HBO is bringing one of late night’s most distinctive young voices to its stand-up lineup.
The network has announced Josh Johnson: Symphony, the comedian and Daily Show correspondent/host’s first HBO comedy special, set to debut this spring.
Best known for his sharp, topical stand-up—much of which he releases weekly online—Johnson will take a different approach with Symphony, performing an all-new hour centered on universal themes like family, religion, and relationships. The special is being filmed at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles.
“I’m excited to have my breakout piece be with a company that nurtures vision like HBO does,” Johnson said in a statement. “I’m grateful to them, and you, for watching.”
Johnson has built a devoted online following through a steady stream of material that blends observational humor with long-form storytelling, often tackling current events with a distinctive rhythm and point of view. According to HBO, Symphony aims to showcase a broader, more personal side of his comedy.
“Josh Johnson releases more comedy in a year than most people do in a career,” said Nina Rosenstein, HBO’s executive vice president of programming for late night and specials. “He tells stories with an incredible rhythm, and it makes the whole room feel like they’re listening to a friend. There’s a musicality to his work, and Symphony captures that perfectly. We’re so proud to bring Josh to HBO.”
An Emmy-nominated writer and NAACP Award winner, Johnson currently serves as a rotating host and correspondent on The Daily Show, where he previously spent seven years as a writer. He’s also a former writer and performer on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he made his late-night debut in 2017.
As a stand-up, Johnson has toured extensively, recently wrapping his global Flowers Tour, which spanned 112 cities. He’s also become one of comedy’s most consistent digital creators, releasing weekly stand-up sets on YouTube—where his videos have amassed more than half a billion views. In 2025 alone, Johnson released 38 hours of stand-up material performed in front of live audiences.
Symphony is executive produced by Johnson, Jacob Menache, James Dixon, Daniel Bodansky, and John Irwin, with Menache also directing.
