Queens native Des Bishop has found that performing in American stand-up comedy clubs has significantly improved his craft. After spending decades performing in Ireland and even learning Mandarin for shows in China, Bishop's return to the U.S. has been pivotal for his career.
His latest Hulu special, "Bridge and Tunnel," now streaming on the platform and set for free release on YouTube on July 10, reflects this evolution. This marks Bishop's seventh stand-up special but only his second in America, a distinction he notes impacts his material and delivery.
"I would say the percentage of Americans that saw any of my previous specials before my last two would be in the zero-point-zero-something percent, like, a very low amount," Bishop told Fox News Digital. "And if they had, a lot of those jokes would have just gone over their heads because they're very Irish."
Bishop moved to Ireland at age 14 and did not return to the U.S. until his mid-40s, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. While Ireland's comedy scene fostered strong storytelling skills, American venues challenged him to refine his pacing and punchlines.
"Gigging in America, touring around the United States, just made me a way better comedian," he stated. "The storytelling and the punchiness mixed together, I think, have created a strong style."
His global experiences, including a year spent learning Mandarin to perform for a Chinese audience, highlighted for Bishop that observational humor about commonplace oddities transcends cultural barriers. This success in China inspired him to bring his refined act back to the U.S.
Upon returning to America, Bishop embraced his roots. "I finally accepted that, to American audiences, I'm just a guy from Queens. Which, by the way, is what I am, but because I've been in Ireland so long, I've always been the American in Ireland," he explained. "Once I embraced that, my comedy just exploded. So [the title of the special, 'Bridge and Tunnel,' is] also a homage to the fact that embracing who I was as a working-class guy from Queens actually helped me to find a bucketload of new material."
The special also delves into Gen X nostalgia, a theme Bishop feels resonates deeply with his generation. He acknowledges that some references might not connect with younger audiences, but finds value in indulging these shared memories.
"Nostalgia is the spackle that covers the hole where hope used to be," Bishop remarked, adding that younger generations will eventually develop their own nostalgic touchstones.
Bishop collaborates with his wife, comedian Hannah Berner, who also recently released a special on Hulu. "We have very healthy ways of collaborating in that we're very respectful of each other's professional space," Bishop said. He notes that Berner's keen eye for social media virality has been instrumental in his online presence.
"I'll come back and tell her story about something that happened on stage, and she'll be like, 'You got to clip that.' She has a keen eye for virality in a way that my Gen X brain just doesn't," he said. "You know, I would throw away a lot of things that have done really well for me online if it wasn't for Hannah."
Reflecting on his career, Bishop emphasized the importance of letting go of past setbacks. "Entertainment careers are long, man... it's never good to be getting held up on the times where it didn't go your way," he said. "You get older, and you're like, 'Wow, remember those things that I thought were the end of my universe? It just went away.'"