“They’ve got like one Dunkin’, you know, and Ben Affleck’s always there,” he joked.
The event, which took place at TD Garden and supports the Cam Neely Foundation, has grown quite a bit since its debut in 1995 at the Orpheum Theater, with this year’s show once again packing the house for a night of laughs. Cam Neely, president of the Bruins and the Cam Neely Foundation, said it’s “overwhelming” to see how Comics Come Home has evolved over the decades, and praised Leary for his continued leadership.
“For Dennis to do this year after year after year, bring all these great comedians in … we’re just so blessed,” Neely said. “He’s got talents, beyond acting and being a comedian, but talents to be able to help other charities raise money. And he’s done that for us.”
Inspired by the nonprofit’s work supporting cancer patients and their families, Leary called the foundation “a great drive” for him, noting “there’s no family that hasn’t been touched by cancer, including my own.”
“We’ve had so many people just in the groups of comedians that have come through doing the show, who have been either affected directly by cancer, getting care for themselves and surviving it, or, like in Jimmy Fallon’s case, his dad was at the Neely House,” Leary said. “That keeps me going.”
Neely and his wife Paulina, the foundation’s vice president, kicked off the show with opening remarks, followed by Leary and his band, The Enablers, performing a parody of the Beatles song “Lady Madonna.” The Worcester native replaced the tune’s lyrics with jokes about the night’s lineup and, in some cases, their New England connections (Leary also poked fun at O’Brien by putting an embarrassing photo from his childhood on the big screen).
The band then played the Beatles “Birthday” song to celebrate Neely, who turned 60 this year, accompanied by a video tribute featuring appearances by notable names including actor Woody Harrelson and former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh.
Before introducing Arlington native Erin Maguire to the stage, Leary had the hometown crowd laughing with jokes geared towards Bostonians, from quipping about several Bay State cities making a worst drivers list to jabs at the Kennedys, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Leary also joked about following the Karen Read trial, calling it his “favorite [expletive] show on TV ever.”
Other highlights from the night included Boston comedy veteran Lenny Clarke, who hobbled on stage in a leg brace and a walker, going on to perform a bit about how he injured his quadricep jumping off the Jaws Bridge on Martha’s Vineyard over the summer. The comedian would end his set by making a miraculous recovery, throwing off his brace and walker after a humorous back and forth with the voice of “God” speaking to him from above.
New Jersey comic Michelle Buteau then took the mic with jokes about the highs and lows of parenting and aging, followed by New Hampshire native Sarah Silverman, who was excited to be back among a “bunch of Massholes,” she told the crowd, noting how her sisters went to Boston University.
“The Boston accent alone is like, just joy. It makes me so happy,” Silverman told the Globe prior to the start of Saturday’s show, her first Comics Come Home appearance, adding that her dad “had the thickest Boston accent.”
After Silverman ended her set with a song about bad breath, O’Brien stepped up next with his own track-filled performance. Leary introduced the former late-night host by trying to explain to the crowd how he and O’Brien are distantly related.
“We think that our great, great grandfathers were ninth cousins. It’s really stretching it, but, you know, we go with it,” O’Brien joked to the Globe prior to Saturday’s show.
Leary noted that the topic came up recently because both comics recently lost parents, adding that his uncle Jerry told him that the connection is due to their shared Irish roots. “So it’s his mother’s side and my dad’s mother’s side in Killarney.”
As for O’Brien’s set, the Emmy-winning star gave a lengthy shoutout to as many Massachusetts towns as he could name, and lamented about how the Patriots and Red Sox held off winning championships until he moved out of the state. O’Brien also quipped about all the local stars backstage, joking that “Karen Read’s back there, it’s a great rave.”
O’Brien would later break out his guitar to perform the classic song “Roadrunner” by the Modern Lovers, adding his own updated lyrics that paid tribute to Boston culture, including shoutouts to Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.
Later in the night, Maniscalco performed, followed by a raucous final set from Medford native Robert Kelly.
Leary then sent the crowd home with a song, performing his crassly-titled track about being a rear end, with O’Brien back on guitar and Silverman helping out on vocals.
Looking ahead, Neely said he’s excited for next year’s 30th anniversary show.
“Every show, we say that was the best show, the best year. We’ll say it again this year and the 30th,” Neely told the Globe, adding that for 2026, “we’ve got to do something big.”
Matt Juul can be reached at matthew.juul@globe.com.
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