As part of We Own The Laughs.com’s Comedian of the Day, have a few laughs and get to know comedian Alyssa Fox. The St. Louis, MO native shares some of her favorite moments in stand-up comedy and explains how she always owns the laughs.
Name: Alyssa Fox
Hometown: St. Louis, Mo/Los Angeles, CA
Instagram/Tik-Tok: @alyssafoxy @alyssafoxyy
Years in Comedy: 1
Haven’t we seen you somewhere before: The Burbank Comedy Festival (coming up August 2024), The Hollywood Improv, The Ice House, The Crow, Ha Ha Comedy Club, etc.
Comedic Influences: Nikki Glaser, Bo Burnham, Nathan Fielder, Anthony Jeselnik, Whitney Cummings, Tom Segura, Argus Hamilton and so many more!
Favorite Comedy Album: Bo Burnham “Inside”
Favorite Comedy Special: John Mulaney “New In Town”
Favorite Comedy Movie: School of Rock
Favorite Comedy TV Show: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Favorite Comedic Character: Danny McBride in “This is the End” and Fred Armisen’s portrayal of “Regine” on “Saturday Night Live.”
Favorite City to Perform In: Los Angeles
Favorite Topics to Joke About: Dating, politics and Missouri baby
Favorite Type of Audience for a Comedy Show: Cool boomers, GIRLS, a few middle-aged men thrown in there and shy suburban moms who don’t want to laugh at your jokes but do.
Favorite Comedy Club: The Hollywood Improv and Upright Citizens Brigade, & Franklin Campus
How did you discover your passion for comedy:
I didn’t go through puberty until I was roughly 15 years old so all I had for a long time to lean on was my personality. I also have always weirdly liked being the butt of a joke and have tended to laugh about serious things because I would much rather laugh than cry.
What do you remember most about your first time performing stand-up comedy:
I consider the first time I performed the first time I did an open mic. I went with my good friend in comedy, Circe, and we did FULL makeup, wore cute outfits, had our sets memorized and were so nervous to go up. We walked into the venue and it was like 3 other dudes. Then we got drinks after because we were so proud of ourselves! I just find it funny that we went so hard for an OPEN mic, we really thought we were going to be performing for a stadium or something.
How would you describe your comedic style:
I like to talk about personal experience which is why I talk about my dating life, Missouri, politics and religion a lot. I think it’s important for women to talk about dating in comedy because I feel like until recently, the women’s perspective was never really discussed except amongst women and MY GOD is there so much material there. I also found the switch of moving from St. Louis, Missouri to Los Angeles, California to be hilarious in and of itself as I could not imagine two places so incredibly different from each other. And again with politics and religion, so much material and if I don’t laugh about it, I’m gonna cry about it.
Describe your process for comedic writing:
I feel like I now am always thinking of concepts to build on whether I know it or not. Like the other day, I saw a woman whip her phone out and it was one of those cases that flips open and is a wallet and I was like…there’s something there. I also think back to stories I’ve told that people have laughed at in the past to see if I could clean it up for a routine. Once I’ve compiled a few premises and ideas, that’s when I sit in a Google Doc and actually hash these out and add word play, symbolism, metaphors, etc.
Describe the comedy scene in your area:
The Los Angeles comedy scene is truly amazing. I feel like everyone is really supportive and there is definitely a lot of opportunity out here. Also, the women in the LA comedy community are AMAZING; they are so supportive, hype eachother up, tell each other about opportunities…truly an amazing support system. I never really felt at home in Los Angeles until I started doing comedy.
How do you judge success in the world of comedy:
I feel like in the broader world, success would be defined by landing an hour-long comedy special. Where I’m at now, I think doing festivals and performing at bigger name clubs in your community is a good tracker for progress. But ultimately, just doing it as much as you can and getting some type of reaction is what it’s all about. There are so many people that say they want to try comedy and never do; I think simply going for it is a success in and of itself.
Who are some of your comedic peers that you enjoy watching perform or inspire you personally and professionally:
My friend Circe inspires me like no other. I am so thankful to have a friend in comedy that is so uplifting, supportive, confident and hilarious. I don’t know if I would have ever started if it weren’t for her. I would also like to shout out some amazing friends I have met along the way: Mehr Juneja, Joshie Taylor, Magenta Rose Brown, Diana Witt, Alia Atkins, Torrence Hill, Sally Mullins, Vargus Mason, Joe Manente, Jason Rogers, Ivan Salas, Han Williamson, Maddy Schmidt, Guy Reuven, Johnny Marx, D’Angelo Himes, Megan Hunter, Peter Murphy and so many more!
What’s been your most memorable moment in comedy:
I did a show at The Ice House once where I did some crowd work and called a guy in the front row Tucker Carlson. After I did it, pretty much every other comic referenced that part of my set in theirs. It was so cool to see everyone work off this one concept and build on it. I also loved that the comics themselves were watching and paying attention to other sets, this truly makes a show feel so much more united and forms a fun group mentality.
What have you learned most from your failures in comedy:
I feel like every comedian considers the biggest failure to be “bombing.” I think sometimes your material might not hit for a particular crowd and THAT IS OKAY; you can only learn and move on. I also feel like comedians think they bomb way more than they actually do. I was once on a show that was a contest and it was dependent on audience votes to move forward. I was doing some raunchier material and I looked up and I saw what I thought were KIDS there. I felt so weird and kinda shied away the rest of the set. Then we reached the end of the night and I found out I placed second (and no one in the crowd was there for me). It just goes to show that people express themselves differently and you shouldn’t place so much value on one “bad” performance.
How do people react toward you when they realize that you can make people laugh:
I think it always surprises people a little because I definitely play myself up a lot more onstage and can be much more composed in real life if the situation warrants it. I also am not as opinionated or “mean-spirited” as I portray on stage because so much of comedy is playing a heightened version of this. Of course I am not just walking around Los Angeles screaming about my dating life in situations that don’t warrant it! Also, a lot of guys HATE it which is so funny to me.
Describe building a career in stand-up comedy:
I am still definitely figuring this out. I think we’re in an interesting time where the entertainment landscape is drastically changing and the methods to gaining success are not what they once were. Where in the past it seems your ticket to success was performing enough to make a connection where you could perform on Johnny Carson and THEN you’ll get representation and booked at the bigger clubs. That is kind of still the same today, but now there is a whole separate avenue with social media. Tik Tok, Instagram reels, YouTube and more are getting comedians exposure whether they asked for it or not. It is a great tool to connect and share your comedic voice with a broader audience too!
If you could change one thing in the world of comedy, what would it be:
This topic has been discussed over and over again but I’m sick of comedians complaining about cancel culture. Cancel culture does not even exist and a lot of times is really just feedback. Now, this is not to say you can’t joke about any sensitive topics, of course you can! But simply discussing an offensive topic to get a reaction and not making a joke out of it is not what comedy is. I wish comedians took more time to really take in feedback from ALL communities and adapted accordingly.
Best advice you’ve ever received from a comedian:
Several different comedians have coached me on delivery and the difference it can make. I feel like sometimes, especially when I’m doing clean material, I’m being put into a box. What I’ve learned when I’m feeling like this from a lot of other comedians in the community is that authenticity will always be your best work.
If you were releasing a comedy special this week, what would it be called:
“Foxy!”
Funniest encounter you’ve ever had with a celebrity:
Bobby Lee once came up to me and told me he was depressed and then we talked about anti-depressants for a little while.
Weirdest place you’ve ever performed any form of comedy:
I’ve gotten lucky to really have only performed in comedy clubs but I will say that smaller comedy clubs are not NEARLY as big as the look in photos. When I went to a lot of these places for the first time I was like “oh…this is a closet.”
An Alyssa Fox Fun Fact:
I can lick my elbow!
Where would you like your laughs to take you:
It would be nice to get paid one day. Making money off comedy alone would be such a dream. But, I also really like to sing, act and write so if I was able to do any of these in a comedic way for an audience one day that would be a dream come true. A lot of people’s goal is to end up on SNL and I would definitely be lying if I said that wasn’t a huge goal also. Whether I would be performing, writing, producing…I would take any opportunity I could get! I also love the idea of doing a sketch show, films, improv, etc. with my friends. I was always super envious when I would watch the Seth Rogan, Jonah Hill, etc. group always produce these HILARIOUS pieces of content and I feel like it couldn’t get any better than doing it with your friends.
What would you tell a potential comedian if they ask you how they can own the laughs:
Connect with the crowd! No one likes a comedian that is doing their material like a powerpoint presentation. Listen to what they are reacting to and play into their interests!
What are your thoughts on the future of comedy:
I am so hopeful and excited about the future of comedy. I feel like we’ve seen a lot of standard comedy of people getting up there and talking about their experience (which is AMAZING) but it is also so cool to see so many young people incorporating music, characters, crowd work, dancing and so much more into their set. I know doing these methods are not new by any means, but I love to see how often it is happening and seeing it played out in our current landscape.
If you could write an episode for ONE classic TV sitcom, which show would it be:
I would do “South Park” and have an episode themed around the main 4 characters growing up and using dating apps.
If you could choose ONE comedy club and THREE comedians to perform with on your perfect comedy show, how would it go:
The Fox Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri with Nikki Glaser, Anthony Jeselnik and my dear friend Circe (Smiles)
What’s next for you:
I am going to continue to do as much stage time and write as I possibly can! I am part of the Burbank Comedy Festival in August which I am looking forward to. I also just completed a Musical Improv course through the Upright Citizens Brigade under the instruction of Andrew Young and Greg Smith which was SUCH an amazing experience that I am hoping to do more of in the future! Aside from that, just meeting people, making friends and developing my routine.
Why should a person always laugh at life:
If you don’t laugh you’ll cry! At the end of the day, truly nothing is that serious and we all deserve to share moments of joy together while we’re still here!
Follow Alyssa Fox’s comedic journey on these social media websites:
Instagram/Twitter/Facebook/Snapchat/Tik-Tok: Alyssa Fox
Youtube: Alyssa Fox
Personal Website: Alyssa Fox
