Comedian and actress Yvonne Orji’s first comedy special Momma, I Made It! is now available to UK audiences on Sky Comedy.
Back in February last year we reported that after speaking it into the universe during our interview with her, Yvonne Orji was finally manifesting her dream of taping her first comedy special via HBO at a live audience at the Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C.
Written, performed, and executive produced by Yvonne Orji, Momma, I Made It! is interspersed with vibrant, personal footage shot in Yvonne’s hometown of Ihiala in Nigeria, during a trip she took in early January. The special takes an intimate, yet hilarious look at what being Nigerian-American means to Yvonne – from her international haggling addiction and having her phone tapped by her parents as a kid, to the fine line between cursing people out and putting actual curses on them for a minor transgression!
Her skits highlighted familiar humorous stereotypes and she didn’t hesitate to poke fun at every single one of them.
There were many genuine laugh out loud moments at Yvonne’s experiences of growing up while Nigerian. Her skits highlighted familiar humorous stereotypes and she didn’t hesitate to poke fun at every single one of them.
A highlight was the documentary style clips of Yvonne back in Lagos among friends and at her family home in Ihiala in Anambra State [Nigeria]. It was heart-warming to see the genuine love being shown by her parents [Yvonne’s mum is a hoot!], shoutout to the cushion with Yvonne’s face on it proudly placed on the living room sofa!
It was heart-warming to see the genuine love being shown by her parents [Yvonne’s mum is a hoot!]
Yvonne’s energetic, engaging routine was a pleasure to watch. In an interview with Fast Company last year, Yvonne talked about the dynamic nature of her set. She said: “We [Nigerians] tell stories with our whole bodies. And so, my standup was like a continuation of culture. There’s nothing quiet about Nigerians. And I actually was afraid of silence, if I can be honest. You want people laughing at you. So, I always felt like I needed to come in like a hurricane.”
We certainly want to see more from the Nigerian-American. Best known for her role as Molly on HBO’s Insecure Yvonne’s film credits include Night School and the upcoming Vacation Friends. She also co-hosts a critically acclaimed podcast Jesus and Jollof, alongside New York Times bestseller Luvvie Ajayi, and her upcoming book Bamboozled by Jesus: How God Tricked Me Into the Life of My Dreams will hit shelves next year.