Teenager named Acme's Funniest Person in the Twin Cities

Aidan McCluskey takes home $1,000 with promising stand-up set.

September 5, 2018 at 1:36PM
Aidan McCluskey
Aidan McCluskey (Colleen Kelly — Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Aidan McCluskey
(Colleen Kelly — Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A 19-year-old legal assistant from Galesville, Wis., was named the Funniest Person in the Twin Cities Tuesday night at Acme Comedy Co.'s annual competition. Aidan McCluskey outscored four other finalists with a short set that included a clever bit urging folks to treat homeless people with the same compassion they show dogs.

Judges included recently retired WCCO personality John Hines, former Minneapolis fire chief Alex Jackson and KQRS sidekick Dave Mordal.

McCluskey, who only started doing stand-up five months ago, received a $1,000 check. "I've never had this much money at one time," he said after the show. "I'll probably blow it on something stupid."

about the writer

about the writer

Neal Justin

Critic / Reporter

Neal Justin is the pop-culture critic, covering how Minnesotans spend their entertainment time. He also reviews stand-up comedy. Justin previously served as TV and music critic for the paper. He is the co-founder of JCamp, a non-profit program for high-school journalists, and works on many fronts to further diversity in newsrooms.

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