Mitch Hedberg on Turkeys, Tennis, and Turtlenecks | Letterman

Mitch Hedberg explains why turkeys are sellouts, why he’ll never be a better tennis player than a wall, and why wearing a turtleneck feels like you are being strangled by a really weak guy. (Air Date 3/7/1997)
#MitchHedberg #Letterman
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Welcome to the Letterman KZbin Channel, home to all your favorite clips from Late Night and Late Show - as well as conversations with the writers, producers and performers who helped make it all happen. These highlights have been artisanly-produced, carefully-curated, and chosen completely at random by an old computer that used to pick numbers for the New York Lotto back in the 90’s.

[@harrisonwintergreen1147]

That gift card joke was so good he didn't need to finish 😁

[@SevenTheJester]

The same thing happened on the turtleneck joke. That joke ends with him saying "...and if you wear a turtleneck and a backpack, it's like a weak midget is trying to bring you down." 😂

[@bernlin2000]

I use to love watching Mitch's standup. I still do, but I use to, too. 💖

[@nogglebeak]

Mitch Hedberg's comedy can never die, it can only become stairs.

[@ThrasherGnar]

This comment made me smile ❤️

[@jonnyd9864]

🙏🏼

[@scottbraithwaite3143]

Well done sir

[@euchrewacko]

See whatcha did there

[@germdisco]

Mitch Hedburg is good for when you like jokes and want to hear two thousand of them

[@seanwebb605]

He did not lose a leg in Vietnam.

[@jr2904]

​@@seanwebb605 please remove your hotdog, we have limited counter space

[@cousincraig653]

Underrated comment & reference

[@shawnr771]

This is one of the few times he was not wearing sunglasses on stage. Mitch is one of the greats of stand up comedy.

[@asadsaccount]

Back in the day...

[@guacamoleman87]

​@@asadsaccount ever

[@derekemrie2987]

Mitch knew how to wait, very important for stand up comedy, and many other people need to learn to wait as well/it's a great skill that you don't need a degree for

[@coppulor6500]

Give me a break. He was never one of the greats. Solid, pretty funny and sometimes hilarious and definitely entertaining and worth a watch/listen. Not Hall of Fame material

[@kristy9337]

He looks really great here. Mitch had a really great smile

[@kidkique]

Heard a new mitch joke today "when I was a boy I would lay in my twin sized bed wondering where my brother was"

[@POPTeacherMrRuss]

never heard that one I'm dead

[@guacamoleman87]

​@POP Teacher Mr. Russ it goes onto king sized. "Oh you're a king you say? Well you wont believe what i have in store for you... I didnt know you guys were all the same size!"

[@leebatt7964]

Its a shame Mitch ate too much cake. RIP Mitch, you are missed.

[@lrvz7187]

I would bet he would loved this joke

[@user-yd5wx4fh4t]

that smile after that joke says it all

[@STSGuitar16]

Anyone know what kind of cake he preferred?

[@anwav-]

​@@STSGuitar16H

[@ironman52241]

I do I was 1 grade behind him in high school but im not telling​@@STSGuitar16

[@greyhoundfivemedia812]

I love how much the audience loved him and he knew it. This is a special clip.

[@joeskis]

huh? that's not my interpretation. I think the audience was stupid and they were doing that awful condecending clapping instead of laughing cause they knew they were supposed to be laughing more.

[@mournblade1066]

@@joeskis I'm guessing you've never seen his live performances before. 9 times out of the 10, the audience just sits there, with only a smattering of laughter and/or applause.

[@joeskis]

@@mournblade1066 you've actually seen him live? So you're saying he's overrated?

[@peterhessedal8539]

I was on an escalator two days ago and it broke (suddenly stopped). All I could think was Mitch's joke and I turned to the lady right behind me and said "looks like we need to take the stairs"

[@rhythmista7707]

One of his best one liners : A dog is always in the push up position....😂

[@amandab73]

Every once in a while I worry about the Dufranes.

[@JamesLeeBuzz]

Same here, I sure hope someone paid those kidnappers by now!

[@asadsaccount]

Search party needed 😂😂😂

[@istrasci]

MacGregor, search party of 3. You can eat after you find the Dufresnes.

[@matthewgray469]

maybe they ended up in Mexico with their friend Red.

[@PrometheanBlade]

@@matthewgray469 well played.

[@DHPercussionist]

Loved, loved, loved his comedy. You could tell all the applause was altering his usual timing. He wasn't entirely comfortable. A true genius, gone way too soon!

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

You're not wrong, but also I don't think Hedberg was EVER entirely comfortable in his life. That was a big part of his persona and appeal. He always had sort of an awkward "WTF am I even doing here" kinda thing about him.

[@geoffroy1970]

Mitch was one of a kind but he was also KIND. He rarely, if ever, made jokes at another's expense. "I already like you little brother", "who can eat at a time like this?! People are missing!". Even the roommate who he jokes is slow gets to deliver the punchline. As someone who has struggled with similar demons as his (I'm a week back from hell just now for the umpteenth time), seeing this makes me laugh and sad as hell and love him more than ever...

[@kelseymatchen9569]

Keep up the good fight! One day at time. Hope and prayers your way!

[@joshualaird5303]

Keep strong brother :)

[@bretmoore6828]

Praying you succeed.

[@carpballet]

I already like you little brother

[@stanstanstan2597]

How’s it going a year later?

[@zdhome5727]

Watching this made the jokes both funnier and sadder for me. Getting to see his eyes and his wholesome reaction to his own punchlines and the applause was magical.

[@JohnFoley1701]

That flyer joke has been so ingrained into my brain that i think about it every time I get handed one without remembering it came from hedberg.

[@geoffroy1970]

As a New Yorker with a lot of funny friends, I can say that we ALL used to crack that joke since at least the 80s. I love Mitch and I'm not saying he "stole" it just that that joke kinda writes itself...

[@jiffjiffernson7292]

John - isn't that great, just takes the mundane replaces it w/ a smile and a bit :)

[@s4ckm4n]

Damn, you really can see he felt good in this clip. So fresh and with a nice flow and pace.

[@POPTeacherMrRuss]

true but he lost it at the end

[@zosoiv71]

Thanks for posting Mitch Hedberg...I miss his incredible humor.

[@wvu05]

I saw _The Shawshank Redemption_ for the first time after hearing Mitch Hedberg's joke about dinner reservations. I couldn't hear the lead character's name without hearing Mitch Hedberg.

[@duaneblair6368]

I actually went to high school with him, he was always hilarious.

[@asadsaccount]

No way! That's awesome! Lucky you 😇😃👍

[@sherylw4910]

Harding High School

[@marklewen9384]

Cool..i met him once at a Rage Against the Machine concert at Roseland Ballroom in NYC. Nice guy....

[@duaneblair6368]

@@sherylw4910 yes, did you go there as well?

[@jimschleich8753]

We went to different high schools together.

[@paulzurbrugg]

One of the all time greats. I will never tire of watching Mitch Hedberg standup

[@kawikakilawana7250]

This is the first clip I've seen of 'ol Mitch actually looking healthy and confident with his performance. Thank you for posting this!

[@cutiepiecatloveallanimals6602]

Still to this date when I see someone handing out flyers I laugh

[@Nathan00at78Uuiu]

i love that he finds his jokes genuinely funny.

[@theredbaron057]

I’ve seen countless comedians over the decades and Mitch is in my top 5. We miss you Mitch!

[@frankdeboer1347]

This was one of his great days. He nailed it.

[@warriorv9359]

This cat always nailed it

[@CoastalEddieinflames]

I was 14 when this aired. This was my 1st exposure to Mitch, I will never forget it. RIP to the legend.

[@ThorHammerdahl]

Mitch, we all love you. thank you, thank you...

[@asadsaccount]

What an absolute treasure... This was from before he got into smack (Hardcore) but he still killed it even when he was super, super high. May he rest in peace :)

[@rikudrk]

Love Mitch, extreme self awareness and observation of the world

[@patrickwoods2583]

The Letterman crowd always gave Mitch great applause.

[@joeskis]

which is the worst thing you can do at a comedy show. It's forced and sounds stupid.

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

@@joeskis Exactly. It's fake as hell and you can tell. Stupid APPLAUSE signs. Ever since I learned as a young kid that those signs existed, I started losing faith in humanity... it's depressing and weird that crowds of grown-ass adults will just mindlessly clap because a blinking sign told them to.

[@anti-ethniccleansing465]

@@dogslobbergardens6606 Indeed. I only ever went to the taping of one show - it was a field trip outing for us in middle school (this was back in the late ‘80s). It really was super bizarre! Not only did they have those awful applause signs that you were ordered to follow, they even had employees rally the audience before the taping began and during breaks, etc, to try and hype us all up as much as possible so that we would laugh more and clap louder etc.. It was quite a feat too, because the show was “Full House” rofl.

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

@@anti-ethniccleansing465 imagine being the comedians who have to warm up the crowds at some of those sitcoms and talk shows. I suppose some of them are really into it, and I guess some of them probably make good money... but I bet a lot of them are thinking, "good grief this crappy job BETTER get me a real gig" lol

[@anti-ethniccleansing465]

@@dogslobbergardens6606 Right?! Hahah!

[@darrelllevy3422]

He's awesome 👌 Love how he starts with a big smile and appreciates all the cheers. He's having fun and it's great to watch 😉

[@thatotherguy8138]

The best thing about the crowd being enthusiastic about the gift certificate joke is that it made the joke better by accident.

[@JM-co6rf]

i think the pause was planned. but yes, that was the meta punchline

[@AC3handle]

I'm glad we finally get to see mitch in his full 420p glory.

[@StevenEveral]

Man, that gift certificate joke is really good.

[@pwk22]

I don't know if this is his best set, but I've never seen him get a better reception.

[@POPTeacherMrRuss]

well said

[@wasthepol]

Yea I agree

[@sainters7]

Probably helped he's looking really good here with the professionally done hair, leather jacket and no glasses on top of his charm - audience REALLY wanted to support him lol

[@thebullet7874]

Mitch is a great comedian. He’s fast witted and extremely observant. It was very sad that he died.

[@zyxwut321]

I heard this comment in Mitch's voice. Mitch...is a great...comedian. He's fast witted...and extremely obSERvant. It was VERY sad...that he died!

[@blucat4]

@@zyxwut321 😂 Excellent.

[@PrometheanBlade]

Mitch Hedburg is my favorite comedian still. I just love his brand of observant humor- it’s genuinely consistently funny, and with his delivery can’t be beat.

[@natalieschuetz5700]

The best. Thank you for the laughs, Mitch! We miss you! ❤️✨

[@StevenEveral]

I used to miss Mitch Hedberg. I still do, but I used to, too.

[@ZA-co9vj]

One of the best of all time. RIP

[@stephenagosto6198]

Hey Mitch! Bigfoot is still blurry! I really miss you, but I'm glad I was here to see you.

[@ginarichards6307]

I love that he laughed at his own jokes. I miss him.

[@mr.nobody7958]

Rare that a stand up comedian is funny and wholesome 😄

[@interstate366]

Mitch heavily sanitized his sets for TV. His albums have lots of f-bombs.

[@alisonarias978]

‘I use to draw you’ 🦃 😂🤣 love it

[@M2Mil7er]

I used to miss Mitch. I still do, but I used to, too.

[@robertposusta537]

one of the greats! very original, and no cuss words needed...but everyone has their demons and sometimes they win...would love to have heard his take on what's going on today

[@GeoffreyBronson]

I just finished watching the long talk Ari Shafir did at the comedy store about stand up and he said that Mitch Hedberg would absolutely bomb at a lot of open mics. He'd show up and a lot of times the other comics wouldn't get into or really understand the flow he had going on or his type of jokes. Watching this, I can see it. He's so appreciative on every single applause, even thinking he's getting too much. He really needed HIS audience and I'm so glad he found it and we found him. RIP Mitch, your candle burned mighty bright.

[@yothatsmyjawn]

My god, Mitch was so good. RIP!

[@chasjohn57]

Four easy payments? I want three easy payments and one hard payment!

[@diehardrvdfan22]

What about a sorta hard with a touch of awkward-easy-difficult challenging payment?

[@MackFavorites61]

This was great seeing Mitch enjoying himself so much!

[@chirholabarum1171]

I came up with a joke that I think Mitch would have liked ...... "I have a wrist watch. It's a digital watch but it also has hands in case I don't feel like reading". 🙂

[@anti-ethniccleansing465]

Meh.

[@riccardosapore8216]

I like it xD

[@chirholabarum1171]

@@riccardosapore8216 Thanks ☺

[@astralplainer]

Suffered from stage fright which gripped him so much that he would go on to tell jokes with his eyes closed, hence the sunglasses later on. Yet he carried on fighting this demon with other demons because he loved making people laugh. Miss you Mitch: you were ahead of your time.

[@edmcboy7308]

Perfect description

[@jenniferwebb677]

Beautiful man great comedy ❤❤ miss him😢

[@fleadoggreen9062]

I liked the turtle neck joke lol

[@johnblough78]

The key to everything is the ability to laugh at yourself. Thanks Mitch.

[@blucat4]

No, that's the key to getting in trouble at church! 😄

[@phildirt3]

Saw him live. He was great!

[@dragoszmoartescu5518]

Mitch Hedberg is one of my favorite USA comedian. He has joke on Smackie the Frog that is very funny to me where he says "Smokie the Bear is way more intense in person" and I think that is one of the funniest jokes of all comedians.

[@mustain21]

Richard Jenni, Robin Williams, Mitch Hedberg

[@avedic]

He always seemed like such a sweet kind human being. He'd often get embarrassed during sets, or show genuine surprise and gratitude that the audience actually liked him, etc. He wore his emotions on his sleeve. There's just zero pretense or ego with him. It's too bad he didn't seem to fully appreciate just how lovable he was to people...always kinda second guessing that it wasn't real. He was clearly a very sensitive introverted person....trying his best in an often harsh extroverted world. I love that about him....for the same reason I love the musical artist Aurora. Both very sensitive hyper introverts....who nonetheless found a way to share their creative talent with the rest of us. I'm grateful for people like that....

[@KanWoo76]

Mitch was a legend and is truly missed! RIP

[@bigrobwazhere6268]

It's the "I used to draw you." That gets me.

[@austin21x]

Mitch Hedberg, Steven Wright and Norm MacDonald have got to be some of the best observational/one line riffers of all time

[@manuginobilisbaldspot424]

Do You Believe In Gosh remains a top 5 all time comedy set for me. I loved Mitch...he was 1 of 1. Unreal he's been gone for so long.

[@deryckmcleod4608]

One of the best. RIP Mitch, you deserve it, but the world misses you.

[@frankmacleod2565]

He really was one of the greatest

[@Cards-In-The-Closet]

I had not heard the Cake and Gift Card joke before. Thanks for posting.

[@Stonedead1991]

That Pringles joke is incredibly funny. had me rolling

[@anti-ethniccleansing465]

I’m surprised Pringles didn’t simply put the potatoes whole in the can, and stick with the original plan to market them to tennis players. Folks can still play tennis with the potatoes, but it actually was a new creative way to make mashed potatoes or hash browns at the same time. Everyone knows people who play sports work up an appetite, so they might as well prepare some food while playing.

[@Wayinsworld]

Mitch joined that club up in heaven, and he didn't even know he was a member! Toothpicks with frilly plastic on the end. Like em.

[@anti-ethniccleansing465]

Except “heaven” is nothing more than a dreamed up fantasy by some of mankind.

[@tylerjames7015]

The man didn’t know how great he was … not use to this much applause ? Man the world loves you Mitch

[@virg0_lem0nade]

it's sweet but also heartbreaking to see that he was like, almost shocked that the audience loved him. 💗

[@rayr.1813]

Every time I watch Mitch I am both happy and sad, happy about what was and sad about what could have been

[@thomasfontaine3002]

Trick me into thinking I’m done lolll

[@gy3940]

I love this guy so much. He was awesome.

[@mlc4050]

Whoever was working the "Applause' sign did not understand Mitch's humor

[@raywalsh2190]

Yes. This. I appreciate that many of the commenters enjoyed the audience applauding Mitch, but this was very disconcerting for him. It takes away that wonderful hesitation between the punchline and the audience getting it, which was the hallmark of any Mitch Hedberg appearance. Letterman probably had a sense of the crowd that day/night and instructed the staff to prod them. I would bet that most of them didn't get any of the humor and probably wouldn't remember seeing that Mitch Helgenburg guy.

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

@@raywalsh2190 Yep. TV kind of demands "a laugh a second," fast-paced, in-your-face stuff. Because the dorks who run TV seem to assume everyone has the attention span of a goldfish. It really messes with the timing for comics like Mitch, Stephen Wright, Norm MacDonald. I think applause signs should be outlawed. And JFC, laugh tracks are even worse.

[@CynthiaAllenStrawberry]

Totally agree about crew necks and Turtlenecks!

[@ankhor9252]

Incomparable. One of the funniest ever.

[@justinmcgonigle5587]

What a delightful person…

[@lancefromohio]

I miss this guy so much. Much love Mitchell.

[@sergios680]

I think it’s the first time I’ve ever heard a good tennis joke 💚

[@seangardner7874]

That pringles joke is the best haha

[@airlinena]

*MITCH HEDBERG WAS THE GREATEST*

[@SJSUPhil]

Mitch was a very funny comedian who died way young. Thanks for the video clip Dave.

[@drumsport]

So many great lines.........."If fish want to grow up to be fish sticks, they need really good posture."

[@wood69420]

Haven't seen this one... He seemed really happy in this and not as anxious!

[@gypsyrain369]

i MISS YA MITCH !

[@Daniel-fq5vq]

my absolute favorite stand up comedian. this guy right here! Love you Mitch!

[@Jilocoknight]

Heldberg is an underrated comic genius

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

He's not as famous as he maybe should be, but I wouldn't really say he's underrated. Among other comics and fans, he's very well respected. For a while there was a whole slew of young comics who tried to steal his delivery and style... which is kind of a good sign but of course none of them could really pull it off.

[@gtyrone83]

Was

[@youknow685]

Brilliant comedian

[@TonyRedunzo]

He is SO high! Just watching him gave me a buzz. Now where did i put those chocolate chip cookies?

[@ZalbaagBeoulve]

Really glad this was posted. Thanks!

[@missydavis6678]

I suspected he was on the spectrum. So I googled it. Turns out others on the spectrum do too. I feel like I understand his feelings or awkwardness. Also, how he trys to time his jokes and tells the audience they clapped too long. Everyone loved Mitch. I discover him by accedent and thought this guy makes great connections about details and situations. Like Sienfield on steroids. Very intelligent!

[@xnow1936]

rest in peace legend

[@nicholasleemarks]

His friend was right. Arkansas is AR. Used to live there and folks from my home state would always think it was AK (which is Alaska) and they though AR was Arizona (which is AZ). Mitch’s friend was quicker than he got credit for.

[@anti-ethniccleansing465]

Why isn’t Alaska abbreviated to AL? It would be way cooler.

[@stephenusaf6315]

Alberta, Canada, is AL. @@anti-ethniccleansing465

[@pamshirk7447]

I always bring him up when I need to laugh and not take life too seriously.

[@kristy9337]

Me and my daughter liked his club sandwich joke. Sometimes I would text her and ask "how do you feel about frilly toothpicks" if she was having a bad day. She'd lol

[@orional1977]

I saw a wino eating a grape. I said "dude, you need to wait."

[@RaymondPeckIII]

I'd rather just light a stick and have my roommates wake up with false hope!

[@SakSuper17]

first time i seen his eyes

[@johnnyphoenix5334]

I didn't know he ever performed without sunglasses!

[@emmanuelsamson4819]

Legend has it that to this day they are still looking for the Dufraynes.

[@catfish24]

First time hearing the Flyer joke laughed my A off and the joke is so true.

[@ninestories2]

Please caption these or set the video language to enable auto captions. These classic clips deserve it!

[@kpd3308]

That was a great audience, and Mitch deserved them.

[@LoLo-hs7bp]

He was in such good shape