10 Comedians Who Are Also Serious Musicians: Seth MacFarlane, John C. Reilly, Steve Martin & More

Comedians have been incorporating music into their work for centuries. In ancient Greece, phallic songs were sung to (one assumes) amused audiences during Dionysiac festivals. In medieval times, court jesters used music to entertain royalty. By the 20th century, Allan Sherman was regaling his parents with tales of summer camp in "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh," "Weird Al" Yankovic was parodying songs by Madonna and Michael Jackson, and Tenacious D were performing "mock rock" at L.A.’s Viper Room.

But what about those comedians who just...play music? Who aren’t doing it just for the laughs but really want to move audiences with their songs?

This June, two very funny guys — Seth MacFarlane and John C. Reilly — will release not-so-funny albums full of straight-up good music. To commemorate their album releases, here’s a look at just a few of the comics who make music on the side.

Seth MacFarlane

In addition to contributing humorous songs to his many film and TV projects — "Family Guy," "American Dad!" and "Ted," among them — MacFarlane has released eight studio albums of jazz standards and classic show tunes, earning three Best Traditional Pop Vocal GRAMMY nominations along the way.

His new album, Lush Life: The Lost Sinatra Arrangements, due out June 6, features covers of 12 never-before-heard arrangements created for Frank Sinatra. Recorded with a 70-piece orchestra band, Lush Life is "more than a tribute album – it's a time capsule opened for the first time in almost 70 years of unreleased musical treasures written for classic Sinatra albums," per a press release.

John C. Reilly

Reilly — known for a wide-range of performances in comedy (Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby), musicals (Chicago), and drama (Magnolia) — has also engaged in various musical endeavors over the years. "Walk Hard," from the 2007 film of the same name, was nominated for a GRAMMY Award in 2009. Beginning in 2022, he's performed a vaudeville show under the moniker Mister Romantic. On June 13, his alter ego will release an album, What’s Not to Love?, which contains renditions of tunes by Irving Berlin, Tom Waits, and a variety of Great American Songbook classics.

"What’s Not To Love? Is a collection of songs from the show with some cinematic audio weaved in. They tell the story of an eternal optimist, Mister Romantic, as he looks for love," Reilly said in a press release. "Each song moved me enough to want to share it with people and keep each one alive by passing it on like some of my favorite singers did in their time."

Maya Rudolph

Years before joining the cast of "SNL," Rudolph — daughter of GRAMMY nominee Minnie Riperton — was a musician. In the mid-‘90s, she played keyboard and sang backup for the Rentals and since 2012 has performed with Princess, a Prince tribute act that she formed with singer/songwriter Gretchen Lieberum.

Ken Marino

Marino got his start in The State, a comedy troupe he co-founded in college that eventually landed its own show on MTV. Many film and TV roles followed, including the cult classic Wet Hot American Summer, the series "Party Down," and more recently, the Netflix hit "The Residence."

For the past few years, he’s fostered his love for music, creating a jam band with longtime friend and creative partner David Wain. The Middle Aged Dad Jam Band hasn’t yet released an album, but their videos (which often feature special guests, including Kristen Bell, Will Forte, and Kathryn Hahn, among others) have amassed millions of views on YouTube and they play live shows throughout the country every year.

Steve Martin

Currently starring in "Only Murders in the Building," Steve Martin got his start in stand-up before becoming known as one of those "wild and crazy guys" on "SNL." While he frequently used the banjo — which he began playing in his teens — as a prop in his comedic performances, Martin is also a highly respected musician.

He’s released multiple albums, has frequently collaborated with Edie Brickell, and has toured and performed with the Steep Canyon Rangers bluegrass band. For his musical efforts, Martin has won three GRAMMY Awards; his most recent music-related win came in 2014 when he and Brickell took home the golden gramophone for Best American Roots Song for "Love Has Come For You."

Tim Heidecker

Part of the comedy duo Tim & Eric, Heidecker is most widely known for creating irreverent content for Adult Swim — namely, "Tim and Eric’s Bedtime Stories" and "Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!" But with his music, he’s explored heavier themes, delving into topics like fatherhood, climate change, and general anxieties with sincerity and vulnerability. His most recent album, Slipping Away, was released in October 2024.

Margaret Cho

Margaret Cho has weaved music into her comedy for decades, earning two Best Comedy Album GRAMMY Award nominations for her comedy-music albums Cho Dependent and American Myth. Both featured an array of musical guest artists, including Garrison Starr, Andrew Bird, Tegan and Sara, Patti Griffin, and Ani DiFranco, among others.

On her latest release, Lucky Gift, Cho puts aside the punchlines to address heavy topics — substance abuse, suicide, and grief — in ‘90s-drenched pop-rock. "I think it's fun to come at art in a different way," Cho told GRAMMY.com. "I was making things that were like comedy music, and now it's very changed. I finally sort of figured out my own kind of musical voice."

Hugh Laurie

Years before he was known as Dr. Gregory House in Fox’s medical drama "House," Hugh Laurie and his comedic partner, Stephen Fry, collaborated under the name Fry and Laurie. The duo appeared on numerous British comedy series and had their own sketch comedy show, "A Bit of Fry & Laurie," which aired on the BBC.

But outside of his comedy, Laurie is also an accomplished musician, and has released two blues albums, 2011’s Let Them Talk and 2013’s Didn’t It Rain.

Eddie Murphy

Eddie Murphy has mixed music into his comedy from the start, including parody songs on his 1982 eponymously titled debut stand-up album. And though he’s contributed his singing talents to some of his films, including a cover of the Monkees’ "I’m a Believer" in Shrek, he was also, briefly, a pop star.

From 1985-1993, Murphy released three studio albums, and in 1985 had a hit, "Party All the Time," which reached No. 2 on the Billboard charts.

Bill Hicks

Bill Hicks was primarily known for his dark, often controversial, stand-up routines — one of which made him the first comic to be censored at CBS’ Ed Sullivan Theatre. Over the course of his short career, he earned a cult following. Among his legions of fans were the members of Tool, who dedicated their 1996 album, Ænima, to the comic.

Sadly, Hicks died of pancreatic cancer in 1994 at the age of 32. After his death, his family discovered boxes of Hicks’ musical recordings. The songs were remastered at Abbey Road Studios and released as an album, Lo-fi Troubadour.