Meet TaTa Sherise | Comedian, Actress, & Writer

We had the good fortune of connecting with TaTa Sherise and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi TaTa, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I’m from Camden, New Jersey, a small city outside of Philly. Camden has gotten better over the years but it was pretty rough when I was growing up. My background is very interesting and most definitely helped me build character. My father is Jamaican and my mother is American. My dad was in the streets, and was a top dealer, so I spent the first few years of my life “hood rich”. That lifestyle does not last forever as you may know, my father ended up going to prison and getting departed. My mom did try to keep up with the lifestyle but we more so lived check to check. Eventually by the time I was 11 years old my mother became addicted to drugs due to be around the wrong people. My life changed in one year. She went from PTA mom to crackhead right in front of me and my younger sisters eyes. I quickly had to grow up and care for my sister and I, maintaining a job since 14 years old. We then lived back and forth between my grandmother and Jamaican aunt. We lived with my aunt for 10+ years so I grew up in a Jamaican household and we did not have much. I learned the importance of sharing in that household because it was a full house. Outside of the crazy stories my childhood gave me that I now express on stage, my upbringing really helped me become a resilient and adaptive person. I feel like I can handle anything and get through anything.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve been on stage since I was 5 years old acting and dancing, but I’ve been a fan of stand up comedy since I was very young, it was heavy in my household. I grew a deeper interest in it in my mid-twenties and everyone told me I need to try it including my acting coach. I started in 2017 and in less than 6 years in comedy, I performed in over 250 stand up shows in the Philadelphia, NJ tri-state area, NYC, Baltimore, Atlanta, and LA mostly as the feature or headlining act. I also have created several viral videos, won competitions, and performed in three festivals. I have been featured on The Drew Barrymore Show, The Philadelphia Inquire, Angela Yee’s and Magic Lemonade’s Mastery of Comedy Digital TV Show, I became a cast member on The Going Live Show sketch comedy pilot series in Atlanta, GA. I’ve been producing my own shows “TaTa Tuesdays” and “Girls Got Giggles” for a year now, which I’m most proud about. It has been challenging but I’m all about enjoying and embracing the journey. I’m no stranger to the trenches so I’m not trying to skip the grind. I’m learning daily what’s for me is for me especially as I watch my peers accomplish goals. While I have my own accomplishments and it can get easy to get caught up on wondering how someone else got certain opportunities. So I think its VERY important to focus on your own journey and clap for people. You never know what God has in store for you. My style is charming, energetic, and raw. I want people to know how layered I am as person and what I’ve overcome. You are not a product of your environment or your upbringing.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take my friends (which I have) to Jamaica. I visit my family in Jamaica every two years and I never ever regret it. The reason this is special to me is because I never stay at a resort, I typically stay with family, or rent a house nearby. If we were to visit for a week we would take a long drive on the dirt road from Kingston to Portland which is the country. The view is amazing, you can smell the air change, and the water gets more clear. We would stop at different rum bars and jerk chicken huts on the way. Once we arrive to Portland, we would visit the Blue Hole, Winiferd Beach, Dunns River Fall, we would take a hike to Reach Falls, go to Jerk Fest if we’re there in August, and most importantly we would attend a real dancehall party.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Missy Elliot is one of my biggest creative inspirations, watching her as child really gave me confidence. Kevin’ Hart’s memoir, “I Can’t Make This Up” really resonated with me in the beginning of my stand up comedy career, we have fairly similar backgrounds and as I read the book I realized my journey was similar to his as far as the milestones he hit and the things he did in his early days. That alone felt like reassurance that I’m heading in the right direction. Lastly, my high school theatre teacher Mr. Boice and 3rd grade teacher Mr. Ethan Baumholtz. Baumholtz taught me dedication, consistency, and discipline at a very young age. Boice taught me to dream bigger.

Website: tatasherise.com

Instagram: @tatasherise

Twitter: @tatasherise

Facebook: TaTa Sherise

Youtube: youtube.com/tatasherise

Image Credits
Dean Myers, Ray Valdez, Sam Cashell, Crash Exposures Photography and Film,