Four more national comedians announced for Great American Comedy Fest Gala

NORFOLK, Neb. – The Great American Comedy Festival has announced four more comedians for its Festival Gala, which will close the three-day event.
The iconic Smothers Brothers will conclude the 13th Great American Comedy Festival at the Festival Gala Saturday, June 18th. They will now be joined by Emmy Blotnik, Eric Owusu, Taylor Williamson and Adam Yenser, in addition to Glen Tickle, who will also be featured on the festival's Friday show.
The festival, which honors Norfolk native Johnny Carson, kicks off Thursday with the family Comedy Magic Show. Friday night’s entertainment includes the Comedy Showcase with David Koechner as headliner, alongside Tickle, Cat Alvarado, Chris Lewis and Sophie Buddle. The /Sparklight Adults Only Late Night Show follows at 10:30 at The Stables in Norfolk. Saturday’s Festival Gala, with the Smothers Brothers as headliners, concludes the three-day event at the Johnny Carson Theatre.
The Smothers Brothers, who hosted the top-rated Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in the 1960s, will be joined on the stage by Blotnik, Owusu, Williamson, Yenser and Tickle.
Blotnick is a stand-up/actress/writer based in New York. She has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where she was also a staff writer, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Conan, and in her own Comedy Central Half Hour.
Her Comedy Central set premiered in 2018 and was followed by the release of her debut comedy album, Party Nights, in 2019. Previously, Blotnick was head writer for the Comedy Central series, The President Show. Currently, she is a writer and co-executive producer on HBO Max’s Pause with Sam Jay.
Her recent writing credits also include Mel Brooks' History of the World: Part 2 for Hulu and Bust Down for Peacock. She is a also a panelist on NPR’s Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!
Blotnick was featured in the New York Times as a “Savvy Comic” who shines. She has also been recognized as one of Comedy Central’s Comics to Watch and as a New Face at Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal.
Owusu is a Los Angeles-based comedian, writer and self-proclaimed dessert enthusiast from Maryland.
He has written for The Disney Channel and CBS and performed stand-up comedy all over the United States.
Williamson placed second on season eight of America’s Got Talent. He was featured on the NBC series, AGT: The Champions, and was named one of the top five favorite acts of all time on the 10-Year AGT Anniversary Special.
He started performing stand-up comedy while a senior in high school in Del Mar, CA. He now lives in Los Angeles and entertains around the world. He’s performed at the prestigious Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, Canada, and he was the youngest comedian to ever perform on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. He has also appeared on MTV’s Total Request Live (TRL), Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham and Last Call with Carson Daly. He was also a semi-finalist on NBC's Last Comic Standing.
Williamson has a comedy album titled, Laughter? I Hardly Know Her! and a comedy special titled, Please Like Me on Amazon Prime.
The Emmy-Award-winning Yenser wrote for The Ellen DeGeneres Show for 10 years and starred in the segment, “Kevin the Cashier Played by Adam.” He has appeared on Conan, Gutfeld! and FOX Laughs.
He has been a freelance contributor to SNL’s Weekend Update, has written for The Academy Awards and co-produced the web series, Laugh Lessons with Kevin Nealon. He has also had sketches featured by The Daily Wire and The Babylon Bee.
Yenser’s first half-hour Dry Bar Comedy special will be released in 2022.
The Great American Comedy Festival opened in 2008 to honor the legacy of Carson, who was host of NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for nearly 30 years.
The Great American Comedy Festival is also made possible with the support of the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment. For tickets and information, visit www.greatamericancomedyfestival.com