Student Life hosted the “Kelly Kellz Comedy Show” on Feb. 24 at the Chapman Auditorium in the McNair Science Building.
Kelly Davis performed her stand-up comedy to spread laughter and energize people for homecoming week. During her performance, she shared stories about her college life, experiences from teaching and her love life.
Davis hyped up the audience before her performance by asking them to cheer when she mentioned their class. She also made lighthearted jokes about the state and city the attendees moved from. Additionally, Davis sang portions of popular songs such as “Thank You to My Man” by Latto and “On My Mama” by Victoria Monét along with the crowd.
Audience participation played a significant role in Davis’s performance. She asked the audience several questions about their campus lives – one of which was if they had an air fryer in their dorm. When the audience erupted in yeses, Davis promptly quieted them and said to “blink twice” instead. Another bit that included audience participation was when Davis got the crowd to do a Greek Life roll call, including Alpha Phi Alpha, AKA, Kappa Alpha Psi, Sigma Gamma Rho and Omega Psi Phi.
The performance also touched on the subject of body positivity. Davis related to the audience when she mentioned loving her curves and praising all body types. Self-love was one of the messages the soloist wanted the audience to understand.
“Body positivity, self-love, self-worth and being comfortable in the skin you are in, that’s my message indefinitely,” Davis said.
She also told the story of bringing her husband to church for the first time. Later on, he became a deacon with “long dreads and gold grills,” which made attendees laugh.
Lastly, Davis sent a special congratulations to student athlete Lauryn Taylor for her athletic accomplishments.
“Congratulations to Lauryn Taylor,” Davis said. “She broke a record for the number of rebounds and put your school on the map. My husband was excited, he doesn’t even come to college shows and he’s here now saying ‘I want to see Lauryn’ and I’m like ‘She’s not even going to be here.”
Overall, the show was successful and provided the comedic relief that the audience needed for the lengthy homecoming week.
“I felt like I needed it,” Tiffany Robinson, junior biology major, said. “I was going through a lot recently. I felt like this was a good opportunity to laugh and let loose.”
Other attendees expressed how they enjoyed Davis’s relatability and how well-informed she was about the university.
“I came here to support another Black entrepreneur and see what the show was about,” Samareyah Butler, junior mass communications major, said. “I enjoyed how she pertained to a Black audience. She knew our cheers, she knew of our school, she knew what we had on our campus and it was cool.”
To keep up to date with comedian Kelly Davis, one can check out her social media on Instagram and TikTok. For upcoming campus events, information can be found on the official FMU website.