Funny dynamic: German comedian finds Israelis have ‘the darkest sense of humor’

To say Mario Adrion’s career path has been unexpected is an understatement.

He grew up in rural Germany in a family of lumberjacks. Today, the stand-up comedian is about to perform half a dozen sold-out shows in Tel Aviv, with a set that dives headlong into every uncomfortable topic imaginable.

Slowly but surely, Adrion, 32, has built a comic career in large part poking fun at German stereotypes, including their discomfort with their World War II history, as well as mining his relationship with his Jewish wife for humor.

“First of all, comedy in general is a very unlikely career for a German,” Adrion told The Times of Israel in a video interview last week from his home in Los Angeles. “And then on top of that, doing shows in Israel is not something you’d ever expect to do.”

With more than 2 million followers on Instagram, and some of his YouTube videos garnering over 20 million views, it’s clear Adrion’s comedy has found its audience, including a major fan base of Israelis. Wrapping up an extensive stand-up tour through Europe, he has already sold out seven straight shows at the Zappa Club in Tel Aviv, and just added another seating – his most shows in any city. He also has a string of upcoming shows across the United States.

Adrion said that “in Germany, obviously, we have a lot of knowledge about Jewish people and Jewish culture, but not a lot of cultural overlap. So it’s a very strange dynamic – and especially there’s no humor around it really – because there’s so much guilt.”

But when he first moved to New York at 18 to pursue a modeling career, “I made a lot of Jewish friends and they would make these jokes to me… and that’s when I learned that humor is something we can use to cope with uncomfortable things, uncomfortable feelings and conversations.”

Then he met his now-wife in 2019, and began edging toward the type of humor that is considered taboo by many, in particular, drawing on the cultural differences and sensitivities in their relationship.

“It’s a funny dynamic and it’s too obvious not to talk about it,” he said. “So I started talking about it and – it all comes from love. I think people, especially Jewish people, felt safe with me making these jokes because I’m not just a German making jokes about Jewish people. There’s actually a relevance to me talking about this.”

While not all stereotypes are true, comedy — even more so in English — is an unexpected pursuit for a German. In 2014, while Adrion pursued a career in modeling in New York, he also started posting YouTube videos about his experiences and gaining an online following. Then in 2020, he moved to Los Angeles and pivoted to stand-up comedy, playing heavily on cliches about Germans.

“The only thing you can do in Germany is go to school, become an engineer, and that’s what I did,” he said. “So it took me a long time to even accept the fact that I have a comedic affinity, and it took me until I came to the US and went to New York and then came to LA and started improv – and then I got into stand-up comedy that way.”

Like most comedic acts, Adrion’s material – including his first full-length special, titled “My Struggle” (yep) – isn’t for everyone. But the comedian has always found that the audiences most uncomfortable with his jokes are actually Germans.

“When I made similar jokes in Europe, specifically in Austria and Germany, people were a lot more uncomfortable,” he said, noting that he adjusted his set a little bit, but “I think even for Germans it’s important to kind of be confronted with this idea of like joking about things that are uncomfortable, because I think it can really help even raise awareness and bring a conversation into our lives.”

This will be Adrion’s second trip to Israel, after he played five shows in Tel Aviv last year, where he found an even more receptive audience than he could have imagined.

“The first show I did, I was kind of testing out the waters… I was going to steer away from material that is too edgy,” he said. “But then I did one joke that is a little edgier, it was a joke about Hitler or something, and people like applauded… It’s just not what I expected.”

After touring throughout most of the world, Adrion said, “I don’t think anybody has a darker sense of humor than Israelis… I did 70 shows in Europe the last couple of months, and none of them were as open to dark material as Israel.”

Heading back to Israel in the coming days – and hoping to avoid any missiles – Adrion is simply happy to go where people appreciate his humor.

“If so many people want to see me there and so many of the civilians in Israel enjoy what I do, want to see me live, and plus they’re going through so much uncertainty, I felt like maybe my going there could also provide some sort of comic relief,” he said. “Which is ironic that they need a German for that.”