ENJOY IT! Comics give back in honor of one-of-a-kind performer with charity fundraiser

Comedian Brody Stevens was known for loudly and proudly representing the San Fernando Valley to the point that "818 'til I die!" became a catchphrase of his.

But Stevens, who died by suicide in 2019 after nearly a decade of publicly dealing with bipolar disorder and depression, was wrong.

His love of the Valley continues to live on through his friends in the comedy community, as his death begat Brodyfest — aka the Brody Stevens Festival of Friendship — which will celebrate the "Hangover" actor on Aug. 17 and 18.

Those days were chosen in homage of the 818 area code cherished by Stevens, a relentless optimist known for his outsized personality on stage and kindness off it.

Not only will there be a walk in the Valley, but comedians like Jay Mohr, Byron Bowers, Eleanor Kerrigan and Doug Benson will perform at the Comedy Store, a regular haunt of Stevens, and a softball game will nod to Stevens' baseball-playing days in the Valley and at Arizona State.

This weekend marks the fourth annual edition of the event, which is raising money for Comedy Gives Back, a nonprofit that helps comics with mental health, chemical dependency, health care and financial issues.

In a statement, Comedy Gives Back said that "losing Brody pushed us even further to get our services and support out to every comic."

"We are the safety net of the comedy community, and we want to ensure that continues by helping put on Brodyfest, by attending all of the comedy festivals around the country, by showing up to comedy clubs," the statement said. "Being alone onstage is part of the job. Feeling alone off stage is unacceptable."

While Stevens may not have been a household name, he was a favorite of fellow comedians, punctuating his jokes with relentless positivity for himself and others, including the crowds at his shows. His unorthodox act included motivational asides for himself ("YES! POSITIVE PUSH!") and instructions for his audience ("Come on, you gotta give me a chuckle based on cadence alone!").

“Brody’s material was not as important as his presence onstage,” friend and collaborator Zach Galifianakis told The Hollywood Reporter. “He would challenge the audience. He would turn on them and judge them. He would ask for laughs when he was not doing well, and it confused some people because, well, who does that?”

Stevens did, using his ability to "read people's energy very quick" to identify crowd members who he felt were displaying negative body language or not laughing hard enough at his jokes, said his friend and fellow comedian Bowers.

"He loved entertaining people, but at a different level," Bowers said. "His show was crazy. It was inclusive and it was about getting your energy up, where you want to be."

Off stage, Stevens, Bowers and the other "Comedy Store guys" would motivate each other and provide moral support while trying to ascend in a challenging industry, one that's not protected by a union and that sometimes requires "crazy" living situations and for younger comedians to pay more to get to a show than they're paid to perform in it, Bowers said.

But once you push through those struggles, there's a therapeutic aspect to talking about your struggles in front of an audience and with those in a similar situation, Bowers said.

"Fortunately for Brody and myself and the other comedians, we have a place where we can go talk about whatever we're going through and make it in a way that people support it," he said.

Brodyfest begins Saturday with a check-in at 1 p.m., followed by the walk at 2 p.m. and softball game at 5 p.m., among other events. For information and tickets for Saturday's events, click here.

On Sunday, the 818 Comedy show begins at 8 p.m. For tickets, click here.