Top Kenyan comedian Churchill Ndambuki who is the owner and host of the comedy show Churchill Show blames social media pressure for the troubles that some comedians associated with his show have been facing since 2020.
Speaking during the late Othuol Othuol’s tribute episode on Churchill Show last year, Ndambuki said comedy is a very lonely journey that one has to go through. “It’s a personal war that you are fighting with yourself. What makes people laugh today may not make them laugh tomorrow, and so you have to be creative every day,” he said.
He added that at the beginning, when one is not even a brand, nobody believes you, including yourself. But the day you hit the stage and people like you, you start creating a whole community around you.
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“You create friends and those friends will determine who you will be in future. You have to be disciplined to take the brand to the next level,” he said.
Churchill further added that fame also costs some of his comedians. “You have come and performed, you are famous, you get money and you don’t know how to manage it,” he said. “Automatically you get friends. Some are good while others are bad. And because acting is not a full-time job, you have to supplement it to get money elsewhere. The little you have, you have to manage it.
“Social media is the main challenge as once you have a big name and big following, you think you have to impress people every day.”
Ndambuki said most comedians are under pressure to remain relevant. “You have to feed this animal called social media every day. You have a whole family and the expectation becomes so much. When you meet these creative people at social places or anywhere, go say hi to them and interact with them,” Churchill Ndambuki said. “It may make a difference as most of them are constantly thinking. At times, it takes a nation to build a comedian. The appreciations heal the soul and if they give you the laugh, give them the love.”