Plattsburgh standup comedian takes on new endeavor

PLATTSBURGH, NY. (WCAX) - The pandemic has been difficult for many, but for some, it has been a time of major life changes. That’s certainly the case for Plattsburgh comedian Jimmy McCartney.

McCartney was born and raised in the city of Plattsburgh. He attended open mic nights in his free time, and worked in sales as his day job. During the pandemic, he used the app TikTok for his standup, and quickly went viral with over 250,000 followers and 6 million likes.

He calls his style of comedy “struggle bus comedy,” and often shares stories of his life and encounters. He says he started doing comedy to get over his fears of public speaking.

He got a big break opening for comedian Dave Landau in 2021, and is now on his very own tour of colleges and military bases called “Drifting Unplugged.”

“Standup was just a pathway to help me get more comfortable with that. I never expected it to lead to what it did. It was one of those things where you don’t know, but that’s why I always kept putting myself out there, and getting used to that uncomfortableness and that feeling of nervousness and tension and all that other stuff. Comedy has helped me a lot with that, and now here I am, which is a weird thought,” McCartney says.

His tour wraps up this week with three shows in Plattsburgh.

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