Concord native Ryan Davis has often been described as a “comedian’s comedian,” earning respect within stand-up circles for his conversational storytelling and ability to turn personal experiences, history, pop culture and social nuances into unexpected punchlines. Comedian Aries Spears has called Davis a “smart-thinking tactician,” while Dave Chappelle has praised his comedy writing.
Concord native Ryan Davis has carved out a successful career as an independent comedian, releasing his latest stand-up special, ‘Under-Rated,’ directly to fans on YouTube.
His comedic trajectory may seem familiar today, following a path from social media to the stage. But years before the creator-to-comedian pipeline became commonplace, Davis was already building an audience as an early voice in online commentary on social issues, pop culture and sports. Rather than relying primarily on parody or traditional sketch comedy, Davis developed his voice through conversational observations, dissecting perspectives and everyday situations with an analytical eye.
“It’s very hard to surprise comedians, because while you’re talking, our brain is wired to know where the joke is,” Davis said. “So the reason they label me a comedian’s comedian is because I can trick comedians. I can still surprise comedians with my punchlines.”
Davis with Chris Rock backstage at Ovens Auditorium in 2023.
His love for stand-up began as early as age 9, when he watched Chris Rock’s Bring the Pain with his family during the height of HBO’s stand-up era. Growing up alongside seven siblings, Davis was captivated by the way one comedian could command an entire room and create a shared experience through nothing more than words and a microphone.
“I saw them [stand-up comedians] as magicians. I was just mystified by it,” he said. “I’m like, man, ‘it’s one person on stage in front of all these people and we’re all laughing and connecting.’”
Davis made his stand-up comedy debut in 2013 at a local showcase at The Comedy Zone in Charlotte.
Davis left his pharmacy job in 2016 to pursue comedy full time
Davis traces a turning point in his career to a show where he opened for DC Young Fly in West Virginia. Watching the future Wild ’N Out star and 85 South Show co-founder nearly sell out a convention center largely on the strength of his popularity on Vine opened Davis’ eyes to social media’s potential to transform a comedian’s career.
He had already begun pursuing stand-up, performing his first showcase at The Comedy Zone in 2013. But seeing Young Fly draw an audience that extended beyond traditional television exposure gave Davis a glimpse of how the internet could change the entertainment landscape.
Davis says that opening for DC Young Fly at a nearly sold-out convention center show early in his career motivated him to take his comedy to social media.
“He [DC Young Fly] just got on Wild ’N Out to the point that he’s not even basically known for Wild ’N Out. All of these people are here because of social media,” Davis said. “And I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is the new TV. This is the new television.’ So I knew then that I had to figure it out.”
Davis soon took his comedy to Facebook, posting commentary videos about pop culture, sports and everyday observations. In January 2016, he had his first major viral moment with a video poking fun at New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., playfully highlighting some of his feminine mannerisms. The video took off on social media and sparked a public exchange with Beckham, introducing Davis’ crafty comedic style to a much wider audience.
That same year, Davis quit his full-time job as a pharmacy technician and took a leap of faith. He booked what he described as a “D-level” venue in Houston, where he had built a strong following, and drove 16 hours to the show with what little money he had.
“I was broke. If no one showed up, I was about to live in Houston. By the time I rented the club, it was four days before the show that I finally got the money [to book the venue],” he said. “This was the first time seeing if this Internet thing was real.”
Davis took his first big risk in 2016 by booking a venue in Houston and driving 16 hours to perform at the sold-out show with barely any money to his name.
Davis made roughly $4,000 from the sold-out Houston show, then followed it with another sold-out performance at The Comedy Zone a couple of months later. By December, he had amassed one million followers on Facebook. The following year, he began performing at venues across the country on weekends, and he hasn’t looked back since.
Davis’ Curb Your Enthusiasm and Insecure appearances
In 2019, Davis received a call from his agent with a simple question: Could he cry on demand? He said he couldn’t, but his agent booked him for an audition on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm anyway.
“I’m listening to people make themselves cry, you know, through the side of the door, and then it was like maybe one person in front of me,” Davis recalled. “They came in and said, ‘We don’t need any more criers. We’re going to give you guys something else.’ I was like, ‘Oh, man, God is amazing.’”
Davis appeared in Season 10, Episode 8 of ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ and multiple episodes of ‘Insecure’ in 2020 and 2021.
Instead, Davis was asked to audition for the role of an EMT who abused his siren privileges to cut through traffic and get to a busy coffee shop ahead of the line. In the original outline, Larry David was supposed to catch him in the act, leading to the kind of absurd public confrontation that has become a hallmark of the series.
Davis didn’t land the role he originally auditioned for, but the production called him back to play a TSA agent who “randomly” searches Larry following one of his typically awkward social encounters in Season 10, Episode 8 — the episode where Jon Hamm follows Larry to study his behavior for a role inspired by him.
“Since there’s no script, you just do a run-through,” Davis said. “I made Larry break character … and he said, ‘Kid, you’re really funny.’”
For Davis, the moment was surreal.
“I’m just some kid from Concord. This is my first TV appearance. It’s my first acting gig, and I’m in front of the guy who created Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
The following year, Davis landed a recurring role as Moe on Insecure, appearing in three episodes. This time, however, he wasn’t simply getting an opportunity through an audition; his growing reputation as a comedian had begun to precede him.
“I found out that the casting agent and showrunner knew who I was,” Davis said. “So they said when my audition came up, they hoped I would do good, because it was mine.”
Davis is carving out a new path for independent comedians
In 2023, Davis bet on himself again, investing his own money to film a comedy special he hoped would land at Netflix. The streaming service ultimately passed after reportedly holding the special for months.
Rather than let the project sit indefinitely, Davis decided to release it independently. In March 2025, he announced the plan on social media, sharing an earnest message with fans and asking them to support his decision to bring the special directly to his audience. The post gained millions of views across social platforms, helping rally his fanbase around the release.
Titled Under-Rated, the special was initially released independently through Patreon before arriving on YouTube via his friend and fellow comedian Ali Siddiq’s channel, where it has amassed more than 4.9 million views. Although Davis didn’t secure the Netflix deal he had hoped for, his decision to share the experience publicly and release the special on his own terms helped raise his profile further. Since then, he has appeared on The Breakfast Club and Club Shay Shay, sharing his story and offering insight into the unconventional path that has shaped his career.
But it was at 50 Cent’s Humor & Harmony Festival in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 2024 that Davis received the kind of validation he had never imagined, even after years of working as a comedian: discovering that Chappelle, one of his comedy heroes, was a fan of his work.
“I think what helps with the imposter syndrome, though, is I can’t deny the reality of it,” Davis said. “When Dave Chappelle calls me and is like, ‘Hey, I want you to come up to Ohio to perform with me,’ then I have the moment of, ‘Oh, no, this is really happening in my life.’”
Davis will open for Dave Chappelle at Spectrum Center in Charlotte on October 21 as part of the Karmageddon Tour.
Davis is far from an overnight success, having spent years performing, creating online content and taking financial risks on his own work. Yet even as he earns recognition from comedians he once admired from afar, he admits he still grapples with imposter syndrome.
For a kid from Concord who grew up watching HBO comedy specials, sharing the stage with one of his heroes might once have felt like something beyond his wildest dreams. Now, Davis is preparing to open for Chappelle at Spectrum Center, just down the road from his hometown. It’s hard to feel like an imposter when you’ve earned your place on a stage like that.
Concord native Ryan Davis has built his career on his own terms, offering a blueprint for independent comedians and artists
October 11, 2026
Concord native Ryan Davis has often been described as a “comedian’s comedian,” earning respect within stand-up circles for his conversational storytelling and ability to turn personal experiences, history, pop culture and social nuances into unexpected punchlines. Comedian Aries Spears has called Davis a “smart-thinking tactician,” while Dave Chappelle has praised his comedy writing.
His comedic trajectory may seem familiar today, following a path from social media to the stage. But years before the creator-to-comedian pipeline became commonplace, Davis was already building an audience as an early voice in online commentary on social issues, pop culture and sports. Rather than relying primarily on parody or traditional sketch comedy, Davis developed his voice through conversational observations, dissecting perspectives and everyday situations with an analytical eye.
“It’s very hard to surprise comedians, because while you’re talking, our brain is wired to know where the joke is,” Davis said. “So the reason they label me a comedian’s comedian is because I can trick comedians. I can still surprise comedians with my punchlines.”
His love for stand-up began as early as age 9, when he watched Chris Rock’s Bring the Pain with his family during the height of HBO’s stand-up era. Growing up alongside seven siblings, Davis was captivated by the way one comedian could command an entire room and create a shared experience through nothing more than words and a microphone.
“I saw them [stand-up comedians] as magicians. I was just mystified by it,” he said. “I’m like, man, ‘it’s one person on stage in front of all these people and we’re all laughing and connecting.’”
Davis left his pharmacy job in 2016 to pursue comedy full time
Davis traces a turning point in his career to a show where he opened for DC Young Fly in West Virginia. Watching the future Wild ’N Out star and 85 South Show co-founder nearly sell out a convention center largely on the strength of his popularity on Vine opened Davis’ eyes to social media’s potential to transform a comedian’s career.
He had already begun pursuing stand-up, performing his first showcase at The Comedy Zone in 2013. But seeing Young Fly draw an audience that extended beyond traditional television exposure gave Davis a glimpse of how the internet could change the entertainment landscape.
“He [DC Young Fly] just got on Wild ’N Out to the point that he’s not even basically known for Wild ’N Out. All of these people are here because of social media,” Davis said. “And I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is the new TV. This is the new television.’ So I knew then that I had to figure it out.”
Davis soon took his comedy to Facebook, posting commentary videos about pop culture, sports and everyday observations. In January 2016, he had his first major viral moment with a video poking fun at New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., playfully highlighting some of his feminine mannerisms. The video took off on social media and sparked a public exchange with Beckham, introducing Davis’ crafty comedic style to a much wider audience.
That same year, Davis quit his full-time job as a pharmacy technician and took a leap of faith. He booked what he described as a “D-level” venue in Houston, where he had built a strong following, and drove 16 hours to the show with what little money he had.
“I was broke. If no one showed up, I was about to live in Houston. By the time I rented the club, it was four days before the show that I finally got the money [to book the venue],” he said. “This was the first time seeing if this Internet thing was real.”
Davis made roughly $4,000 from the sold-out Houston show, then followed it with another sold-out performance at The Comedy Zone a couple of months later. By December, he had amassed one million followers on Facebook. The following year, he began performing at venues across the country on weekends, and he hasn’t looked back since.
Davis’ Curb Your Enthusiasm and Insecure appearances
In 2019, Davis received a call from his agent with a simple question: Could he cry on demand? He said he couldn’t, but his agent booked him for an audition on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm anyway.
“I’m listening to people make themselves cry, you know, through the side of the door, and then it was like maybe one person in front of me,” Davis recalled. “They came in and said, ‘We don’t need any more criers. We’re going to give you guys something else.’ I was like, ‘Oh, man, God is amazing.’”
Instead, Davis was asked to audition for the role of an EMT who abused his siren privileges to cut through traffic and get to a busy coffee shop ahead of the line. In the original outline, Larry David was supposed to catch him in the act, leading to the kind of absurd public confrontation that has become a hallmark of the series.
Davis didn’t land the role he originally auditioned for, but the production called him back to play a TSA agent who “randomly” searches Larry following one of his typically awkward social encounters in Season 10, Episode 8 — the episode where Jon Hamm follows Larry to study his behavior for a role inspired by him.
“Since there’s no script, you just do a run-through,” Davis said. “I made Larry break character … and he said, ‘Kid, you’re really funny.’”
For Davis, the moment was surreal.
“I’m just some kid from Concord. This is my first TV appearance. It’s my first acting gig, and I’m in front of the guy who created Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
The following year, Davis landed a recurring role as Moe on Insecure, appearing in three episodes. This time, however, he wasn’t simply getting an opportunity through an audition; his growing reputation as a comedian had begun to precede him.
“I found out that the casting agent and showrunner knew who I was,” Davis said. “So they said when my audition came up, they hoped I would do good, because it was mine.”
Davis is carving out a new path for independent comedians
In 2023, Davis bet on himself again, investing his own money to film a comedy special he hoped would land at Netflix. The streaming service ultimately passed after reportedly holding the special for months.
Rather than let the project sit indefinitely, Davis decided to release it independently. In March 2025, he announced the plan on social media, sharing an earnest message with fans and asking them to support his decision to bring the special directly to his audience. The post gained millions of views across social platforms, helping rally his fanbase around the release.
Titled Under-Rated, the special was initially released independently through Patreon before arriving on YouTube via his friend and fellow comedian Ali Siddiq’s channel, where it has amassed more than 4.9 million views. Although Davis didn’t secure the Netflix deal he had hoped for, his decision to share the experience publicly and release the special on his own terms helped raise his profile further. Since then, he has appeared on The Breakfast Club and Club Shay Shay, sharing his story and offering insight into the unconventional path that has shaped his career.
But it was at 50 Cent’s Humor & Harmony Festival in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 2024 that Davis received the kind of validation he had never imagined, even after years of working as a comedian: discovering that Chappelle, one of his comedy heroes, was a fan of his work.
“I think what helps with the imposter syndrome, though, is I can’t deny the reality of it,” Davis said. “When Dave Chappelle calls me and is like, ‘Hey, I want you to come up to Ohio to perform with me,’ then I have the moment of, ‘Oh, no, this is really happening in my life.’”
Davis is far from an overnight success, having spent years performing, creating online content and taking financial risks on his own work. Yet even as he earns recognition from comedians he once admired from afar, he admits he still grapples with imposter syndrome.
For a kid from Concord who grew up watching HBO comedy specials, sharing the stage with one of his heroes might once have felt like something beyond his wildest dreams. Now, Davis is preparing to open for Chappelle at Spectrum Center, just down the road from his hometown. It’s hard to feel like an imposter when you’ve earned your place on a stage like that.
You can follow Ryan Davis on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and watch his latest comedy special, Under-Rated, here.
Read next: