Doug Stanhope

Doug Stanhope (born March 25, 1967) is an American stand-up comedian. Stanhope's career began in 1990 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was the host of Comedy Central's The Man Show for its two final seasons and has appeared on ABC's The View. He has also produced and starred in "Invasion of the Hidden Cameras" (a project for the Fox Broadcasting network). Stanhope has made appearances at several major comedy festivals, including the Montreal Just For Laughs, US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado, the Chicago Comedy Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland, where he won the Strathmore Press Award in 2002. Stanhope was the winner of the San Francisco Comedy Competition. He has released several CDs.

A self-confident drug user, libertarian and agnostic, Stanhope's humor can convey nihilism despite life-celebrating enthusiasm. His irate opposition to puritanical hysteria and superstition invites comparison with Bill Hicks. He frankly describes 'deviant' sexual activity and sometimes gruesome personal stories gleefully, blurring the lines between an "adventurous spirit" and full-blown "sicko". Stanhope violently opposes the gradual erosion of American civil liberties, particularly in his recent performances such as Deadbeat Hero.

Often subject to large-scale walk-outs by his American audiences, Stanhope admits "People will leave. I go on stage, it's like I'm leading you into battle -- you're not all going to be here at the end."