Los Angeles Declares 8/18 Brody Stevens Day to Honor Late Comedian

The City of Los Angeles declared August 18 (8/18) Brody Stevens Day in honor of the late comedian, who was a San Fernando Valley native who frequently talked about his hometown on stage. He’d use the phrase “818 ‘til I die!” which was a reference to the Valley’s area code. 

“Brody loved our community and he made such a positive impact on so many,” said Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, who represents the 3rd Council District and led the ceremony commemorating the comedian. “It’s truly special to be joined by his family and friends to name ‘818 Day’ after Brody, a proud West Valley native and one of the best comedians of his generation.”

The comic was a staple on the LA comedy scene and had many TV and movie credits on his resume including “The Hangover,” “Late Night With Conan O’Brien,” “Tosh.O” and “Comedy Bang! Bang!” 

Stevens and his friend Zach Galifianakis produced “Brody Stevens: Enjoy It!” which was a Comedy Central documentary series about Stevens returning to normal life after getting out of a psychiatric hospital. In the different episodes, he stops taking his medications cold turkey and has a manic episode, he apologizes to Chelsea Handler for getting upset and leaving his job at her show, and visits a hypnotherapist to conquer his facial dysmorphia. 

Stevens died at his Valley Village home in 2019; the cause of death was suicide by hanging. He was 48.

Friends and family, including Stevens’ mother Jackie and his sister Stephanie, along with comedians Jeff Ross and Benji Aflalo, gathered at Reseda Park on 8/18 to honor his life and unveil Brody’s Bench. 

“Levity and laughter are so important so even though Brody is gone, his message, his cadence, makes it easier.”

A press release from Blumenfield’s office quoted Ross as saying, “We are a year and a half into a very lonely time, so Brody’s message of positive energy really resonates right now. Levity and laughter are so important so even though Brody is gone, his message, his cadence, makes it easier. It’s amazing that Brody can lift me up, get me out of bed and bring people together.”

Stevens, who was an avid baseball fan and even pitched for Arizona State University during his college career, was beloved and admired in the comedy circle for his off-kilter humor and thoughtful attitude toward others. 

Jay Karas, a comedy director and producer, said, “Brody was a force of nature. He was insanely funny, and it was apparent in the countless times I saw him perform, that he was truly living in the moment. He was his own breed, a killer comic and a kind soul. And I miss seeing him out in the world.”

Comedian Tom Segura echoed these sentiments in a comment to the Journal: “He had unmatched energy in his sets and it didn’t matter where we were—if Brody was on stage I always watched. He was unlike anyone else, which is rare. He would chastise audience members in a way I’d never seen before. And it was always a treat to watch someone seeing him for the first time. He was the sweetest soul.”

Stevens was intense and wildly hilarious, whether he was performing on stage or doing pre-show audience warm up, but he was also kind and generous, especially to up-and-coming comics—something noted by all the comics with whom the Journal spoke. 

Aflalo recalled meeting Stevens when he was a “door guy and phones guy at the Comedy Store,” which has a history of hiring young comedians, who then get the added perk of getting to watch great comedians on stage. “Stevens was the most inspiring for me,” said Aflalo. “I always felt like he captured all aspects of comedy . . . he was emotional on stage, he was full of information . . . he was always hyping, he was always using emotion, not dropping the ball ever.” When he did audience warmup, “he would take a crowd of the most apathetic people” and he would “work them into a frenzy and make any room come to life.”

“Brody was one of the few people who could go into both worlds and not only do well but be greeted with open arms and appreciated . . . he was treasured by the entire community, which was hard to do.”

“I love and I miss the guy,” said Aflalo, who also commented on Stevens’ unique ability to connect with different worlds in the comedy scene. In LA, for example, there are “club comics and eastside comics who would do Silverlake shows or Largo shows. Brody was one of the few people who could go into both worlds and not only do well but be greeted with open arms and appreciated . . . he was treasured by the entire community, which was hard to do.” 

Comedian Erica Rhodes, who performed with Stevens in clubs around LA, said that he was nice and supportive to everyone, including newer comics. 

“He was a sweet, sensitive soul. I loved watching him crush the late shows at the Comedy Store for 15 people all in hysterics. I really loved his comedy and I think he deserves a whole Brody week, but I’m glad he got a day.”

While Stevens wasn’t religious, he referenced his Jewish identity often, whether it was jokingly referring to himself as a “Hebrew Christian” on Marc Maron’s podcast, or calling himself and his family, who came from Arizona and New Mexico, “pioneering Jews of the Southwest.” 

“He wore his Jewiness on his sleeve,” said Aflalo, “and took it everywhere he went.”

Another comedian who remembers Stevens fondly is Matty Goldberg, who knew him in New York and LA. “Brody was the closest thing in my generation to Andy Kaufman,” he said. “He would do funny, weird stuff. He would play air drums in videos or tweet about something political and then write, ‘I wrote this alone at a Pizza Hut in the Valley.’ It was funny but there was a lot of pain. You could tell he was a lonely guy.”

Goldberg continued, “Everyone was doing comedy one way, and Brody was totally outside the box and he gained this crazy cult following for it. He was a comedy genius. He really was.”