Jacoby Bruton, a Tampa comedian who travels around the country. Credit: Photo via jacoby.bruton/Facebook

Tampa is home to many artists, from painters to musicians to poets. That includes stand-up comedy, with a thriving scene and a variety of comedy clubs and venues.

What we don’t really have is a lot of natives. Everybody, it seems, is from somewhere else originally. And while it’s great to have so many talented people find homes here, you kind of wonder where the original Tampanians (or is it Tampeños?) went.
Well, a few of them are still here, and four working stand-up comedians will be appearing together in Carrollwood.

Tickets to the “Homegrown Comedy Stand-Up Comedy Show” at Carrollwood Cultural Center on Saturday, June 10 are still available for $13-$18.
The Homegrown Stand-Up Show features Jacoby Bruton, a comedian who travels around the country, Chuck Glass, who was a member of the Best-of-the-Bay winning Improv group Got Jokes?, Johnny B, who’s heard on his nightly radio program on 102.5-FM The Bone, and Michael Murillo, a local writer, producer, comedian—and, in full disclosure, a Creative Loafing Tampa Bay contributor. They grew up here (as much as comedians ever grow up), and they still call Tampa home.

For about 15 years, Carrollwood Cultural Center has been a community hub, showcasing local art, hosting classes for students and adults, and bringing theatre, music and other performing arts to the area. So it’s a good fit for four professional comedians with strong Tampa roots: Bruton went to Robinson High School, Glass attended Tampa Catholic, Johnny B went to Hillsborough High School and Murillo attended Plant High School.

They’ll each bring their unique perspectives to the show, so the audience will get a good mix of both cleaner and more adult material. And while Tampa has plenty of funny comedians, it’s nice to know that a few of them are natives who decided to stick around and make the locals laugh.

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This article appears in May 25-31, 2023.