Comedian Anthony Jeselnik will be performing a set at 8 p.m. April 25 in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union.

Jeselnik is known for his dark comedy, in which he uses misdirection with an arrogant, villainous persona. He has written for “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” performed at the Comedy Central roasts of Donald Trump and Charlie Sheen and has hosted his own series on Comedy Central.

The comedian was born in Pittsburgh, Pa., and has been crafting his sarcastic sense of humor since his elementary days. 

On one occasion, a girl in his grade was excited to be moving to a new town, while others in the class knew she was not going to a better place. 

“Oh, well send us a postcard,” Jeselnik cracked.

The teacher tried to hide her amusement at the joke, and at that moment the comedian first found support for his humor.

“You can’t get in trouble if the teacher laughs,” Jeselnik said in an interview with A.V. Club. “If you’re smart enough that adults get it, you can get away with anything. That became my goal as class clown: to make the teacher laugh.”

Jeselnik continued to be enthusiastic about comedy as he grew up under the influence of “Saturday Night Live,” “The Ben Stiller Show” and “Mr. Show.”

The comedian went to college with his sights set on becoming a writer. He graduated from Tulane University in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in English literature with a business minor. 

After college, Jeselnik lived in Los Angeles and decided to try doing standup. Two years into it, he had his “lightbulb moment.” He wrote a joke with dark and bizarre qualities he called “My Girlfriend Loves to Eat Chocolate.” After a strong response from the audience, he went on to develop the style into his persona.

Jeselnik was featured on “Comedy Central Presents” in 2009, where he was named a breakout comedian of the year by the network. He subsequently was hired as a writer for “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.” During this time, he would routinely perform in the Comedy Cellar. Jeselnik ultimately left the show when he felt stifled of his dark style, and he decided to pursue stand-up as a career.

In 2010, he released his debut album “Shakespeare” and performed at the roasts of Charlie Sheen and Donald Trump.

“[The roast] completely changed my life,” Jesselnik said in an interview with A.V. Club. “I had been headlining for about a year before that, but I would go to these clubs and people would be coming to see comedy.”

Jeselnik’s work on the Comedy Central roasts earned him his own TV series, “The Jeselnik Offensive,” that ran for two seasons in 2013. His second album “Caligula” was released during this time to critical acclaim.

One can laugh along with Anthony Jeselnik at 8 p.m. — doors open at 7 — April 25 in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union. Tickets are available in person at the Maintenance Shop box office or at midwestix.com. Tickets are $7 for students and $15 to the public.