Joker Stairs
The West 167th Street Stairs, popularly referred to as the Joker Stairs, constitute a step street that links Shakespeare Avenue and Anderson Avenue along West 167th Street in the Highbridge area of the Bronx in New York City. Positioned close to the 167th Street station on the New York City Subway's , these stairs gained prominence as a filming site for the 2019 movie Joker as well as its 2024 follow-up Joker: Folie à Deux.
Within the film, the character Arthur Fleck, portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, is depicted ascending and descending these stairs during his daily routine. Near the film’s conclusion, he performs a dance down the steps wearing a vivid suit and clown makeup, symbolizing his metamorphosis, all set to Gary Glitter’s "Rock and Roll Part 2." The staircase is featured on promotional materials and has evolved into a favored spot for tourists, sparking numerous memes online.
Tourists frequently imitate the famous dance sequence, occasionally donning Joker costumes, which often results in overcrowding. Residents of the Bronx have expressed concerns about increased congestion during peak travel times caused by visitors pausing for photographs and using selfie sticks. U.S. representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose district includes parts of the Bronx, has requested that visitors refrain from using the stairs to minimize disturbances.
Prior to its association with Joker, this stairway was relatively obscure due to the neighborhood’s prior reputation for crime. Another potential filming location in the South Bronx, previously featured in American Gangster, was considered but ultimately dismissed for Joker because recent renovations had significantly changed its look.
NBC New York has drawn parallels between the Joker Stairs and other famous cinematic landmarks such as the "Rocky Steps" at Philadelphia Museum of Art from the 1976 film Rocky. In 2019, Burger King capitalized on the stairs’ newfound fame with a humorous promotional video directed at McDonald's mascot Ronald McDonald.