From the courthouse to the comedy clubs: A Mattapoisett man discovers his stand-up stride
Mattapoisett resident Ed Doherty takes on a career in stand-up comedy. Source: Ed Doherty
Doherty holds up a 30-pound striped bass beneath the Bourne Bridge along the Cape Cod Canal.
Doherty served as in the Massachusetts court system for over 30 years before retiring.
Mattapoisett resident Ed Doherty takes on a career in stand-up comedy. Source: Ed Doherty
Doherty holds up a 30-pound striped bass beneath the Bourne Bridge along the Cape Cod Canal.
Doherty served as in the Massachusetts court system for over 30 years before retiring.
MATTAPOISETT — After 37 years of service in the Massachusetts court system, Mattapoisett resident Ed Doherty has retired from the law and is moving onto laughs.
The 71-year-old former Clerk-Magistrate of the Wrentham District Court is taking his talent from the courthouse to the comedy clubs as he begins to navigate a professional career in stand-up.
Doherty has authored two books: “Seven Miles After Sundown,” a book about fishing for striped bass in the Cape Cod Canal, and “Laughs, Lies and American Justice,” which details stories from his years in the court system. He was inspired to become a stand-up comedian while talking with attendees at his author lectures.
“A lot of people came up to me afterwards and they said, ‘You should do stand up comedy,’” said Doherty. “It was pretty amazing, to tell you the truth.”
He decided to “give it a shot” in January 2025, bouncing from bars to restaurants and performing sets at places like Jake and Johnny’s Lounge in Providence, Margaritaville in Boston and Kowloon in Saugus.
“I went to a lot of different places, and I was getting laughs,” said Doherty. “... A promoter liked me so much that he immediately booked me for more shows after.”
His wife attends every show with him and acts as his agent.
“Although most agents take 45%, she takes 100%,” joked Doherty.
His comedy is based on courtroom and police station experiences from his law career.
“I saw a lot of things, heard a lot of things,” said Doherty.
Some of his most memorable tales include the time that a woman’s service dog testified against her in the courtroom and the story of a man who was caught breaking into the same house two nights in a row — stealing a TV on the first night and breaking in a second time to retrieve the TV remote.
Doherty takes inspiration from Paul D’Angelo, a Massachusetts comedian who was an Assistant District Attorney in Essex County.
D’Angelo and Doherty met several years ago when Doherty was organizing a Law Day celebration in Wrentham where he asked D’Angelo to perform.
“I remember people cracking up. They [were] just falling down laughing,” said Doherty of the performance.
When Doherty began his comedy career, D’Angelo was immediately supportive.
“He was so happy for me. He emailed me, contacted me right away and he offered to help me get bookings,” said Doherty.
In 2026, Doherty looks forward to continuing to perform and writing his third book — a fictional novel about a murder mystery in a coastal town.
While Doherty continues to pursue his newfound passion for comedy, he wants to avoid the “W” word.
“I’m trying not to do too much, to tell you the truth. I don’t want to get too close to the ‘W’ word — work,” he said. “I’ve been retired for almost 10 years and I’m happy.”
When Doherty isn’t writing or performing, you can find him fishing for striped bass on the east end of the Cape Cod Canal where he’s known as “East End Eddie.”
“My normal approach to everything would be just work hard, empty my bucket … I’m 71 years old, so I’m just trying to slow down a little bit,” he said.
