MEET PATTI VASQUEZ
BOLD. AUTHENTIC. HONEST.
Funny happens.
And it always happens when comedian Patti Vasquez is around. You don’t have to take our word for it either. Lewis Black says, “Patti is simply marvelous.” Bill Maher called her, “The funniest woman in comedy since Carol Burnett.”
Patti Vasquez is a comedian, writer, actor, and talk show host who always loves finding the funny moments in life.
Growing on the Northwest side of Chicago, Patti played baseball, worked at the neighborhood hotdog joint, and learned how to play gin rummy with her dad. She also learned how to make people laugh– often to the dismay of her teachers, who frequently sent her out to the hallway for disrupting the class. So, Patti learned how to write her thoughts down, focus on her path, and, after graduating from the University of Illinois with Highest Honors and a degree in history, entered the Ph.D. program at Northwestern University. However, surrounded by serious academics, she soon found she could not contain her sarcasm. Much to the dismay of her parents, Patti left the prestigious school to pursue a career where she could stand tall and tell the truth.
Patti set out to share her hilarious observations about how people behave, the crazy situations found in various odd jobs, and stories about her second generation Irish dad and Mexican immigrant mom.
While studying improv and performing at open mics, she caught the attention of Zanies Comedy Club owner Rick Uchwat, who took her under his wing and managed her career. She became a Zanies regular, sharing the stage with comedy legends like, Lewis Black, Sarah Silverman, Brian Reagan, John Mulaney, Kevin Hart and John Pinnette. She hit the road, performing 48 weeks of the year in comedy clubs all over the world, and building a fan-base that continues to follow Patti on her adventures. Many return just find out about her family, occasionally yelling out “How’s your mom?” Patti never tires of catching them up on “Abuelita’s” antics.
In addition to headlining in comedy clubs and colleges all over the United States, Canada and Europe, Patti has written and performed three hit solo shows for theater audiences: Tequila and Shamrocks: Every Flower Has Her Roots, Pregnant Party Girl: From Stoli’s to Stirrups, Mamacita: Tales of a Diaper Diva. On television Patti has appeared on NICK’S MOM’S NIGHT OUT on Nickelodeon, THE VERY FUNNY SHOW on TBS, MTV’s Tr3s, COMEDY.TV, and Comics Unleashed. Patti also made regular appearances on the popular Bob and Tom TV Show on Superstation WGN and their daily morning radio show, syndicated in 139 cities across the country. Patti has appeared in many comedy festivals including Just For Laughs, HBO’s Las Vegas Comedy Festival, the Chicago Comedy Festival and Marshall’s Women in Comedy Festival in New York City.
Most recently, Patti has been touring with her solo show “Rhymes with Duck”, delighting audiences with her tales about balancing career and family. She tackles social issues with a cheerful edginess that appeals to audiences of all backgrounds. Her hilarious take on the foibles of the human experience keeps people coming back to see what she has to say about relationships, pop culture and random encounters with strangers who have no idea she’s cataloging their ridiculous behavior to share with audiences all over the world.
For some reason, being a mother of two with a “stay at home Dad” (which sounds so much better than “unemployed husband”), while living with her parents is a great motivator for Patti to just get out of the house. Seriously though, Patti loves being a mom to her beautiful little boys: Griffin, who loves trains, Batman, talks as much as his mom, and is the best big brother to Declan, who loves music, water, and hugs. Declan also happens to have special needs, a part of Patti’s life that she isn’t afraid to talk about. She has begun sharing her story with humor and heart for groups such as the Iowa Department of Education, The Hope Network and Gilda’s Club through her With Kind Words initiative.
Her TV special MY LIFE IS A JOKE aired on The Oprah Network in 2013. She co-hosted the daytime talk show pilot FUNNY GIRLS for ABC Television in 2014. For the last five years the Chicago native has been hosting her own talk show on WGN radio every night Monday through Friday. Chicagoans have made the show #1 in its time slot. Because of WGN’s powerful 50,000 watt signal listeners in 38 states and Canada enjoy the show too!
While still hosting her eclectic and wildly successful radio show, Patti began working with ABC to develop a sitcom based on Patti’s life entitled “Patti Happens” and she is currently working with film producers on a project scheduled to start shooting in 2019.
If you want to be where the funny is then you want to be there when “Patti Happens.”