Boom Chicago on 60 Minutes: Amsterdam’s Comedy Goldmine
The final segment of the February 1, 2026, episode of 60 Minutes offered a surprising and joyful detour from the night’s heavier topics. Correspondent Jon Wertheim took viewers to Amsterdam for a closer look at Boom Chicago, the English-language improv theater that’s become an unlikely launchpad for some of America’s best-known comedy stars. Founded in the early 1990s, Boom Chicago isn’t just a comedy club in a European capital—it’s a cultural incubator with transatlantic reach.
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A Theater Born from a Dream—and a Leap
Boom Chicago began as an idea between two American college friends, Andrew Moskos and Pep Rosenfeld, who were inspired by the comedy scenes in Chicago and wanted to create something similar in Europe. With little more than ambition and a sense of humor, they established the theater in Amsterdam in 1993. At the time, it may have sounded like a joke: an English-speaking improv troupe in a non-English-speaking country. But over the decades, the idea proved not only sustainable, but wildly influential.
Operating out of Amsterdam’s historic Rozentheater since 2013, Boom Chicago found success thanks to the city’s large international population and a global audience hungry for smart, fast-paced satire. What made the theater special was its willingness to take risks, push boundaries, and address global politics through comedy—all while keeping the laughs coming.
A Comedy Pipeline to Stardom
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Boom Chicago is its alumni list. The theater became a proving ground for talent who would later go on to dominate American comedy television. Among them are:
- Seth Meyers, future Saturday Night Live head writer and host of Late Night
- Jordan Peele, Oscar-winning filmmaker and former co-creator of Key & Peele
- Amber Ruffin, writer and host of The Amber Ruffin Show
- Jason Sudeikis, beloved for his role in Ted Lasso
- Brendan Hunt, who co-created and starred in Ted Lasso alongside Sudeikis
All of these comedians honed their skills on the Boom Chicago stage, mastering the art of quick thinking, audience interaction, and politically charged humor. For many, the time in Amsterdam was creatively liberating, allowing them to experiment without the constraints of traditional U.S. entertainment gatekeeping.
Comedy Without Borders
As Wertheim’s segment emphasized, Boom Chicago thrived because it existed outside the American media bubble. In the Netherlands, performers could tackle subjects like racism, politics, and free speech from a more international perspective, often delivering sharper satire because of it. That outsider vantage point gave many Boom alumni a wider lens through which to view their own country—and helped shape the tone of their later work.
The theater has also remained committed to embracing topical comedy, producing shows that address global current events and social shifts. Even in an age when comedians face increasing scrutiny for the topics they tackle, Boom Chicago leans into fearless, relevant humor.
The Enduring Power of Live Comedy
At a time when streaming platforms dominate and comedy feels increasingly curated or constrained by social media backlash, Boom Chicago stands as a testament to the enduring power of live performance. The immediacy of improv, the risk of failure, and the spontaneity of laughter in a room full of strangers remain at the heart of the Boom experience.
For Wertheim and 60 Minutes, the story of Boom Chicago isn’t just about a theater—it’s about the resilience of comedy. In an era of division and digital overload, a small stage in Amsterdam continues to serve as a launchpad for big ideas and bold voices. And perhaps most importantly, it proves that humor still travels—across borders, across languages, and across generations.
