Hi! I’m Wyatt Feegrado, a 23 year old Professional Standup Comedian who just released his first Comedy Special. Ask MeAnything!

What makes you so unique or important that you need to create an AMA for yourself?

Frankly, there is nothing too unique or important about me. I just know that just as I was a kid on Reddit 10 years ago who felt there was no infrastructure to answer young kids’ questions about becoming a comedian, I would have loved something like this. Especially from someone who is young in an industry overwhelming dominated by the middle aged.

When I was young I had no idea how to get started in standup, where to start writing, who to tell or not to tell. Just hoping to pay that back a bit.

I like your answer. I shall look for your comedy special now. Take care.

Thank you!

I really like your answer hear, I grew up in a small town as a kid and wish I had some guidance for pursuing art. I’ve put out a couple comics but a lot of my early experiences with people just not getting it or not having feedback had me feeling crazy. How do you stay motivated, and not focus on negative or neutral feedback?

I think a huge part of comedy is learning to believe in yourself when no one else believes in you. That’s how it is most of the time in the early years, but that lesson will carry you a long way if you learn it

Fellow Wyatt here. How has your experience been growing up as a "Wyatt"?

I’ve never met another Brown Wyatt in my life

The only other non-white Wyatt I know of is Wyatt Cenac.

Yes true!

How did you learn the business side of comedy (booking, how much to charge, taxes, etc.)? Do you have an agent or otherwise pay someone to help you with that?

I learned it by making a painstaking amount of mistakes. Underselling myself and no reaching out to fill my calendar etc. Yes now I have representation for acting, writing, and standup.

What was that process like? Getting repped I mean.

So for acting, I must’ve emailed genuinely 300 different agencies about 2 years ago. (To make it faster I used a service called agentblasters)

For comedy, they happened to see my stuff online and reached out.

Nice. Ok, last one. How do you respond when people ask what you do? How do people respond to you?

At this point in my career I tell them straight up. They can Google me now so it’s not embarrassing.

For a lot of years I would just lie and say a different profession because it was a bit embarrassing! Even now I’ll do that if I really don’t want to have to have a long conversation with a stranger!

Do you have a go-to cover profession that you use, or do you improv a new one each time?

Whichever I think will cause the conversation to be over the fastest

Congrats! What’s the best way to deal with audiences members trying to interact with you on stage? Not heckling exactly but interrupting

Thank you!

I try to always respond with kindness until they’re not kind. I think it’s wrong to be too mean to them unnecessarily.

When was the point in your life you decided you wanted to be a stand up comedian in the future? What was it like being on stage for the first time?

So I’m lucky in that even at a very young age i knew I wanted to be a comedian. Probably since 12 or so when I stumbled upon Dave Chappelle’s Killin Em Softly on YouTube and realized wow standup can be high art. After that, I posted jokes online (mostly Reddit, you can go way back in my post history for proof) to initially learn jokewriting, before starting at 16.

What I learn immediately in my first set is the fundamentals of jokewriting I learned online are NOT the same as the fundamentals of joke telling aloud and I really had to adjust and become as good a performer as I had become a writer!

I saw you replied that you’re in California right now. What are some of the best food / worst restaurant names you’ve seen out here so far?

When I worked in San Francisco the best Chinese restaurant didn’t have a sign out front, didn’t have the name of the restaurant on the menu, only on the receipt… and you’re right, it was some really bad business name like Happy Fun Food or something

Best wishes to you always

Hahahaha do you ask because of my joke about the subject?

I was just in India and the worst I saw was “Popular Mutton Stand”

Yeah your joke had me sayin “True, true” LOL

Thanks for watching!

Are hotdogs considered sandwiches?

Goddamn it of course this is the first question. I would say it’s a sandwich in the same way a tomato is a vegetable. If you’re going to be so pedantic about the literal definition of sandwich or vegetable then yes, instead of asking the real question which is what function does this food serve culturally.

What function DOES a hotdog serve culturally?

Lemme answer tommorow…

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I work out everyday just to have the quad strength to stand for an hour at a time

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I cannot

Where in NY do you perform? Love to check out a live show!

Hey! So I’m on tour in California right now, I come back to NYC Jan 15th to open for one of my childhood heroes Sammy Obeid at the Chelsea Music Hall.

Here are the tickets: https://dice.fm/event/8xow5-sammy-obeid-friends-15th-jan-chelsea-music-hall-new-york-tickets?pid=ea5b2873&_branch_match_id=1022212877120366925&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXz8nMy9ZLyUxO1UvL1fe2SDUwNk80SUkxs7QvyEyxTU00TTKyMDcGAMTWNDEuAAAA

If you want to see me do a full hour and you aren’t in California right now check out the special:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5dYhA29lXl4

I'm down in the lower east side, Bowery area, 3 days a week, I know where Chelsea is and will definitely check out your show! Thanks for the link for tix and your special, will def watch this tonight! Thanks again and best of luck!

Thank you so much!

Loved your show! Watched your special and it's fantastic! Yeah, Jesus was white... from blood loss! lol that is hilarious! Great material here with all things "ethnically ambiguous" too, very thought provoking. Awesome set. You're so young too man, super interested to see where you are 10 years from now. Keep on!

Thank you so much! I’d love if you could like/comment every little bit helps!

Will do! Hey I have another question. As far as a bit goes, how do you gauge what to keep and what to discard? You have a joke about British and reparations that I think is brilliant, but a lot of people might not like a certain part of it. Where do you draw the line?

I like to make points but I like to talk shit too. If my point is coming across and I can get a consistent laugh, I’m probably keeping that punchline.

Right on. Just got tickets for Sunday!

Dope!

When you're in the bath and you feel a fart coming, do you catch it with cupped hands and then release as you inhale directly from your hands so that you can get a good hit of your own scent?

What

Sometimes none of us really want to be at work and so just go through the motions to get through the day. I suspect that is harder for you being on stage rather than stuck in a cubicle or office somewhere. How do you handle the “feeling bad” days be it due to having a cold, staying up too late the night before, or just a bad case of the Mondays?

I always want to do standup it’s my favorite thing. Even if I’m sick and I have to perform once I get onstage generally I don’t feel any symptoms. Sometimes if I have 2 one hour sets in a day I can get tired, that’s pretty much the only time.

Where did you find inspiration to become a comedian??

So I watched a ton of standup during my childhood, a lot of Nick Swardson, Aziz Ansari, and Daniel Tosh. Back then I thought standup was just a way to pass time. Then one day on YouTube I accidentally stumbled up Dave Chappelle and Steven Wright, and I realized how transformative standup could be as an art form. Made me want to try to outdo them.

When you picture everyone in the audience naked, how do you deal the boner?

I’m always hard so I never notice

What is your favourite comedy song? Mine is Albuquerque by Weird Al Yankovic.

Comedy Song?? I grew up on Bo Burnham haha. Art is Dead was my favorite when I was a 17 year old edge lord comic. Also I LOVE the lonely island, my brother and I were just rewatching them the other day.

Probably Jack Sparrow by the Lonely Island. The premise is so wild and the execution is masterful!

I love Bo and TIL too! My fav songs of both are I’m On A Boat and Repeat Stuff,

Repeat Stuff is amazing!! I love Straight White Man too!

Do you want to become really famous like Gabriel iglesias?

I would, but I do a very confrontational kind of comedy, so if I can scale up to that level while still making the controversial points I do, then I’d be happy. Wouldn’t want to do comedy about nothing to get there! Not to talk shit about anyone who does do that, but that’s not why I got into the game.

I appreciate u answering, thanks!

Thank you!

Is that your real name?

Nope.

Why are so many comedians rude off stage, like right after their show? Is it coming down off the adrenaline or something?

Is this a thing? I haven’t heard of it. I just think a comedian’s level of rude is a lot higher than what a lot of other people would consider rude.

How is this not just self promotion?

All AMAs are to some degree

Favorite comedian if you could only choose one?

Only choose one is so mean. God. Even saying choose 10 is hard. Fine, Young Chappelle.

Do you ask women to walk you to your truck? And also, how many chiggs you fugg, b?

Wtff is this??

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No way!! That’s so cool! So happy to hear. Which vid?

How many open mics do you estimate you've done?

Did you have any trouble finding your voice in the beginning?

How did you get your first show that wasn't an open mic?

Do you have any advice for thin-skinned, self-conscious, socially phobic people that want to perform their jokes? Can you still sell jokes like in the old days?

1. Helllllllllllla thousands?

2. Yes! Finding my voice took forever. For a while I was an Anthony Jeselnik ripoff!

3. Off Twitter. I got lucky someone liked my tweets and asked me to open for them.

4. It is not quite as viable, but you can become a writer! I know some comics buy jokes but I don’t think that market is huge.

Which podcasts do you want to be on in the future? Are there any you have in mind? The Joe Rogan Experience, Your moms house, etc?

Hmm, any recommendations?

Your moms house is really good. Has a track record of providing great publicity to comedians. Good luck.

Okay I’ll check it out!

How did you start your journey when you were 16?

I snuck out of my parents house and went to an open mic at Tommy T’s in Pleasanton California. I was given 5 minutes and I probably did 3 1/2

How much do you practice the delivery of your jokes? What does that look like? Performing to a mirror? Checking notes? How do you get all the beats and timing down right?

I think you shouldn’t practice your delivery! It makes you seem less natural. Know what broad points you want to hit but I wouldn’t word it exactly!

i dont know if there is still time to ask a question, but....what famous comedians have you met?

Jim Gaffigan, Tony Woods, Dave Attell…many more

Do you feel you lived enough life for us to care about it?

We’ll check it out and you tell me

Do you pull ladies at/after the show?

Of you have a partner, do you believe you COULD pull ladies? Do you have offers etc..?

This is very common.

Are you funny?

You can be the judge of that!

Does making jokes come naturally to you? Do you just hear a statement and some humorous counter Statement comes in your mind instantly? Can it be learned?

For me it is 1000% learned. Jokes have patterns and joke structures are a thing. I learned how to write a joke from studying.

Where do you study comedy? How can one learn joke structures

Unfortunately no formalized education exists, your best bet is to watch a ton of standup and build your brain’s reservoir! Particularly watch joke writers: Dave Attell, Emo Phillips, Anthony Jeselnik, Steven Wright, Dan Mintz

Fellow Bay Area 2nd gen immigrant actor! Just commenting to say you have my support! Keep up the good work and hopefully we work together on something in the future

Just so my comment doesn’t get removed, which part of SF did you grow up in?

Walnut Creek 😅

What makes you a professional stand up?

I suppose that I earn good money from it..

Would you rather fight 100 duck-sized horses, or 1 horse-sized duck?

Horse sized duck

I have a few questions about standup in general: 1. For a big show, after u got all the lines together, do u do it with test audience to tweak it? 2. How do u go about memorizing the lines and their timings/delivery? 3. Do u ever forget lines in a live show? If so, how did u deal with the instance? 4. Are most audience interactions planned? As in, at a certain time, u would ask the audience a question and have multiple elaborations prepared.

1. I don’t memorize anything! For a big show typically you’ve been doing those jokes for a while so you know they’re gonna work.

2. It’s not that hard to memorize because at the end of the day the jokes are your thoughts and ideas! I try to never memorize jokes because I think it makes them come out unnatural.

3. Of course! You just transition out of the bit.

4. Some comics do but I don’t. I go into my crowdwork with an open mind to find out about the person.

How do you think about joke stealing?

I think it’s wrong but not as prevalent as people act.

How do you write a joke?

That is a long answer my friend

What makes you so special?

Not too much

/u/Wyatt1710 was the "I watched Sammy and he is my hero" a callback to Samy Kamkar's xss worm on myspace? Because if so, it's a beautiful hacker callback.

Nope haha.

I checked out your special after you responded to one of my posts a little while back.

It felt like the earlier work of some really good comedians, and I enjoyed it a lot.

I think you're at the stage of your career where you can absolutely put everything together just right.

The only thing needed to make you "a great" is developing your style, so your jokes are clearly "Wyatt jokes"

I'm sure you'll become wildly successful, you've got the talent and are clearly doing thr work.

As this has to be a question: How would you suggest I help my toddler develop a good sense of humour (without abusing or neglecting her)?

Just have her watch standup as she grows up

Will you be on the Joe Rogan experience soon?

Haha probably not

Do you do crowd work?

Yes I do! Here are some crowdwork sets of mine:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P9yRawRp8u0&t=95s

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qZDUYedDvFg&t=2s

Hi Wyatt. Im looking for a general use laptop, under $1k that will do some light gaming. What do you recommend?

MacBook air

Was in the bangalore show, loved it! It was refreshing!

Do you have plans to come to Bangalore again?

Honestly, if I can make it financially viable, I’d do a whole tour of India. I’d love love love to do that. At the very least I’ll do a show next time I’m there to visit family.

Awesome! Also, do you have any single cousins? Asking for a friend who needs a Greencard.

I do ..

Do you ever come to DC? Would love to see your show, and would also take recommendations from the other side of the mic on what the best spots to see a show are.

Yes! Planning to come to DC this year

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Fellow Bay Area 2nd gen immigrant actor! Just commenting to say you have my support! Keep up the good work and hopefully we work together on something in the future

Just so my comment doesn’t get removed, which part of SF did you grow up in?

Walnut Creek :/

what makes a standup comedian a professional? do you headline?

Yes

Would you rather have arms for legs or legs for arms?

Arms for legs

I've got a good joke for your show that you can have for free. Why must you always knock on a refrigerator door? Because there might be a salad dressing! I've got loads of these.

I don’t want too many standing ovations

I watched up to the Benedict Cumberbatch Gag. Man, your shits funny. I'll probably watch it tonight. One question: if you could change your mum so that she only yells at you in one language, but regular conversation is in the usual language, (hindi/english/whatevs), what language would that be?

Thank you so much! Wish my parents taught me a second language!

What is your favorite food?

Right now? Chaat

Why is American standup comedy so bad?

Where are you from?

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Yes this is a very common thing in the community.0

Are tacos considered sandwiches?

Oh god. I’ve pigeonholed myself into answering these kids of questions. Taco although similar to a hotdog, probably wouldn’t be considered a sandwich in a Mexican cultural context, where tortas are some of the only sandwiches they make. I don’t think Sandwich as a whole is as popular of a form there.

I personally like dark joke. However, I live in conservative country where "insult" might lead legal consequences.

Any tips how to deliver dark comedy style without too subtle?

Comedy has a history of not caring about legal consequences! So silly comedians complain about being cancelled now when back in the day comedians used to be jailed or fined for what they said.