On the “City Lights” series “Speaking of Comedy,” Atlanta’s funniest locals share insights on the perks and perils of their profession. This edition features comedian Khaled Elchoufi.
Elchoufi got into comedy because when growing up in the mid-2000s, he felt like that was the peak of comedy on TV, especially on Comedy Central. “They had shows like Reno 911, they had Chappelle Show, they had South Park,” Elchoufi said.
“And then after they would show those shows, they would have standup comedy specials, and I found them both very entertaining, but the one thing that always captivated me about standup was the fact that it would just be one person on stage entertaining a large group of people with no real bells and whistles to fall back on… I just found that super cool, and it eventually inspired me to try it out for myself.”
At a young age, Elchoufi’s parents tried to shelter him from relatives who would use crass humor, but that made Elchoufi even more interested in it. He still enjoys crass and dark humor to this day.
The challenges in comedy, according to Elchoufi, are mustering up the courage to try it for the first time and then, the financial concerns. “More likely than not, you’re going to end up broke,” Elchoufi says. “Most people don’t make it, but if you love to do it, then you stick with it despite that.”
