17th Annual Stand Up for Heroes, Presented by the Bob Woodruff Foundation and the New York Comedy Festival, Returns to New York
Jimmy Carr, Ronny Chieng, Shane Gillis, Josh Groban, John Mellencamp, Tracy Morgan, Jon Stewart, The War and Treaty, Rita Wilson and More to Take the Stage to Honor Our Nation’s Veterans at David Geffen Hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on November 6, 2023
Stand Up for Heroes (SUFH), New York’s highly anticipated night of hope, healing and laughter, presented by the Bob Woodruff Foundation and the New York Comedy Festival (NYCF), returns for its 17th annual celebration to honor our nation’s impacted veterans and their families on November 6, at 8:00 p.m. ET at David Geffen Hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. SUFH will feature performances by comedians and musicians including Jimmy Carr, Ronny Chieng, Shane Gillis, Josh Groban, John Mellencamp, Tracy Morgan, Jon Stewart, The War and Treaty, Rita Wilson and more. The event will also spotlight the inspiring, remarkable stories of resilience and service of the men and women who have stood for us as members of our nation’s military. SUFH raises awareness and funds for the Bob Woodruff Foundation, whose mission is to ensure that our nation’s veterans, service members, and their families — those who stood for us — have stable and successful futures.
Stand Up for Heroes is sponsored by Bread Financial and presented by the Bob Woodruff Foundation and the New York Comedy Festival. In addition to Bread Financial, support for Stand Up for Heroes is brought to you by Craig Newmark Philanthropies, The State of Qatar, Gridiron Capital, H.C.S. Foundation, Vehicles for Veterans, Ann G and James B Ritchey Foundation, HSBC, UBS, Citi, Pendleton, Fortress, PMI, Steven and Alexandra Cohen Foundation, Assured Guaranty, Barclays, BNP Paribas, NEAR, AmeriVet Securities, Barbara Bradley Baekgaard Foundation, BlackRock, TriWest Healthcare Alliance, Henry Repeating Arms, Ryan Myrick, World Wide Technology, Salesforce, Amazon, Cross River, Drexel Hamilton, DTCC, Napier Park Global, National Basketball Association, Skadden, and Slate Asset Management.
“I’m thrilled to announce the 17th annual Stand Up for Heroes, an amazing night of hope, healing, and laughter to honor our nation’s veterans and their families,” said Bob Woodruff, ABC Correspondent and Co-Founder of the Bob Woodruff Foundation. “The evening will include a fantastic lineup of comedic and musical performances. Beyond that, Stand Up for Heroes will shine a light on the incredible service and sacrifice of our veterans, service members, and their families, and raise important funds to support the men and women who have had our back and who now need us to have theirs.”
In 2007, New York Comedy Festival founders Caroline Hirsch and Andrew Fox partnered with Bob and Lee Woodruff to create this special event as a tribute to impacted veterans and their loved ones. Since its inception, Stand Up for Heroes has raised $70 million to date to help all veterans and military families have successful futures. Over the past 16 years, comedians and performers including Stephen Colbert, Eric Church, Sheryl Crow, Jim Gaffigan, Whoopi Goldberg, The Lumineers, John Mayer, Seth Meyers, Hasan Minhaj, John Mulaney, Trevor Noah, Conan O’Brien, Jerry Seinfeld, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Stewart, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Robin Williams have taken the stage to advocate for our extraordinary service members.
“Stand Up for Heroes is an integral part of the New York Comedy Festival, and offers a unique opportunity for all of us to show support to our veterans and their families who have sacrificed so much to serve our country,” said Caroline Hirsch, Founder and Owner of the New York Comedy Festival and Board Member of the Bob Woodruff Foundation. “This is an unforgettable event where attendees can experience the healing power of laughter and music while helping to provide long-lasting services to these extraordinary veterans.”
For the past 16 years, the Bob Woodruff Foundation has educated Americans about and funded programs to address the physical and hidden wounds of war. Today, BWF is working to ensure that our country’s veterans and their families have successful futures. BWF has invested more than $120 million to support the 20 million veterans and military families across the country.
“Many veterans face challenges that include food and housing insecurity, social isolation, and health issues. Coming together to publicly support our nation’s 20 million veterans and military families is something that all of us can get behind,” said Anne Marie Dougherty, CEO of the Bob Woodruff Foundation. “The Foundation is proud to once again host Stand Up for Heroes, a moving and laughter-filled celebration of the veteran community and their service. We are grateful for our wonderful partners, the New York Comedy Festival and its founders Caroline Hirsch and Andrew Fox, for helping us make Stand Up for Heroes possible for our veterans, service members, their families and caregivers.”
“Bread Financial is again honored to support thousands of veterans and their families through our partnership with Stand Up for Heroes and the Bob Woodruff Foundation,” said Ralph Andretta, president and CEO of Bread Financial. “Last year, we proudly contributed to the foundation’s efforts to help more than 11,000 veterans live more stable and successful lives. As we embark on our third year supporting this important cause, we look forward to helping the Foundation increase its outreach efforts and improve the financial health and wellness of our veterans.”
Tickets for Stand Up for Heroes go on sale September 6 through bobwoodrufffoundation.org and the Lincoln Center box office.
ABOUT STAND UP FOR HEROES
Stand Up for Heroes launched in 2007 as the brainchild of Bob and Lee Woodruff and New York Comedy Festival founders Caroline Hirsch and Andrew Fox and is one of New York’s most anticipated nights of hope, healing and laughter, honoring our nation’s injured veterans and their families. Since its inception in 2007, SUFH has raised $70 million to create long-lasting, positive outcomes for our nation’s injured veterans, service members and their families. Stand Up for Heroes continues to expand and grow due to its remarkable success. Beginning at Town Hall, the event moved to the Beacon Theater in 2010, and to the Theater at Madison Square Garden in 2013 before going virtual in 2020. Over the past 16 years, comedians and performers including Stephen Colbert, Jim Gaffigan, Ricky Gervais, John Mayer, Seth Meyers, Hasan Minhaj, John Mulaney, Trevor Noah, Conan O’Brien, Jerry Seinfeld, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Stewart, Ray Romano and Robin Williams have taken the stage to advocate for our extraordinary service members. Stand Up for Heroes is presented by the Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) and the New York Comedy Festival (NYCF).
ABOUT THE BOB WOODRUFF FOUNDATION
The Bob Woodruff Foundation was founded in 2006 after reporter Bob Woodruff was wounded by a roadside bomb while covering the war in Iraq. Since then, the Bob Woodruff Foundation has raised awareness about the tough challenges veterans and military families are facing, and invested in solutions to help support them in the next chapter of their lives. To date, the Bob Woodruff Foundation has invested over $120 million to ensure that our nation’s veterans, service members and their families — those who stood for us — have stable and successful futures. Visit the Bob Woodruff Foundation for more information.
ABOUT THE NEW YORK COMEDY FESTIVAL
Launched in 2004, the New York Comedy Festival is produced by Carolines and created by Caroline Hirsch. Each year, the NYCF brings together the best comedy talent from across the country and throughout the world — from top-tier headliners to new and emerging talent — to perform in more than 150 shows across all five boroughs in such iconic venues as The Apollo, BAM, the Beacon Theatre, Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Town Hall, and The Venue at Hard Rock Hotel New York, just to name a few. This year the NYCF runs from November 3 – 12, 2023 and will feature acts including Dave Attell, Bill Burr, Nicole Byer, Jimmy Carr, Margaret Cho, Tim Dillon, Giggly Squad, Ilana Glazer, Brett Goldstein, Nate Jackson, Anthony Jeselnik, Matteo Lane, Sam Morril, Nick Mullen and Adam Friedland, Atsuko Okatsuka, Pod Meets World, Donnell Rawlings, Jeff Ross, Robyn Schall, Daniel Sloss, and Michelle Wolf. For more information, visit nycomedyfestival.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter using the hashtag #makeNYlaugh
