Comedian Craig Ferguson brings big laughter to the Vilar Saturday

Perhaps best known for hosting the “Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” on CBS for a decade, the wildly popular comedian takes the stage at the Vilar Performing Arts Center Saturday.

The CBS late show has become a cult classic on YouTube, garnering millions of views annually on fan-posted, bootleg clips.

“We develop such connection to evening talk show hosts. Whether we are watching with intent, cooking dinner or relaxing at home with family, comedians like Johnny Carson, Jimmy Fallon, James Corden and Craig Ferguson have been right there with us, night after night. Craig is among the brilliant comedic minds from television who distill everyday life into captivating storytelling and explosive laughter,” said Owen Hutchinson, VPAC executive director.

But, Ferguson didn’t start out as a grand sensation. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, he debuted as a drummer for what he called some of the worst punk bands in the United Kingdom. It’s no wonder he turned to bartending after that, but clearly, he was meant for more than mixing cocktails and pouring beers. At his local Glasgow pub, he met Sir Michael Boyd, the artistic director of The Tron Theatre in town. Boyd convinced Ferguson to give acting a go, and, after several low-paying gigs, Ferguson’s sense of humor emerged, and he soon became the star of his own BBC television show, “The Ferguson Theory.”

After making waves in the UK, he came to the U.S. to star in the 1995 short-lived ABC comedy, “Maybe This Time” with Marie Osmond and Betty White. Though “that time” didn’t last long, once again, his talent led to a role on “The Drew Carey Show,” where he played Carey’s boss, Nigel Wick, from 1996 to 2003.

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When the History Channel’s “Join or Die” debuted in 2016, he and his celebrity friends debated provocative topics with history experts.

And, while most new U.S. citizens don’t have the honor of hosting the White House Correspondence Dinner, his first gig as a U.S. citizen in 2008 entertained President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, celebrities, political journalists and Washington’s power players. A year later, Harper Collins published his memoir, “American on Purpose,” about how and why he became an American. It hit the bestseller list and attracted a Grammy nomination for best spoken word.

His catchphrase used to be, “It’s a great day for America,” but he has suppressed that a bit.

“The thing is, when I say it now — and I would still say it — but since about 2016, half of the audience gets mad at the other half of the audience. I say, ‘It’s a great day for America,’ and they’re like, ‘What the hell do you mean by that?’ ‘No, he’s right.’ ‘Shut up.’ ‘No you shut up,'” he said.

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Throughout his career, the multi-Grammy-nominated comedian has earned Peabody and Emmy awards for acting, writing, producing, directing, and, of course, making people laugh. He has starred in a variety of standup specials, including ones for Epix (“Does This Need to Be Said”), Comedy Central (“A Wee Bit O’ Revolution”) and Netflix (“I’m Here to Help”). When he told Jay Leno he was never going to film another standup special, he said that Leno responded:

“What are you talking about? You’re like a hobo standing outside of a fancy restaurant telling all the people going by that you’re never going to eat in that place again.”

Hence, Amazon’s six-part standup/docu-series, “Hobo Fabulous” in 2019.

But Ferguson has continued to turn some of his attention to writing. His first novel, “Between the Bridge and the River,” hit the New York Times bestseller list in 2016. His most recent book, “Riding the Elephant: A Memoir of Altercations, Humiliations, Hallucinations, and Observations,” came out in 2019 and features a series of biographical stories.