Robbie Freeman

when i was doing improv comedy in nyc i had a buddy who was pursuing standup. we would workshop his jokes and i would go with him to open mics to record his sets for him. one night he told me he had a real banger to end with. he said he was gonna do an impression of his dad but needed a volunteer from the audience. a guy got up there, however trepidatiously. my friend said alright, you're me, and I'm my dad, okay? the guy said okay... then, my friend just left. left the room, left the venue. and did not come back. a few minutes went by of uncomfortable silence and scattered laughs. eventually, the volunteer goes "well, i guess he's not coming back," and the whole audience erupted in laughter and applause. the host came out to ask for one more round of applause for my friend before moving to the next comic. i slipped out to go and find him, he was somewhere down the street 🤣 this was in 2008 but remains my favorite stand up joke ever.