Comedian Tammy Pescatelli talks travel, toddlers with harmonicas, and ‘finding the funny’

Published 1:30 am Thursday, April 23, 2026

EVERETT — Comedian Tammy Pescatelli is returning to Snohomish County for an April 30 performance at the Tulalip Resort Casino.

Raised in a big Italian-American family in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, Pescatelli channeled the wit and sarcasm sharpened by her upbringing into a successful comedy career. She was a finalist on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” before winning Comedy Central’s “Stand-Up Showdown” in 2010 and has been touring nationally since.

Her Netflix special “Finding the Funny” hit No. 3 on iTunes, according to her website, and she co-created, executive-produced, and starred in the WE TV reality series “A Stand-Up Mother.” Her most recent special, “The Way After School Special,” ranked among Amazon’s top 10 streamed comedy specials in 2021. She also appeared in Netflix’s 2025 comedy-drama “Nonnas” alongside Vince Vaughn.

Two weeks before her upcoming show, Pescatelli took the time for an interview with The Daily Herald.

She hopes the performance will give the audience an escape during a discouraging time, at least for a moment.

“The world wants to tell you about all the mean and hateful and divisive things,” Pescatelli said. “I think we’re really more alike and kinder and funnier than we think.”

This will not be Pescatelli’s first show in Tulalip. In fact, the resort casino left an impression on her, but not for the reason you might think.

“As a traveler, which is what we really do — I’m more of a traveler than I’m a joke teller,” she said. “You remember where your best meals are.”

“I’m a meat-eater, and one of the best steaks I’ve ever had was at a restaurant up there,” she added.

Pescatelli has mixed feelings about travel. She loves to travel, but it has also become another part of the job, she said.

“There’s a big difference traveling for work,” Pescatelli said. “I’ve been everyplace that you could want to go, you know, for comedy. So sometimes I think the best travel — the best relaxation — is at my house.”

While she may enjoy the destination, the planes are “getting insane,” she said.

“First of all, it’s 17 times more expensive,” Pescatelli said. “The other day, I got on a flight, and there was a family that gave their son a harmonica — on a plane.”

She said she hopes to avoid being the subject of a viral video.

“I have to be careful because you don’t want to end up being a Karen in one of those videos,” Pescatelli said. “You can’t give a toddler a harmonica on a plane. We’re in shared space. I have nothing against harmonicas. I have nothing against toddlers. But together on the plane, it doesn’t work.”

The world is funnier than most people think it is, Pescatelli said. While some are focused on the bad, her brain is trained to find the funny (which is the title for one of her previous specials), she said.

“Because of social media, people believe everything that they do is interesting,” she said. “I guess, to me, if I think it’s funny and it’s a story that sits in my head longer for than just one pass, then I think it’s really funny.”

For her, Washington is a great place to find funny stories, Pescatelli said. “It’s just got everything.”

“It has the city that’s very avant-garde,” she said. “Then there’s a little bit of allure because of the vampire movies.”

The state is like a European country, Pescatelli said.

“If you just woke up in Seattle and someone said, ‘You’re in Europe.’ I’d go, ‘OK.’ And if you just woke up out, you know, up north, and they said, ‘You’re in Switzerland, in the Alps.’ I’d be, ‘Oh, yeah, I am,’” she said.

However, she doesn’t understand why so many Washingtonians like outdoor activities.

“I’d like to stay inside. No, I don’t want to go for a hike, but good for you. Call me when you get back and we’ll go get something to eat,” Pescatelli said.

For the show, Pescatelli is bringing her signature sarcasm.

“I just want everybody to have a good time,” she said. “And we’re grown-ups, so I’m not going to be talking about sex stuff, but I talk about stuff that grown-ups should talk about.”

The show has a $25 cover charge at the door. Advance table reservations are recommended and can be made by calling 360-965-5768 or 360-716-1008. Doors open at 8 p.m.

Also, Pescatelli has a special called Mrs. Saturday Night that will be released on Amazon within the next few months.

Taylor Scott Richmond: 425-339-3046; taylor.richmond@heraldnet.com; X: @BTayOkay