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Tom Rhodes has been performing stand-up comedy since he was 17.
Early Life
At 12, Tom’s father, a decorated Vietnam War hero with a great sense of humor and a love for stand-up comedy, took him to see his uncle Bob perform. The venue's entrance was right next to the stage, and as a joke, the comedian pulled Tom on stage because he was wearing a Washington Redskins jacket. He interviewed Tom as if he were the team's coach. That moment in Washington, D.C., watching the audience laugh heartily, inspired Tom to pursue stand-up comedy.
Tom spent the following years filling notebooks with joke ideas, dreaming of performing on stage. Growing up surrounded by classic comedy albums, he studied legends like Richard Pryor, Bob Newhart, Bill Cosby, and Rodney Dangerfield.
While at Oviedo High School, everyone knew Tom wanted to be a comedian. He hosted talent shows, pep rallies, and morning and afternoon announcements.
One of his earliest supporters was his drama and speech teacher, who encouraged Tom to develop his natural talents. With a small elevated stage in the classroom, the teacher gave Tom the first five minutes of each class to speak freely. Tom discussed world events, school happenings, and tried out joke ideas. His segments became so popular that students from other classes often attended.
Comedy Beginnings
At 17, Tom used a fake ID to audition at Orlando’s only comedy club, The Funny Farm, and soon became a regular performer there.
During his junior and senior years, he performed every weekend in Orlando and took one-night gigs across Florida. After graduating from Oviedo High School in 1985, Tom toured comedy circuits throughout the Southern U.S. and along the Eastern seaboard.
At 19, he won the "Funniest Person in Central Florida" contest, earning the chance to perform at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles.
After meeting Jay Leno, who advised him that great comedians should live in New York or Los Angeles, Tom moved to New York City.
Describing it as the worst year of his life, Tom lived in Washington Heights with little money and few stage opportunities. Finding limited success in New Jersey and Long Island, he returned to Florida.
Back in Florida, his comedy improved, and he started performing at better clubs across the U.S.
His first major headlining gig was at the Atlanta Punchline, followed by other prestigious clubs.
Turning Professional
At 22, Tom moved to San Francisco to hone his craft in what he calls "the Jerusalem of stand-up comedy." He befriended comedians like Margaret Cho, Marc Maron, Patton Oswalt, and Greg Proops.
He became a regular at major clubs such as The Punchline, The Improv, and Cobbs. During this time, Tom opened concerts for James Brown and The Everly Brothers. He also appeared on shows like An Evening at The Improv, Comic Strip Live, Caroline's Comedy Hour, and MTV's Comedy Half Hour.
Television Success
Tom’s appearance on Comedy Central’s "Two Drink Minimum" (1994) led to regular spots on the network. He filmed a series of jail cell-themed joke interludes styled like rock videos, which helped him gain national recognition.
He became the first comedian to sign a one-year development deal with Comedy Central, resulting in his one-hour special "Viva Vietnam," a comedic travelogue to Vietnam as a tribute to his father and other veterans. Rich Hall served as the sole writer on the special. "Viva Vietnam" received critical acclaim, and The Washington Post featured a story on Tom and his father, highlighting the special’s premiere where Vietnamese and U.S. diplomats shared laughs despite their past conflicts.
In 1995, Tom performed at the HBO Aspen Arts Festival and the Montreal International Comedy Festival, where NBC talent scouts discovered him and offered a sitcom development deal.
In 1996, Tom relocated from San Francisco to Los Angeles to develop a sitcom with writer Mark Brazill. From 1996 to 1997, "Mr. Rhodes" aired for one season on NBC. Tom played a long-haired rebellious English teacher at an elite private school. The cast included Stephen Tobolowsky, Ron Glass, Lindsay Sloane, and Jensen Ackles.
After the show ended, Tom considered his earnings as an "NBC artist's grant" and moved back to New York City to focus on stand-up.
From 1998 to 1999, Tom performed multiple nightly sets across Gotham Comedy Club, The Comic Strip, Caroline's, The Comedy Cellar, and Stand Up New York, and opened for Ray Charles at the jazz club Tramps.
He also returned to the Montreal International Comedy Festival and Just for Laughs.
Breaking into Europe
During this time, Tom began traveling to London. With help from friend Rich Hall, he entered the London comedy scene at the Comedy Store. Success there led to more gigs across the UK and Europe.
In 2000, Tom debuted in Australia at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, inspiring him to expand internationally to Paris, Dublin, Berlin, Hong Kong, Beijing, Bangkok, and Jakarta, while maintaining a strong presence in the U.S.
In 2001, he released his first live CD, "How Sweet Ass," recorded in Houston.
That July, Tom filmed "Comedy Central Presents" at New York’s Hudson Theater, his first half-hour special for the network.
Dutch Television
At the end of 2001, as Tom prepared to return to the U.S., producers from Yorin TV saw his performance at Amsterdam's Toomler comedy club.
In January 2002, "Kevin Masters Show starring Tom Rhodes," an American-style late-night talk show, premiered. It ran for three seasons.
When the show ended in 2004, Tom became a presenter on Yorin Travel, a popular travel program.
He filmed travel segments across South America and Europe, including Peru, France’s Champagne region, Saint Petersburg, Wales, the Dutch Caribbean, Aruba, Curacao, and a special on The Beatles in Liverpool.
Going International
At the end of 2004, Tom returned to the U.S. and continued traveling worldwide.
In 2005, he performed at the Vancouver Comedy Festival and began appearing regularly in Australia.
In June 2006, he released his second CD, "Live in Paris," recorded at the Hotel du Nord.
That year, Tom appeared on Australian shows "Rove Live" and, in 2007, "The Side Show."
In 2007, he released his first self-produced DVD, "Holy Temple of the HA HA," recorded live at the Sydney Comedy Store. It included a documentary titled "There and Back Again," highlighting his decade-long stand-up career, featuring appearances and praise from Dave Chappelle, Janeane Garofalo, and Bobby Slayton.
Tom’s passion for documenting his travels led to a surge in YouTube clips in 2008.
In August 2008, he filmed his second "Comedy Central Presents" at the Hudson Theater, which aired in March 2009.
In April 2009, he performed at the Altitude Comedy Festival in Meribel, France, and in July, his third Montreal International Comedy Festival appearance, hosted by Whoopi Goldberg.
2009 was a busy year, with performances across Amsterdam, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Belfast, Dublin, Galway, Rome, London, Geneva, Zurich, Munich, and Stockholm. On November 28, he recorded a half-hour stand-up special for Swedish TV’s "Raw" in Stockholm.
In 2010, Tom appeared at the Galway Comedy Festival alongside Jim Jefferies, Phil Nichol, Phill Jupitus, Jimeoin, and Rich Hall. He also returned to Asia with shows in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur.
That year, Tom was featured in "Satiristas," a book profiling leading stand-up comedians worldwide.
In early 2011, he appeared on Marc Maron's "WTF" podcast.
In April 2011, Tom married Dutch photographer Ashna Rodjan and honeymooned worldwide, performing in Cork, Galway, Dublin, Bali, Bangkok, Jakarta, Perth, Sydney, and Singapore. In Perth, he headlined the Astor Theater at the Wild West Comedy Festival.
At the end of 2011, Tom filmed his first hour-long stand-up special in Boulder, Colorado.
Tom Rhodes Productions
In 2009, Tom launched his podcast, "Tom Rhodes Radio," featuring conversations with comedians and interesting people he met during his travels.
That year, he also released the self-produced DVD "Rhode Scholar," a two-disc set featuring over two and a half hours of live performances and travel footage. The second disc, "Built for Joy," is a one-hour solo show filmed at the Comedy Central Theater in Los Angeles, sharing personal stories of his global stand-up journey. PunchlineMagazine.com/LaughSpin.com named "Rhode Scholar" the top comedy DVD release of 2009.
Tom has pursued his dream of creating a comedy travel TV show, documenting his journeys and global comedy scenes. He self-produced pilot episodes in 2010-2011, filming in Montana and Kuala Lumpur.
2012
In 2012, Tom released his third CD and DVD, "Colossus of Me," recorded live at the Comedy Store in Sydney and the Ice House in Los Angeles.
Choosing a nomadic lifestyle, Tom continues traveling the world, performing comedy, and living adventurously with his wife, Ashna Rodjan.
