Anjelah Johnson-Reyes starts each day with gratitude. When you remind yourself of what you’re grateful for and say it out loud, you’re not only speaking good into the world, but good into yourself.
Each podcast episode, Anjelah and her guest will recount the things that they are grateful for and dive deep into how those gratitudes affect their lives. We all have a lot to be grateful for, but there’s always that one thing that can set you off, make you mad, and give you a bad attitude. Or as Anjelah likes to call it, a maditude.
So join Anjelah and friends as they share their gratitudes and maditudes and let it out and let it go on Funjelah.
Anjelah Johnson-Reyes: Anjelah Johnson-Reyes was born and raised in San Jose, California where she grew up with four siblings in a large extended family to which she remains close. Anjelah found herself an internet sensation and pioneer in viral YouTube videos when her notorious “Nail Salon” bit from a local comedy show was posted and received over 100 million views! Shortly thereafter she was added to the cast on the original MADtv where she trademarked her legendary character, Bon Qui Qui. Similar to the nail salon video, the Bon Qui Qui sketch caught on and have been viewed by over 75 million people. The multi-hyphenate’s popularity has translated into four successful comedy specials: That’s How We Do It” (Comedy Central), The Homecoming Show (NUVO TV), Not Fancy (Netflix) and Mahalo & Good Night (Epix). She has displayed her acting prowess both on TV and film. Some of her credits include “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Superstore,” “Moms’ Night Out,” and “Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel.” Her first book was published in 2022, Who Do I Think I Am: Stories of Chola Wishes and Caviar Dreams, a hilarious and touching memoir full of memorable anecdotes on how a Latina dynamo was able to forge ahead and become successful.
In today’s episode, Leslie Liao joins Anjelah this week to talk stand-up—and how sometimes looking ugly on stage actually makes them feel more confident in their sets. Leslie shares how she went from Hollywood mailrooms to Netflix HR, all before realizing her true calling—thanks to a comedy show so bad, she knew she could do it better. Now she’s ride-or-die for the stage (you’ll have to pry the mic from her cold, dead hands). She also gets into her love-hate relationship with journaling and shares how grateful she is for her family, her non-comedy friends, and her super hot Brazilian fiancé.
Leslie Liao: Leslie Liao is a stand-up comedian, actress, and writer. Audiences around the world have been drawn to her relatable, introspective, and matter-of-fact style of humor which is often anchored around her experiences as a single Chinese-American woman living in Los Angeles. Leslie was recently selected to be a New Face of Comedy at Montreal’s prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival 2023, and her debut set on Don’t Tell Comedy platforms, “Fixing Straight Men,” debuted boldly on YouTube with clips from her set going viral on Instagram and TikTok. She will next be seen in the new multi-comic standup series on Netflix called “Verified Standup” which will debut on the platform later in 2023. Leslie has toured with some of the biggest names in comedy, including Fortune Feimster, and can often be seen in Los Angeles gracing the stages of The Comedy Store, Hollywood Improv, Laugh Factory, Flappers, and many more.
