improv Olympic in Chicago, Now Under New Ownership?

Remember last year during the pandemic when Chicago’s comedy community asked The Second City and the iO to change their ways when it came to respecting racial diversity onstage and in the business, and the The Second City sacked its longtime CEO and then Charna Halpern suddenly shuttered the IO?

Yeah, about that.

Private equity set about taking over The Second City back in February. And now comes news that Halpern has found a willing buyer for the iO at 1501 N. Kingsbury. And it’s going to fall into the hands of real-estate executives?

Alrighty then.

Halpern told The New York Times: “It’s a huge relief that this thing I’ve been working on for 40 years is going to continue.”

The new owners: Scott Gendell and Larry Weiner.

Yes, and what now, pray tell?

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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