Operation Stand Up for Service to Tour with Armed Forces Entertainment

Stand-up comedians Patrick DeGuire, Matt Golightly, and Ahmed Ahmed will be touring as Operation Stand-Up for Service with Armed Forces Entertainment (AFE), as part of its AFE Brings the Laughs comedy series. The tour features 10 shows from January 3 to 16, 2026.

Patrick DeGuire started performing stand-up after losing a significant amount of vision and discovering laughter to be self-therapeutic. Soon after getting started, he won the Improv/Harrah’s National COMEDY CLUB Talent Search, leading to numerous appearances on national television, including Comedy Central and “Que Locos” on Galavision.

DeGuire has been heard on nationally syndicated radio shows such as “The Bob and Tom Show” and NPR. DeGuire has performed and toured with such comedians as Tom Segura, Theo Von, Gary Owen, Tommy Davidson, Gabriel Iglesias, George Lopez and Paul Rodriguez. Besides headlining at the top comedy clubs throughout the United States, he has also performed for U.S. troops overseas in Australia, the Bahamas, Bahrain, the Caribbean, Cuba (Guantanamo Bay), Diego Garcia, Djibouti, Greenland, Guam, Honduras, Iraq, Japan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.

DeGuire’s material includes the advantages and disadvantages of living in a world with limited vision and the challenges that arise from it. DeGuire discusses the obstacles of relationships and being a father and stepfather to eight children. He also addresses an assortment of other insightful and hilarious topics.

Golightly is currently an opening act and a creative consultant for Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias and the “One Show Fits All Tour.” Golightly has earned an associate producer credit on his television show on Fuse TV/Hulu, “Fluffy’s Food Adventures” (formerly called “Fluffy Breaks Even”). Golightly was also a creative consultant for Iglesias’ Netflix specials, “I’m Sorry for What I Said When I was Hungry” and “One Show Fits All.” Impressive performances in the Funniest Person in Texas contest and the San Francisco Comedy Festival led to appearances on “The Bob and Tom Show” and Fox.

Ahmed Ahmed started his acting career at the age of 19. After several years of being typecast as a terrorist or cab driver, he shifted into stand-up comedy to have a voice and made a name for himself as an internationally touring comedian. Ahmed is the cofounder of the groundbreaking “Axis of Evil Comedy Tour,” which aired on Comedy Central, and later took the tour all around the Middle East.

Ahmed has been seen on the “Tonight Show” with Jay Leno, Showtime and Vince Vaughn’s “Wild West Comedy Show.” Ahmed appeared in the series “Weeds” on Showtime and in such movies as “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan” and “Iron Man”. He’s been in countless news articles and press appearances, including “The View,” CNN, THE WALL Street Journal, NPR, BBC, TMZ, The New York Times, Newsweek and GQ.

Ahmed made his directorial debut with his award-winning documentary “Just Like Us,” which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was seen on Netflix, Starz, Showtime and other streaming platforms. This documentary garnered him an invitation to the White House to have dinner with President Barack Obama.

Following his documentary, Vince Vaughn and Peter Billingsley cast him to star in TBS’s “Sullivan and Son,” which aired for three seasons. Ahmed also appeared in the documentary “Too Soon,” which aired on VICE TV.

Ahmed’s latest comedy special, “It Only Takes One of Us,” through Comedy Dynamics, came out in 2024 and can be seen on such platforms as Apple TV+, Amazon, DIRECTV, Google, DISH and more.

Armed Forces Entertainment delivers world-class entertainment to U.S. troops and their families overseas, strengthening their resilience, boosting morale and contributing to readiness. These engaging experiences connect servicemembers to home, foster a sense of belonging, ease the challenges of deployment and support their mental health.