Jessica Kirson brings her unfiltered humor to Hulu.
While the premiere date is being kept under wraps, the veteran comedian has signed a contract for her next standup hour. It marks Kirson’s second standup special.
“I'm honored to be part of the Disney family and that Hulu has chosen to present my upcoming special as part of their comedy initiative,” she said in a statement. “People always ask me, 'Is it hard to be a female comedian?' I always say, 'I don't know; you'd have to ask them.'”
The news comes as Hulu makes an aggressive push into the standup space, making inroads into an increasingly bubbly market that has been dominated by Netflix in recent years. The initiative, which is being dubbed “Hularious,” kicks off in November with a new Jim Gaffigan special. From there, the streaming platform will roll out monthly specials, from artists including Bill Burr, Roy Wood Jr., Ilana Glazer, Atusko Okatsuka, Kirston and, assuming its deal closes, Sebastian Manisculco. As part of the effort, Hulu will also launch a collection of licensed specials, both iconic timepieces and recent releases.
“The mantra is much more quality over quantity,” Jordan Helman, Hulu’s head of scripted content, said recently. DAY of the platform’s curated approach. With only a dozen specials a year, the Hulu team is hoping to differentiate its brand from Netflix, which churns out specials weekly. Like Netflix, Hulu has shown it’s willing to shell out upwards of eight figures to land key names. As Helman revealed, Hulu is also “thinking a lot about how we can leverage relationships across the entire Disney ecosystem,” which has included pitching its comics to executives (and potential collaborators) across the company’s portfolio.
Kirson, for his part, has had a comedy career spanning nearly two decades, though his profile has grown significantly on social media, where his comedy has generated nearly a billion views. His resume also includes appearances on HBO's Crash and CBS Kevin can waitand has produced and appeared in hystericala 2021 feature-length documentary that explored the landscape of women in comedy. She served as a consultant, producer, and on-screen talent on Robert DeNiro's 2016 film The comedian Also.
Kirson is repped by 3 Arts and WME.