The time-honored tradition of making a living through comedy is sacred ground, and comic Reg Thomas is walking that path with a sense of humor shaped by his Haitian immigrant parents, his Brooklyn upbringing and a laid-back, stoned approach to life.
When asked about his comedy DNA, the Brooklyn native is quick to mention how hilarious Haitians are in general.
"Creole is funny," he said. "I never wanted to be up on stage saying I was Haitian and not make Haitian people feel proud, or not leave Haitian people looking better than how I met them. I tell jokes that kill to make any Haitian be like, yeah, that's my guy right there."
He also talks about the harsh realities of dating in the city, as he loops in New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who recently reminisced about taking a long train ride to visit a "shorty" in the Rockaways during a town hall meeting.
"Every New Yorker has a story about travelling two or three boroughs to get some a**," he says. But now Uber has killed off the "walk of shame" because you can just hop in a car and hide in the morning, Thomas jokes. But too many $70 rides can also kill a relationship, he adds.
Armed with a degree in journalism and film studies from Brooklyn College, Thomas said he knew his growth would happen online. The social media algorithm can make or break a comic's career, he said.
"If you post something about a team of Haitian doctors donating their services to the community, working with amputees, that's not a good social media post," for comics, he said. But when you post a bit about kids returning to school for the school year between 7:00am and 3:00pm, or when "the single mothers are free," you can go viral, with eight million views and 100,000 likes.
Comedy life is road life, and Thomas can often be found on stage in places like Houston, Omaha and Boston. He also has written jokes for other comedians, including for Amanda Seales, adding that he learned all about writing jokes from Marshall Brandon, an opening act for Dave Chappelle.
Thomas will bring his Productively Stoned show to Isola Brooklyn, a new live performance space owned by comedian Hannibal Buress, on April 19. The show, which starts at 4:20pm, includes comics Sherrod Small (VH1 I Love The 80’s) and Reggie Conquest (Abbott Elementary).
Hosting a show at Isola, in the former Knitting Factory building in Williamsburg, feels proper, Thomas said.
"The venue had been a part of the Brooklyn comedy scene for 10 years and when he re-opened and re-branded it, it just made so much sense to me to bring my comedy show to his space because Hannibal he is a comedy legend," said Thomas. "You can’t tell the story of comedy nowadays without Hannibal, and people always say I remind them of him.. It just meant something special to bring something dope (to the venue) and have dope, that just let the magic organically come together."
Tickets for Productively Stoned, hosted by Reg Thomas, are available here.
