Bret Ernst

See Bret Ernst LIVE at The Comedy Vault Batavia November 19-21, 2026 From playing “Cousin Louie LaRusso” on the hit Netflix show Cobra Kai, to his 25+ years in standup comedy, Bret Ernst is considered one of the best standups in the business. Regarded by his peers as a “comic’s comic,” his honest, edgy storytelling is a must-see for fans of raw standup. Bret first came on the national scene via Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show, a theatrically released documentary where he performed alongside Vince, Sebastian Maniscalco, Ahmed Ahmed and John Caparulo. His first standup album, American Comic, landed him a spot on the iTunes top ten album chart. Bret has performed standup on CBS, Showtime, and several Comedy Central shows including Premium Blend, This Is Not Happening and Comedy Central Presents – where Bret’s episode was voted #5 on the network’s Standup Showdown. Bret’s acting credits also include Artie Lange’s BEER LEAGUE, “Captain Sal Palantonio” on truTV’s Tacoma FD, two seasons of the hit show WEEDS, CSI:NY, and of course, Cobra Kai. His special Principal’s Office (4 million views, Men’s Health magazine’s top comedy special of 2018), is groundbreaking for being the first self-distributed, online, one-hour comedy special by a standup comedian, a successful path fellow comedians such as Andrew Schulz, Mark Normand and Shane Gillis have followed. His latest special, Domesticated Animal, showcases his authentic observations – both streetwise and vulnerable – proving audiences can’t get enough of his sharp commentary. Variety listed Bret as one of the Top 5 Comics to Watch and heckler.com/TBS voted him in the top 20 Funniest Comedians Working Today! This show is 21+. All persons attending this show are required to show a valid government ID.