Brian Posehn
By Naperville Magazine
February 2026 View more Spotlight
By Jeff Banowetz
The standup comedian, best known for his TV work, takes stage in Batavia
Even if you don’t know Brian Posehn’s name, you probably recognize his face.
The 59-year-old writer, actor, and standup comedian has appeared in dozens of TV shows and movies. At 6-foot-7, he generally stands out in a crowd, and once you see him, you’ll notice him popping in practically every significant sitcom over the last three decades. He’s appeared on Seinfeld, Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond, Will & Grace, and New Girl, to list a few. Posehn also played lovable geologist Bert Kibbler on The Big Bang Theory, and he’s currently at work on the latest spinoff of that highly successful sitcom, titled Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, which will be coming to HBO Max this summer.
Posehn began his career as a standup comedian and writer, with his big break coming through collaborations with friends Bob Odenkirk (a Naperville native) and David Cross on Mr. Show with Bob and David, which debuted in 1995. He’s always been interested in “nerd culture,” and his career has allowed him to indulge in many of his passions, from writing comic books (he worked on Marvel’s Deadpool between 2012 and 2015) to hosting a podcast on Dungeons & Dragons (Nerd Poker), which is still going strong.
Lucky for us, Posehn will be performing five shows at The Comedy Vault (18 E. Wilson St., Batavia) Feb. 19 to 21, so catch him while he’s here.
Q: Tell us about your standup career.
A: Standup is the first thing and the thing I’ve been doing the longest. There wasn’t a plan I made, like, “I’m gonna do this.” I was just a kid, kind of looking for something to do. I was going to college, studying journalism, and that was kind of the idea. A friend dared me to try [standup]. I was working at a McDonald’s of all things, and people told me I was funny. So I was just a 20-something kid looking for something to do, and it’s been almost 40 years now that I’m still doing it.
Q: From where do most people most recognize you?
A: [Bert Kiddler] on The Big Bang Theory is probably the biggest thing that I’ve done. The show has become so popular. It was on for 12 years, and even though it’s been finished for quite a while now, I still get people coming up to me about it. I’ve had people tell me they fall asleep to it every night.
Q: And now you get to go back into that universe?
A: Yeah, I heard about two years ago that they were considering this spinoff, and it took a while to get developed. It’s been amazing. I’ve been working my butt off. It’s really crazy fun, but it’s also the most intense acting gig I’ve ever had because it’s just something different every week. And also I’m in a high percentage of the scenes because I’m one of the main cast members for this one.
Q: You’ve worked on both The Mandalorian and The Simpsons. As a self-described nerd, which experience was more meaningful?
A: Ooh, that’s a tough one. They are both huge, and both happened relatively later in my career. On The Simpsons, I had a friend working on the show, and we were having dinner. He said, “We’ve never had you on the show,” and I said, “Yeah, why not?” He finally got me on. That’s just crazy to think about how I was working at a skateboard shop in Sacramento [where Posehn was born and raised] when that show came out. My coworkers and I thought it was the most hilarious thing. Now I’m on it. For The Mandalorian, the hardest part was that I had to sign a nondisclosure agreement. I couldn’t tell anyone about the role for like six months. It was a very small role, and at first, they thought I might not be interested, but I was just happy to do anything to be a part of Star Wars…My son went to the premiere with me. He was about 12 at the time, and that was a big thing for him. That was probably one of the first times he thought, Oh, Dad is cool.
Q: You’ve crafted a career that involves comedy, comic books, TV—it’s like the dream of every Gen X teenage boy.
A: Oh, that’s for sure, and it’s not lost on me. It’s just sort of grown organically that I’ve gotten to live all these dreams. It’s pretty cool.
Photo: Brian Posehn
