Charlie Berens at the Mother Lode

Charlie Berens is one of Wisconsin’s most popular stand-up comedians, best known for his feel-good, Midwest-inspired comedy and his wildly popular local news parody series, “The Manitowoc Minute.” With two comedy specials, the podcasts “Bellied Up” and “The Cripescast,” and a massive digital following, Charlie has amassed more than 12 million followers and 3 billion views across his platforms.

He’s also a New York Times bestselling author of The Midwest Survival Guide, an Emmy-winning journalist, and a Billboard-charting bluegrass musician.

Charlie may be many things to many people, but at the heart of his comedy is where he comes from. One of twelve kids, he grew up in a big Wisconsin family and draws inspiration from the everyday experiences that make Midwest life unique—from DIY projects and ice fishing to gambling with his grandma. While his comedy is deeply rooted in Midwest culture, his stand-up has resonated far beyond Wisconsin.

Charlie’s national tours have sold more than 400,000 tickets across 113 cities and 32 states, including nine arena shows over the past four years.

Beyond comedy, Charlie remains deeply connected to his home state. He works with Wisconsin-based brands, charities, and sports teams and has built an audience that spans generations, rural and urban communities, and people across the political spectrum. For the past four years, he has served as the face of Wisconsin’s Annual Food for the Holidays Campaign.

More recently, Charlie has used his platform to advocate for Wisconsin communities in debates surrounding AI data centers, taking on major technology companies and politicians in the process. Wisconsin gave Charlie a voice, and he’s finding plenty of ways to give back.

And because apparently comedy, journalism, music, books, and activism weren’t enough, Charlie recently launched his own brandy: Berens Old Fashioned Brandy. It’s named after his grandfather, Bob - because, as Charlie likes to point out, naming it after himself would have been a little egotistical.