} Harris Stanton (born 1978) is an American comedian based in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. Before entering comedy, Stanton was a Major League Baseball draft pick. He tours nationally and internationally including appearances on European television. Stanton appeared in the opening act lineup for the

Tracy Morgan Tracy Jamal Morgan (born November 10, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian and actor best known for his television work as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' (1996–2003) and for his role as Tracy Jordan in the sitcom ''30 Rock'' (2006 ...

"Turn It Funny" tour when the vehicle carrying Morgan, Ardie Fuqua,

James McNair James McNair (October 1, 1951 – June 7, 2014), known by his stage names Jimmy Mack and Uncle Jimmy Mack, was an American comedian and writer. Career Early in his career, McNair worked a number of jobs, including caseworker at a homeless shelte ...

, and Jeff Millea was involved in a fatal car crash in June 2014.

Career

Harris Stanton attended

Spartanburg Methodist College Spartanburg Methodist College is a private Methodist college in Saxon, South Carolina, with a Spartanburg postal address. The college serves approximately 1,000 students (2020-2021 academic year). The college awards six associate degrees, a custo ...

in Spartanburg, South Carolina. In 1996, he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 52nd round of the

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) June Amateur Draft. He decided to pursue comedy leading to a decade-long career. Stanton has worked with comedy clubs such as

Carolines on Broadway Carolines on Broadway is a venue for stand-up comedy situated at 750 Seventh Avenue, on Broadway between 49th and 50th Streets, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. History Caroline Hirsch opened Carolines as a cabaret in ...

Gotham Comedy Club Gotham Comedy Club is a venue for stand-up comedy Stand-up comedy is a comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up ...

, Stand-up New York,

The Improv The Improv is a comedy club franchise. It was founded as a single venue in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City in 1963, and expanded into a chain of venues in the late 1970s. History Originally, it was a single venue founded in 1 ...

, as well universities such as

M.I.T. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

He has also been featured on BET’s

Comic View ''ComicView'' is an American stand-up comedy show that aired on BET on Tuesdays and Fridays from September 1992 to December 2008. In May 2014, BET announced the return of ''ComicView''. The show has been the launching pad for such comedians as D ...

Premium Blend ''Premium Blend'' was a stand-up comedy series created and directed by Paul Miller that aired on the American cable television channel Comedy Central from 1997 to 2005. In 2005 the show was changed, and now known as "Live at Gotham". The show w ...

and

Comics Unleashed ''Comics Unleashed'' is a half-hour comedic talk show produced by the Entertainment Studios production company (formerly CF Entertainment) and hosted by Byron Allen, with John Cramer as announcer and DJ Cobra or sometimes DJ A1 providing music ...

and as a sketch character on

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...

. Stanton’s jokes include topics such as aggressive New Yorkers, scary bodegas, and working security with only a flashlight and a pencil ("what am I supposed to do, sketch a weapon?"). He recorded a comedy DVD with

Patrice O’Neal Patrice Lumumba Malcolm O'Neal (December 7, 1969 – November 29, 2011) was an American comedian and actor. He was known for his stand-up comedy career and his regular guest appearances on the talk show ''Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn'' and the ...

. He also toured with comedian Tracy Morgan for the "Turn it Funny" comedy tour.

Crash

Harris Stanton was a member of the comedy troupe touring with actor

that resulted in a fatal crash on the New Jersey Turnpike. The comedy troupe’s limo bus was struck from behind and demolished when a

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

semi-trailer truck failed to slow for traffic. Stanton was conscious the entire time of accident and was able to provide a detailed account of the crash. The accident resulted in the death of James McNair and the critical injuries of Morgan, Fuqua, and Millea. Stanton was treated and released from the hospital for a broken wrist and bruised ankle.

Filmography

*''Holla If I Kill You'' (2003) *''Gotham Comedy Live'' (2012) *''Damon'' (2006) *''Naive Innocence'' (2017)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanton, Harris Living people 1978 births American male comedians 21st-century American comedians Comedians from South Carolina