.” Known for his vulgar sense of humor, darkly sarcastic Internet comedian and podcaster Noel Miller has been touring since January. He filmed his first comedy special entitled “Everything is F#&ked” at his Los Angeles show.
Inside the beautiful theater ordained with a heavy, scarlet curtain and high ornate ceilings, patrons found their seats, popcorn and drinks in hand, as they settled in for a night of laughter. Miller’s podcast co-host and fellow internet sensation Cody Ko and his wife, vlogger and podcaster, Kelsey Kreppel could be found in the audience as fans flocked to greet them and take photos.
New Zealand native Joe Daymond opened for Miller, kicking off the night with jokes about America, more specifically, Los Angeles, priming the audience for the night that followed. He publicly thanked Miller for flying him out to perform and was grateful for the opportunity to address an audience so large. Before departing from the stage, he announced that Miller was using the show to film his first comedy special.
The crowd erupted into cheers as Miller entered the stage, waving and smiling with pride.
“Thank you so much, LA, for coming out and taking a picture of me for your story,” he greeted the audience, already launching into his set. “Now you f*cking assholes are gonna tune out for the next 59 minutes.”
Although Miller is widely known for being unserious, often making jokes that can only be described as “toilet humor,” he is remarkably socially attuned. Much of his performance was spent on political commentary about class, debt, mental health, capitalism and family trauma.
Abruptly segueing from a conversation about Plan B, abortion and IUDs, Miller said, “Sometimes I get high, and I get sad that I’m gonna die.” After a long pause and some uncomfortable laughter, he followed up, “You know the vibe.”
He then clarified, saying it’s because he wants to be able to experience the future. Each of his jokes is meticulously connected, and while the audience is left wondering how he got to this point, Miller always made sure to reel them in with a witty punchline or callback. The future is now, he concluded, considering how easy it is to grab a Plan B and a Twix in the same CVS trip.
In a segment about mental health, Miller joked about capitalism hindering everything in life, including making plans to kill yourself.
“You might wake up like, ‘Today’s the day,’ but then you kind of check out for a second and you go, ‘Nah, lemme not do that. Because if I do that, Nick’s gonna have to cover my shift, it’ll fuck up Lauren’s vacation, and that’s not cool. If I’m gonna do it, let me be an adult — let me take PTO,’ but then your PTO balance is jack shit, so you’re like, ‘man, I can’t even — I can’t even kill myself I don’t have enough PTO,” he said.
Miller was acutely aware that a majority of the audience bought tickets because of his internet success through YouTube and his podcast, “Tiny Meat Gang.” Because his fanbase ranges in age, gender and sexuality, he made sure everyone felt included in his set with, for example, a nearly 10-minute good-natured segment about lesbians. Moreover, he made sure to address his online following and acknowledge the years they’ve likely followed him for.
“You know what’s wild to me, man is that I can look into this crowd, and I know exactly who’s here. To a tee, you know?” he said. “A lot of you have been watching me a long time. I was there when your parents were starting their divorce … Now you’re all grown up and suicidal. Some of you have dragged your boyfriends here … We’ve got a unique relationship, don’t we, fellas? Yeah, you just know me as the voice you have sex to sometimes.”
From beginning to end, Miller kept the crowd engaged. Even times when the energy faded were salvaged by his quipping on this generation’s inability to focus on anything for longer than 15 seconds. Even when making jokes about the mundane, his quick wit was incredibly relevant and he carried himself with a relaxed, natural energy that made each audience member feel like they were having a conversation with a longtime friend.
His brilliance derives from his ability to intricately connect one joke to the next, often thinking on his toes to engage the audience and frequently pushing the envelope of comfortability and social queues, shocking the audience with each sudden turn. Miller’s humor is exquisitely human, and the primary reason the audience laughs so hard at each joke is because of his insistence on dissecting the taboo, speaking on slices of life many are too ashamed to admit to themselves. Rarely does he let himself get too serious, even if the topics he discusses truly carry extreme weight.
After a severe note about mental health awareness, he dotingly ended the night with two words before exiting the stage: “Kill yourself.” Of course, he meant it with love.
Lillian Dunn is an Arts & Entertainment Apprentice Editor. She can be reached at lbdunn@uci.edu.
