NYC-via-Kentucky comedian Ariel Elias has gone viral for her reaction after having a beer thrown at her by a Trump-supporting heckler at a recent show. Opening the floor to questions at her Saturday night show at Uncle Vinnie’s Comedy Club in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ, Elias was asked if she’d voted for Donald Trump by one woman, part of a rowdy group Elias told Buzzfeed News she’d noticed come in earlier in the night. Some members of the group of around 20 people were wearing “stereotypical Mexican-themed costumes,” she told Buzzfeed, and “they looked to be a few drinks in when they arrived at the BYOB club.”
As you can see in the clip below, Elias responded with a joking comment, saying, “Why would you ask me that knowing I’m the only Jew in this room? Are you trying to get me killed?” The heckler was undeterred, however, asking Elias if she’d voted for Biden and saying “I could just tell by your jokes you voted for Biden.”
“I can tell by the fact that you’re still talking when nobody wants you to that you voted for Trump,” Elias replied to cheers, and got another loud cheer from the crowd when she asked people to make some noise if they wanted the heckler to shut up. She attempted to move on from there, beginning to set up a joke about getting an IUD, but a beer can was thrown from the crowd and hit the wall next to her face.
“At first I was in shock,” Elias told Buzzfeed. “Did that really just happen? And then I saw the beer can and I was like, I mean, I have to drink this. Like, there’s nothing else I can do with this. This is the only way to recover. I have to drink it. So I drank it!”
She picked up the can and chugged the remainder of it to more huge cheers, and went on to finish out her set.
Dino Ibelli, who owns Uncle Vinnie’s, told Buzzfeed that the heckler and her partner (who he said was the one to throw the can) left the venue shortly after the incident, but that he’d been in touch with the Point Pleasant Beach Police Department and given them security footage.
Meanwhile, other comedians have applauded Elias on twitter for how she handled the situation, including Patton Oswalt, Jimmy Kimmel, Whitney Cummings, and Jim Gaffigan. Read their responses below.
Elias has more stand-up dates coming up, including NYC shows at Friends and Lovers on October 12, Gotham Comedy Club on October 15, and New York Comedy Club on October 16. See all of her upcoming dates here.
Here’s the clip pic.twitter.com/soeG3dixP4
— Ariel Elias (@Ariel_Comedy) October 9, 2022
To answer the most obvious question, yes, I did pick up what was left of the beer and chug it. https://t.co/y6T0AWC1kQ
— Ariel Elias (@Ariel_Comedy) October 9, 2022
Ariel wasn’t even doing political material. The drunk heckler was craving what every MAGAt craves — grievance and revenge. And they’ll alter the reality before their eyes to get it. “You SOUND like you voted for Biden.” https://t.co/rDCF9Cmoc1
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) October 9, 2022
five stars for this flawless performance @Ariel_Comedy https://t.co/gPmNlmX9d5
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) October 9, 2022
For all y’all who want to make fun of comics for saying we didn’t sign up to be physically attacked and put on a pedestal, take a peekie poo. @Ariel_Comedy you’re a class act. https://t.co/dJSahKnJDL
— Whitney Cummings (@WhitneyCummings) October 9, 2022
Umm…SO MANY things to say about this but the big take away is that @ariel_Comedy is super funny and total class. https://t.co/twi2CBKr5K
— Jim Gaffigan (@JimGaffigan) October 9, 2022