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He ran away to LA as a teen.
By Samantha Maffucci — Written on Nov 09, 2019
Though there are plenty of popular comedians who have been gracing our screens and ears for years, even decades, we sometimes forget that there’s an endless supply of new and talented faces just waiting to be discovered. Unfortunately, many comics don’t find their big break until later in life, or at all, choosing instead to stay out of the mainstream.
With Vulture doing a round-up of their favorite comedians to keep an eye on, why not focus on one comedian whose stand-up is just as impressive as his writing credits. So, who is Solomon Georgio? Here are a few things to know about this comedian to watch in 2020:
1. He’s Ethiopian.
Georgio was born in Khartoum, Sudan, in a refugee camp. When he was three years old, his family moved to the United States, first to St Louis and then to Fresno and finally settled in Seattle.
Recounting his memories of growing up, he told LA Weekly, “The first memory I ever have is coming to America ... that’s my strongest memory. I remember asking for yogurt. Before that, all I’d ever had was just plain, flavorless yogurt. And the stewardess gave me strawberry yogurt — the first time I’d probably had anything sweet in my life — and I was like, ‘Uh, why were we eating this any other way? You guys were flavoring this with salt before? I am a child!’”
Of the move to Seattle, Georgio said, “That’s where my brain settled. ‘Oh, these people are docile, I can judge them harshly without fear of painful repercussion’... I came out in Seattle. I made friends there that I was fully honest with. I was like, ‘This is it, I feel regular.’” However, he really wanted to move to Los Angeles.
2. He didn’t do so well with comedy at first.
In 1999, he ran away to Los Angeles, sleeping in hostels, shelters, and around Hollywood. Then, he did his first open mic. It didn’t go well: “I was just listing people I didn’t like from high school... and then I got a solid ‘boo’ and I said to myself, ‘I’m never doing this again.’” He went back to working 'normal' jobs, but when he was 24, he got mugged, “and that was that,” he said.
In an anecdote with The Dinner Party Download, he revealed something personal: “I knew I was gay at that point, but I was willing to hide it forever just to follow the plan. But screw the plan! It was time for me to become a rich and famous, openly homosexual man, and the first step was to run away to Los Angeles, California.”
3. But he eventually got his foot in the door.
When he returned to Seattle, he began to really focus on his career in comedy. He said the “comedy community embraced him,” adding, “You’re just relying on the help of other comics. That’s why there’s this great camaraderie among us. That’s why we put up with some s***ty people, because we have to be good to each other.”
4. Since then, he’s worked in television.
In 2015, he was the featured comedian on Conan. Soon after, he landed roles on Drunk History, The Meltdown with Jonah & Kumail, This is Not Happening, Take My Wife, Ball or Nothing, Cooking on High, Viceland’s Flophouse, Last Call with Carson Daly, and 2 Dope Queens. In 2017, he had his first special on Comedy Central Stand Up Presents, and later released his comedy album, HomoNégro Superior.
But he also writes. His writing credits include Shrill, High Fidelity, Crashing, Adam Ruins Everything, and even Spongebob Squarepants.
5. His parents once forgot his birthday.
In that piece on The Dinner Party Download, Georgio recalled his 16th birthday. Just like Sixteen Candles, his parents seemed to have forgotten it was his birthday:
“I’m one of seven children, so it shouldn’t have been a big deal, but I was born on Christmas Day. They whole world already made me feel invisible on my birthday because of some Middle Eastern wizard that wasn’t even born on that day. My parents forgetting that they produced a child on a major holiday was unforgivable.”
Samantha Maffucci is an editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.