Comedian Michael Jr. Creates Connection with Humor by Laura Neutzling
LAUGHTER = HOPE lasted nine hours, and there was yelling and screaming from a pastor who had phlegm in his throat.” The answer felt clear to the comedian who’d just had his best night ever: a hard no. Twenty minutes later, the club manager’s beautiful fiancée approached him as well. “Michael, would you like to go to church with us?” she asked. This invitation had a different effect, and Michael answered a bit more willingly. “Well, I was just looking for a church the other day—yes, I want to go to church!” God works in mysterious ways, and before Michael knew it, the address of the church was handed to him on a napkin, everyone had cleared the club, and the now-penniless performer realized he hadn’t been paid for the gig. He was stuck, with no money and no way to put gas in his car to get home.
AS A STRUGGLING COMEDIAN trying to make it in New York, Michael Jr. was down to his last few dollars. He decided to use them to get to New Jersey, hoping to perform a set in front of iconic comedians George Wallace and Jerry Seinfeld. The men were there as Michael took the stage to perform. By the time he was done, he’d earned two standing ovations. After that exciting night, Michael’s life would take a turn—but definitely not the one he expected. “Right after the show was over, the club manager walks up to me and says, ‘Michael, hey, you’ve got a great set. Would you like to go to church with me tomorrow?’” Michael was puzzled. “Church? For what?” The last time Michael had been to church was early in his childhood. “It was miserable,” he remembers. “My grandmother forced me to go. It 34
