A comedy showcase built entirely around Indigenous voices is landing in downtown Phoenix on Indigenous Peoples' Day, brought to town by a Diné comedian who spent his childhood splitting time between the Valley and the Navajo Nation. Joshua Emerson, now based in Denver, is bringing his touring show Bad Indian to Valley Bar, a booking that coincides with Indigenous Peoples' Day.
From Peoria to the Navajo Nation and Back
Emerson grew up in Peoria and spent his winters and summers in Vanderwagen, New Mexico, on the Navajo Nation, according to KJZZ, which reported on his return to the region for the Valley Bar date. That dual upbringing, split between an Arizona suburb and a reservation community, would eventually shape the material and mission behind Bad Indian. Before comedy, Emerson worked as a banker, a career he left behind to chase stand-up full time, per the same KJZZ report by Mark Brodie.
Separately, according to the Native American Media Alliance, Emerson also spent six years in the United States Marine Corps, earning an honorable discharge in 2016. The Alliance's profile describes him as a Navajo comedian, writer and actor now based in Denver. As reported by Denver Westword, it was the death of his mother that pushed Emerson to leave banking behind and pursue comedy as a career.
Building a Show Around Native Stand-Up
Emerson told KJZZ that he created Bad Indian to make more room for Indigenous comedians on club stages. The showcase also aims to help develop Native stand-up talent, the station reported. Its format varies by event: early bills included about six comics with sets of seven to 15 minutes, while some headliners have performed for more than 30 minutes. KJZZ reported that past headliners have included Josh Fournier and George Delgado.
Westword's reporting fills in the documentary's origin story: by 2020, Emerson was already producing comedy shows in Denver focused on Native comedians, work that eventually led him to co-create the Bad Indian documentary. He moved to Denver in 2019 and quickly became a fixture of the city's comedy scene, the outlet reports. Emerson is also a founding member of DeadRoom Comedy, and his comedy show Dead Inside won the Denver Fringe Festival's Audience Choice Award for Best Comedy Show in 2021.
Finding Comics on the Road
Emerson finds much of his Bad Indian lineup through word of mouth and his own travels as a touring comedian, reaching out to Native comics in the communities he visits along the way, according to KJZZ. That grassroots approach has carried the show well beyond Denver. The Bug Theatre describes Bad Indian as a Native American comedy showcase built to develop and showcase Indigenous comedic talent, noting that Emerson tours the show nationally and that it has been selected for both the Netflix Is a Joke Festival and SF Sketchfest.
At SF Sketchfest in San Francisco, Joshua Fournier, Deeptanshu Jha, Jackie Keliiaa and ShaNae Ross were listed among performers at 5 p.m. on Feb. 4, 2024. A one-night all-Native show at Liquid Laughs Underground in Boise had an 8 p.m. start.
Comedy as a Way Into Hard Conversations
Emerson sees stand-up as one way to make difficult conversations about Indigenous history more accessible, he told KJZZ. He also emphasized that Indigenous experiences differ by community, tribal agency and region, a consideration that informs the show’s lineups.
Emerson has also carried the Bad Indian name into film. The Bug Theatre has hosted the premiere of a documentary, Bad Indian: the Josh Emerson Story, directed by Jeff Stonic, according to The Bug Theatre.
The Phoenix Date
Valley Bar's own event page confirms Bad Indian is booked as a Native American comedy show, and KJZZ reports the date lines up with Indigenous Peoples' Day. A separate search listing for the venue additionally names Joshua Emerson alongside DJ Tribal Touch with a 7:30 p.m. start and 7 p.m. doors for an 21-and-up crowd, though that detail comes from a lower-confidence snippet rather than Valley Bar's confirmed event listing, and the full lineup, ticket price and capacity for the Phoenix show have not been independently verified.
Phoenix’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day Context
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler had 98,228 American Indian and Alaska Native residents in 2023, the largest such metro-area population in the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That regional figure provides context for the event, but does not indicate expected attendance. Phoenix City Council records show that on April 19, 2023, the city adopted a resolution designating the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. That civic decision is distinct from this year’s Bad Indian booking.
