Comedian Churchboy reflects on challenges in his industry

Comedian Churchboy says comedy can be a tough industry and shows don't get as much support as other arts.

Churchboy, whose real name is Simunye Sikhakhane, started doing stand-up comedy in 2019 and is known in KwaZulu-Natal and other parts of the country for his unique jokes. He will headline the Umgungu Comedy Show on April 26 at Golden Horse Casino in Pietermaritzburg, with Flymotion, Ndlebe, Tsoro, Qatha, Ngane Ngane and Amawele.

Speaking to TshisaLIVE, Churchboy said the challenges in comedy start with having to create new material regularly.

“Shows don't get as much support as other arts such as music. So far, it's hard to rely on making a living [from shows]. Some comedians stealing material is a huge problem in our industry, some tour the country saying the same jokes over and over.

“It's been a challenging but satisfying experience I would never exchange for anything else. The journey is exciting because I'm doing what I love while getting paid for it. At the Umgungu Comedy Show, people can expert funny, clean material from me while they learn something, but as usual we are going to sing and probably dance together.

“I've put my other qualifications aside to give my full attention to comedy. There are different projects in the industry I'm working on, but comedy is all I'm doing now.”