The day came when Anjelah Johnson had to decide what she wanted to do with her life. After a good bit of praying the decision came to her to try out to be a Oakland Raiders cheerleader. This would be a test of spirit to see if she had what it would take to be in entertainment field. If she made the squad she promised herself she would pursue a career in Los Angeles. If she didn’t make the squad she would take her life in another, unknown, direction. Luckily for her and the rest of us she made the squad and then one year later she moved down to LA.
Once in LA she was faced with another dilemma what kind of entertaining did she want to do? She was a local church for a creative art night when she met a women who was teaching a workshop on how to write jokes and do stand up comedy. The woman asked her if she would like to join the class. Anjelah first response was is the class free? The woman answered with a resounded yes, so of course Anjelah took the course. Free is always good. At the end of the class she and her classmates had to preform at a comedy club in front of a live audience. This is where her famous nail salon joke was first preformed. Her career launched from them, off the first joke she ever wrote. From the comedy club circuit she moved on the MadTV. She credits the strong characters she created in her stand up routine for getting her a spot on the show. Her stink on the show may have been short but she learned a great deal from the wonderful cast and crew she worked with. When asked about auditioning for Saturday Night Live; she says she loves the show and it would be an honor but she wants her energy into to TV and film. She has to go where her heart is for now it has never led her astray.
Talking about her unique characters Anjelah says they are all based on real people or interaction she has had over her life. She uses family members like her brother who by her account is “Ghetto fabulous, and lacks a filter” to base some her more outlandish characters. She also cites instances of dealing with some pretty far out customer service reps over her lifetime.
When It comes to the TV shows she loves, and inspire her to work in the field she says Modern Family is her favorite. She has recently started getting in The Big Bang Theory as well. To tell the truth she finds crime and drama the best way to unwind from a long day of making people laugh. She had been marathoning her way through Celebrity Ghost Encounters on Lifetime. Grateful she herself has never had her walls bleed she find it fascinating to see how other handle such bizarre situations.
Married to a Christian rapper she admits she made jokes about the relationship before it even existed. She a standing joke in her set about why there was such a thing as Christian rap. The two of them make a great team influencing on each other’s works over the last couple of years. She says her husband is really funny and unlike her will just say what ever pops into his head. She is more of a write out and prep the story type of comedian. However she is currently working with a major label to put out an album of her own. So if her hubby wants to be comedian then she’ll go ahead and be the musician in the family.
In a place like New Mexico where the comedians are struggling with no comedy club to work out, she has one suggestion: “Stick together. It’s an advantage to be able to be the people who establish the rules and make the game plane. Be fair to one another and share stage time and audience. Be thankful for what you have and who you work with because the team will make the difference.” She invites New Mexico out to hear about a young woman learning to become a wife on Nov 9 when she comes through town. Get to know her family and her marriage the ups the downs but mostly laughs.
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