This March, Buress’ reimagined vision of the iconic space opened as Isola Brooklyn — his very own comedy and music club. The former co-host of The Eric Andre Show and Broad City star has a lot of history there. He performed at the opening of Knitting Factory’s Brooklyn outpost, hosted a permanent stand-up series there and closed out the venue’s final show. Buress says the full-circle experience of owning the space has been “real trippy.”
“I’ll have these moments where it’s just me in there like ‘Wow, this is kind of crazy,’” Buress says to Orlando Weekly.
Hosting Buress’ peers and comedy icons like Dave Chappelle, Nick Kroll and Michael Che in the last four months has kept Buress busy, but not too busy to get back into touring for “the love of the game.” The 42-year-old Buress is currently on tour, and he’s coming to Orlando Thursday.
Getting his start in comedy in 2002 while at Southern Illinois University, the Chicago native has had an exhaustive 20-year career. The former Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock writer has six comedy specials under his belt, as well as roles in Tag, Daddy’s Home, Spider-Man: Homecoming — for which he famously hired an imposter to attend the premiere, due to a scheduling conflict — and Spider-Man: No Way Home, as well as voice-acting in roles for The Secret Life of Pets and DC’s Justice League Action. The comic is also credited with bringing Bill Cosby’s sexual abuse accusations to the forefront in 2014.
Although Buress hasn’t released a comedy special since Miami Nights — his now-removed 2020 YouTube special reflecting on his 2017 arrest at Art Basel Miami Beach for disorderly intoxication — he says a new special is expected some time this year or early 2026, as well as a re-release of Miami Nights. “I’d put one out just to mark the time,” says Buress. “It’s been long enough.”
Outside of touring and managing his club, Buress has been pursuing other creative endeavors. Rapping and DJing as Eshu Tune — named after the trickster god in the West African Yoruba religion — Buress’ love for music dates back before his comedy career. Growing up in the Chicago rap scene and recording his first song back in 2000, Buress finally began releasing singles under his stage name in 2022. Referring to making music as “taking care of his inner child and parenting himself,”
Buress adds: “I think it’s just to really do things that give you joy and taking that time to do that, even if it’s a little bit of time.”
When asked if he wishes he pursued music full time alongside comedy, Buress’ response is thoughtful. “I just wasn’t in a headspace, or maybe I kind of put myself in a self-imposed box early on,” he says. “Because even if it didn’t blow up or whatever it was, just to mark the time and what I would have created in this mental state … so, yes, I do. I do kind of wish I was putting out more just to have that journal where people can do the same as they could do with my stand-up and grow with me.”
As for his next creative ventures, Buress says he has his own beverage in the works, as well as aspirations to direct a film or create his own cartoon or animation.
“When I acted, I didn’t feel super engaged a lot of times,” he says. “I think it’s because I wanted more to do. So directing kind of gives that, the same way that owning a venue and also performing gives me more things I could add.”
Since his last performance in Orlando in 2017, Buress is looking forward to catching up the City Beautiful on all of his “new shit,” from fatherhood to the reality of being at the age where losing parents and grandparents is a commonality … and maybe some thoughts on the importance of Elon Musk’s ketamine dealer to our current administration.
Buress says that at this point in his career, his material rarely comes from pen and paper but rather from pulling real-life thoughts and experiences, paired with encouragement from friends. Buress says if he dwells on it, he knows to include it in his shows.
And this Thursday, you can find out what Buress has been dwelling on lately.
The Abbey
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This article appears in Jun 25 – Jul 1, 2025.