Laugh Factory serves up laughs and Thanksgiving meals for annual celebration

The world-famous Laugh Factory Hollywood hosted its 45th annual Thanksgiving dinner, serving over 2,000 people in need with a hot meal and plenty of laughs.

“We just really feel very blessed to do this,” said David Fuhrer, Laugh Factory president. “Because people come in and every one of us has stress, we have problems, and when you walk in the doors here, we want to bring people just joy and laughter.”

The tradition began on Thanksgiving Day 1979 with Laugh Factory owner Jamie Masada, just a week after the club opened, with a small event that served 71 comedians who were away from home at the time.

“We have all these amazing comics. And they, you know, some of them are very famous from television, and they come here and they volunteer their time just to put smile on people’s face and give them some food,” Fuhrer said.

Michael Grant, a comedian himself, said he fell on hard times during the recent work stoppages that brought the entertainment industry to a standstill.

“I was broke and homeless, and I’m now on my way back, and it’s things like this that have helped me, traditionally in the past as an artist, when I’ve been struggling,” Grant said.

Like Grant, each person in line had their own unique story and their own reasons to be grateful.

“Don’t want to be alone by yourself. So come around here, enjoy your people and get a nice plate of food,” said Bester Hester, one of the attendees.

And, of course, no Thanksgiving would be complete without the pumpkin pie.

“We like to say we’re feeding their bellies, but we’re also feeding their soul,” Fuhrer said.

The world-famous Laugh Factory Hollywood hosted its 45th annual Thanksgiving dinner, serving over 2,000 people in need with a hot meal and plenty of laughs. “We just really feel very blessed to do this,” said David Fuhrer, Laugh Factory president. “Because people come in and every one of us has stress, we have problems, and […]