Ari Shaffir is one of the few comedians whose location feels oddly hard to pin down. He vanishes for months, turns up in different countries, and rarely broadcasts where he is in real time.
That mystery has led to a common question: where does Ari Shaffir actually live?
Despite the travel-heavy lifestyle and constant movement, the answer starts in New York City—specifically Lower Manhattan—which has quietly served as his home base for years.
Understanding why New York is still “home” requires looking at how he works, how he travels, and how intentionally he separates living somewhere from being everywhere.
Where Does Ari Shaffir Live?
Ari Shaffir lives in New York City, with his primary residence located in Lower Manhattan. He has consistently identified New York as his home base since approximately 2015, following a gradual transition away from Los Angeles.
While he maintains a fixed residence in New York City, his lifestyle includes extended periods of international travel, which often creates confusion about whether he has relocated elsewhere. Public statements and professional behavior indicate that New York remains his legal and functional home.
Timeline of Ari Shaffir’s Residences
Early Career and Los Angeles Years
Ari Shaffir lived primarily in Los Angeles during the formative stages of his career. From the mid-2000s through the early 2010s, he was closely tied to The Comedy Store, where he developed as a stand-up under the Mitzi Shore era.
Beginning around 2012, Shaffir became bicoastal, splitting time between Los Angeles and New York while maintaining professional ties in both cities.
Permanent Shift to New York City
By roughly 2015, Shaffir consolidated his living situation and chose New York City as his sole primary residence. This move coincided with a broader career repositioning away from Hollywood-centric comedy toward the New York stand-up circuit, which prioritizes nightly stage time and club-based development.
Why Lower Manhattan Specifically
Shaffir has repeatedly emphasized walkability and proximity to clubs as decisive factors in choosing Lower Manhattan. His routine centers on venues that are geographically clustered, allowing him to perform multiple sets per night without relying on a car.
Key performance locations include:
- Comedy Cellar, particularly the Village Underground, where he is a frequent late-night performer
- The Stand, another regular stop within walking distance
These venues function as stable geographic anchors for his professional life and are a primary reason Lower Manhattan is treated as his de facto home neighborhood.
Travel Does Not Equal Relocation
A major source of ambiguity around where Ari Shaffir lives comes from his extended travel habits. He is the host of You Be Trippin’, produced by YMH Studios, which documents long stays in foreign countries.
These trips often last weeks or months and have included destinations across Asia, Australia, and South America. However, these are temporary residencies tied to travel and content creation, not permanent moves.
Shaffir has explicitly framed this pattern as intentional, frequently referencing Vagabonding as a guiding philosophy. Under this model, New York functions as a fixed base rather than a constant physical presence.
Did Ari Shaffir Move to Austin with Joe Rogan?
The comedic exodus to Austin, Texas, led by Joe Rogan, created a natural assumption that Ari Shaffir followed suit. This confusion is amplified by Shaffir’s close association with Shane Gillis. While the two are frequently seen together on the “Protect Our Parks” episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience, their living situations couldn’t be more different.
Unlike Shane Gillis, who officially traded his New York apartment for a massive Austin estate in 2023 to take advantage of Texas’s tax benefits and burgeoning comedy scene, Shaffir has not relocated.
Austin functions for Shaffir much like a satellite office. He is a regular fixture at The Comedy Mothership and Kill Tony, but these are logistical strikes rather than residency markers. While Gillis has embraced the suburban “Texas Dream Home” lifestyle, Shaffir remains anchored to the gritty, walk-to-work culture of Lower Manhattan, proving that while they share a stage in Austin, they don’t share a zip code.
Lifestyle Markers That Reinforce the Pattern
Several well-known behavioral traits reinforce the distinction between “home base” and “current location”:
- Low digital footprint: Shaffir famously uses a flip phone rather than a smartphone, limiting real-time location visibility
- Minimal domestic accumulation: He has spoken about keeping his living situation simple to facilitate long absences
- Club-first scheduling: His calendar is built around performance blocks in NYC, with travel scheduled between them rather than replacing them
These factors explain why he can live in New York City while frequently being physically elsewhere.
Career Output Still Anchored to New York
Despite his travel schedule, Shaffir’s recent creative output is strongly associated with his New York period:
- Jew
- America’s Sweetheart
Both specials are widely interpreted as products of his post-Hollywood phase, reflecting material developed within the New York club system rather than the Los Angeles touring circuit.
His frequent appearances on The Joe Rogan Experience, including the “Protect Our Parks” episodes, contribute to visibility but do not indicate a change in residence.
Definitive Answer
- Primary residence: Lower Manhattan, New York City
- Former primary residence: Los Angeles
- Current living structure: NYC-based with long-duration international travel
Ari Shaffir lives in New York City. His travel-heavy lifestyle creates the illusion of relocation, but all available evidence supports New York as his permanent home base.
