There Are Many Reasons to Drag Pauly Shore, But This Lawsuit Probably Isn’t One of Them

There’s not much funny about a new lawsuit filed against comedian Pauly Shore and the legendary Comedy Store. Comedian Eliot Preschutti says he was detained and assaulted by the club’s bouncers after he forgot to close out his bar tab last December, according to a report in The Wrap. 

The details are pretty ugly. Preschutti says he was at the club that night to catch some other comics. He forgot to pay his bill, an oversight brought to his attention when bouncers ran out after him. The club still had his debit card, which Preschutti says he instructed staff to use to pay his bill with a tip for his server. Once he was settled up, one of the bouncers accused him of trying to hit the server. Security staff allegedly grabbed Preschutti and threw him to the ground, kicking and hitting him “for an appreciable period of time” during which he soiled himself. The bouncers called LA County Sheriffs, who detained Preschutti until the next morning. After going home to sleep, he checked himself into the hospital for “severe physical and emotional damages.” 

Yeesh. That all sounds pretty horrible and Preschutti presumably has the X-rays to back up his claims about a beatdown. But does Pauly Shore have anything to do with the violence? There’s no mention of Shore being present during the alleged assault, but Preschutti claims that one of the bouncers shouted, “This is for Pauly!” 

Even if Shore wasn’t directly involved, the lawsuit does represent the second time this year he’s been sued for assault. Back in January, Cracked told you about two Comedy Store patrons who alleged they were “violently grabbed and attacked” by security personnel associated with Pauly. 

At the very least, it sounds like the Comedy Store needs to rein in its overly zealous security crew, if not outright replace its members. But is the Weasel the guy making those hires? That seems dubious, as Pauly’s brother Peter officially minds the Store as its CEO. The Los Angeles Daily News reported in 2022 that Pauly “doesn’t currently have a role in running the Comedy Store,” so it would be weird if his only official capacity was hiring goons. Shore does stand-up sets at the Comedy Store’s two locations from time to time, but judging by his Instagram account, you’re just as likely to find him performing in some other part of the country.

Maybe give Pauly Shore a pass on this one, but when there are two lawsuits, it’s hard not to suspect something is askew at the Store. If he’s trying to convince us that he’s Richard Simmons material, Pauly should ask his brother to revisit the club’s customer service policies.