Fret not comedy fans: It’s just been announced that Jerry Seinfeld, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Mike Birbiglia and Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias will be among those wits who will be heading here for the 44th Just for Laughs Festival, July 15-26.

There had been some concern that no laff-fest announcements had yet been made prior to this, particularly in light of the fact that lineups for such summer staples like the Montreal International Jazz Festival, Osheaga and Lasso had already been unveiled. Some had feared the worst — once again.

Of course, concern is understandable, given the turmoil of two years ago when it appeared that Just for Laughs stalwarts had cracked the fest’s final one-liners. But Quebec City ComedyHa! boss Sylvain Parent-Bédard came to the rescue back then. Now the JFL president/CEO, Parent-Bédard took over the fest from the throes of what appeared to be financial doom, and in his third year running it, he has come up with a lineup that should appeal to almost all comic tastes.

Landing Seinfeld — who got his big break at JFL back in the 1980s and has returned here numerous times since — is always a bonus for his legion of ever-loyal,........

© Montreal Gazette