{{Short description|American comedian and podcaster (born 1987)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2022}} {{Infobox comedian | name = Adam Friedland | image = Adam Friedland, Jan 2026 (cropped).jpg | alt = Friedland looking forward at a camera | caption = Friedland in 2026 | birth_name = Adam Dean Friedland | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1987|04|10}} | birth_place = Santa Monica, California, U.S. | medium = {{hlist|Stand-up comedy|podcasts}} | education = George Washington University (BA) | years_active = 2009–present | genre = {{hlist|Observational comedy|black humor|blue humor|surreal humor|anti-humor|political satire|alternative comedy}} | subject = {{hlist|Jewish culture|pop culture|American politics|everyday life}} | partner = Maia Lafortezza (fiancée) | notable_works = {{ubl|''The Adam Friedland Show''|''Cum Town''}} | website = {{URL|https://www.adamfriedland.com}} }} '''Adam Dean Friedland''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|f|r|iː|d|l|æ|n|d}} {{Respell|_|FREED|land}}; born April 10, 1987) is an American stand-up comedian, talk-show host and podcaster.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Adam Friedland {{!}} Comedians|url=https://thestandnyc.com/comedians/adam-friedland|access-date=2021-07-13|website=The Stand Restaurant & Comedy Club|language=en|archive-date=July 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706182121/https://thestandnyc.com/comedians/adam-friedland|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":122">{{Cite journal|date=October 2015|title=Contributors|url=https://issuu.com/davidmagazine/docs/october2015|journal=DAVID|publisher=JewishINK|volume=6|issue=6 |pages=10|via=Issuu|access-date=July 31, 2022|archive-date=July 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706182121/https://issuu.com/davidmagazine/docs/october2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":272"/> Described by ''GQ'' as a potential "Millennial Jon Stewart",<ref name="GQ">{{Cite web |last=Press-Reynolds |first=Kieran |date=2025-05-27 |title=Adam Friedland Could Be the Millennial Jon Stewart. But Does He Want That? |url=https://www.gq.com/story/adam-friedland |access-date=2025-09-15 |website=GQ |language=en-US}}</ref> he hosts the online comedy talk show ''The Adam Friedland Show'', an offshoot of the comedy podcast ''Cum Town'' he co-hosted with Nick Mullen and Stavros Halkias.
==Early life== Friedland was born at Saint John's Hospital<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://shoutengine.com/CumTown/ep-167-two-shootings-84428|title=Cum Town - Ep. 167 - Two Shootings?!?|date=2019-08-08|website=ShoutEngine|language=en|access-date=2019-08-13|archive-date=December 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211213074600/https://shoutengine.com/CumTown/ep-167-two-shootings-84428|url-status=live}}</ref> in Santa Monica, California, to Lithuanian-Jewish South African parents from Cape Town; Max David Friedland, a former architect,<ref name=":5" /> and Joanne Friedland (née Leiserowitz).<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Joanne Friedland Obituary - Las Vegas, NV |url=https://www.dignitymemorial.com/en-ca/obituaries/las-vegas-nv/joanne-friedland-9201957 |access-date=2026-03-18 |website=Dignity Memorial |language=en-ca}}</ref> Max Friedland is the co-owner and publisher of David Magazine,<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Only |first=Subscription |date=2010-04-16 |title=David Magazine Hits Las Vegas |url=https://www.adweek.com/media/david-magazine-hits-las-vegas/ |access-date=2026-03-18 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=David Magazine {{!}} Southern Nevada Jewish Community Digital Heritage Project |url=https://special.library.unlv.edu/jewishheritage/organizations/david-magazine |access-date=2026-03-18 |website=special.library.unlv.edu}}</ref> along with Joanne Friedland who also served as the magazine's Advertising Director.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-11-28 |title=DAVID |url=https://issuu.com/davidmagazine/docs/december2014/12 |access-date=2026-03-18 |website=Issuu |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":4" /> Adam Friedland's sister, Zoë Friedland, is also an editor for David Magazine.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Contacts |url=http://www.davidlv.com/content/contacts |access-date=2026-03-18 |website=David Magazine |language=en}}</ref> The publication, launched in 2010, focuses on Jewish perspectives in the Las Vegas Valley.<ref name=":4" />
Friedland's family left South Africa in the early 1980s after his father received a draft notice to fight in the Angolan Civil War. Adam grew up in California, South Africa, and Las Vegas. Following high school, Friedland lived in Israel for a year where he worked in the ambulance service.<ref name=":122" /> Friedland attended George Washington University as a Middle Eastern studies major and intended to pursue a legal career.<ref name=":132">{{Cite web|last=Schweitzer|first=Ally|date=2012-06-27|title=Subterranean Punk-House Blues|url=http://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/417797/subterranean-punk-house-blues-2/|access-date=2021-07-14|website=Washington City Paper|language=en-US|archive-date=May 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526030035/https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/417797/subterranean-punk-house-blues-2/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=-M0DwYb5Q7M |title=Adam Friedland: Behind the Adam Friedland Show {{!}} Doomscroll |date=2025-03-04 |last=Joshua Citarella |access-date=2025-03-06 |via=YouTube}}</ref>
==Career== Friedland began his comedy career in Washington, D.C., following his college graduation and deferment from law school in 2009. He formerly worked as a paralegal for Vox Media for two-and-a-half months.<ref>{{Cite web |last=North |first=Anna |date=2017-10-24 |title=Listen to what socialist women are saying about misogyny on the left |url=https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/10/24/16503462/dsa-women-cumtown-chapo |access-date=2023-01-22 |website=Vox |language=en |archive-date=January 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112145348/https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/10/24/16503462/dsa-women-cumtown-chapo |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media | date=June 22, 2023 | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkVs2G9VDtc | title=Cum Town - Ep. 75 - The Voice Of The Left | time=19:00 | via=YouTube }}</ref> For the following two-and-a-half years, he helped run the DIY venue Subterranean A, which hosted the likes of musical artists Radical Face, Tennis, Secret Society, and comedy acts James Adomian and Wham City.<ref name=":132" />
He hosted a number of comedy shows, first at Subterranean A and then other venues in the city, gaining notability in the scene for his 'alternative' performance piece–oriented comedy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brandon Wetherbee |date=2011-07-08 |title=This Could Be Funny: An Excuse to Play This Mencia Clip |url=http://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/424547/this-could-be-funny-an-excuse-to-play-this-mencia-clip/ |access-date=2021-07-14 |website=Washington City Paper |language=en-US |archive-date=July 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706183624/https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/424547/this-could-be-funny-an-excuse-to-play-this-mencia-clip/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-09-16 |title=This Could Be Funny: Be Brandon Wardell's Friend |url=http://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/423136/this-could-be-funny-be-brandon-wardells-friend/ |access-date=2021-07-14 |website=Washington City Paper |language=en-US |archive-date=July 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706223700/https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/423136/this-could-be-funny-be-brandon-wardells-friend/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Caroline |date=2014-01-03 |title=ToDo ToDay: Jon B, Moneytown, Aster Aweke, and Modern Moves Festival |url=http://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/409044/todo-today-jon-b-moneytown-aster-aweke-and-modern-moves-festival/ |access-date=2021-07-14 |website=Washington City Paper |language=en-US |archive-date=June 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629212611/https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/409044/todo-today-jon-b-moneytown-aster-aweke-and-modern-moves-festival/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Singer |first=Dan |date=2013-08-08 |title=ToDo ToDay: Paint Branch at Fort Reno, Alt-Comedy at Meeps |url=http://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/411130/todo-today-paint-branch-at-fort-reno-alt-comedy-at-meeps/ |access-date=2021-07-14 |website=Washington City Paper |language=en-US |archive-date=July 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706212147/https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/411130/todo-today-paint-branch-at-fort-reno-alt-comedy-at-meeps/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-02-04 |title=ToDo ToDay: Surrealism, Brewer's Art Tap Takeover, and a Roast of Dan Snyder |url=http://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/408627/todo-today-surrealism-brewers-art-tap-takeover-and-a-roast-of-dan-snyder/ |access-date=2021-07-14 |website=Washington City Paper |language=en-US |archive-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518132340/https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/408627/todo-today-surrealism-brewers-art-tap-takeover-and-a-roast-of-dan-snyder/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Brandon Wetherbee |date=2012-04-20 |title=This Could Be Funny: Jon Benjamin Has a Tour |url=http://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/419059/this-could-be-funny-jon-benjamin-has-a-tour/ |access-date=2021-07-14 |website=Washington City Paper |language=en-US |archive-date=April 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220419143334/https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/419059/this-could-be-funny-jon-benjamin-has-a-tour/ |url-status=live }}</ref> He also aided in the live series ''You, Me, Them, Everybody.''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-12-01 |title=D.C.'s Finest Comedy Talk Show, You, Me, Them, Everybody, Turns Three |url=http://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/414984/d-c-s-finest-comedy-talk-show-you-me-them-everybody-turns-three/ |access-date=2021-07-14 |website=Washington City Paper |language=en-US |archive-date=August 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819050739/https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/414984/d-c-s-finest-comedy-talk-show-you-me-them-everybody-turns-three/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Friedland hosted the alternative comedy show ''Funny Moms'', which originated in Washington, D.C., in 2012 with co-host Sara Starmour.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Jones|first=Caroline|date=2012-12-19|title=ToDo ToDay: Chatham County Line! Funny Moms!|url=http://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/414673/todo-today-chatham-county-line-funny-moms/|access-date=2021-07-14|website=Washington City Paper|language=en-US|archive-date=July 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706183623/https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/414673/todo-today-chatham-county-line-funny-moms/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":272"/><ref name=":24" />In 2013 and 2014, he performed at the Bentzen Ball comedy festival and was named in the annual "Best of D.C." list by the ''Washington City Paper''.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2014-05-01|title=ToDo ToDay: "Next" and Wayne McGregor|url=http://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/407247/todo-today-next-and-wayne-mcgregor/|access-date=2021-07-14|website=Washington City Paper|language=en-US|archive-date=July 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706225205/https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/407247/todo-today-next-and-wayne-mcgregor/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":272">{{Cite web|last=Schweitzer|first=Ally|date=2014-05-09|title=Q&A: New York-Bound Adam Friedland On the Last Night of Funny Moms|url=http://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/407086/qa-new-york-bound-adam-friedland-on-the-last-night-of-funny-moms/|access-date=2021-07-13|website=Washington City Paper|language=en-US|archive-date=July 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705080018/https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/407086/qa-new-york-bound-adam-friedland-on-the-last-night-of-funny-moms/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Bentzen Ball, the comedy showcase created by Tig Notaro and Brightest Young Things, is back|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2014/09/25/bentzen-ball-the-comedy-showcase-created-by-tig-notaro-and-brightest-young-things-is-back/|access-date=2021-07-13|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=September 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190912225609/https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2014/09/25/bentzen-ball-the-comedy-showcase-created-by-tig-notaro-and-brightest-young-things-is-back/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":122" /> He moved to New York City in 2014.<ref name=":24" /><ref name=":0" />
In 2016, Friedland joined Nick Mullen and Stavros Halkias as co-host of the comedy podcast ''Cum Town''. The podcast is noted for its absurdist and controversial content. He also co-hosted the sports podcast ''White Chocolate NBA Pipecast'' with Halkias from 2017 to 2018.<ref name=":25">{{Cite web |title=White Chocolate NBA Pipecast |url=https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/white-chocolate-nba-pipecast-583471 |access-date=2021-07-13 |website=Podchaser |language=en |archive-date=August 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813115039/https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/white-chocolate-nba-pipecast-583471 |url-status=live }}</ref> In January 2018, he appeared on i24 News to discuss the decline of support for Israel among young American Jews.<ref>{{cite tweet |author=i24NEWS English |author-link=i24NEWS |user=i24NEWS_EN |number=955974077189099520 |date=January 24, 2018 |title='The rise of the alt right made US Jews question whether a Jewish ethnocracy in the Middle East is morally sound,' says @AdamFriedland |access-date=January 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230102230549/https://twitter.com/i24news_en/status/955974077189099520 |archive-date=January 2, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> He was a guest on ''The Michael Brooks Show'' and is a recurring guest on ''Chapo Trap House''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Michael Brooks Show |url=https://www.patreon.com/posts/78-nyc-not-open-24736762 |access-date=August 19, 2022 |website=Patreon |archive-date=August 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819185631/https://www.patreon.com/posts/78-nyc-not-open-24736762 |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Personal life== Friedland is Jewish.<ref name=":1">{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I-6SHfYOw8|title=Millennial Activist Adam Friedland Goes On Israeli Television ft. Adam Friedland (TMBS 78)|last=Brooks|first=Michael|type=video|language=en-US|publisher=The Michael Brooks Show|access-date=July 31, 2022|archive-date=July 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706182121/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I-6SHfYOw8|url-status=live}}</ref> He is the former fiancé of podcaster and actress Dasha Nekrasova. He is currently engaged to Maia Lafortezza.<ref name="GQ" /> Friedland lives in New York City.<ref name=":24">{{Cite web|title=Weekly Comedy Show 'Funny Moms' Comes to Crown Heights Beer Hall Berg'n|url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150915/crown-heights/weekly-comedy-show-funny-moms-comes-crown-heights-beer-hall-bergn|access-date=2021-07-05|website=DNAinfo New York|archive-date=July 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711005619/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150915/crown-heights/weekly-comedy-show-funny-moms-comes-crown-heights-beer-hall-bergn/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> He is a lifelong supporter of Arsenal F.C.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqIbkeNGFcQ |title=The Truth about Arsenal Fans {{!}} The Adam Friedland Show |date=2025-01-16 |last=The Adam Friedland Show |access-date=2025-01-20 |via=YouTube}}</ref> Friedland owns a rescue dog named Isis.<ref name=":5">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfRa3I6JT7Y |title=MR FUN {{!}} 9/12/25 |date=2025-09-12 |last=The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder |time=1:22:53 |access-date=2025-09-16 |via=YouTube}}</ref> Friedland's mother, Joanne, passed away in 2020.<ref name=":2" />
=== Politics === Friedland voted for Vermont senator Bernie Sanders in his 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns.<ref name="GQ" /> He is opposed to Zionism,<ref name=":1" /> which he credits to an experience at 19 years old seeing Palestinian living conditions in the West Bank in comparison to those of Israeli settlers in the area, which he described as "inhumane."<ref>{{cite AV media| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnkrA2ZhQog |title=The Boys Get Real on Middle East Conflict {{!}} The Adam Friedland Show |work=TAFS Clips |via=YouTube |last1=Friedland |first1=Adam |last2=Mullen |first2=Nick |author-link2=Nick Mullen |date=November 23, 2023 |time=03:09, 05:11–06:39}}</ref>
== Podcasts ==
* ''Cum Town'' (2016–2022) * ''White Chocolate NBA Pipecast'' (2017–2018) * ''The Adam Friedland Show'' (2022–present)
== References == {{Reflist}} ==External links== *{{Official website|https://www.adamfriedland.com}} *{{IMDb name|13087477}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Friedland, Adam}} Category:1987 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century American comedians Category:21st-century American Jews Category:American male comedians Category:American people of South African-Jewish descent Category:American people of Latvian-Jewish descent Category:American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent Category:American comedy podcasters Category:American stand-up comedians Category:George Washington University alumni Category:Jewish American activists for Palestinian solidarity Category:American activists for Palestinian solidarity Category:Jewish American anti-Zionists Category:Jewish American comedians Category:Jewish male comedians Category:Jewish socialists Category:Comedians from Santa Monica, California Category:Comedians from Las Vegas Category:American sports podcasters Category:Shock jocks