Daniel Tosh will deliver laughs in a Nov. 29 performance at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. Courtesy photo

Producing specials including “Completely Serious,” “Happy Thoughts” and “People Pleaser,” Daniel Tosh has pursued a successful career as a stand-up comedian, actor, writer and TV host.

With a net wealth estimated by Forbes in 2024 at $20 million, making him one of the highest-earning comedians, in “People Pleaser,” Tosh jokingly apologized for the price of his show tickets.

“I apologize sincerely about ticket prices, but you have to understand I can’t risk performing in front of the type of people that can afford 10 dollars,” he announced. This was preceded by a bit where he described the dangers of stand-up.

“I don’t meet fans after the shows mainly for good reason,” he explained. “I have a very large social media presence to pat myself on the back about things that don’t matter. On average I receive around 1,200 death threats a week. It’s fun standing up here. Sorry, I don’t want to shake hands with a guy that wrote ‘die f– die.'”

Performing at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center on Nov. 29, Tosh rarely gives interviews. He has reported he has social anxiety.

Growing up in Florida, Tosh’s mix of observational comedy and sarcasm first brought him national attention when he appeared on the “Late Show with David Letterman” in 2001. He later made appearances on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and Comedy Central’s “Premium Blend.”

Running for 10 years, Comedy Central’s big hit “Tosh.0” debuted in 2009, spotlighting shockingly funny, gross or embarrassing videos that had gone viral — videos like folks accidentally setting themselves on fire, a pastor losing control of a motorcycle in church, and a man attempting to slice a watermelon with a machete and slicing open his hand.

When Tosh announced he would end his career on his 38th birthday on May 29, 2013, if he hadn’t succeeded as a comedian by then, he said he would either take his own life or retire to the beach.

He kept a countdown clock on his website that gave the number of days, minutes and seconds until his 38th birthday, which is when “Daniel’s Groundhog Day Ends,” he posted, referencing Bill Murray’s classic film.

“A lot of times celebrities do that whole countdown thing, or they give themselves a goal, like they want to make $10 million dollars in 10 years,” he told The Denver Post. “I thought, ‘I’ll just give myself a countdown until I blow my brains out.’ My managers pleaded with me for years to take that down.”

An avid surfer, on his Tosh Show podcast (included in Esquire’s Best Podcasts of 2024), Tosh interviewed his French surfing buddy. “Now he’s just talking to people and genuinely enjoying himself,” reported Esquire.

On a recent podcast appearance, Tosh suggested he supported the cancel culture movement. After imitating a “hateful redneck” accent and wondering how soon he would be told he would not be allowed to do that imitation anymore, he was asked about cancel culture.

“I think it’s great,” he told his guest, wellness expert Rosie Acosta. “Cancel people. I think people deserve it. As someone who’s done things and said horrible things constantly, I’ve had backlash and I deserve it.”

Tosh’s most recent TV production saw him satirize reality shows as the host of the Amazon series “The GOAT,” where 14 stars of reality shows competed for $200,000.

At the series’ opening he announced: “Over the course of human history, there have been many great achievements. Fire. The automobile. Laser hair removal. But nothing has impacted our lives like our greatest achievement of all, reality television. Or as I like to call it, documentaries for dumb people.”

Challenges included building a raft to swim/paddle across a swimming pool, to retrieve a key and unlock a treasure chest.

“This series, teeming with familiar faces from across the reality TV spectrum, is more than just a television show; it’s a pop culture moment,” noted Prestige. And Collider praised: “The GOAT is a hilarious parody of reality TV, embracing all the genre’s tropes.”

And one last joke from “People Pleaser:” “Canada has the greatest fence ever built,” he noted. “America. It is foolproof if you can afford it. Really easy to be the cool open-minded hippie country when there’s a Kevlar Snuggie of America draped around your fat frozen asses.”

Daniel Tosh will perform at the MACC at 7 p.m. Nov. 29. The show may contain mature subject matter. Tickets are $49.50, $69.50 and $85, plus applicable fees, at mauiarts.org.