A Coney With A Side Of Laughter And $

“The Coney”
Detroit Opera House
Detroit
Sept. 26, 2026

It made me happy to learn that actor Marc Evan Jackson considers himself a Detroiter, even if he lived here for only four years in the late '90s. The Buffalo native's love for the city was made apparent Saturday night during The Coney, his brainchild charity event that raised $2.72 million for Detroit youth arts organizations. The inaugural event featured about two dozen celebrities – mostly with Detroit or Michigan roots – in a comedic variety show-ish format that was mostly fun, even if it dragged at points.

The cause is admirable, though my draw was to see actors from some of my favorite TV shows and films, mainly Dave Coulier, Jodie Sweetin and Andrea Barber from “Full House.” But Jackson from “The Good Place" and (the highly underrated) "Babysitters-Club," Eugene Cordero from "The Good Place," Sam Richardson from “Ted Lasso,” and Tim Meadows from “Mean Girls” were nice bonuses.

Describing The Coney – named for Detroit’s famous chili hot dogs – is not cut and dry. More than anything, it was a fundraiser, with lots of pleas from celebrities and nonprofit leaders for audience members in the packed house to donate, including a long live auction that offered bidders the chance to experience a Red Wings game with Coulier; watch a Lions game with Richardson; or attend the premiere of “Frozen 3” next year and meet Kristen Bell, all of which together garnered more than $50,000. Bell was originally one of the headliners of the event, along with husband Dax Shephard, but had to cancel due to a contractual obligation that required her to be elsewhere; the two made a few appearances via video.

In between that was some pretty good, mostly comedic, entertainment that lovingly poked fun at the city, written by people who were clearly familiar with the region.

One of my favorite bits was an actor portraying personal injury lawyer and Billboard queen Joumana Kayrouz. She encouraged Tony Hawk and others to skateboard around the theater (and made other questionable safety choices) and said getting Richardson’s phone number was the only reason she’d ever wanted to “Call Sam,” a poke at rival Billboard attorney Sam Bernstein.

An “in memoriam” song turned somber tones into hilarity, with a photo presentation of some of the region’s iconic products and institutions which are no longer with us, including Tiger Stadium, Boblo Boat, Farmer Jack, Kmart, “driving in Greektown” and the numerous Chrysler rebrands, among others. The soon-to-be renamed Comerica Park also made the list, one of the many Fifth Third Park jokes that elicited boos from the audience.

The Nain Rouge – the Detroit-specific folkloric devil that brings woe to the city – also made several appearances, longing for the days when Detroit was “ground zero for ruin porn” but delighted that we have tornadoes now (referencing a hit from earlier this month).

My biggest disappointment of the evening was the underutilization of the “Full House” cast members. Although Barber and Sweetin are not locals, they were some of the biggest draws to the event. They spent most of the time watching from the stage. At one point Barber and Coulier participated in a coney dog game, where pairs had to assemble a coney dog, with one standing behind the other to serve as blind arms for the person in front, which was fun.

Toward the end, Andy Richter did a less than five-minute interview with the three cast members. They crammed in a few “Full House” references and talked about how much they missed former cast member and classic TV dad Bob Saget. It was nice to see the cast together, but it was rushed and felt like an afterthought, lacking a strong tie-in to the Michigan or fundraising theme. To be fair, I’d rather see an out-of-place cast reunion of a beloved childhood series than none at all, but it seems there could have been a better and more extensive way to incorporate them into the show. But although their presence was limited, Barber and Sweetin brought great pro-Michigan energy from the sides, clearly having a great time as they sang and danced around in their University of Michigan shirts.

I’ve never been a fan of coney dogs, but I am a fan of actions and events that support a good cause – especially when they play to my Detroit pride and nostalgic Millennial heartstrings. I look forward to a second helping of The Coney next year.