Came from nothing, and the machine never wanted him, but still made himself into something and formed the blueprint.
Today’s world of stand-up comedy has many paths that an individual can take to achieve their desired fame and fortune.
Houston legend Ali Siddiq has built his life and comedy career from the ground up and it took every single brick needed to get to this successful point. Denied by many streaming services over and over throughout his career, Ali decided to bet on himself and release his material to the masses on his own terms and free of charge.
During a recent interview with hip hop icon Willie D, Siddiq shared his thoughts on why he feels that platforms such as YouTube are better for rising comics than having their comedy specials being released on Netflix or Hulu.
Ali Siddiq: Ali Siddiq is a stand-up comedian and public speaker out of Houston, TX. Ali’s unique style of stand-up began behind the walls of incarceration, an incubator for interesting experiences and good stories.
In 2022, Ali released two hour specials… THE DOMINO EFFECT on YouTube and UNPROTECTED SETS on EPIX.
To date, THE DOMINO EFFECT has over 14 million views, ranking it in the top 5 most watched comedy specials of 2022. The NY Times described it as “a genre-defying autobiographical epic”. In May 2023, Ali released THE DOMINO EFFECT part 2: LOSS, the sequel to his viral stand-up special, which has over 6 million views to date. And in 2024, Ali released two more specials in the series. The Domino Effect part 3: First Day of School premiered on YouTube May 12 with over 4 million views, and The Domino Effect part 4: Pins & Needles premiered on YouTube June 16, 2024 with over 3.5 million views. In 2025, Ali will be releasing five more hour specials, an unprecedented fete for any comedian.
People received their first taste of Ali Siddiq when he appeared on HBO’s DEF COMEDY JAM and LIVE FROM GOTHAM, and in 2013 he was named Comedy Central’s “#1 Comic to Watch”. In 2014, Ali impressed comedy enthusiasts by displaying his ability to captivate an audience with his “Mexicans Got On Boots” tale, a descriptive storytelling, with over 14 million views, of a prison riot on THIS IS NOT HAPPENING, the first of three appearances. His stories continued with his HALF HOUR special, which premiered on Comedy Central in the Fall of 2016.
Immediately following the premier of that special, Comedy Central offered Ali an hour-special where he performed for inmates live in a Texas jail, sending Ali back to where it all started. The hour special, Ali Siddiq: It’s Bigger Than These Bars, premiered in February 2018 on Comedy Centraland has over 2.5 million views on YouTube. In 2019, Ali was a top 5 finalist on NBC’s BRING THE FUNNY.
He also appeared as a regular cast member on the reboot of PUNK’D for Quibi.
