Anjelah Johnson-reyes Blends Motherhood With Her Funny Tia Tendencies In 'ugly Baby'

There’s a accordant taxable successful comedian Anjelah Johnson-Reyes’ orbit: gratitude. From her deed podcast “Funjelah” to nan measurement she shapes her stand-up worldly astir her life, that position carries into her latest milestone, releasing a caller special, “Ugly Baby,” connected Mother’s Day. Considering nan occasion, nan owed day of her seventh drama typical feels comically aligned.

Best known for her chopped characters and voices, her stand-up has a flawless measurement of blending beingness drama pinch relatable and hilarious storytelling. In “Ugly Baby,” Johnson-Reyes’ attraction turns to motherhood, marriage, family “ism’s,” and nan reality betwixt really life is expected to activity and really it really unfolds. Sure, Johnson-Reyes mightiness still beryllium recognized for her characteristic Mei Ling a.k.a. “the nail salon chick,” but she’s leaned into it while building a loyal pursuing by staying conscionable arsenic funny arsenic she is grateful, nary matter really audiences find her.

So present we are, almost 20 years later, are group greeting you usually aliases as your Mei Ling nail salon character like, “Hiiii honeyyy?”

Anjelah Johnson-Reyes: Both! Some group will travel up to maine and beryllium like, ohio gosh I’m a large instrumentality of yours, and past nan different time I walked into a BBQ edifice to prime up my order, and location was this mates sitting astatine nan array and arsenic soon arsenic I walked successful they clocked maine and nan hubby goes, [in a Vietnamese accent] “Honey, why you nary have?” and I’m like, “Ohhh hayyyyy!” So you conscionable ne'er know. It’s chaotic to deliberation that I get to have 1 of those moments though, because not each comedian, not each singer-songwriter, not each creator gets nan privilege of having thing for illustration a “nail salon joke” that’s popular civilization now. You’re portion of people’s lexicon. It’s wild!

You’ll everlastingly person kids sharing clips pinch parents, parents pinch co-workers, you deed truthful galore demographics. I was location for your special taping astatine El Rey Theatre and nan assemblage was a ace nosy operation and nan venue is specified a knockout.

I filmed my last special astatine a very iconic Nashville venue, Ryman Auditorium, and I talked a batch astir really I moved there, because I divided my clip now successful Tennessee and California. Now I’m talking a batch astir being a California woman surviving successful nan South and what that looks for illustration for this special. I still person my roots successful California, and I still unrecorded successful L.A., truthful this is my first typical arsenic this caller type of me. Meaning, each different typical earlier this, I’ve had jokes astir really I don’t want kids, and now I person a kid, and I’m talking astir motherhood. This is simply a full different type of me, but I’m still nan aforesaid maine grounded present successful California, present successful L.A., and nan El Rey Theatre is specified an iconic L.A. venue. I besides wanted this 1 to beryllium much intimate, because this hr is much vulnerable, but still pinch an iconic L.A. theatre feel. Everything from my intro and outro euphony is very L.A. excessively truthful I’m still here, it’s conscionable a caller me, but nan same me.

Our California babe is each grown up! You mention successful this typical astir being successful your “tia era,” but I’m reasoning you’re much successful your mommy era, yet your worldly isn’t overly mommy. You blend it well.

Thank you and I admit you saying that because that was a interest of mine. I didn’t want to do that, and nary shadiness to anybody. Every hr of worldly I’m talking astir my life, what I’m presently going done and surviving through, and what I’m presently going done and surviving done is becoming a mom. It’s a batch of my caller journey, but I wanted to make judge I didn’t overdo it. I’m speaking to a full caller crowd that I ne'er said to before. I couldn’t subordinate earlier and now that I’m speaking to them, I want to make judge that I don’t time off anyone other behind. How do I equilibrium sharing my caller life, retrieve who I was, and show group I’m still nan same, but conscionable a different version? So I wanted that balance, and I’m gladsome it came disconnected that way.

It perfectly does. Can we touch connected nan sanction of your typical “Ugly Baby”? Who’s nan ugliest babe you’ve ever seen? I’m kidding. Could you imagine?

Ohhhhh when I show you correct now a look popped into my head! I said, OK, I’m not gonna opportunity it! I mentioned it successful nan show excessively because each clip I would do that joke, I could spot group successful nan assemblage get upset, and you spot faces shift. You spot group get uncomfortable. It’s for illustration you’re not expected to opportunity definite things, and it’s not moreover that bad of a point to say! Some babies are ugly!

“I’m speaking to a full caller crowd that I ne'er said to before,” Johnson-Reyes said. “I couldn’t subordinate earlier and now that I’m speaking to them, I want to make judge that I don’t time off anyone other behind.”

(Alex Lyon)

Have eyes, person seen them! With “Ugly Baby” being your seventh special, are you ever moving worldly by your family for illustration hey, I’m astir to rustle up your spot?

You know, I’ll effort it first to spot really I feel successful my assemblage doing it, and if I commencement to consciousness a small guilty, past I’ll tally it by them like, hey I’m doing this joke astir nan 1 clip you did this and that, are you OK pinch it? Sometimes they’re like, yeah, opportunity whatever, and past it’s a greenish light, go! I really can’t deliberation of a clip wherever anybody has said no. Usually my family is very, “Do it, that’s funny.” I will say, successful this hour, I do a full portion connected my mother-in-law, and I’ve talked astir my mother-in-law a batch successful my drama specials, and she loves it. She laughs, she likes nan video, and she’ll moreover time off comments connected nan video, but for immoderate logic I’m tense astir this one. I deliberation arsenic she’s getting older, and possibly a small much delicate — I don’t want her to deliberation I’m making nosy of her because I’m decidedly not. I’m conscionable highlighting her small “isms” pinch people, and I mean, you saw nan show, I’m decidedly not making nosy of her!

I’m judge she’ll beryllium truthful happy celebrating this typical pinch you. And if not, run! What a chaotic thrust though, from not wanting kids to being equated pinch Mama’s. I’m wondering really your gratitude will beryllium this Sunday pinch your newborn, “Ugly Baby.”

You know, convey you for asking that, because I’ve been truthful caught up successful preparing for this merchandise — editing, colour correcting, and each nan logistics. And I directed it this time, for nan first time, and I’ve learned truthful overmuch successful this process and I’ve been truthful caught up successful each of that, successful nan emotions of it, that I haven’t really paused to bespeak and consciousness gratitude for what I’ve really conscionable accomplished. And what that intends not only for maine and my career, but for my family and for my girl watching me. Watching really her mom and her dada activity together and really we’re a team, and really her dada supports maine and uplifts maine and is nan man down nan curtain making it each happen. From producing and penning nan euphony involved, to being connected circuit pinch america connected nan bus, it’s conscionable really typical that I get to do thing for illustration this. I cognize she’s young now, but I tin only ideate erstwhile she’s capable to afloat understand nan weight of what her parents do, and what her mom has been capable to accomplish, I tin only ideate what that will consciousness like. I’m truthful grateful that I get to acquisition that pinch her.

Oh my gosh, you are going to make maine cry. Let’s flip it. Do you deliberation location will beryllium immoderate mad-itude this Sunday?

Girl, yes! I’m not gonna opportunity it present though because I don’t want group looking, but for illustration I said, it was my first clip directing truthful location are things that I would person decidedly done differently. Overall it looks beautiful and I’m proud of nan hr of material. I’m proud of everybody who worked connected it, I’m proud of nan assemblage that showed up for it, and wide it’s my dream and dream that this typical is simply a blessing to people. When they spot it they consciousness good, and they locomotion distant emotion for illustration their soul vibration has been lifted. And I believe that it carries them into nan adjacent room that they locomotion into, whether it’s a committee meeting, going to spot a family member, immoderate it is, I conscionable believe that immoderate they person from nan special, that it’s joyousness and they’re capable to return it pinch them wherever they go. Maybe location won’t beryllium immoderate mad-itude really because I’m honestly conscionable truthful grateful.