The comedy super-show and live-auction fundraiser, known as a Night of Too Many Stars, debuted in Los Angeles for the first time in its over 20-year run.
The event, previously held in New York in support of Next for Autism, took over the sold-out Hollywood Bowl on Thursday, May 7, as part of the Netflix Is a Joke Festival.
Hosted by Jon Stewart, this year’s Night of Too Many Stars lineup featured Bill Burr, Conan O’Brien, Steve Carell, Ron Funches, Nikki Glaser, Tiffany Haddish, Jimmy Kimmel, Johnny Knoxville, Leanne Morgan, John Mulaney, Kevin Nealon, Bob Odenkirk, Matt Rife, Adam Sandler, Sarah Silverman, Ali Wong, and Noah Wyle.
The show kicked off with a cover of “Seven Nation Army” with a group that consisted of Stewart on drums and O’Brien on guitar, who called themselves the “Very White Stripes.” They also performed “We’re Going to Be Friends” and welcomed their friend Kimmel, who played a bass clarinet, and Abbey Romeo of “Love on the Spectrum.”
“We thank you for your hospitality and your warm welcome,” Stewart told the audience. “We’ve been doing Night of Too Many Stars for 23 years and have raised over $35 million, providing funding to 179 organizations in 39 states around the country. The money we raise helps create, design, support, and grow high-quality programs that maximize the potential of every autistic individual. Autistic people have emotions, empathy, and the need for connection.”
Stewart told a few jokes at the expense of L.A. and some of its political choices, including jabs at candidates in the upcoming state governor’s race and at Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who lived in the city.
There were also some jokes related to being diagnosed with autism from Funches, who said it only happened after appearing as a contestant on season four of “The Traitors.” He said his debut on the show made him want to take a break from the internet because of the mean messages he received, but then he began to get praise for his representation of being on the spectrum. The only problem was that he didn’t know he was autistic.
“It’s a weird thing to get diagnosed by being peer-reviewed on a reality show,” Funches said. “But I’m very proud of myself, happy about it. My oldest son was diagnosed when he was two, so when I got my diagnosis, I was like, ‘This is beautiful.’ It’s a great way for us to bond. I called him into my office, and I was like, ‘Hey, guess what? Daddy’s autistic, too,’ and he was like, ‘Yeah, I’ve been waiting for this day.’“
The show also included several comedic bits between stand-up sets, including one where Stewart welcomed “Jackass” pioneer Knoxville to the stage after telling the crowd that Knoxville had insisted on attending despite being injured while filming the franchise’s upcoming conclusion. When Knoxville appeared on stage, he came out wearing a phallic cast over his nether region and jokingly told Steward to sign it; when he did, it fell off.
Carell was also welcomed, and he announced that he was quitting acting to pursue professional wrestling, or rather, pursue playing “WWE 2K26,” the wrestling video game, professionally. His first-ever opponent, CM Punk, took the stage to challenge him in a virtual wrestling match, where a character resembling Carell in a tiger-print brief and fur coat faced off against CM Punk’s character. After losing in the virtual world, CM Punk chased Carell around the stage until he was out of sight. CM Punk returned with a makeshift dummy dressed as Carell that he pummeled and spun around while Carell could be heard screaming.
Other bits were tied to auctions, including one that allowed the highest bidders to have a physical exam onstage with Wyle, the leading actor of the medical drama “The Pitt.” Two bidders tied for the exam, during which Wyle took their vitals, tested their patellar reflex with a rubber hammer, and kept clarifying to the bidders and the audience that he was an actor, not a licensed medical professional.
Kimmel and Stewart also auctioned off Dodgers tickets to spend the game next to actor Jason Bateman, with the caveat that Bateman had no idea he was part of this auction. Other big-ticket items included a chance to be immortalized on “The Simpsons,” by letting the highest bidder get “Simpsonized” and featured in a portrait over the iconic couch in the animated series’ opening sequence.
The prize, which was auctioned off by Odenkirk, who assumed the role of a hypeman in a top hat and spoke in a raspy voice, included an autographed script of the highest bidder’s favorite episode and an invitation to a live reading of the show for up to three guests.
The show closed out with Sandler, whose musical humor included an ’80s synth club song about what hot dogs are made of, but then transitioned into something more heartfelt. Sandler performed a song that served as a tribute to comedy and its positive impact. The screens showed clips of comedians spanning decades, from Lucille Ball, The Three Stooges, and Charlie Chaplin to Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock, and then transitioned to the autistic youth who helped inspire the event.
Night of Too Many Stars was launched more than 20 years ago by longtime “Saturday Night Live” and O’Brien writer-producer Robert Smigel and his wife, Michelle, a Next for Autism board co-chair, after they struggled to find education for their autistic son, Daniel.
Funds raised at the Night of Too Many Stars’ auctions support initiatives that target work, home, and social well-being programs for autistic adults. According to the Next For Autism website, the proceeds have funded more than 437 projects at 175 organizations, impacting autistic individuals, their families, and the community.