Marshawn Lynch wants ‘Beastmode Comedy’ to be a big hit

Marshawn Lynch is not here to trample you on his way to the end zone. He’s here to make you laugh.

Lynch is presenting “Beastmode Comedy Night” at 6 p.m. Sunday at Laugh Factory at the Tropicana. Lewis Belt, the viral hit as Sonniebo from Lynch’s original home town of Oakland, is host.

Belt is billed along with top stand-ups Max Minticof, Marcella Arguello and Skinny Buff.

This might seem an odd development, the man known as Beast Mode pitching a stand-up comedy show, similar to Lynch taking questions from a media member who is also a 49ers fan. But he was chill with all of it, looking to build on a brand that started at Laugh Factory on Dec. 10.

“To be honest with you, I was just in meetings with my entertainment agents and we were talking about, ‘What if we put together a comedy show, like what Shaq is doing and Boogie is doing,’ ” Lynch said, referring to the comedy specials presented by hoops legend Shaquille O’Neal and ex-NBA player DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins. “Then I thought of Sonniebo, Lewis Belt, a young man from around my way in Oakland.

“Immediately, my mind went to, ‘This might be a great opportunity to shed some light on on his career.’”

Find the Sonniebo character on Instagram and TikTok. The dread-locked comic and Raiders fan’s “Merry Christmas” message to the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes is especially well-played.

Lynch is targeting a third version of the Beastmode show during Super Bowl weekend. Recurring Laugh Factory headliner Adam Ray is booked that weekend, though the Lynch show could be worked into that rotation.

The ex-Bills and Seahawks great and Super Bowl champ was impressed at the response from the show in December.

“To meet the comedians, to know what it meant for them to play the Laugh Factory, was a big deal,” Lynch, who lives in Las Vegas, said. “I didn’t know how big it was until after that first show. It was like, ‘Oh, this is some big (stuff) for them.”

Laugh Factory GM and veteran comic Harry Basil says Lynch’s position as a Las Vegan could help create a recurring series to run along with Raiders home games. Maybe in ‘24.

Basil also says he would love to see Lynch take the stage this weekend, or anytime. Not necessarily 10 minutes of material, but an open Q&A with the audience, with Belt hosting. Lynch took the stage fleetingly in December, unannounced in the middle of the set and at the end to thank the crowd.

Lynch appearing at all under the lights sounds enticing. But Beast Mode is not saying definitely what he has planned for Sunday.

“It’s not sure right now. The focus is not to be on me,” Lynch said. “This is to give these comedians and Sonniebo an opportunity to show what they can do. I don’t want it to turn into a way to meet Marshawn and question Marshawn. It’s to enjoy a comedy show, rather than making it all about me.”

May We Recommend

The Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy at Notoriety Live at Neonopolis, a reading-and-cocktail event in the venue’s Chandelier Room.

The four-day series closes out at 6 p.m., 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Sunday. The event is dedicated to Poe’s most famous stories, recited by Poe historians. A Poe-centric mixologist pairs four cocktails (including the Cocktail of Red Death and The Nevermore) with the stories (including The Tell-Tale Heart and The Raven).

This was was an especially underground experience, even for an upstairs venue. I hadn’t known of it until Neonopolis owner Rohit Joshi sent an e-mail with the subject line”Joshi Proud” along with a glowing fan review: “The place was packed … There has to be a way of getting more of that kind of crowd into Neonopolis.

Reservations can still be made at FeverUp.com.

Notoriety Live proprietor Ken Henderson says the door’s open for a return of the Poe show. Just leave the space how you found it, in non-macabre condition.

He’s a winner

Comic Jo Koy is the host of Sunday’s Golden Globes awards telecast at 5 p.m. Sunday on CBS. Koy attended UNLV, and sold out T-Mobile Arena in November 2022. He also opened for the late, great Geechy Guy early in his career.

We will watch for any reference to the days he played Huntridge Theater (hawking tickets, door-to-door) and Catch a Rising Star at MGM Grand two decades ago.

Cool Hang Alert

Returning to the poetry, “Late Night Whispers,” the live-reading night produced by Vegas favorite Khoree The Poet, returns to The Composers Room at Commercial Center at 7 p.m. Sunday. Yvng Jin is the featured artist. Tickets $20; go to thecomposersroom.com for intel

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.