Ron Bennington / Danny Braff / Daniel Geneen @ The Dojo of Comedy at Tiff’s, 7/18/2026

By Chad from Albany.

On Saturday, July 18^th, Ron Bennington, the beloved host of “The Bennington Show” on SiriusXM, performed an intimate and personal show at the sold-out Dojo of Comedy, located above Tiff’s Restaurant in Morris Plains, NJ. This event became a special show not only to his loyal fanbase, who traveled in from around the East Coast, as well as other parts of the country, but for Bennington himself. Not long after the tickets to this show went on sale (and sold out within 24 hours), Bennington was hit with a curveball that he wasn’t expecting- a Stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis. As the date approached, those in attendance were questioning whether or not this show would be going on, as he had started receiving chemotherapy treatments. But “Ronnie B.” made sure that he made the date, which was an example of the approach he has taken after learning his diagnosis – of using humor to get himself, his family, and his fans through the journey to recovery – and what he has been doing for those dealing with the same struggles since has been another chapter of his storied career.

“The Bennington Show” is quoted as “the ONLY father/daughter radio show in the history of radio,” which is said in every show opening by his daughter Gail, with whom he has hosted since 2014. But his radio career dates back to 1987, when he and Ron Diaz hosted the nationally syndicated “The Ron and Ron Show” during the early days of “shock jock” culture, and which was based out of Tampa Bay, FL, until its final episode in 1997. Following that, Bennington took his then-producer Fez Whatley under his wing and created the wildly popular “Ron and Fez” show, which took them from Florida all the way up to New York’s WNEW (which included a stint in Washington, DC on WJFK from 2003-2005), before finally ending up on XM and then SiriusXM after the merger with Sirius. Whatley retired in 2015 and passed away in 2021. Bennington is also widely considered one of the best interviewers in the world, thanks to his series of interviews titled “Unmasked.” And after all of his credentials, what may be his most im”port”ant work (you will understand that terrible pun in a little bit) is what he has been doing since his diagnosis.

So back to the Dojo of Comedy … when opening comedian Danny Braff introduced “the living legend – Ron Bennington” to the stage, he was met with the first of three thunderous standing ovations in a too-brief 40-minute set. As he talked about on his show, he didn’t have anything planned, and to me, I was uncertain if his comments on air earlier in the week about him questioning what his performance would be like were real or part of his schtick. I even called into the show to let him know we all love him and whatever he said would be great. He told me that he would look for me in the crowd to see if I gave it a thumbs up or a thumbs down. I imagine he didn’t see, but he was given two thumbs up. Way up. This proved to be much more than a comedy show. It was a gathering of people in love, adoration, and support of one of the most respected people in the industry.

In his set, he thanked everyone for coming out and told stories of his ongoing battles and his approach to them, and choked up when reminiscing about his beloved Fez Whatley. One of the best jokes of the night referenced Bennington’s childhood friends from Twin Oaks, PA – several of whom were in the audience that night- in which he brought up that one of his friends couldn’t be there because he was battling ALS. Ronnie pointed out the irony that the worst baseball player in their group was the one who got Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Tremendous! The uproarious laughter was another example of how he has been using humor in the midst of darker times. Towards the end of the show, “Bennington Show” producer, the beloved Chris Stanley, took the microphone around the room to have patrons ask questions for him. Many just took the mic to show love or reference inside jokes from his 30 years on air. When Bennington asked if anyone had a story worse than Stanley had about his father, who he often references on the show with disdain, I raised my hand, and I mentioned that mine burnt my house down. As quick as a whip, Bennington said to me, “Did you live with him?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “Well, it was his house to burn”. In the 26 years since that happened to me, it was the first time I ever laughed about it.

That is the magic of Ron Bennington.

And just like the joke he said to me, and about his dear friend’s condition, he shone a light through the darkness with the brilliance of his humor, which is something he is doing now on his road to recovery through his “Portcasts”. The tongue-in-cheek name of his mini-podcasts at first came as a way to create content for social media, but has morphed into something that everyone should be watching, and is a beacon of hope and light for people battling their own ailments. As Bennington receives his chemo treatments in the medical facilities where he is treated, some of the biggest names in comedy sit in with him during the process for short comedic interviews filled with laughs, strength, and love – and dealing with it all through the power of humor. The list of comedians to date includes heavy hitters such as Dave Attell, Joe List, Ian Fidance, Jim Norton, and Shane Gillis, to name a few. These can be seen on Instagram @benningtonsxm. I cannot recommend these enough for anybody who loves comedy, especially those dealing with cancer, and who want to laugh through relatable experiences in their own journeys, with the help of the legendary “Ronnie B”, as he is experiencing HIS journey for all of us to see, learn from, and laugh along with.

Thank you for doing this, Ronnie.

Opening the show were comedians Danny Braff and Daniel Geneen. Braff, who has been heard on Kill Tony and seen in venues from The Stress Factory in NJ all the way to the legendary Comedy Store in CA, tells his stories with a great, almost deadpan delivery, with the context of them sometimes being so uncomfortably funny that even the most easily offended person has no choice but to laugh. He could break anyone. Geneen’s charm and relaxed approach to his stories keep you enthralled, and his brilliant lines have made him a favorite at NYC’s coveted Comedy Cellar.

You can see Ron Bennington’s Portcasts on Instagram @BenningtonSXM

Find Danny Braff on Instagram @DannyBraff and Facebook @DannyBraffComedy

Find Daniel Geneen on Instagram @DanielGeneen and www.danielgeneen.com

You can see Danny Braff as part of the Saratoga Comedy Festival on September 11-12

Get your tickets now at www.saratogacomedyfest.com

Photos by Chad from Albany.