Louis C.K. appears to have donated $30,000 to help the wait staff at the Comedy Cellar. And he’s just one of a host of famous funny people to rally around the workers at the Greenwich Village comedy mecca while it’s closed because of the pandemic.
According to a GoFundMe set up by stand-up star Mike Birbiglia, Louis donated $10,000 around a week ago, and then chipped in another $20,000 yesterday.
The 52-year-old comedian has been a fixture there, both on and off the stage, for decades. The club is memorably featured in the intro to his FX show, “Louie.”
“Saturday Night Live’s” Michael Che also appears to have coughed up $5,000, Dave Attell donated $1,500, while Sarah Silverman, Michelle Wolf and Keith Robinson all paid $1000, according to the site. John Mayer (who has tried his hand at stand-up there) appears to have donated $2,500.
Comics Todd Barry, Chris Gethard, Jeff Garlin, T.J. Miller, Colin Jost, Roy Wood Jr., Gary Gulman and Jim Norton also made contributions.
The GoFundMe has blown past its target of $50,000 and now totals $104,000 in donations.
Birbiglia has set up a program called “Tip Your Wait Staff” to help the Cellar, as well as comedy clubs around the country. We’re told that it’s helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for clubs across the country including Washington’s DC Improv, the Comedy Attic in Bloomington, Indiana, and the Stardome in Birmingham, Alabama.
The “New One” star has been inviting his “best friends in comedy” to join him on Instagram Live to help raise cash for the workers.