WEST HOLLYWOOD—On Friday, October 29, comedian and actor, Chris D’Elia made a surprise performance at the Hollywood Laugh Factory after several months of being absent from stand-up comedy.

He was not listed as a comedian for the show. Prior to June 2020, he was listed on frequent occasions as the headliner at comedy clubs around Los Angeles including The Laugh Factory, The World Famous Comedy Store and The Hollywood Improv. His opener, Michael Lenoci dressed in a hot dog costume hosted the show and announced that D’Elia was taking the stage. Upon his announcement, the audience cheered and applauded as D’Elia started his bit about his recent “cancelation” after dozens of sexual misconduct allegations against him were exposed in 2020.

On June 16, 2020, D’Elia was trending on Twitter after multiple women tweeted their screenshots of alleged conversations with D’Elia that included messages from the comedian asking the girls if they “want to make out” or “want to meet up after the show.” He was later confronted by TMZ photogs, when he confirmed that “all of his relationships have been both legal and consensual” and added that he was “very sorry.”

Following the allegations, reports show that he split with CAA, was replaced on the TV series “Army of the Dead” by actor, Tig Notaro using green screen and even neglected by friends which he admitted on his podcast, “Congratulations.”

In February 2021, D’Elia posted a Youtube video and double-downed on his statement that all of his relations have been consensual and legal and although he wanted to speak up at the time, he figured it was better to “spend time with family” and “take a long hard look at himself.”

The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that D’Elia made a surprise performance August 21 at The Laugh Factory after over a year of his absence. It was reported that “the crowd had a positive response.”

An audience member told Canyon News that she was “happy to see Chris” and when she was asked why he keeps surprising the audience as opposed to announcing his shows, she said, “I think he wants a fair shot at coming back and if he announced it, a lot of his fans would show up but a lot of his haters would too. A non-bias audience is perfect for him right now.”

Another audience member told Canyon News that he spent a lot of time “self-deprecating telling jokes about his time in therapy and his anger issues.” She added, “It was hilarious.”

Since D’Elia’s Youtube video in February, he is back to hosting his podcast, making Youtube videos featuring his family and active on Instagram where he has 1.9 million followers.