A well-known Memphis comedy club has abruptly shut down after canceling multiple shows.
Chuckles Comedy House, a Memphis staple for more than a decade announced it was closing on Sunday.
“For over 10 years we have made you laugh and we are proud of that. We are proud to have given this city the recognition it deserves across the comedic board to have comics WANTING to come to Memphis for our intimate audience. Unfortunately, we have to close our doors. We are grateful for Memphis and grateful to have been such a force within the community. Thank you all.” -Chuckles Comedy House via Facebook
Chuckles was a consistent stop for up-and-coming comedians and celebrities like Sheryl Underwood and Lavell Crawford.
Following the closures of Black Lodge in Crosstown, Save-A-Lot in Parkway Village and Bishop downtown this summer, Chuckles is yet another example of a Memphis business closing its doors.
“I’m in Nashville right now (and) Master P just asked me about Chuckles,” promoter Marlo Matthews said. “I had to tell him the news.”
Matthews has been with the comedy club since the beginning.
“It meant a lot for the city and we had a place where we can relax,” Matthews said. “Denzel would come up, Katt Williams – Chuckles drew a lot of well-known people.”
Two weeks ago, a post was made on social media announcing that all of Chuckles’ August shows were canceled.
Prior to that announcement, a post was made earlier in the month that included six comedians who were set to hit the stage.
Matthews told WREG that the sudden closure came after Chuckles’ owner decided to move in a different direction.
“Chuckles has ran its course and he is going into other business entities,” Matthews said. “So, that’s why Chuckles closed. It ran its course.”
Though the future of Chuckles is unclear and the website is now shut down, Matthews said another Memphis oasis could be on the way.
“It’s a chapter closing,” Matthews said. “A lot of powerful people want to get involved with doing something like this. There are things in the works, just stay tuned.”
