He’s a sketch comedy veteran, whose talents with a pen and quick wit led him to the opportunity of working with one of the greatest child stars that ever lived. As part of We Own The Laughs.com’s Comedian of the Day, have a few laughs and get to know comedian Eric Owusu. The Hyattsville, MD native shares some of his favorite moments in stand-up comedy and lets us know how he always owns the laughs.
Name: Eric Owusu
Hometown: Hyattsville, MD/ Los Angeles, CA
Instagram/Twitter/Facebook/Snapchat/Tik-Tok: @eric.kay.owusu/@owusukid
Years in Comedy: 12
Haven’t we seen you somewhere before: I wrote for the first season of “Raven’s Home” on Disney Channel and co-wrote the Halloween episode with my writing partner, Charity L. Miller.
Comedic Influences: Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, Wanda Sykes, Martin Lawrence, & The Wayans Bros, including Kim Wayans.
Favorite Comedy Album: Dave Chappelle “Killin’ Them Softly”
Favorite Comedy Special: Eddie Murphy “RAW”
Favorite Comedy Movie: Rush Hour 2
Favorite Comedy TV Show: The Boondocks
Favorite Comedic Character: Darius From “Atlanta”
Favorite City to Perform In: Any town or city that isn’t a sundown town
Favorite Topics to Joke About: Race relations, family, friends, & food
Favorite Type of Audience for a Comedy Show: A mixed crowd, with varying levels of sobriety
Favorite Comedy Club: Hollywood Improv
How did you discover your passion for comedy:
I got into the University of Maryland, College Park’s only all-sketch comedy group called Sketchup, and being in the group taught me how comedy works. How to write jokes, dialogue, sketches. How to project on stage, how to perform, how to cast and pair strong performers, how to produce live comedy shows, how to advertise, how to get butts in seats to actually see my comedy, and how to take notes on my comedy. I fell in love with doing comedy at 19 years old.
What do you remember most about your first time performing stand-up comedy:
I remember how awful it felt to be unprepared because I bombed spectacularly. I went up on stage at an open mic and thought I’d improvise a strong 5 min set. I did not.
How would you describe your comedic style:
My style is optimistic and fun-loving. I aim to help the audience have as much fun in the room as I’m having on stage.
Describe your process for comedic writing:
I write all my jokes, sketches, and scripts out on my phone, computer, or on pieces of paper. I’m a firm believer in the viability of a second draft for everything I write. Then I try my stand-up jokes on stage and if they do well, I keep them. If they don’t, I usually scrap them unless I have delusions of the brilliance of their premises.
Describe the comedy scene in your area:
The LA comedy scene is strong. There are a lot of hilarious comedians who originate from here and who also land here and make the scene one of the most brilliant, competitive, rewarding scenes in the world.
How do you judge success in the world of comedy:
I judge success in the world of comedy by how much a comedian wants to keep going. For me, I’m unsuccessful the moment I decide I’m done doing comedy. No matter how much or how little money or accolades I garner with my comedy. Success is about longevity and forward progress.
Who are some of your comedic peers that you enjoy watching perform or inspire you personally and professionally:
Good thing the question is “some.” I love watching and getting inspiration from Janelle James, Fizaa Dosani, Ritch Ruiz, Chris Hamilton, Drew Landry, Jil Chrissie, and Niles Abston.
What’s been your most memorable moment in comedy:
I’ve had really good shows my whole career, but one time I was doing one of my favorite jokes at the DC Drafthouse. I look in the front row and a guy is literally laughing out of his seat at my joke. I paused the joke and was like “wow this is hitting you in your soul, huh?” and he continued to laugh freely and with enthusiasm. I loved that I could help him enjoy his evening like that.
What have you learned most from your failures in comedy:
I’ve learned that failures mean that I’m trying. You can’t fail if you’re not doing anything or doing anything risky. I get better technically from attempting things, and I get confidence from achieving things.
How do people react towards you when they realize that you can make people laugh:
When they realize that I’m funny during a show, they react with laughter. People who know me outside of comedy are surprised when they realize I’m funny on stage because I’m pretty reserved and chill off stage. People after shows have literally said to me “I had no idea you were funny.”
Describe what it’s been like building a career in stand-up comedy:
Building a career in comedy looks different for everyone. For me and my career, building it has consisted of writing furiously and trying new jokes every time I’m on stage. It also includes putting myself out there in a variety of comedy rooms, getting to know people in the comedy scene, and making sure people know who I am so that I can be thought of and sought after for comedy opportunities.
If you could change one thing in the world of comedy, what would it be:
I would change the gatekeeping. It isn’t always even a quality-control thing either. Gatekeeping allows for people who are popular or liked by the gatekeepers to get chances over scores of other talented, hardworking comics, and keeps the world of comedy from being a true meritocracy. So I would change it so that just like sports, the best and the funniest and the hungriest comics work the most and get the opportunities they want.
Best advice you’ve ever received from a comedian:
I was in a green room with other comics waiting for our show to start and the comedian Craig Shoemaker came in to hang out for a second. He said that as comics, we shouldn’t think of ourselves as entertainers who make people laugh; we give people laughter. And that way of framing it really changed the way I approached comedy. As comics, we don’t trick people into laughing or threaten them with violence if they don’t laugh. They pay money to gas up their cars or take a rideshare and buy drinks and get babysitters and wear nice clothes sometimes and come to us, so that we can give them laughs. So that we can give them a good time. And now I strive to give people laughter, and not make them laugh.
If you were releasing a comedy special this week, what would it be called:
“Eric Owusu: I’ll Leave You With This.” I honestly can’t stand when I or other comics start their last joke by saying any variation of “I’ll leave you with this” because it ruins the mystique of a set to me. It lets the audience know that a comic has a setlist and a final joke is coming, instead of a comic’s set being a free-flowing conversational performance where the comic tells jokes and the crowd responds by laughing, groaning, gasping, howling, or falling out of their chairs. So me naming my special would hopefully get comics to stop saying it on stage.
Funniest encounter you’ve ever had with a celebrity:
One night in 2015, I saw Chappelle do an hour and a half at The Comedy Cellar in NYC. In the middle of it, he asked audience members to talk back to him and ask him about current events. I asked him what he thought about one of my favorite adult film stars at the time, Mia Khalifa, because she was in trouble with the country of Lebanon. After I explained her whole situation, he responded by saying “Mia Khalifa? Hmmm. Any relation to… Wiz Khalifa?” We all laughed, he kept it moving, and I basked in the fact that I got to talk to one of my comedy heroes about a pornstar.
Weirdest place you’ve ever performed any form of comedy:
One time, my college sketch comedy group Sketchup performed for professionals at a biker rally in a hotel ballroom in Maryland and I still think about that from time to time. So many juxtaposing elements in that show.
An Eric Owusu Fun Fact:
I love desserts to a fault. During the height of the pandemic, I baked entirely too many biscuits and brownies.
Where would you like your laughs to take you:
I want to showrun my own tv shows and go on the road doing stand-up when my tv shows aren’t in production, for the rest of my days.
What would you tell a potential comedian if they ask you how they can own the laughs:
I’d tell them to do what they think is funny and to be authentically themselves when they’re on stage if they want to own the laughs for real. Connect with the audience. Don’t just get up there and launch into your jokes like it’s a lecture. Comment on something about the room, the host, the comic who went up before you, the emotional temperature of the room, the weird light fixtures, the people yelling outside. Be present.
What are your thoughts on the future of comedy:
I think the future of comedy is bright and will only get bigger, better, funnier, and more innovative.
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’d write an episode of The Jeffersons where George and Weezy travel to Ghana in West Africa for a business trip and explore their opposing feelings on being Black Americans in Africa in the 70s. With one of them loving Africa and the other dreading being there.
If you could choose 1 comedy club and 3 comedians to perform with on your perfect comedy show, how would it go:
I really like the layout of the main room of Flappers Comedey Club in Burbank, CA, so I’d produce my perfect comedy show there starring me, Earthquake, and Adele Givens.
What’s next for you:
Hopefully, lunch because I’m starting to get hangry. But I’ll definitely be performing all over LA this spring. And I’m slated to perform in my first comedy festival since 2015 later in the summer of ’22, so be on the lookout for me to announce the place and dates.
Why should a person always laugh at life:
Because life is hilarious. Each of our lives, as they play out in front of our own eyes and in our own experiences, is the truest thing we’ll ever experience. And there’s humor in honesty, so we should laugh accordingly.
Watch Eric Owusu’s Stand Up Performance in Los Angeles, California:
Follow Eric Owusu’s comedic journey on these social media websites:
Instagram/Twitter/Facebook/Snapchat/Tik-Tok: @eric.kay.owusu @owusukid
Youtube: Eric Owusu
