Dustin Nickerson
| Dustin Nickerson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1984 (age 40–41)[1] |
| Medium | Stand-up comedy |
| Alma mater | University of Washington |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Genres | |
| Subjects | |
| Spouse |
Melissa Hoglund (m. 2004) |
| Notable works and roles | How to Be Married (to Melissa) |
| Website | dustinnickerson |
Dustin Nickerson (born 1984) is an American stand-up comedian. A native of the Seattle area, he began performing at open mics in San Diego in the early 2010s. Married relatively young with three children, Nickerson and his wife, Melissa, were parenting teenagers while they were still in their 30s, and much of his comedy focuses on family life. Known for being a clean comedian, Nickerson released his first special in 2020 and his second in 2023. In addition to regularly touring as a headliner, he has also been a frequent opener for comedians such as Taylor Tomlinson and Nate Bargatze.
Early life, education and career
[edit]Nickerson was born in the Seattle area and raised in Federal Way by a single father. He grew up as a Seattle sports fan, first primarily of the Seattle Mariners and later rooting for the Seattle SuperSonics during their 1990s hot streak.[3] Nickerson met his future wife, Melissa Hoglund, in a high school church youth group, and they married in 2024 when Nickerson was 19 and studying at the University of Washington.[4]: 26 Their first child was born two years later.[4]: 132
After graduating from the UW, Nickerson worked as a youth pastor at Mars Hill Church in Seattle. After two years, he became disillusioned with Mark Driscoll's leadership style. [4]: 102–104 A series of other jobs followed, one of which led to a move to San Diego. While working in middle management at a rec center, Nickerson began performing at open mic nights before eventually deciding to make comedy his full-time career.[1][3]
Comedy
[edit]Nickerson began his touring career in the Christian comedy genre.[5] He was an opener for John Crist's 2018 tour.[6] Nickerson appeared on Kevin Hart Presents: Hart of the City, a Comedy Central program for up-and-coming comics, in 2019.[3]
Nickerson's first special, Overwhelmed, was recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic and appeared on Amazon Prime Video in 2020. He released a memoir and tongue-in-cheek marriage advice book entitled How to Be Married (to Melissa) in 2022, and his second special, It Runs in the Family, was released on YouTube in 2023.[1] In addition to his own headlining tour, Nickerson was a regular opener for tours by Taylor Tomlinson—whom he has known since they began in comedy together in Southern California and who authored the foreword of his book—and Nate Bargatze.[5][3] In 2024, he performed in the Netflix Is a Joke Festival[7] and had his first performance on The Tonight Show. He has also appeared multiple times on The Late Late Show with James Corden and Tomlinson's After Midnight.[8][9]
In addition to touring, Dustin and Melissa Nickerson have since 2020 co-hosted a comedy podcast on family life called Don't Make Me Come Back There that has had more than three million downloads as of June 2025.[1] The podcast joined Bargatze's Nateland Podcast Network in 2024.[10]
Nickerson's comedy has been described as "clean and mean".[9] Common themes include parenting, marriage, and aging.[11]
Personal life
[edit]Nickerson lives in San Diego with Melissa and his three children.[1] He has said that his family members have a veto over jokes he might tell about them. "What I'm doing is not more important than the relationships in your life. 'If you don't want me to say it, I won't,'" he told the Deseret News. "I had a family before comedy. Lord willing, I'll have a family after comedy."[9]
After leaving youth ministry, Nickerson continues to identify as a Christian and attends church, although he is not a church member.[4]: 105
A lifelong Seattle sports fan, Nickerson has frequently referenced the disappointing performance of many Seattle teams in his work.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Vorel, Mike (June 7, 2025). "Why Dustin Nickerson's comedy includes Oregon Ducks, Thunder, Astros jokes". Seattle Times. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
- ^ Nickerson, Dustin (August 14, 2023). "Happy anniversary @melnickerson. 19 years ago you married a 19 year old for reasons many people (myself included) are still unsure of. Thanks for illuminating all my nights, moonlight". Facebook. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d Brock, Corey (May 4, 2023). "Comedian Dustin Nickerson talks life as a Seattle sports fan and working in comedy". The Athletic. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d Nickerson, Dustin (2022). How to Be Married (to Melissa). Nashville, Tennessee: Nelson Books. ISBN 9781400231614.
- ^ a b Greiving, Tim (March 4, 2022). "Taylor Tomlinson left the church comedy circuit with a hell of a lot of jokes for Netflix". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
- ^ "John Crist announces 'The Human Being' Tour". CCMMagazine.com. July 5, 2018.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (December 13, 2023). "Netflix Is A Joke Fest 2024 Lineup Unveiled". Retrieved 13 June 2025.
- ^ Brown, Emily (December 18, 2024). "Dustin Nickerson Made His 'Tonight Show' Debut Last Night". Relevant. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
- ^ a b c Shill, Aaron (December 16, 2023). "What's the highest compliment you can give a 'clean' comedian? Dustin Nickerson explains". Deseret News. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
- ^ Nickerson, Dustin. "Today's the day! Our podcast Don't Make Me Come Back There is officially a part of the Nateland Entertainment family with Nate Bargatze! And we celebrated with a crossover episode". Facebook. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
- ^ Brown, Emily (June 3, 2025). "The Comedy Industry Has Changed. Dustin Nickerson Figured Out How to Survive It". Relevant. Retrieved 13 June 2025.