Eddie Brill & Dan Madonia: See a Father-Son Comedy Show for Father's Day

Eddie Brill was living his dream as a headlining stand-up comedian, traveling internationally to perform for sold-out crowds, working on The Late Show with David Letterman and befriending the likes of Don Rickles and Dick Cavitt.

But as luck would have it, there was someone waiting in the wings that he never knew existed until a startling phone call turned his world upside down. This Father’s Day, Brill will do a very special stand-up comedy appearance at Sticks and Stones Comedy Club in Southampton with acclaimed comedian Dan Madonia — the son Brill never knew he had.

The icing on this delectable cake is that Dan chose to follow in his dad’s footsteps, also becoming a standup comedian. What do they say about the apple never falling far from the tree?

Before hitting the stage at Sticks and Stones Saturday, June 15, Brill shares their astonishing tale:

A Chat with Eddie Brill

How old was your son when you met him?

I met my son when he was 12. The mother of my child, Jennifer, is an amazing person who raised him beautifully. We have a great relationship, a great friendship. She didn’t realize at first that he was my son. Eventually, she found a diary, and because of the timing, the scenario, she realized, “Oh my God, I know who the father is.” We only had one experience. She was a friend of my sister’s. The only negative thing is that my father and sister never got to meet my son because they had passed away. Jennifer found out a little bit before she told me. When she realized Dan was my son, she went to Florida, where my mother was, to apologize in person. I really appreciate that. She took my mom to lunch and told her how sorry she was that she didn’t tell everyone sooner. Not long ago, my son and I did a show together, and she came to it. At the end, when we were saying goodbye, she looked at me and said we did a good thing. It was very nice. And Jennifer’s husband and I are friendly. So, I have this incredible son and now two grandchildren. It couldn’t have been nicer.

Why did Jennifer decide to introduce you to your son when he was 12 years old?

In her words, she saw that I was traveling around the world and she had already met someone and had a child with him. They had a happy family. She thought (I) didn’t need to know; he’s having his life. He’s running around the world. But, after a while, Dan asked, “Who’s my real father?” That’s when the ball went into motion and that’s when she contacted me. At first I was in shock and in denial, because it’s not the fairy tale that you expect when you’re having a child, but life isn’t a fairy tale. So, I met him. She brought him to Bryant Park in Manhattan where I was hosting a show for HBO. I never get nervous doing standup, but I was a little nervous that day because I was going to meet my son. Luckily, the show went well and she brought him up to me when it was over. The moment I saw him I fell in love with him because he was my son; you could just tell.

So, your son knew that the man who was raising him was not his father?

Right. I don’t know exactly how that went down, so I can’t give you the how she told him and when she told him. What happened was she met this guy and he agreed to marry her and help raise my son, Dan. They became a family and had a daughter together, but things changed when they got divorced and then she married again. She realized Dan needed to know who his real father was. And we looked so much alike that in her lightbulb moment she knew, “Of course this is Eddie’s son.” So, she wrote to me and told me. Then, she called me and I was in denial at first, but my mom was completely ecstatic. When we met it was magical! We respect each other and have a real friendship and love. It’s beautiful!

Your son is also a comedian, correct?

Yes, we’re so much alike. When I found out about him, I checked his MySpace page, and it could have been mine! Everything that I love, he loves. We were so similar yet we didn’t spend a day together until we met. He was a musician and an actor pretty much like I was, but I was (in) standup. He never had done standup. On his 21st birthday, he moved to Los Angeles because he wanted to do some acting. He got a job at the Comedy Store answering phones. I had been a regular there, but at this point, I was living back in New York. Eventually, he got on stage and fell in love with standup. He was proud that I was a comedian, so he decided to do it.

Do you work together a lot now?

Yes. In July it’ll be 40 years since I’ve been doing standup. He’s been doing it since he was 21, so that’s 16 years for him, and he’s very good. He’s gotten the respect of my friends and his peers and so that’s great. He’ll headline occasionally and ask if I’ll open for him. I’m so proud to do that. And I’ll book some gigs with him as the opening act.

And now you’re performing together at Sticks and Stones for Father’s Day.

We had done a show at Sticks andStones last year which went very well so the owner, Abby Russell, and I talked about a Father’s Day show and how apropos that would be. A couple of years ago, we had done a very cool comedy show that we followed up with an audience Q&A in the Berkshires for Father’s Day. That was really fun. So, on the day before Father’s Day, we’re gonna be in the Hamptons again. I’m gonna teach a comedy workshop during the day, which I’ve been doing for over 20 years all around the world. At night we’ll do our comedy show and then we’ll drive back home together.

Sticks and Stones Comedy Club is located at 25 Pond Lane in Southampton Village. The show is 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 15. Tickets are $40–$78. For more information, visit sticksandstonescomedyclub.com.