Longtime stand up comedian, impressionist and veteran of sketch comedy show “MADtv” Aries Spears will bring his edgy, no-holds-barred comedy to the Pittsburgh Improv in Homestead this weekend.

With five shows — a 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Friday, a 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Saturday and a 7 p.m. Sunday — there are plenty of chances to catch some laughs. What can Pittsburgh audiences expect from an evening with Spears? “Just good, unfiltered, old-school type of comedy,” Spears said in an interview.

The 49-year-old’s been in the game a long time, starting out in the world of stand up at just 14 years old in New York City. He’s loved classic comedy ever since childhood.

“This is something I was kind of drawn to at an early age, being a fan of movies and watching some of the old school greats like Abbott and Costello, Moms Mabley, Redd Fox, Richard Pryor, just being a fan of comedy and movies,” he said.

He said that those older-generation performers had an influence on his desire to do comedic impressions, a skill for which he’s particularly known. His impersonations of famous voices like Jay-Z and Shaquille O’Neal are well-known for their hilarious accuracy.

Spears was on Fox’s “MADtv” for eight seasons, starting with season three in 1997 and leaving after season 10 in 2005. He looks back at the experience mostly with positivity.

“I was there for about eight years, so I would say about six out of the eight was enjoyable … Things change, writers come and go and cast members come and go. For most of my tenure, for the six years I was there with the cast that I was there with and the writers, it was enjoyable, but as things began to change, it wasn’t as enjoyable,” he said.

But there were quite a few cast members that he loved working with, including Mo Collins, Will Sasso, Debra Wilson, Nicole Sullivan and Michael McDonald.

Spears has kept busy since his time on “MADtv,” with multiple appearances in films and on television, as well as a packed tour schedule. He discussed his love of stand up with enthusiasm.

“It’s a great one-on-one gratification. The connection that you make with the audience, there’s really no feeling like it in terms of instant gratification. When you do something and it works, it’s an instantaneous rush that you get,” he said.

His process for writing jokes is pretty loose and improvisational, more so than many of his peers. “You know, I don’t really write too much down, I kind of write bullet points of what I want to talk about and then I just go onstage and let nature take its course.”

He agreed that leaving more room for his material to change night-to-night makes for a unique audience experience at every show.

Asked about other comedians who he admires, he said, “Dave Chappelle, Patrice O’Neal and Bill Burr are some of the biggest influences. Even though Patrice is no longer with us, he’s definitely a big inspiration.”

In addition to touring, he has a podcast called “Spears & Steinberg” with fellow comedian — and his opener — Andy Steinberg. They’ve been doing the show for five years and it has a back catalogue of more than 500 episodes for comedy podcast fans to binge.

Spears encouraged fans to catch some laughs with him this weekend at the Pittsburgh Improv. “Come out and have a good time, try to leave political correctness at the door,” he said.

For tickets and information, visit improv.com/pittsburgh.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)