We recently connected with Scott Kelley and have shared our conversation below.

Scott, appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

It was July 4th 1996 and I was ten years old. A friend if mine brought over Adam Sandlers cd “What the Hell Happened to Me” and we listened to it quietly while laughing hysterically. It was definitely something that a ten year old should not be listening to but I did and that bond through laughter with a friend over comedy was something I’ll never forget. Also, on this day, when we got home from the fireworks, I watched a late night clip of the TV show “In Living Color” and thought the show was hilarious. Then as I was getting ready for bed, I snuck into my older brothers room to see what he had to listen to and I found a cassette tape from “The Jerky Boys” and I put that in and was laughing a lot from it. This day was such a huge important date for me as it really set the tone for why I wanted to pursue stand up.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Even though I found my love for comedy, it was not until many years later that I actually did something about it. My family didn’t know how to support this vision of mine and showed me all the things I could be in my small town but none of it had anything to do with stand up. I eventually gave up this idea of a dream because it felt like it was not meant for someone like me in a small town.

Then, in July 2010, I had a health issue that almost took me away from my family and it was at this point that I realized that I need to try because I am getting a second chance at life and I did my first stand up performance in May 2011.

Pursuing my dream has had its ups and downs and I went mostly dormant from 2015 to 2022 as I helped raise my young kids and since 2022, I have been very active again. Since 2022, I put out a self produced comedy album and just this year, I put out my first special on Prime Video called “Word of Mouth”.

So my main point to others would be to never give up and think you can’t do anything, no matter where you’re from because I have been given opportunities to apply as a writer for SNL, Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Onion. I also briefly was hired for a show on AMC before it got shut down. You just never know where your life can do if you don’t just try.

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

Sometimes in this world of comedy, you get asked to some interesting shows. One of those was when I was asked to do a comedy show at a fans wake. This man was dying with terminal cancer and wanted to have a “wake comedy show” while he was still alive. This was a very different show from the norm but I did it anyways. After the show, his daughter hugged me and told me that it was the best gift she could ever have. Apparently, she had not seen her father smile or laugh since he was diagnosed with terminal cancer and I was able to give that to her. You never know how comedy can impact someone’s life and the power it can hold in times of duress.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding thing to me is hearing the sounds of “laughter” when I perform. We all have a purpose in this life and I truly feel that my gift is the gift of laughter. It’s not always easy to find the right angle to a joke but when you do and combine it all and hear the audience roar with laughter. It validates the heart of a performer and the passion the comes calling with this wild dream of doing stand up.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.scottkelleycomedian.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottkelleycomedian?igsh=MTNqdmJocnV6Y2thYQ==
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• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@scottkelleycomedian?si=L8asue3g2HPJV_lG