Dustin Nickerson

Dustin Nickerson (born 1984) is an American stand-up comedian. A native of the Seattle area, he began performing at open mics in San Diego in the early 2010s. Married relatively young with three children, Nickerson and his wife, Melissa, were parenting teenagers while they were still in their 30s, and much of his comedy focuses on family life. Known for being a clean comedian, Nickerson released his first special in 2020 and his second in 2023. In addition to regularly touring as a headliner, he has also been a frequent opener for comedians such as Taylor Tomlinson and Nate Bargatze.

Early life, education and career Nickerson was born in the Seattle area and raised in Federal Way by a single father. Nickerson met his future wife, Melissa Hoglund, in a high school church youth group, and they married in 2004 when Nickerson was 19 and studying at the University of Washington. Their first child was born two years later. He was an opener for John Crist's 2018 tour. Nickerson appeared on Kevin Hart Presents: Hart of the City, a Comedy Central program for up-and-coming comics, in 2019. and had his first performance on The Tonight Show. He has also appeared multiple times on The Late Late Show with James Corden and Tomlinson's After Midnight.

In addition to touring, Dustin and Melissa Nickerson have since 2020 co-hosted a comedy podcast on family life called Don't Make Me Come Back There that has had more than three million downloads as of June 2025.

Nickerson's comedy has been described as "clean and mean".

Personal life Nickerson lives in San Diego with Melissa and his three children. He has said that his family members have a veto over jokes he might tell about them. "What I'm doing is not more important than the relationships in your life. 'If you don't want me to say it, I won't, he told the Deseret News. "I had a family before comedy. Lord willing, I'll have a family after comedy."

After leaving youth ministry, Nickerson continues to identify as a Christian and attends church, although he is not a church member.

A lifelong Seattle sports fan, Nickerson has frequently referenced the disappointing performance of many Seattle teams in his work, but after Super Bowl LX he will begin referencing Sam Darnold as a G.O.A.T.