Henry Cho Comedy Comes to Iowa: Stops in Des Moines, Iowa City, and Dubuque

Being in active in local media, I have had ample opportunities to meet and chat with plenty of celebrities and rock stars. My favorite people to chat with always seem to be the comedians. To date though, I haven't met one that is as down-to-Earth and easy to chat with as Henry Cho. Henry took a few moments out of his now very busy schedule to chat with me about his upcoming run across the state of Iowa and much of the United States during his, "The Empty Nest Tour."

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Cho’s latest tour is inspired by a personal milestone with his youngest child heading off to college. “My youngest started college about a year and a half ago, and so I'm an empty nester, so I'm getting a tour like I used to, which means I can do three nights in a row somewhere. I don't have to get back for, you know, soccer games or football or horse shows or softball or what have you,” he explained. With his re-found freedom, Cho is taking his comedy across the country, including a rare multi-city run through Iowa. You can see him in Des Moines on April 9th, Iowa City on April 10th, and Dubuque on April 11th at the Five Flags Center.

“I haven't been to Iowa in, gosh, 38 years or so. And we've always had requests throughout the years to get back there. So, I figured we'd just do a whole run of it,” Cho said. For audiences, that means three consecutive nights of comedy from one of the most consistent and approachable voices in stand-up.

Check out my full interview with Henry Cho Below

Cho’s comedy is known for being both adult and clean, a combination that makes his shows approachable for a wider audience. “It's adult humor. It's clean. So, your kids can hear it. I hope I'm more cerebral than an eight-year-old, but maybe I'm not,” he said with a laugh. His humor is relatable, family-friendly, and rooted in storytelling, making it enjoyable for anyone. For many in Iowa, Cho’s style fits perfectly with our regions "Iowa nice."

A Cho performance balances polished material with audience interaction. While modern comics often focus heavily on “crowd work,” Cho described his approach as a mix of prepared material and live improvisation. “I tell you, the kids today call it crowd work. We just used to call it ad-libbing or riffing… My show is, you know, 80% material. There's always riffing, there's always ad-libbing, and something unique to my show, I've done a Q&A session for probably 38 years.” He even includes audience requests, sometimes pulling jokes from decades past, making each performance unique.

Cho’s career achievements extend far beyond the stage. In a remarkable milestone, he became the first stand-up comedian inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in more than fifty years. “The last one was 1973. I was a guest performer for well over a decade… The fact that Marty Stuart invited me and my buddy Vince Gill inducted me, it's unbelievable,” Cho said. Throughout his career, he’s shared stages with other legends like Carrie Underwood and Reba McEntire, often noting the warmth, friendship, and even mentorship they provided; like how Reba always told him to smile more.

Despite decades in comedy, Cho continues to write and refine his material. “I love the whole process, the process of writing, fleshing it out, working it out, watching it grow throughout the tour. Some bits I've done maybe half a dozen times, other ones I've done 15, 20, and some of them I actually just wrote in the last week that I'll be bringing to Dubuque,” he shared. Fans in Iowa will be among the first to hear some of this new material as Cho works toward his next comedy special.

For anyone planning to see him live, Cho recommends purchasing tickets through his official website or the venues themselves to avoid scams. And for those who are hesitant, trust me, he promises a fun night out. “We've been packing it out. We've been 95%, 100% sold everywhere we've been going, so come on out for a fun time," Cho said. He'll have his buddy Tyler Fowler from Chicago opening, and all of his openers are clean comedy as well.

With three nights of comedy across Iowa, Henry Cho’s Empty Nest Tour promises to be entertaining, intimate, and packed with laughter. For fans of clean, smart, and personal humor, it’s a show that shouldn’t be missed in Iowa.