Whetsell Reflects on Budd Friedman’s Comedic Legacy: New York Times

Comedic Arts affiliated faculty and alum Tripp Whetsell ’94 shared his admiration and respect for the late comedian and actor Budd Friedman, who recently passed, in a New York Times piece. Friedman was the founder of the legendary Improv comedy clubs, first opened in New York City in 1963.

“The Improv was a game changer,” said Whetsell, who co-authored The Improv: An Oral History of the Comedy Club That Revolutionized Stand-Up with Friedman, published in 2017. Whetsell also teaches History of Comedy at the College.

Friedman visited the Boston campus in 2018 for a book signing event with Whetsell.

Also mentioned in the NYT piece is Friedman’s 2006 interview for the College’s American Comedy Archives (ACA).

89 audio interview recordings with comedians, actors, writers, and more produced for their book collaboration were donated to the ACA; viewable in the Budd Friedman and Tripp Whetsell collection.

Read the New York Times obituary.