She’s the breath of fresh air that comedy’s been missing everytime she steps on the stage and her career still only just beginning. As part of We Own The Laughs.com’s Comedian of the Day, have a few laughs and get to know comedian Ali Lu. The Anchorage, AK native shares some of her favorite moments in stand-up comedy and lets us know how she always owns the laughs.
Name: Ali Lu
Hometown: Anchorage, AK/Los Angeles, CA
Instagram/Tik-Tok/Twitter: @aluzer @extralargepetite @alilucomedy
Years in Comedy: 6 (minus 2 in the Pandemic)
Haven’t we seen you somewhere before: Two-time Celebrity Name Game loser and worked in development writing jokes for FOX’s I Can See Your Voice.
Comedic Influences: Bo Burnham, Ali Wong, Chelsea Handler, & my entire family, and childhood friends.
Favorite Comedy Album: Anthony Jesselnik’s “Shakespeare”
Favorite Comedy Special: Ronny Cheng’s “Asian Comedian Destroys America” Daniel Sloss’ “Jigsaw”, and Bo Burnham’s “What.”
Favorite Comedy Movie: Drop Dead Gorgeous
Favorite Comedy TV Show: The Righteous Gemstones
Favorite Comedic Character: Pam Adlon’s Sam Fox on Better Things
Favorite City to Perform In: I love doing stand-up in my hometown of Anchorage, Alaska
Favorite Topics to Joke About: My relationship, friendship, family, and attention-seeking behavior.
Favorite Type of Audience for a Comedy Show: An open and fair crowd
Favorite Comedy Club: The Hollywood Improv
How did you discover your passion for comedy:
It was always there. I’m from a Filipino family and we already talk and live in-jokes. But the real pursuit came after I was dating a comedian and found out he was tweeting things I said and going viral. So I got pissed and went to an open mic and haven’t looked back.
What do you remember most about your first time performing stand-up comedy:
It was the first time I remember using my actual voice. As a professional singer, I was always reinterpreting someone else’s work or mimicking iconic voices and characters. stand-up is 100% me, for better or worse.
How would you describe your comedic style:
Playful, pointed, stupid, embarrassing, and sometimes with a tune. I really try to find a surrogate bestie in the audience because I am never funnier than when I’m on the phone with my best friend, Jessica Rose, who is the funniest person in any room.
Describe your process for comedic writing:
A lot of banging my head against the wall. If I say something in passing and my boyfriend laughs, I write it down like a psycho and then reverse engineer a bit from there. Group chats with friends who don’t pursue entertainment are also an endless well for the material.
Describe the comedy scene in your area:
Los Angeles is the worst place to start because you’re competing for time against actual working comics, but it also really helped develop me faster. Like Bane, I was born in a jail, but my version was starting an open mic in a dive bar.
How do you judge success in the world of comedy:
I think if you’re actually happy while paying your bills with the money you’ve made doing comedy, you’re successful. But also if you’re actually funny, which is first and foremost the point of comedy, you’re already more successful than a lot of working comics out there “making points” so who knows?!
Who are some of your comedic peers that you enjoy watching perform or inspire you personally and professionally:
Marcella Arguello, Laurie Killmartin, Jessica Michelle Singleton, Felicia Folkes, and Mike Glazer are the absolute best in the game. Watching these comedic juggernauts destroy in their own unique and powerful ways is a Master Class in voice, POV, do no harm, do ALL the harm, and overall excellence.
What’s been your most memorable moment in comedy:
Every single one, good and bad.
What have you learned most from your failures in comedy:
Grace. Giving myself grace and giving the crowd grace. I learned very early on to never blame the crowd. That’s a bitch move, just Practice.
How do people react towards you when they realize that you can make people laugh:
Some people really enjoy who I am and we form genuine connections, others try to collect me, and some people hire me.
Describe what it’s been like building a career in stand-up comedy:
I can’t, I don’t have one yet. TBD
If you could change one thing in the world of comedy, what would it be:
That we treat white performers the way the industry has always treated people of color, by only giving them the time of day if they are truly excellent.
Best advice you’ve ever received from a comedian:
“Talk TO people, not AT them.”
If you were releasing a comedy special this week, what would it be called:
Astronaut Secretary
Funniest encounter you’ve ever had with a celebrity:
Any encounter I’ve ever had with a celebrity has been chronically unfunny. They are not funny.
Weirdest place you’ve ever performed any form of comedy:
I performed stand-up in my underwear at a dive bar in Arizona.
An Ali Lu Fun Fact:
I’m pigeon-toed. I wore corrective leg braces, like full-on Forrest Gump leg braces til I was 8 and everyone in The Philippines thought I had polio. Also, I’m still pigeon-toed.
Where would you like your laughs to take you:
Ultimately, I’d like to show run something I created with my partner, Baldev Sandhu, that I don’t have to be in.. because performing makes me so anxious I don’t poop for days.
What would you tell a potential comedian if they ask you how they can own the laughs:
Don’t steal jokes and don’t just repeat memes and viral tweets passing them off as your own.
What are your thoughts on the future of comedy:
Who cares, the Earth is on fire.
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 write an episode of FRIENDS called “The One Where They Learn Boundaries.” Ross, Rachel, Phoebe, and Joey walk in on Monica pegging Chandler. The whole episode would be about how bat shit crazy it is to just pop in on your friends unannounced.
If you could choose 1 comedy club and 3 comedians to perform with on your perfect comedy show, how would it go:
Laurie Kilmartin, Marcella Arguello, and Felicia Folkes on the Main Stage at The Hollywood Improv.
What’s next for you:
I’m writing a lot and I got into a very exciting development program that I will be able to announce soon!
Why should a person always laugh at life:
Because you have to break up the stagnant and stale energy of being.
Follow Ali Lu’s comedic journey on these social media websites:
Instagram/Twitter/Tik-Tok: @aluzer @extralargepetite @alilucomedy
