Greg Giraldo - Tributes

Tributes

On September 29, 2010 on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Jon Stewart honored Giraldo by playing a clip of his stand-up, in a one-time segment deemed "Moment of Greg". Blues Traveler lead singer, John Popper, who had worked with Giraldo on the TV show, Z Rock, dedicated the song "The Mountains Win Again" to him, during the band's concert the evening of September 29th. On September 30, 2010, multiple comedians and celebrities expressed their sorrow for Giraldo's death on Twitter, and Comedy Central posted a series of clips from Greg Giraldo past works titled "The Best of Greg Giraldo" on their website.

On October 9, 2010, Comedy Central aired a special titled Comics Anonymous, which had been filmed prior to Giraldo's death and featured several comedians who had been sober for 10 years or more. Executive producer, comedian Mike DeStefano, dedicated the special to Giraldo. On October 12, 2010, on the series premiere of Nick Swardson's Pretend Time, Swardson dedicated the episode to Giraldo.

On November 2, 2010, Comix comedy club in New York hosted the Jim Florentine roast, which Giraldo had originally been scheduled to perform at. Throughout the show, many of the comedians on the dais paid tribute to Giraldo, in roast-style fashion. Host Rich Vos joked: “I wasn’t the first choice to host. Greg Giraldo was asked, but he said he’d rather be dead than host this.”

On February 9, 2011, a benefit titled "The Big Time Comedy Show" was held at NYC's Beacon Theatre, for Giraldo's sons and for a fund started in his memory, designed, in Maryann Giraldo's words: "to help children living within families of addiction...to be educated, encouraged and empowered, and given the tools they need to make different choices in their lives." The lineup included sets by Jerry Seinfeld, Lewis Black, Colin Quinn, Dave Attell, Jim Norton, Ted Alexandro, Nick DiPaolo, Jesse Joyce, and Eddie Brill, and the event was hosted by Tom Papa. Another benefit show was held in Los Angeles at the Wiltern Theater on June 29, 2011 and featured sets by Jeffrey Ross, Daniel Tosh, Marc Maron, Ralphie May, Brian Posehn, Bill Burr, Dave Attell, and was again hosted by Tom Papa.

The Columbia University Alumni Association staged two benefit shows on March 28, 2011 at Gotham Comedy Club in NYC. The comedians who performed sets were: Todd Barry, Amy Schumer, John Mulaney, Joe Mande, Morgan Murphy, Godfrey, Rachel Feinstein, Michael Ian Black, and Robert Kelly, and the shows were hosted by Gabe Liedman and Stress Factory owner, Vinnie Brand.

Seth MacFarlane, Anthony Jeselnik, and Jeffrey Ross paid tribute to Giraldo during the Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump in March 2011, and the roast was dedicated to him.

On March 18, 2011, Comedy Central aired Give It Up for Greg Giraldo, a two-hour television special honoring his memory in which multiple comedians, including Jon Stewart, Nick Swardson, Colin Quinn, Jeffrey Ross, Denis Leary, Sarah Silverman, Dave Attell, Tom Papa, Lewis Black, Bill Burr, Daniel Tosh, Chelsea Peretti, Conan O'Brien, and Whitney Cummings, talked about his life and career. It also contained short clips of his roasts and other acts. Coincidentally, Mike DeStefano, who was featured in the special and whose Comics Anonymous special had aired 11 days after Giraldo's death, died 12 days before Give It Up For Greg Giraldo aired, also at the age of 44.

In Greg Fitzsimmons' 2010 book, Dear Mrs. Fitzsimmons: Tales of Redemption from an Irish Mailbox, Giraldo is one of several comedians to whom the book is dedicated to. The 2012 book, Bonnaroo: What, Which, This, That, The Other, was also dedicated to Giraldo.

Giraldo's friend, social worker Joe Schrank, has a tattoo that says "Best Wishes, God" which was what Giraldo would often write in hotel room bibles.