Las Vegas Strip headliner, TV icon riding ‘resurgence’

The more challenging is daily life, the more Brad Garrett headlines on the Strip.

The famed TV actor and stand-up comic, and operator of his eponymous comedy club at MGM Grand, is boosting his schedule in 2026.

Garrett will average 18 shows per month next year, doubling his previous schedule.

“I still love doing it. It’s different every night. I feel live comedy is having a resurgence because of the s—- storm that has seemed to become our daily lives,” Garrett says. “That too shall pass, but let’s laugh in the meantime, right?”

Garrett’s next dates are Dec. 15-19. His bolstered appearance schedule takes hold Jan. 6-11, and he’s on stage more often than not through the end of February. The move is smart business. Demand, and ticket prices, are higher when the founder of the club is on stage.

Garrett has announced the new schedule strategy just after he returned to his “Everybody Loves Raymond” TV family on Monday. “Raymond” aired from 1996-2005. The surviving cast celebrated the hit CBS sitcom’s 30th anniversary.

Series creator Phil Rosenthal hosted. Ray Romano, Monica Horan, Patricia Heaton, and Madylin and Sullivan Sweeten took part in the special. The cast paid tribute to late cast members Sawyer Sweeten, Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle, along with such guest stars as Fred Willard and Georgia Engel.

The special drew strong enough ratings that it aired on encore broadcast on Friday, and is streaming on Paramount+.

The show’s original set was reassembled for the special, including the living room couch, which Romano procured as the show ended. Garrett said that effort “blew everyone’s minds.”

Five years after the show ended, Garrett opened his club at since-demolished Tropicana, where it ran for about 18 months. He moved to MGM Grand in 2012, in the hotel’s Underground. He relocated to his current spot on the promenade leading to MGM Grand Garden Arena in 2020.

Top comics are featured throughout the week, even when Garrett is not hosting. Monday through Dec. 7, it’s club mainstays Derek Richards, Kathleen Dunbar and Michael Malone.

Fans still remember Garrett as Romano’s TV brother, Robert. At least until he starts his act, which is a woke-mocking, take-no-prisoners exercise that reminds of Don Rickles’ heyday.

“‘Raymond’ was a time in my life that obviously changed everything for so many. I was so lucky,” Garrett says. “Phil and Ray wanted to the reunion to thank the fans one last time, because that’s just who they are. The same two mensches who gave me the chance of a lifetime.

“And let’s be honest, if it wasn’t for them, you’d never give me the time of day.” It’s time to open the curtain, Brother.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.