Nori Reed returns to the Bay Area to headline Club Fugazi this Saturday, marking a full-circle moment in her Cheeky Summer Tour: the first time the comedian, writer, and actress headlines a Bay Area stage since relocating to Los Angeles in 2019.
“It feels amazing,” Reed says. “I love the Bay Area so much, and I can’t wait to bring back some laughter and much-needed joy during this really difficult time.” Reed’s Bay Area roots run deep. After growing up in Kentucky, she began her career in Oakland, hosting the monthly showcase Man Haters and making a name for herself with appearances at Outside Lands, SF Sketchfest, and Clusterfest. Her material often centers on identity and cross-cultural, intersectional experiences—qualities she says define the Bay Area’s unique cultural landscape.
Reed has since built a national profile in television and comedy. She wrote for CBS’s After Midnight and served as story editor on Hulu’s Standing By, from creators Dan Levy and Ally Pankiw. She also contributed as a writer on Disney Channel’s Raven’s Home for seasons five and six, where she created Disney Channel’s first-ever live-action transgender character, a project that earned GLAAD and Emmy nominations. “Stand-up has influenced my TV writing more than the other way around,” she notes, emphasizing her love for punchy jokes and diverse characters seen through an observant, curious lens.
Her stand-up career has flourished with showcases on Showtime, HBO Max, and appearances at the Netflix Is A Joke Festival, Belly Laughs, Comedy Central’s Clusterfest, and Outside Lands. SF Weekly once named her “Oakland’s Next Great Comedian,” and New York Magazine’s Vulture highlighted her as one of the “Comedians You Should Know and Will Know” in 2021. Reed says the two worlds—onstage and on-screen—feed each other, with the honest, personal material she draws from her life often shaping her television work as well.
On stage, Reed embraces her identity with a candid, irreverent voice. She resists being reduced to labels and has spoken about the ongoing challenge of representing transgender voices in both comedy and children’s television. “This is always a challenge, for sure,” she says, adding that not answering questions about labels can be a form of resistance in itself. Her Cheeky Summer Tour embraces that spirit, with Reed quipping that the tour’s name reflects more than a cheeky pun—“my cheeks … on my face that is … and I am so cheeky, like a little devil, for sure.”
Audiences at Club Fugazi can expect flat-out laughter while Reed dives into what it means to be trans in the current moment, addressing how dark things may feel—yet promising that the show remains 100 percent comedy. “People can expect to laugh a lot,” she says.
As for what comes next after the Bay Area finale, Reed hints at something entirely unexpected, joking that she might even flee to Ireland to become a chaplain. For now, Bay Area fans can look forward to this homecoming moment, as Reed brings her distinctive blend of sharp humor and personal storytelling back to San Francisco.
Nori Reed performs Saturday at Club Fugazi in San Francisco. Tickets and more information are available through event listings.
Why this matters
Nori Reed’s return to the Bay Area spotlights a prominent voice bridging stand-up and television writing, with a focus on trans representation and authentic storytelling. Her work on Disney’s first live-action transgender character and her ongoing commitment to truthful, personal material make this show a meaningful moment for local audiences and for broader conversations about identity in comedy and media. If you value bold, honest humor that challenges stereotypes while delivering big laughs, this is a performance to catch.
Summary
Nori Reed’s Bay Area homecoming performance at Club Fugazi highlights her distinctive fusion of personal, identity-driven stand-up and influential TV writing, underscored by a commitment to authentic representation and sharp, entertaining storytelling.