First Mic

He got in trouble at 10 years old for saying something he definitely shouldn't have to his mom — and the punishment changed everything. Locked out of TV, Jarrel Beaman found an old iPod and fell into a rabbit hole of Richard Pryor albums, Def Jam, Comedy Central Presents, and even Bob Hope. By the time he was 16, he'd been secretly battle-testing material in lunchrooms and on the back of the bus —...

Alex Maluchnik's first joke ever was so bad he quit comedy for 10 years. Now he's opened for his childhood hero. In this episode of First Mic, Alex tells the story of the worst possible first open mic — following a woman's heartbreaking poem about trauma and addiction with "Hey, we told you we're sorry about all that." The room booed. He didn't touch a stage again for a decade. Then, on a bad Tind...

A dishwasher on a smoke break delivered Sam Fisher's first heckle. His advice for new comics? Stop grading yourself mid-set. Sam Fisher thought he had a killer five-minute set ready for his first open mic at Da Vinci's Pizza in Midtown Atlanta. He starved himself all day, planning to reward himself with a slice after crushing it. Two hours later, he was bombing so hard a dishwasher yelled at him f...

Alex Harshaw told a room full of elite NPR interns he was a standup comedian. He had never done standup in his life. In this episode of First Mic, Alex shares how a panic move at an internship icebreaker in Washington DC forced him into his first open mic — with 14 coworkers watching him bomb. From growing up on Comedy Central Presents to having Chappelle specials on his iPod Classic, Alex breaks...

Allison McBane walked out of a 13-year marriage, read some books, and realized she'd been abused without knowing it. Her first instinct? Make jokes about it. In this episode of First Mic, Allison shares how growing up obsessed with Robin Williams — singing the Aladdin opening with full accent and a bowl cut — led to a comedy career she didn't start until after her divorce. She brought SEVEN friend...

Tony Cruz was so high at his first open mic he forgot every joke he wrote. What happened next almost made him quit comedy forever. Tony Cruz walked into his first open mic at the Shrunken Head in 2018 after getting high on free weed in the back patio. When the lights hit his face, he forgot every single joke he'd written. Seven years later, he's one of Columbus's most consistent comics. In this ep...

Drunk strangers kept asking Audrey Soper "Do you do comedy?" while she hosted trivia. She didn't. But maybe there was something there. In this episode of First Mic, Audrey shares her unconventional path from trivia host to standup comedian — including skipping ALL her classes on the first day of spring semester at OSU to do her first open mic in a dank, moldy basement. Her first joke? Walking up i...

legally blind comedian reveals how losing his sight pushed him onto the stage—and why he crushed his very first open mic. When Larry Danflows started losing his vision, he found an unexpected lifeline: comedy. In this episode of First Mic, Larry shares his journey from improv classes during COVID to killing his first standup showcase—all while navigating progressive vision loss. About Larry: Larry...

Freddie Simone always had a "back end fantasy" of doing comedy. But she thought: "No little black fat girl from Columbus." Then she saw Whoopi Goldberg. In this episode of First Mic, Freddie shares how free headshots from a photographer friend led to a comedy workshop, which led to her first open mic, which led to a Funny Bone graduation show where the ENTIRE room screamed her name. "It felt natur...

Xavier G. Dunson went from being the unfunny kid who got roasted by his siblings to running comedy workshops and killing on Columbus stages. In this episode of First Mic, Xavier breaks down his unconventional path into standup — from stealing Chris Rock jokes as a kid (badly), to surviving middle school roast sessions, to finding his voice through Ohio State's 4Floor Improv. He shares the mindset...

She lost her cousin who always pushed her to try comedy. What happened at that first open mic changed everything. 🎤 Sista Lu opens up about the moment that finally pushed her onto a comedy stage, what it's really like running a weekly show in Columbus, and the unwritten rules that can make or break your comedy career. About Sista Lu: Sista Lu (Live Unapologetic) runs a weekly comedy show at The A...

Talk about cold-blooded: The trucking company Steven Hobson worked for made employees wait outside in winter, brought them in one by one AFTER clocking in, then fired them. That corporate cruelty pushed him into comedy - and Columbus is better for it. In just 10 months, Steven went from his first terrifying open mic at Hashtag (where only 3 comics showed up) to becoming what many call a "Columbus...

Depression brought Tia Santamaria to comedy, but what she found was so much more - an acting career, a community, and some hard truths about being a woman in a male-dominated scene. From sneaking downstairs to listen to Comic View as a kid to bombing with an abortion joke on Mother's Day, Tia's journey is refreshingly honest. In this conversation, she breaks down the reality of "pretty privilege"...

Sometimes quitting is exactly what your comedy career needs. Dusty Estepp spent four years trying stand-up before admitting what David Letterman did: "I was terrible at it." But that's not where his story ends - it's where it actually begins. At 35, it took his friend with cystic fibrosis literally dragging him to Surly Girl's open mic to finally pursue the dream he'd written about in 6th grade. A...

Comedian Josh Albert gets brutally honest about the comedy journey, from sitting in his car for 30 minutes after his first open mic to performing 5-6 nights a week. A military veteran who started comedy at 28, Josh breaks down the difference between Kansas City and Columbus comedy scenes, why you need "the right amount of delusion," and how to know when people are lying about your "great set." Abo...

Comedian and Vicious Vixens producer August Ulrey gets brutally honest about navigating comedy as a woman in Columbus. From Taylor Tomlinson inspiring her journey to confronting sexual harassment off stage, she breaks down why it takes 2 years to earn respect, why dating comics is a mistake, and how women can find their power in male-dominated rooms. About August Ulrey: Stand-up comedian and produ...

Comedian Jason Banks reveals his unconventional path from telling jokes to Target coworkers to pitching shows to Netflix, Fox, and Apple. From winning his first competition on day one to creating viral content stolen by every meme page, this raw conversation covers the reality of comedy success - including the controversial joke that almost ended his career before it started. Got a comedy disaster...

Tyson Colson shares his unconventional journey from SoundCloud rapper to stand-up comic, including building a fake comedy stage in his bedroom where he performed to nobody for 2 years. From failing so badly the host turned off the camera to finding his voice in Columbus comedy, this raw conversation explores what it really takes to become yourself on stage. About Tyson Colson: Stand-up comedian ba...