If you scroll through Instagram or TikTok, you may have seen the bubbly and bright videos of users @hannahjonescool or @hannahjonescool1. The handles belong to Denver comedy favorite, Hannah Jones, whose videos have been viewed over 20 million times and garnered a cult following for her relatable takes on the sometimes redundant Denver dating scene and chucking up a diva cup to avoid filling our landfills with tampons.
Tickets for Denver Comedy Cabaret with Hanna Jones comedy can be purchased here.
She wasn’t always the internet’s cool girl. Jones took the unexpected jump from “weird, sheltered homeschooler” to a comedian who serves to make her mother cringe on a path that “kind of felt like destiny.” From being a Denver Comedy Works regular hosting shows for big names like Christina P and Neal Brennan to headlining at the inaugural 303 Magazine Denver Comedy Cabaret, Jones has made a name for herself in the Colorado comedy space.
Jones didn’t have your typical upbringing and wasn’t immediately introduced to the bigwigs of hilarity. As a kid, she was homeschooled in a “conservative, religious co-op,” where her only means of standup was a single DVD titled Thou Shalt Laugh, which, as the name might suggest, included a compilation of “seven of the funniest Christian comedians on earth.”
It wasn’t until Jones reached high school that she found making people laugh was her true calling. “When I got into high school and was trying to figure out who I was, I would have loved to be the smart one, the artsy one, or the pretty one, but those labels were snatched up quickly. I was left with the label of funny, which I begrudgingly accepted as time passed,” said Jones. “ I tried dancing (wrong “build” as they say), singing (I am bad at that), writing poetry (black turtlenecks don’t look good on me because I don’t have a neck), and ultimately comedy was the only thing that I just never felt rejected from. The more doors closed, the brighter comedy shone, until I fell in love with it the way old people describe their arranged marriage that turned into love.”
Once Jones became a Mile High transplant, she took on internships and did lightning for an open mic now known as Rise Comedy Theater to pay for improv classes. She dreamt of becoming a writer until she shone a light on comics and fell in love with Denver’s comedic styling. “It was aggressive, energetic, fast, and loud. It just gave me that competitive urge in my body like, “damn, I want to get as good as these guys. And then I want to get better than them,” said Jones.
Hannah Jones. Photo provided by Hannah Jones.
Inspired by the stylistic edge of Nikki Glaser and Taylor Tomlinson, she began crafting her jokes about sex, dating and gender politics. Jones found her niche and her community here in Denver. “The Denver comedy community is everything. I hang out with them 1-6 hours a night, 5-6 nights a week. Fitting in here didn’t come naturally, but it made finding my place feel all the sweeter,” said Jones. “I write jokes with my fellow comics, give and receive notes and plan shows in Denver and countrywide with them. It’s literally all of comedy. Nobody can succeed in this business without coming from a strong community.” Being “the funny one” paid off after all.
On April 6, Jones will take the 303 Magazine stage for the first-ever Denver Comedy Cabaret, spilling her guts on dating, relationships, gender and politics. She’ll be joined on stage by fellow comic Sammy Anzer and the 303 Magazine’s comedian contest winners. “I love any opportunity for local comics to get a boost. It really makes me happy when organizations want to funnel cash into this community, and a contest is a fun way to do that,” Jones gushed. She is thrilled to partner with 303 on the first-ever comedy show. “I love comedy and never turn down an opportunity to perform, particularly in Denver. Everything I hear about the room and the lineup suggests it should be an amazing show!”
You can catch Jones at The Arch in Rino for an evening of laughs, cocktails and an epic after-party. “I love any time a local organization wakes up to see how big Denver’s comedy scene is. It’s not the kind of thing you hear about, but everyone in the industry knows it’s one of the best cities with the best comics,” said Jones on 303 Magazine’s first comedy show.
Tickets for 303 Magazine’s first comedy event range from $22.50 to $90 and may be purchased here.