4 days ago
Jacked dudes to fat cat: Rising comedian Zoltan Kaszas brings standup to Florida
Zoltan Kaszas says while growing up in Southern California he moved often and comedy was a way for him to adapt.
"I was always the new kid with the weird name. I learned to make fun of it before anyone else did," said the comedian, whose "Death-Defying Comedy Tour' comes to six Florida cities for about a month beginning in mid-June.
"With a lot of comedians, me included, it comes out of a way of survival and a way to belong.'
His 15 Florida shows begin in Jacksonville and end in Naples.
Kaszas in his standup often discusses growing up in a trailer park and being raised by his mom. It was at home and with relatives where he first learned to laugh.
'I grew up in a funny family," he said.
And as a kid, he watched comedy specials with the first being Sinbad's 1993 "Afros and Bellbottoms" filmed at New York City's Paramount Theater at Madison Square Garden.
Kaszas also watched Comedy Central specials by comedians Jim Gaffigan, Brian Regan and later, standup by Bill Burr, Louis C.K., and others.
He launched his career, traveling across the U.S. and working smaller venues until six or seven years later when he landed a weeklong gig in Las Vegas.
'That's a long haul just to make it to that level," he said. "I felt I was getting one step closer to becoming a real working comedian. It's not an easy hill to climb.'
His career was humming along and then his 2017 Dry Bar Comedy video "Cat Jokes" ― in which he discusses his overweight cat, Jessica ― went viral.
The YouTube video has nearly 4 million views. In it, Kaszas discusses why he prefers cats to dogs.
He said he knew something was up because two of his shows sold out ahead of time in Spokane, Washington.
'I had no idea," he said about the cat video. 'I didn't know what it meant to go viral. I wasn't even sure it was happening.'
Kaszas said his wife, Emma Bassiri, compares his career to a steady business.
'You've had such nice incremental growth every few years," he said she tells him. "The hope is it's sustainable and I don't have to go back to working on a cruise ship or something.'
Kaszas said he had 15,000 to 20,000 followers on Instagram but that ballooned after the Jessica the cat video. Today, he has nearly Instagram 600,000 followers and some 400,000 on TikTok.
He's more popular than he's ever been.
'Shows are sold out, which is a new problem to have," he said.
Kaszas also rolls out a few videos weekly of his standup and has a podcast, "This Week In Zoltan."
'Posting regularly is really what's important in social media," he said.
For his standup, Kaszas will usually start by offering his view of the town he's in.
For example, he pointed out how Off The Hook Comedy Club in Naples is in the same shopping plaza as a grocery store and a Ferrari probably will be parked in a handicapped spot outside the venue when he arrives for his mid-July shows.
'I try to keep my eyes open so I get to see what's going on, and every once in a while, I have an opinion on something,' he said about arriving in a town.
He's also comfortable discussing current topics, whether it's Donald Trump, singer Katy Perry being chastised for spending 10 minutes in space, Bill Belichick's girlfriend or "jacked up" 50-year-old men ("Your skin is red, you look like you're about to explode!").
'If I do anything political, I try to make it so anyone can laugh at it," Kaszas said. "There's not much fun if one side laughs.'
Kaszas said he filmed a comedy special in Seattle in April 2025 and is excited about the project that could land on a streaming site, adding: "It's the nicest I've ever looked on camera.'
In his upcoming Florida shows, he said, he'll surely share some jokes about the Sunshine State.
'That's the best part of seeing a live show," he said. "If you're just going to watch someone do their hour, you could just watch that on TV.
"But if they're saying something special about their town, that's what makes the shows unique. It's exciting for people to come out and have a good time for something a little different."
And he's not at all concerned about the rising humidity and temperatures as summer starts when he's touring Florida.
'I've got my shorts and Hawaiian shirt ready," he added. "I'm ready to party.'
His Florida shows are:
June 13-15 at the Comedy Zone in Jacksonville
June 26-29 at Side Splitters Comedy Club in Tampa
June 29 at Funny Bone Comedy Club & Restaurant in Orlando
July 9 at Improv Comedy Theatre in Miami
July 10 at Improv Comedy Theatre in Dania Beach
July 11-13 at Off The Hook Comedy Club in Naples.
For tickets, visit
Dave Osborn is the regional features editor of the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. Contact him at dosborn@ and follow him on Instagram @lacrossewriter.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Comedians to see in Florida include Zoltan Kaszas, how to buy tickets
