Meet Chanel Ali | Standup Comedian

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

Hi Chanel, how do you think about risk?
I’m not afraid to fail and it’s one of my greatest strengths. I’ve always had the confidence to try things and lean in, even if I wasn’t good at first. I took a lot of risks to become a comedian, I dropped out of grad school, moved to NYC on a Megabus, I often spent my last few dollars to watch a show. I did it by believing the risk was worth it or else I’d live a lie.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a storyteller comedian and most of my jokes come from real life experiences or my personal opinions. Audiences are often impressed by my commanding stage presence and the way I talk to them as if they’re all my friends already. Standup comedy is the hardest thing. No disrespect to other people’s jobs but MY job is harder. Uniting people in an emotion and allow them to express it through weird giggly noises is work. I learned to trust my humour and rely on the simple fact that I KNOW I’m funny.

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’d take them to Governors Island and we’d ride the ferrys around the city. Then do lunch in a tall building somewhere with a view. Then dinner at a jazz club followed by a late night comedy show.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Shoutout to the city of Philadelphia for making me sharp, strong, and ambitious.

Website: www.chanelali.com

Instagram: @chanelali