DMS 138: Adam Cayton-Holland on losing his sister Lydia and writing Tragedy plus Time

Adam Cayton-Holland, one of Variety’s “10 Comics to Watch,” went from a sensitive kid growing up in Denver, Colorado, to a writer and performer with a burgeoning career as a comic. Adam was always interested in comedy – he and his sister, Lydia, spent their childhoods cracking jokes and running bits off one another. Their close relationship continued as Lydia worked at the door and behind the scenes of Adam’s increasingly popular comedy shows.

Yet Lydia struggled with depression, and not even their comedic bond was enough to pull her out of the darkness she felt. Her struggle with mental illness ultimately took her own life, leaving Adam to grapple with the trauma of her death while simultaneously having to focus on his budding career in comedy.

Both a moving tribute to a lost sibling and an inspiring meditation on mental illness, grief, and recovery, TRAGEDY PLUS TIME is an unexpectedly funny, incredibly honest love letter to anyone that has ever felt messy or complicated.

Adam Cayton-Holland is a national touring comic who has appeared on Conan, @midnight, The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, Happy Endings, Deadbeat, Flophouse, Hidden America with Jonah Ray, and was named one of Esquire’s “25 Comics to Watch” and Variety’s “10 Comics to Watch.” Adam co-created, writes, and stars in truTV’s Those Who Can’t. Adam’s new comedy album, Adam Cayton-Holland Performs His Signature Bits, releases on March 23. He is a Denver native.