Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rasheed Wesley Jr.. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Rasheed, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Thanks to the college I went to, Millersville University of Pennsylvania, I got a crash course in comedy. I joined our improv troupe, which helped me learn timing and feeling the room. Then, after getting essentially thrown into our semesterly comedy showcase, I did stand up for the first time. Lucky for me, they had essentially a bootcamp in stand up basics – writing, re-writing, punching up jokes, trimming fat, and letting your voice speak. But college doesn’t last forever. After I graduated, I thought it was done – I had my fun, time to grow up. But thanks to my ex-wife (shoutout Kim), she found an open mic, where I kept going and made friends who could teach me more finer points to my craft. The one thing that I thought was lacking in my personal voice was the one thing no class and no person could give me – life experience. Chris Rock said once “No one is REALLY funny until they hit their 30s. You gotta love, lose, cheat, get cheated on, have money, lose money, ect. to have a real perspective on it.” Well, ‘life’ happened, and I had two choices. I could let it kill me inner laughter or I could use what was happening and what was in front of me to find my real voice. I always had those kind of jokes in me – but I need life to hit me hard and me still survive so I can say “what’s the worst that can happen? You don’t laugh? Try getting divorced, lose your job, and move all at the same time. That’s scarier than a silent room.” I can see life in a more “this is ridiculous” instead of it being heartbreaking, which is where good comedy comes from because its everywhere. I learned how to be brave, and that’s what I give every time. So I never had bad sets. Even if they don’t like a joke, the audience still walks away knowing I stood on what I said, and I get their respect.

I don’t think there was a way to speed up the process. You can take classes to give you a foundation, but the “process” is different. You get it at your own pace. You just have to love it enough to stay the course and trust the process – word to my Philadelphia 76ers.

I think time, a creative mind, and the need to find a way that no one has talked about something is essential to what I do. It’s the calling – if comedy is a painting, why use the same colors everyone else has used? You need to want to use those new colors to add something new to the picture.

My greatest obstacle has been my pride (at one point) and anxiety, but anxiety is the biggest issue. Especially when things go good for me or I hit a goal, I get scared and retreat into myself. It takes a friend to drag me to a mic, remind me that I’m funny, and just let me crash out on stage. Then I remember who I am – someone who’s been through a lot, thought about a lot, and has something to say about how I see it.

Rasheed, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I started my stand up career at Millersville University of Pennsylvania, and once I graduated, was lucky enough to find more opportunities to grow and perfect my craft in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. After I moved to Pottstown in 2024, I met even more comics and industry titans to point me help me refine what I was already doing (shoutout Joel Richardson and Soul Joel’s at Sunnybrook).

What sets me apart, and what any fan of mine will tell you about me on stage, is that I bring energy, storytelling, and my imagination. I use all three to connect with everyone in the audience, so even if you don’t relate to the life experience or perspective, we can still bond because I put in a way that we all can understand. I enjoy connecting with people, pre, during, and post show. I walk around the venue before the get a feel for the room and it’s people, I’m constantly scanning the room during my set to make sure we’re all still together, and I try to meet everyone after the show. Shake hands, tell me what you think, or a story that I reminded you of. It’s all about connection.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

It was always my dream to take a flight for comedy – someone, somewhere, heard about my craft and wanted to book me so far away that I had to take a plane. For years, I never thought I was frustrated at the lack of opportunities in front of me. But them life happened, and I did it twice 3 times in one year. The first time was a complete luck after I dropped by The Comedy Store after seeing The Pop Out with Ken and Friends. I wasn’t ready for the night to end, so my girlfriend and I stopped by the club. I’ve idolized this club, watched docu-sereies about it, so just stepping foot in there was surreal. At a show in the Belly Room, a comic wasn’t feeling well and told the host that he wasn’t going up. I loudly shouted “gimme his spot, I’m ready” from the back (sidenote: I had introduced myself to the comics and the host before the show started, so they knew I was an out of town comic). They called me up and I absolutely CRUSHED. Being in that room, where Richard Pryor worked, where Whoopie got discovered for The Color Purple, where Dave Chappelle record The Bird Revelation, and ADDING to the laughs in those walls was more than I could ask for. A lot of people would say this is pure luck, but I think it was God’s way of telling me “Before, it wasn’t time, you needed to cook more. NOW, you’re ready. The jokes are ready and I burned that fear out of you. Now go show them what Chester, PA does.” It’s all about timing. So thank you God… and thank you Kendrick Lamar.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Two books changed my life and how I think about comedy. Will Smith’s biography WILL, and Kevin Hart’s biography, I Can’t Make This Up. Will talked about perseverance as building a wall with bricks – you don’t feel good? Lay another brick. You’re sad? Lay another brick. Someone’s wall as being built faster, or they have help, or it was even built FOR them? Stop looking around, loom at YOUR wall, and lay another brick. Kevin’s booked talked about his “shoulder shrug” – what he does when something doesn’t work out. Sometimes life doesn’t go as you planned. Do you throw a tantrum, crash out on everyone around you, and burn down what still remains? No. You say “that sucked”, shoulder shrug it, and try again with a different tactic. Talk to people you love, take a breathe, but KEEP MOVING FORWARD. Those two books taught me that when things go left, the best thing you can do is shoulder shrug it, and lay another brick.

Contact Info:

• Website: Sheedgotjokes.com
• Instagram: Sheedgotjokes
• Youtube: Sheedgotjokes

Image Credits
Meredith Styer Devaaron Thomas