Bill Bellamy to Receive Icon Award at Whats Funny Comedy Festival
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- Bill Bellamy will be presented with the Icon Award on Sept. 21 at the 2026 Whats Funny Comedy Festival, recognizing his decades of impact on stand-up comedy and entertainment.
- Whats Funny Comedy Festival, co-founded by Knowledge Beckom and Lil Rel Howery, will hold its third edition Sept. 19-26 across five Chicago venues (Comedy Bar, Laugh Factory, Bellagio 223, ETA Theater, Wax Vinyl Bar) with more than 50 comedians from 20 cities.
- Bellamy will be honored during the inaugural Whats Funny Today Show Chicago Comedy Legends ceremony alongside 15 Chicago comedians whose careers helped shape the city's comedy legacy, concluding with a live taping of the festival's podcast.
- Lil Rel Howery will tape his next stand-up comedy special on Sept. 20; his previous special "Rel Talk" was filmed during the festival's inaugural edition and released last year on Tubi, and he will also lead a master class.
- Festival co-founder Knowledge Beckom said the event was created to celebrate Black comedy's legacy while building career opportunities for today's comedians, calling 2026 "our biggest and most impactful festival yet."
- Featured performers include Cousin Tiera, Correy Bell, Eva Evans, Rich Thomas, Shang, and Chris 'CP' Powell — host of BET's rebooted "Comic View."
Why it matters: The third edition cements the Whats Funny Comedy Festival's positioning as a national launchpad for Black and Brown comedians, with Howery's special taping and the new Chicago Legends ceremony giving the week marquee content beyond showcases. For Bellamy, the Icon Award lands alongside 15 city veterans, tying a national headliner's recognition to a broader salute of Chicago's comedy lineage rather than a solo honor.
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