Comedian Benny Elbows kept the crowd laughing for over 40 hours during longest stand-up

At 6 a.m. on a Monday last April, comedian Benny Elbows took to the stage in front of a sleepy crowd in Memphis, Tennessee, and told them about the first time he performed a joke that bombed. 

Apparently at the time, he was just accompanying a friend to an Open-Mic night, but something about the awkward experience was exhilarating – and afterwards he started performing more regularly. He said it took six months for someone to finally laugh at the joke, but: “I’ve been chasing that high ever since.”

40 hours after he told that first anecdote, Benny was surrounded by a lively room of loud and enthusiastic fans… who came to see that very same novice comedian from years ago collect a new comedy world record. 

To cheers of “BENNY! BENNY! BENNY!” and wild applause, Benny Elbows (USA) finished performing the longest stand-up comedy show by an individual after an exhausting and entertaining 40 hr 16 min 48 sec set that covered topics from Santa Claus to Yo Mama jokes in front of a rotating audience. 

The experience at the Hi Tone Cafe in Memphis was “a blast” for the comedian, who was inspired to take on the record after participating in the longest stand-up comedy show - multiple comedians in Nashville in 2015.

Before the event, Benny had lots to prepare before he took the stage – he told local news Memphis 5: “Oh yeah. I’ve been doing all sorts of montages, you know, like chin ups, ‘Rocky,’ ‘Eye of the Tiger’ playing. I’m doing push-ups.” 

He prepared a Word document with over 16,000 words and 26 pages of material, while also preparing bits he could use for crowd-work, such as having audience members write him questions about anything from hostage negotiations to relationships. 

And according to Guinness World Records attempt rules, Benny was only allowed to repeat jokes every four hours, and he must have at least 10 people in the audience at all times. He also was only allowed to take a five-minute rest break per every hour of performance, so the comedian would need to be smart about how he could take on the 40 hr 8 min record set initially by David Scott.

“I think the most important thing is going to be caffeine. I think that’s my secret weapon,” said Benny. “I think I’m gonna try and do a trial run where I wake up at the time it’s going to start [and] I try to go the entire time. I try to take the appropriate rest breaks.”

Yet when the time came for Benny to take the stage, he was ready – with a binder full of notes helping him organize his jokes, the performance started at 6:10 a.m. and didn’t end until the following day.

Groups of people would enter and leave the free show throughout his performance, but Benny’s hand stayed glued to the microphone the entire time, even when the stand-up sat down. All the while, his audience laughed and participated, creating a relaxed yet enjoyable experience in Midtown Memphis.

And when the comedian finally crossed the 40-hour mark, the crowd was thrilled to know they were about to witness the clown take his crown. 

But if you want to know just how the comedian reacted to his big life achievement… Hey, you’ll just have to see a Benny Elbows show yourself!