Question of the Day - 16 August 2022

The second question answers the first, perhaps the only time that's ever happened here at QoD. 

And it's interesting to us that we received both questions within a few days of each other about a performer like Vinnie Favorito.

Yes, Favorito's aptly named “Just Kidding” Comedy Show runs on Saturday nights at 8 p.m. through Sept. 3 at Ocean Casino in Atlantic City, so clearly he's still insulting casino showroom audiences, same as he's been doing for decades.  

A little background for those unfamiliar with the comedian who, against strong odds in this world of thin-skinned political correctness, continues to get people to loosen up and laugh at themselves. He somehow manages to remain likable and -- as both questions confirm -- funny as he works crowds in his persona, in Milton Berle's words, of "Rickles with Venom."

The 61-year old is a native Bostonian who grew up as a small kid and "learned real quickly how to be a fast talker." He started doing stand-up in Beantown clubs in his mid-20s and stayed there, building his base and becoming friends with other East Coast comics, such as Joe Rogan and Louis C.K., for a decade. By then, he was popular enough to go on big-time tours with the likes of Ray Romano and Drew Carey. 

Predictably, he relocated to Los Angeles, where he headlined various comedy clubs for many years. After winning the prestigious San Francisco International Comedy Competition in 1998, he went out on his own, touring the country. When he wanted to settle down in 2003, he started doing stand-up in Vegas at Binion's (that casino's first headliner), then worked for years at O'Shea's before moving next door for a seven-year run at Bugsy’s Cabaret at the Flamingo. Then he did another four years at the Westgate.

As for why he didn't continue in Vegas, we believe there are two reasons.

First, we've heard that he prefers to work on the East Coast, which comes more naturally to him; he says, "East Coast people are on the same track as I am. We’re cut from a different piece of the cloth."

The second and more important reason is that Favorito earned a well-deserved reputation in Vegas for borrowing money from a lot of people, then not repaying it. He also got into trouble with the IRS. To make a long story short, when he filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in September 2016, a reported 99 creditors received notice. Favorito claimed in the filing that he had assets of $50,000 and liabilities of at least $1 million. 

When the dust settled, Favorito owed only the feds. 

We couldn't find any information about the disposition of Favorito's IRS situation, but since he's now appearing in Atlantic City, it looks like he finally landed on his feet.