Comedian Brad Williams taping next special at Opera House this weekend
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Brad Williams will film a new live special at Lexington Opera House on Oct. 25.
- Cameras will capture back-to-back Growth Spurt performances for a new special.
- Williams leverages 21 years of material, TV and film work to broaden his standup.
At the outset of his 2024 comedy special “Starfish” filmed at Sony Hall in New York City, popular stand-up comedian Brad Williams made a declaration before he even told his first joke.
“This is a comedy special. You want it to be special, you shoot that s**t in New York, man.”
This was an intriguing statement considering what is taking place this weekend. When he brings his Growth Spurt Tour to Lexington on Saturday, Oct. 25, the cameras will be rolling and capturing back-to-back performances that will become his latest live stand-up comedy special.
Why film in Lexington?
Fellow comedian and friend Dusty Slay sent Williams pictures from a show he did at the historic 964-seat Lexington Opera House when he performed in 2024. That, plus a welcome coincidence, was enough to prompt Williams to shoot his next special in the Bluegrass State.
“It happens to be on Short Street. I thought ... that was a sign,” Williams joked.
How Brad Williams became a comedian
Williams is all too familiar with the idea that some big things can come in small packages. The diminutive performer dealt with plenty of bullying as a child due to his dwarfism, leading to his father coaching him to have funny comebacks he would volley back to kids at school.
“It’s weird to see where my life ended up,” Williams recalled. “He was training me to be a comedian.”
When Williams began pursuing stand-up comedy, what started as a childhood hindrance became a strength he could cleverly leverage for laughs on stage.
Over the course of multiple comedy albums, live comedy specials and 21 years in the business, Williams has expanded his material and repertoire. While he admits that he eventually has to address his physical stature (he has tried to do sets where he did NOT talk about his dwarfism ... and it didn’t go well, he said), he believes his success can’t be totally chalked up to a gimmick.
“I’m not going up there for an hour going, ‘I can take a bath in a thimble,’” he said. “You can’t do eight (combined recorded special) hours of ‘I’m short’ and still have a career.”
Appearing in ‘Spinal Tap’ sequel
Williams has also expanded his creative ventures beyond the standup stage. He previously hosted the successful podcast “About Last Night,” opposite co-host comedian Adam Ray, and has appeared on a number of TV shows and movies. Most recently, he appeared as Daniel the Druid in this year’s “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues,” the long-awaited sequel to the 1984 iconic rock band mockumentary “This is Spinal Tap.”
Speaking to us earlier this month, while on vacation in Hawaii with his family (he had shows in Honolulu), Williams used words like “nuts” and “bonkers” to describe his current success and his ability to sell out theaters on his recent tours. He said he has enjoyed tackling new topics and trying out all of the tricks in his comedic tool belt he has acquired over two decades.
He said that while people who attend his upcoming show in Lexington may walk out feeling a variety of unexpected emotions, he enjoys triggering one in particular in these often polarizing times.
“I’m glad that my job is literally to make people happy,” he said.
Brad Williams Growth Spurt Tour and Live Special Taping
When: Saturday, Oct. 25, 6 and 9 p.m.
Where: Lexington Opera House, 401 W. Short St.
Tickets: $41.45 to $51.45, 859-233-4567 or lexingtonoperahouse.com
This story was originally published October 23, 2025 at 3:03 PM.