I think with the advent of Netflix, and those specials, I feel like my career has been taken to new heights in the last several years. Not only am I touring major venues in the U.S., but I have access to international markets. Before Netflix came along, you would not get to go play a foreign market, perhaps unless you were from there, but because of Netflix, I get to go to places like Malaysia, Finland and Portugal.
Q: Stand-up comedy can serve as a de-armoring experience where people can find a place to laugh, but has historically been a space where comics can point out hypocrisy and make other criticisms. Can you talk about how you approach that with criticism, but also with personal vulnerability?I think a mark of a master comic is offering up your own vulnerability first, because otherwise, it’s just accusatory and a little holier-than-thou.
Q: You seem to have your finger on the pulse of the internet and have developed quite a following on social media. Why do you think keeping up on it is important?I’m really into quality over quantity and I don’t just say things that I don’t mean. Of course, everybody says things once in a while that are flippant or you made a mistake, but we all need to lighten up in terms of getting over things. It’s about continually talking to my own fan base with comedy, integrity and just being yourself.
There’s a billion people out there and everybody makes content. Good is so subjective, but if you find an audience and people watch it, then it works. When it comes to stand-up in particular, that’s a craft, but making a perfectly timed, funny TikTok video is also a craft. So people are endlessly comparing these mediums and getting frustrated that someone has a billion views and they don’t. At the end of the day, what I judge my success on is ticket sales.