Comedian and ED Awards Show host Matt Richards shares industry insights from a customer’s perspective in this recap of this year’s first-ever In Conversation Series.
Every year, the ED team tries to come up with new and fresh seminars to get attendees excited about the ED EXPO, and this year was no different. Our first In Conversation Series featured “talk-show” style discussions with two compelling figures — industry veteran and ED’s 2026 Hall of Fame inductee Ken DeGori, and “professional club guest” and host of the 2026 ED Awards Show Matt Richards.
In our first recap of the seminar, we’ll focus on Richards, who woke up early to sit down with ED Publisher Dave Manack to share his thoughts on the industry from a customer’s perspective.
MANACK: When we spoke on the phone, I sort of coined you as a “professional adult nightclub guest,” and even though we both laughed about it, that’s kind of what you are. So, if you had to guess, let’s say in the past year, year and a half, how many clubs have you visited?
RICHARDS: Two hundred. I’m on the road a little over seven months out of the year doing comedy all over the country. So, that’s a lot of nights in different cities, a lot of different strip clubs. This feels like an intervention. I’m not gonna lie. (Crowd laughs.) He brought me in today to tell me I got a problem.
MANACK: If you had to tell me what your best club experiences that you’ve had in the last year or so, what were they? What made them so good?
RICHARDS: Honestly, I like, especially after a show, going someplace where the vibe is right, the music is great and there are pretty women around.
MANACK: Are there markets or cities where, when you’re on the road, you can’t wait to get to that city because you know there are clubs you love in that city?
RICHARDS: Florida’s great, New York’s great, Vegas is great. I’m not too picky. When it comes to the type of strip club I go to, it depends on my mood.
MANACK: When you walk into a club, how do you know it’s gonna be a good night?
RICHARDS: Titties. That’s your question? I’m not going for the ambiance, dog. Half naked ladies, man. Drinks are cool too. I think I’ve been to more terrible places than amazing places. Do you want to save that?
MANACK: No, we’re already there, so let’s dive into it. We’re not going to name names, but talk to me. What are some of the really bad experiences you’ve had?
RICHARDS: I went into a hole in the wall in upstate New York, and I think there were three generations of dancers. (Crowd laughs.) It was terrifying. This little kid with a coloring book was in the coat check area, and the kid’s mom was making drinks and giving table dances, and her mom was on the stage. I ended up just giving all my money to the kid with the coloring book. I was like, “Get out of here! Run while there’s still time.”
MANACK: Are there any other cities where the vibe’s not your vibe?
RICHARDS: I think Portland is weird. Portland, Oregon. Most strip clubs per capita. There’s definitely something for everybody out there. I went to a vegan strip club. That was crazy. There wasn’t even a stripper pole. It was like a big ol’ celery. (Crowd laughs.) They didn’t give out singles. It was kale chips and baby carrots. I didn’t know what to do.
MANACK: So, you’re a professional comedian. You know about reading the room. When you walk into a strip club, do you ever find yourself doing that?
RICHARDS: I think second to boobies, my favorite thing to do at a gentlemen’s club is people watch. So I’ll sit back, sit at the bar, watch some of the guys, the nervous ones, or the guys I know don’t have money. That’s hilarious to me.
MANACK: What kinds of interactions have you seen lately that are maybe generational?
RICHARDS: The group of the young guys that come in, it’s maybe some of their first time, and I get a chuckle when they completely have a blast there. The guys are in the bathroom like, “Dude, I think she loves me.” (Crowd laughs.)
I was at a spot in Paris, and I don’t know how many clubs do it in the States, but they had this thing where if you bought a bottle, they would hold on to it until the next time you came back.
— Matt Richards
MANACK: What’s something about strip clubs that you wish people who don’t go would understand?
RICHARDS: That is not as gross as some people think. People that aren’t in the industry have such a negative view of what happens in a gentlemen’s club. Like, the floor is not sticky… at most of them. (Crowd laughs.) It’s not like a brothel. Sometimes people just want to go and have a conversation and have a drink and listen to some music. So, I wish that more people knew it wasn’t as seedy as, like, the 42nd Street peep shows of way before my time.
MANACK: You’re a semi-regular at Vivid in New York, so they know you very well.
RICHARDS: Yes, I host a pole competition there every other month.
MANACK: What is it about Vivid that you’ve gravitated towards and made it your go-to club?
RICHARDS: It’s like Olive Garden. When you’re here, you’re family. That’s the kind of vibe I get at Vivid.
MANACK: Do you think clubs appreciate “regulars”?
RICHARDS: I was at a spot in Paris, and I don’t know how many clubs do it in the States, but they had this thing where if you bought a bottle, they would hold on to it until the next time you came back. I thought that was wise, because I can’t tell you how many times I purchased a bottle, didn’t finish it, and thought, “Ooh, well that was a waste of money,” or I tried to chug it before I left, and ended up in Atlantic City with my pants missing. (Crowd laughs.)
MANACK: Is there a strip club pet peeve that you have?
RICHARDS: Nobody’s ever asked me this before. I guess I’ve grown so accustomed to what normally happens. I did almost get into a fight with a dancer because I was emceeing and she was known to have a little funky underarm situation, and I made a comment about it on the mic. It’s not a pet peeve. It’s a horror story. (Crowd laughs.) I was like, “All right, get your dollars out and hold your nose. Here comes Gizelle!” She was ready to kill me. Rightfully so. That was my fault. I had a little THC.
MANACK: What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever encountered in a strip club that you couldn’t even put in an act because nobody would believe you?
RICHARDS: Oh man, I witnessed a little person bachelor party. That was crazy. I thought the shrooms had kicked in. I didn’t know what was happening. There were like 13 little dudes, and I was like, “Wow, can I join y’all?” (Crowd laughs.) They made me their leader. It was great.
MANACK: Since you go to clubs by yourself while you’re on the road, do you think clubs accommodate single guests well? Is that something that they overlook? Do you ever feel uncomfortable being a single man in a club?
RICHARDS: I think Dave Chappelle said it best: “There’s something kind of gay about going to a strip club with a bunch of boys.” It’s like, “Hey, y’all want to go get boners together?” That’s weird. (Crowd laughs.) But I also could see how a club would undervalue an individual because it’s like, how much money could this one guy who looks lonely spend? I think I’ve had more fun going by myself than I have in groups. There’s always that one guy who wears shorts, and then you can’t get in the club. He’s an asshole.
MANACK: So, let’s talk about lap dances. Are you a fan?
RICHARDS: Not particularly.
MANACK: What is it about them that you don’t like?
RICHARDS: Chafing. (Crowd laughs.)
MANACK: So for you, it’s more about the vibe? A lot of clubs feel like guys are only coming in for dances, but you’re a prime example of somebody that’s coming in for the vibe.
RICHARDS: I’ll get a lap dance. I got a lap dance yesterday. It was a reluctant lap dance. We ended up talking about it. She was like, “How was that?” I was like, “Meh.” (Crowd laughs.) I think it was the pants I was wearing. They were abrasive.
MANACK: Since we’re in a room of club owners and operators, I wanted to ask you if you could offer the people here or the industry at large a suggestion or a tip or something you think that they should do to improve their clubs for guests.
RICHARDS: I feel like customers, speaking from experience, we know when the energy of a place is alive. If there’s beef or weirdness between staff, people aren’t oblivious to it. It kind of creates tension. We go to have fun at the end of the day. So as long as you keep the environment fun, the money will come.
MANACK: That’s a good point. Something I think our keynote is going to talk about today is the idea that the fun starts with the staff, and if everybody’s not feeling that, then that is something that the customers feel.
RICHARDS: Right away. Yep.
MANACK: Is there anything you’ve seen in a club where you’re like, “Wow, I can’t believe they’re showing me this”?
RICHARDS: The behind-the-scenes shit I wasn’t supposed to see. I walked into a spot, and there was a bartender that was dating a security guard, but he was cheating on her, and that was just a fucking weird night.
MANACK: Clubs are like little families, and things like that happen, but you know, you gotta leave that at the door.
RICHARDS: Yeah! Put on your game face, dog.
MANACK: What’s a positive message you could share with people here today about our industry?
RICHARDS: I think you all are doing the Lord’s work. (Crowd laughs.) Don’t stop.
For more information, visit punchup.live/mattrichards. Catch In Conversation with Ken DeGori in our January issue. (Note: This article was published in the November 2026 issue of ED Magazine.)
