Photo: Lisa Gansky from New York, NY, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The World Champion · Gaithersburg, Maryland
Judah Friedlander
Frank Rossitano on 30 Rock · Netflix: America Is the Greatest Country in the United States
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Who is Judah Friedlander?
Judah Friedlander (born March 16, 1969, in Gaithersburg, Maryland) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He first tried stand-up in 1989, at 19, while at New York University. He is known for playing writer Frank Rossitano on NBC’s 30 Rock and Toby Radloff in American Splendor, which earned him a best supporting actor nomination at the 2004 Independent Spirit Awards. On stage he makes bombastic claims about himself with a deadpan delivery, often under a trucker hat reading “World Champion.” He wrote the humor book How to Beat Up Anybody (2010), and his first Netflix special, America Is the Greatest Country in the United States, came out in 2017. His official site lists live dates and pay-what-you-want livestream shows, and says he is doing nightly shows in New York.
Sources: Wikipedia · official site · Comedy Club Tracker (sources per date below)
Career timeline
- 1989First stand-up, age 19, while at NYU
- 1999Techie on Al Franken’s LateLine
- 2004Independent Spirit nomination for American Splendor
- NBCFrank Rossitano on 30 Rock
- 2010Book How to Beat Up Anybody
- 2017Netflix special America Is the Greatest Country in the United States
Podcast & show guest appearances
16 verified guest appearances by Judah Friedlander on other people’s shows (their own podcasts are excluded), newest first.
MyShowNotes ✓ full episode notes exist on MyShowNotes · Request show notes tap to ask us to write notes for that episode
Fake the Nation
399. Sonny & Scare (w/ Judah Friedlander & Gabe Mollica)
What Do You Want to Talk About?
The Poetry of Jokes & Judah Friedlander
The ALL NEW Big Wakeup Call with Ryan Gatenby
Judah Friedlander, Paul F. Tompkins, Pete Holmes
Fake the Nation
228. What Does Thanksgiving Look Like In 2020? (w/ Judah Friedlander, Jody Avirgan, Tochi Onyebuchi, Sarah Pappalardo)
Fake the Nation
222. Weekend at Bernie’s: SCOTUS Edition (w/ Judah Friedlander, Jody Avirgan)
The John Fugelsang Podcast
Sanity-Cast Ep. 39 – The Judah Friedlander Interview
Let's Go, Atsuko!
How Are We Any Better Than Rats w/ Judah Friedlander
See all 16 guest appearances
Brian Mørk Show
Brian Mørk Show #289: Judah Friedlander & Thomas Hartmann
On Second Thought
OST Full Show: Judah Friedlander, Authors Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera, Charlie Brown Christmas
Comic Book Club
Comic Book Club: Donny Cates And Judah Friedlander
Each episode matched in the show’s own podcast feed.
The World Champion
The persona
Outrageous claims, deadpan delivery and slogan trucker hats, most often “World Champion” (Wikipedia).
Live and streaming
His official site lists tour dates and interactive livestream stand-up shows.
People
- The 30 Rock cast
- Toby Radloff, whom he played in American Splendor
Places
- Gaithersburg, Maryland (born)
- New York University
- Comedy Cellar, New York (on its lineups in our tracker)
Specials, albums & books
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Without a verified product ID, Amazon links open a search for the title; availability varies.
- America Is the Greatest Country in the United States (Netflix special, 2017) · source: Wikipedia · Amazon search link
- How to Beat Up Anybody (book, 2010) · source: Wikipedia · Amazon search link
Judah Friedlander live dates & lineups
From our comedy tracker: dates, rooms, roles and who opened, each with its source. Updated Saturday, October 17, 2026.
Upcoming dates
No upcoming dates in our tracker yet.
Past performances
Oct 16, 2026
Unverified · 1 source
New York Comedy Club (East Village) club
New York, NY
Role not listed by the source
- 8:15 PM
Sources: Club calendar
Openers & features
Judah opened for
None recorded yet. Club pages almost never print opener or feature names for Judah Friedlander’s shows, so this fills in as sources confirm them.
Opened for Judah
None recorded yet. Club pages almost never print opener or feature names for Judah Friedlander’s shows, so this fills in as sources confirm them.
Momentum
No momentum note yet. Our tracker started on Oct 14, 2026 (3 runs logged since), so there is no earlier period to compare bookings against. A note appears only when the data supports one.
Said on podcasts
No podcast mentions logged yet.
More on Judah
- Official site: judahfriedlander.com
- MSN: Mike Lawrence & Mike Vecchione on We Might Be Drunk (a club story)
- Movies & TV shows: every Judah Friedlander credit
How we check: a run shows as confirmed only when two independent sources agree on it (for example the club’s own calendar plus a ticketing listing, or Judah naming the dates on a podcast). Everything else stays unverified until a second source turns up. Roles appear only when a source states them. Know a date or an opener we missed? Use the form below.
Judah Friedlander FAQ
Who is Judah Friedlander?
An American actor and stand-up comedian known as Frank Rossitano on 30 Rock and for his “World Champion” persona.
What is Judah Friedlander’s Netflix special?
America Is the Greatest Country in the United States (2017).
Did Judah Friedlander write a book?
Yes, How to Beat Up Anybody: An Instructional and Inspirational Karate Book by the World Champion (2010).
Is Judah Friedlander on tour?
Our tracker lists 2 upcoming dates; his dates and livestreams are on judahfriedlander.com.
Judah Friedlander tickets
See Judah Friedlander live: tickets via the official link below.
Spot something missing?
Know a credit, guest spot, or tour date we missed? Tell us and we’ll check it.
Request show notes
Official links
Disclaimer: Editorial content about comedians only. Facts are cited to the sources linked above; tour data comes from our comedy tracker and stays unverified until a second source confirms it. We do not fabricate quotes. Support performers via official channels.
Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Profiles and lists are not paid placements. Read our full disclosure.