Meet Hoodo Hersi: Somali Canadian Stand Up Comedian

Toronto-based Somali Canadian comedian Hoodo Hersi was recently featured on The Comedy Network's Homegrown Comics. She is also the subject of a recent documentary by TVO called "Stand Up Toronto."

A Grade 4 French Immersion teacher by day, Hoodo has performed her comedy across Canada and the US. She received a scholarship to study improv at Second City. She recently opened for Hasan Minhaj when he came to Toronto and she will be the host of TedxToronto this October.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbJ8uUEdWDc

In an interview with "She Does The City", Hoodo discusses her experience in comedy.

She Does The City: When did you realize you wanted to do stand-up comedy?

Hoodo Hersi: Probably in my early teens. I was watching Chappelle’s Show and thought, wow – people do this for a living? That’s really cool. 

She Does The City: Would you practice in front of family?

Hoodo Hersi: No, because it’s almost seen as an arrogant thing to be like, “I’m going to do comedy!” That whole “I’m funny and I want other people to know about it.” So what I would do was practice into a hairbrush in my room. Then I would have friends tell me, “Hoodo, you’re so funny. You should do your own show or something.”

She Does The City: When was your first gig?

Hoodo Hersi: The summer I turned eighteen before my first year of university, I went to Yuk Yuks in Ottawa and booked the open mic there. I figured if I bombed, then it’s fine, because no one knows who I am and that’s it. I can just go back to Toronto and it will be like it never happened. I got enough laughs, so I decided to keep going with it.

She Does The City: How has your material evolved since you started?

Hoodo Hersi: Before I was doing what I thought people wanted someone like me to talk about. I had this joke – “My dad finally let me leave the house,” and people would laugh at that, like “Oh, a Muslim woman that’s oppressed. We get the link. It’s funny.” But it was very cheap and lazy and also not applicable to me! Now I don’t really speak from that place because that’s not my life. It’s not authentic. Now I say the things I really want to say. 

She Does The City: Have you dealt with racist hecklers during a set?

Hoodo Hersi: I was doing a show and this guy walked in with a shirt that said, “I heart my foreskin.” It was Ramadan and I was performing. He assumed I was fasting then said something along the lines of “Ramadan is horrible.” The producer was nice enough to remove him. If it were to happen now, I think I have more tools to deal with it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZCJAFIT2GQ

Hoodo is featured in the TVO documentary "Stand Up Toronto" about racialized stand up comedians. Check out the documentary online here.

Check out some of Hoodo's comedic writing:

Why as a Black Muslim Woman I Feel I Can’t Be a Feminist (VICE Canada)

Trudeau Loses Only Black Friend (The Beaverton)