The new Park Circle club is cohosting Charleston Comedy Week in January
Age: 43
Lives: Daniel Island with his wife, Janet, and three children
Education: Studied film and theater at University of Colorado and emergency management with Air University
Favorite comedian: “Growing up, Richard Pryor was everything to me; today I would say Sam Tallent and Sean Patton are the best in the business.”
While retired Air Force veteran Josh Bates had 30 years of theater experience when he landed in Charleston, it wasn’t until an open-mic night at The Sparrow in 2018 that he dipped his toes into comedy. As open mics turned into more gigs across the Southeast, he faced the dilemma of how to balance his work and personal life. “I thought to myself, ‘I’m married and have kids; I’m not gonna be able to successfully tour on the road as a comedian,’” Bates reflects. “I wanted to find success in a way that was fulfilling, and that’s when I realized I wanted to open my own comedy club.” After The Sparrow shuttered its doors last fall, Bates jumped on the opportunity and opened Wit’s End Comedy Club & Lounge in Park Circle in June 2024 with entrepreneurs Rick Blind and Bo Silliman.
Since then, the club has hosted open mics on Monday and Wednesday and touring acts on Friday and Saturday, as well as events with other local comedy groups. This month, Wit’s End is partnering with Theatre 99, Charleston Music Hall, and the Music Farm to present Charleston Comedy Week from January 23 to 26. Here, Bates talks about Wit’s End’s mission of keeping the Lowcountry comedy scene accessible for all.
CM: What’s been the reception since you opened in June?
JB: People wanted comedy, and North Charleston is a good spot to do that. There’s a lot of transplants from up north that are used to having comedy clubs around, and this has filled a void for them. We’re a place for all of the misfits to come and hang out. We want to be a refuge for all artists, all kinds of performances and shows, not just a comedy club.
CM: Can you elaborate on the goal of “fostering an inclusive comedy scene”?
JB: In any kind of social circle, especially in art and theater, you have a lot of diverse groups trying to share what they do. It can be uncomfortable getting into a new space, so we want to create an environment where everyone feels welcome, including women, LGBTQ folks, and people of color. American comedy is founded on the minority voice; we find most of our humor not from cisgender white guys, but from all walks of life.
CM: What kind of community involvement does Wit’s End have?
JB: The first thing that we did was host a charity event for our neighbor, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lowcountry, where we raised around $2,000. We also do a Sunday Supper Series, where we invite North Charleston chefs to take over our kitchen, and they get to keep all of the money made that evening. It helps to foster that neighborhood feeling.
CM: Tell us about Comedy Week.
JB: We wanted to highlight not only our local comedy scene, but also national talents. We’ll have more than a dozen shows over four days, pairing big-name acts like Dave Attell and Patton Oswalt with regional artists to give them a chance to get their work out there. Our goal for the end of 2025 is to host our own festival, where comedians from across the country can come for a week of networking and performing.
WATCH Josh Bates’ comedy special, Pancake Carpet
