She‘s the perfect girlfriend that cheats on you with your best friend Monday, get you fired from your dream job on Tuesday, have you losing your mind by Wednesday, only to spend the rest of the week making people fall out on the floor with laughter at various comedy clubs all over the country. As part of We Own The Laughs.com’s Comedian of the Day, have a few laughs and get to know comedian Alexis Prigo. The Claremont, CA native shares with us some of her favorite moments in stand-up comedy and lets us know how she owns the laughs.
Name: Alexis Prigo
Hometown: Claremont/Pasadena, CA
Instagram/Twitter/Facebook/Snapchat/Tik-Tok: @alexisprigo
Years in Comedy: 6
Haven’t we seen you somewhere before: MTV
Comedic Influences: Tig Notaro, Nate Bargatze, Real Housewives Franchise, & My Dad
Favorite Comedy Album: Robin Williams “Live”
Favorite Comedy Special: Amy Schumer “Growing”
Favorite Comedy Movie: Best in Show
Favorite Comedy TV Show: Pen 15
Favorite Comedic Character: Lucille Ball
Favorite Topics to Joke About: Everything in life!
Favorite Type of Audience for a Comedy Show: Give me a group of drunk college girls
Favorite Comedy Club: Belly Room of The Comedy Store
How did you discover your passion for comedy:
Oh, I’ve been funny since day one.
What do you remember most about your first time performing stand-up comedy:
I was so nervous I couldn’t feel my legs. So I started to hit my legs to get the blood flowing again. It’s funny to think about now but I’m pretty sure I had a small stroke.
How would you describe your comedic style:
Cultural I guess? Sometimes I feel like the Taylor Swift of comedy. Breakups have always given me a solid 5 minutes of material and I’m forever grateful for that.
Describe your process for comedic writing:
90% of my jokes come while I’m driving in the car or while I meditate. I write things down to get it organized but my best stuff comes when I say it out loud to myself. Talking it out on the 405 Fwy is my preferred method.
Describe the comedy scene in your area:
Right now it’s slowly starting to boom. I feel like it’s the start of the roaring ’20s. New clubs are popping up with outdoor venues and people are LIVING for it.
How do you judge success in the world of comedy:
Hard work, persistence, and luck. When you hustle hard you start to see the other comics who hustle hard too, and that success comes from never stopping. Always take the bar show in Fresno.
Who are some of your comedic peers that you enjoy watching perform or inspire you personally and professionally:
I love seeing the people I came up with do well. They know who they are.
What’s been your most memorable moment in comedy:
Watching Chris Rock practice his Oscars set in the OR of The Store at midnight…on a Wednesday.
What have you learned most from your failures in comedy:
That those are the most important nights.
How do people react towards you when they realize that you can make people laugh:
I think there’s this idea that if you’re funny you have to be funny-looking. I had someone tell me once that I’m too cute to be doing comedy. I wasn’t even mad because I am too cute to be doing this but that’s not the point. The point is that good comedy comes from an unidentifiable weird place in your head and when it’s genuine, that translates into laughs for others to enjoy regardless of what you look like. I love walking up to the stage and grabbing the mic when everyone thought I was the cocktail server.
Describe what it’s been like building a career in stand-up comedy:
It’s hard because you don’t have a curriculum to check off to get to the finish line and no one even knows what the finish line looks like! I honestly feel like one of those horses that have an eye mask on so the flies don’t bother them. Some nights you want to cry because you feel like your career is going nowhere and then there are one or two good nights and those suckers keep you going.
If you could change one thing in the world of comedy, what would it be:
All shows should pay for their comics.
Best advice you’ve ever received from a comedian:
Don’t Stop!
If you were releasing a comedy special this week, what would it be called:
Vaxxed & Unmasked (because it appeals to both political parties)
Funniest encounter you’ve ever had with a celebrity:
I was waiting in line for the bathroom at a restaurant in Santa Monica and this lady kept hitting on me. She was really sweet and kept touching my hair..so I touched her hair. Then she made eye contact with this man who came out of the men’s bathroom. I asked if that was her boyfriend. She laughed and said no. When the girls who went in the bathroom before us came out, they said “OMG Lady Gaga I love you so much!!”. Oh, and the guy we saw coming out of the bathroom was Bradley Cooper. What is life?
Weirdest place you’ve ever performed any forms of comedy:
A yogurt shop parking lot at 3 pm, during covid.
A Alexis Prigo Fun Fact:
I grew up fly fishing. My whole family goes every year to Montana and it’s just heavenly. Still trying to think of some good fly-fishing jokes though.
Where would you like your laughs to take you:
A TV show. There are so many streaming services with so many new shows. I feel like they’re just giving them away.
What would you tell a potential comedian if they ask you how they can own the laughs:
It helps if you come from a broken home.
What are your thoughts on the future of comedy:
I think pretty soon women will be allowed to do comedy. I can finally stop knitting mittens and breastfeeding!
If you could write one episode for one classic TV sitcom which show would it be and give a brief detailed sentence on the episode:
I would bring back Punk’d. I would stage a covid vaccination site and line dogs up and pretends to give them the shots.
If you could choose 1 comedy club and 3 comedians to perform with on your perfect comedy show, how would it go:
The comedy club would be the Ice House and my comics of choice would be Sebastian Maniscalco, Amy Schumer, Chris Rock, and Louie CK (for ticket sales).
What’s next for you:
Lots of local shows for now and then Vegas once the world is open.
Why should a person always laugh at life:
I think if you can find humor in everything then your quality of life is better. Some of the best laughs are when people deliver eulogies.
Watch Alexis Prigo’s Comedy Reel:
Follow Alexis Prigo’s comedic journey on these social media websites:
Instagram/Twitter/Facebook/Snapchat/Tik-Tok: @alexisprigo
Checkout Alexis Prigo on the “Fck This Place” podcast:
