Story by: Konadu Benedicta
Ghanaian American actor and comedian, Michael Blackson, says he became a comedian because God wanted to bring him out of shyness.
According to him, in the late 80s, he was very shy because foreigners were teased in America.
“The thing about me being a comedian also made me just open and free just, I don’t even know when this comedy thing came from because I was just a shy kid. Later in life, there’s something imma need to do Mike, you know, that’s how I feel this whole comedy thing came from.”
Being a comedian made me open and free- @MichaelBlackson #GTVBreakfast pic.twitter.com/PZZoQFSwGz
— Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (@thegbcghana) June 24, 2022
“Because you know, going to America in the late 80s. It wasn’t an era where you are proud of being a foreigner. You know it was the only very different in America. It wasn’t an era where people were searching for identity. You know, they wanted to be everything, this is gonna be Americans. No, No, No, I have to say the people there, you know people there. They made this, everything foreign that was different, they make fun of. You know so we were shy foreigners,” he stated.
He, however, added that it was God’s plan for him to become a comedian to enable him to get over shyness.
“You know I just think this is something God just throw on me like this will be your mission. This is what I am gonna give you, I’m going to take you out of shyness and I’m gonna open you up, you gonna get people to believe in you, you gonna love you, and but it’s for bigger cause. Any black person that was foreign that had an accent, they just thought you are Jamaican. Because there weren’t that many Ghanaians, many Liberians, many Nigerians. You know so it really made fun of us. You know people were shy and they didn’t want to say much but you know, that is what made me. That is why I was very shy. I was like 13, 14, and me by 17 my last share of high school, God started putting this thing in me like you know, imma get you out of shyness cause I have a mission for you,” he stated.
Michael Blackson however added that he took comedy as a way to defend himself as a black kid in America.
“So when I was finally able to make money and buy clothes, I’m like ok, I’m feeling comfortable with myself you know nobody is making fun of me anymore, now let me turn and get these guys back. Let me make fun of them. That is why I started like slowly telling jokes roasted. Kind of roasted back defending myself you know…I was just happy you know when I got there and the kids were teasing me. I wanted to leave but then, when I finally, it took time to understand these kids, you know. They didn’t know any better, you know what I am saying. I just wanted to be a funny guy you know. So when I realised then I study America then I became more comfortable and I started to jab back with words”, he added.
He revealed that it took him three years to know what he wanted to talk about as a comedian.
“When I started, I didn’t know which direction I wanted to go. It took me three years to know what I wanted to talk about. I remember one time I was on stage and I was making fun of a family member and me, you know, I was trying to talk like them and when I was trying to talk like them, they cry- laughed at everything I said. You know, I was like ok, maybe I should do my own jokes like this. Do my own thing like this so I’m like if I wanted to talk like this, let me put the cap to go with it, and then I went all the way out. And then boom, career went all the way up,” he said.
