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But I also loved being the center of attention.
So it made sense to do both.
The one thing comedy allows me to do is tell my story to so many different types of people.
Recently, I was in a comedy festival in Boise, Idaho.
I was so nervous to see how the predominantly white crowd would receive my material.
My stand-up is essentially about being a black queer woman from Indiana.
And to my honest surprise, it was received very, very well.
It confirmed my motivation.
I wanted to pay homage to one of many great abolitionists.
I believe this was also the year they announced she would be on the $20 bill.
Some girl thought I was Rosa Parks, and another guy thought I was Whoopi Goldberg.
Has your social-media presence changed your IRL sense of humor at all?
I mostly tweet observational humor.
I dont think my writing has changed because of social media.
I do think there are jokes that really only work for Twitter.
Can you imagine trying to do a meme joke IRL?
I feel like social media and IRL comedy are two separate forces.
Did your Midwest upbringing influence your comedy at all?Oh yessss.
Thats almost all I talk about.
Growing up in predominantly white spaces really affected me.
Dare I say it … traumatized me?
Talking about my experiences in comedy kind of helps me process the whole experience growing up in the Midwest.
I was so desensitized to microaggressions and overall stereotypes white people placed on me.
I didnt know any other way.
Its so refreshing living in NYC and seeing so many black people all the time.
What was it like to start doing stand-up in L.A. and then move to NYC?
Are there any differences?
Are there any similarities?The biggest difference of L.A./NYC comedy is hands down the stage time.
When I was just starting stand-up, I thought getting booked once a month was impressive.
That drastically changed when I moved to NYC.
Im going from once a month shows to four to five shows a week.
Another big difference is the community.
But maybe white people calling the police on black people?