Featuring Headliner Howie Mandel, with Maria Bamford and Yamaneika Saunders
June 13, 2022, Napa, CA – One Mind, the nation’s leading organization supporting brain health for all, has announced It’s No Joke, a Comedy Benefit for Mental Health featuring headliner Howie Mandel, with Maria Bamford and Yamaneika Saunders, on Friday, September 23 at the historic Uptown Theatre in Downtown Napa, California.
The It’s No Joke Comedy event was launched as a way to normalize mental health and raise funds for One Mind, the nationally recognized Napa-based mental health non-profit. Each of the performing comedians was hand-selected for this event because of their mental health lived experiences and their advocacy for the cause.
“Mental health is no joke, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun and a lot of laughs,” stated Brandon Staglin, President, One Mind. “It’s proven that laughter is quite beneficial for the brain, and as someone who lives with schizophrenia every day, I for one am looking forward to sharing a laugh as well as hope at this special event!”
Howie Mandel has remained a constant force in show business for more than 30 years. He can currently be seen as host of the hit Netflix series Bullshit the Game Show and on NBC’s flagship series America’s Got Talent, where he has served as a judge for over 12 seasons. He can also be heard on his podcast Howie Mandel Does Stuff which he co-hosts alongside his daughter, Jackelyn Schultz. In Spring 2022 he appeared on the reboot of Canada’s Got Talent alongside Lilly Singh, Kardinal Offishall and Trish Stratus which aired on CityTV. Other recent projects include his documentary Howie Mandel: But Enough About Me, currently streaming on Peacock, his annual CW special Howie Mandel & Friends: Don’t Sneeze on Me, now streaming on FuboTV, NBC’s America’s Got Talent: The Champions, CNBC’s Deal or No Deal, co-hosting Nat Geo Wild’s Animals Doing Things with his son Alex. He also executive produced the Quibi series Kirby Jenner. In 2019 he released his first solo special in 20 years Howie Mandel Presents Howie Mandel at the Howie Mandel Comedy Club. In 2009, Mandel added author to his resume when he released his frank, funny and no-holds-barred memoir, “Here’s the Deal: Don’t Touch Me.” The memoir revealed his ongoing struggle with OCD and ADHD, and how it has shaped his life and career. It made The New York Times bestseller list on its first week and remained on the list for several consecutive weeks.
Maria Bamford is revered for her deeply personal and experimental comedy about mental illness. She starred in the surreal, semi-autobiographical Netflix comedy series Lady Dynamite, about a comedian who suffers a nervous breakdown, and is the star of three unconventional hour-long stand-up specials: Weakness is the Brand, Old Baby and Maria Bamford: the special, special, special! Maria was the first female comic to have two half-hour Comedy Central Presents specials and starred alongside Patton Oswalt, Zach Galifianakis, and Brian Posehn in the Comedy Central series The Comedians of Comedy and Netflix’s Comedians of Comedy: The Movie.
Most recently appearing on Netflix’s stand-up series The Degenerates, Yamaneika Saunders has been captivating audiences across the country with her dynamic stage presence for over a decade. Yamaneika is currently a writer on season 2 of HBO MAX’s THAT DAMN MICHAEL CHE. Born and raised in Maryland, Yamaneika has since tackled both the New York and LA comedy scenes by combining her high-energy improvisational observations and stories with a unique and bold perspective on life.
Doors at 7:00pm, show begins at 8:00pm.