Modi Rosenfeld worked as an investment banker in his early 20s, when his friends encouraged him to try stand-up after he imitated secretaries at his firm. After an open mic, he was hooked.
He has been working and touring for 3 decades, and he is bringing his new hour, Pause for Laughter, to the Liberty Funnybone on April 16. It isn’t his first time in Cincinnati, but it is his first time playing the Liberty Funny Bone.
Once known primarily for performing on the Jewish circuit, including fundraisers, benefits, and roasts — and in New York clubs like the Comedy Cellar, Modi sometimes describes himself as the last of the Catskills comedians, a theme he explores in his new hour.
“I talk about being the last of the Catskill comedians… I made a living working in the Catskills while doing comedy clubs,” Modi said. “I talk about it with pride. It’s very nostalgic, and people who have never heard of the Catskills get it explained to them, and it’s a great—it’s one of my fun parts of the hour.”
He broke through to wider audiences after the pandemic, as his social media clips began getting millions of views. That growth, he said, came from a shift behind the scenes as much as onstage.
“It all aligned during COVID,” Modi said. “My husband took over my business, built the team, and that’s how everything grew.”
Modi has continued to build his audience through his podcast, Here’s Modi, which he hosts with his husband and manager, Leo. And his last special, Know Your Audience, that was largely based on his experiences on the Jewish circuit.
“It was a portal to look into the community and be like, ‘What is going on here?’” Modi said. “Through laughter, through pride and laughter, not through self-deprecation.”
And Modi continues to work in a similar way to how he has throughout his career. Working on his material several nights a week in clubs in New York and on the road, and testing it in front of live audiences.
“You see where there’s a beginning and end … and the trick is to just take all the fat out in between the tags,” Modi said. “How can you get to the next laugh without all those words?”
His new hour reflects a slight shift in his subject matter, as he explores the many facets of his identity, including his marriage, his experience with ADHD, and Dyslexia.
“It’s not as Jewish as the first one,” Modi said. “I talk about traveling … interfaith relationships … I bring up Trump in a way that is so not polarizing … just in a fun way.”
In a world that is increasingly chaotic, with wars and skyrocketing antisemitism. Modi says he is looking at how to bring people together through what he calls Mosiach Energy. He wants to show his Jewish pride through his work and break audiences’ expectations.
“The Jewish voice has changed—so much more powerful… It’s a more sexy voice. It’s a voice that might be married to somebody who’s gay and not Jewish,” he said. “It’s a voice that has Israel, Chabad, and Hatzala behind it. It’s a Jewish voice. It’s a different voice—more powerful, it’s more confident, it’s more helpful, it’s more unifying, and it’s a place of pride.”
For Modi, that sense of connection remains central to his work, especially in live settings where audiences can engage directly with the material. As he prepares to return to Cincinnati, he said the goal is simple: to bring people together through laughter.
“There is nothing better you can do than come see a comedy show,” Modi said. “Be the friend that brings the friends … make a fun evening of it.”
Modi will be at the Liberty Funny Bone on April 16. You can find tickets here.