Ali Siddiq is an American
stand-up comedian, public speaker, and writer based in
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
.
In 2013
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programmin ...
named him the "#1 Comic to Watch".
[ In 2019 he was a finalist on ]NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
's comedy competition show ''Bring the Funny
''Bring the Funny'' is an American comedy competition series that aired on NBC from July 9 to September 17, 2019.
Hosted by comedian Amanda Seales, the series features various comedy acts performing in front of an audience for a chance to win $2 ...
''.
Early life
Siddiq was born in Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
, Texas. After his parents' separation, Siddiq and his siblings were raised by their mother, living for a time in the projects
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, de ...
. He and his siblings also went on to live with other family members.[ Siddiq started selling drugs around the age of 14 and was imprisoned at the age of 19 for trafficking in cocaine.] He served 6 years of a 15-year sentence in the Ruben M. Torres Unit in Hondo, Texas
Hondo is a city in and the county seat of Medina County, Texas, United States. According to the 2010 Census, the population was 8,803. It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Original inhabitants of the area, now M ...
.[ It was during his incarceration, while telling jokes to fellow inmates, that he discovered his ability to make people laugh.] He worked in the prison's laundromat and his workmates were his captive audience.
After his release from prison in 1997, Siddiq started doing stand-up at the Just Joking Comedy Cafe in Houston. His first stage appearance was during the comedy club's Apollo
Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label= Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label ...
Night, which tended to attract a college crowd.[ Siddiq was booed on his first occasion on stage because he was wearing a suit.][ He decided to wait a couple of weeks before trying again while wearing jeans and a T-shirt.][ Siddiq became the co-host of the Apollo Night show a month later.][
]
Career
Siddiq's stand-up comedy tends to be in the storytelling style, versus the more common setup/punch-line style. Siddiq's sets involve stories from his personal life, as well his observations on current events, race and politics.
Siddiq's first television appearance was in 2008 on HBO's ''Def Comedy Jam
''Def Comedy Jam'' is an HBO television series produced by Russell Simmons.
The series had its original run from March 7, 1992 to May 2, 1997. Simmons was inspired to make Def Comedy Jam by The Uptown Comedy Club in Harlem, New York and Jerry L ...
''. In 2012 he appeared on BET
Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...
's ''Comic View
''ComicView'' is an American stand-up comedy show that aired on BET on Tuesdays and Fridays from September 1992 to December 2008. In May 2014, BET announced the return of ''ComicView''. The show has been the launching pad for such comedians as D ...
'' and also appeared at the Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
.[ In 2013 he was named Comedy Central's "#1 Comic to Watch".][
In 2015 he appeared on the Comedy Central web and television series '']This is Not Happening
"This Is Not Happening" is the fourteenth episode of the eighth season and the 175th episode overall of the science fiction television series ''The X-Files''. The episode first aired in the United States on February 25, 2001, on the Fox Network, ...
'' and told his story of a prison riot where he learned the meaning of the phrase "Mexican got on boots!"[ The video of this story received 12 million hits on ]YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
.[ Siddiq also appeared on ]AXS TV
AXS TV is an American cable television channel. Majority-owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment, it is devoted primarily to music-related programming (such as concert films, documentaries, and reality series involving musicians) and combat spor ...
's ''Gotham Comedy Live'' (filmed at the Gotham Comedy Club
Gotham Comedy Club is a venue for stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up ...
) that same year.[ In 2016 he released his first half hour special on Comedy Central.][
In 2017 he began production on his one-hour special ''Ali Siddiq: It's Bigger Than These Bars'', which was filmed at the Bell County Jail in ]Belton, Texas
Belton is a city in the U.S. state of Texas on the Interstate 35 corridor between Austin and Waco. Belton is the county seat of Bell County and is the fifth largest city in the Killeen-Temple metropolitan area. In 2020, the population of Belton ...
.[ Released on Comedy Central in 2018, Siddiq can be seen performing in front of a group of inmates interspersed with scenes of him sitting down with smaller groups of incarcerated men and women in their cells, as well as with prison administrators.][
In 2019 Siddiq appeared on ]D.L. Hughley
Darryl Lynn Hughley (; born March 6, 1963) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. Hughley is best known as the original host of BET's ''ComicView'' from 1992 to 1993, the eponymous character on the ABC/ UPN sitcom ''The Hughleys'', and as ...
's late night talk show ''The D.L. Hughley Show'', as well as the Comedy Central series ''This Week at the Comedy Cellar
The Comedy Cellar is a comedy club in Manhattan where many top New York comedians perform. It is widely considered to be the best comedy club in the United States. It was founded in 1982 by then stand-up comedian, and current television writer/ ...
'', in addition to being a finalist on the NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
comedy competition series ''Bring the Funny
''Bring the Funny'' is an American comedy competition series that aired on NBC from July 9 to September 17, 2019.
Hosted by comedian Amanda Seales, the series features various comedy acts performing in front of an audience for a chance to win $2 ...
''.[
Siddiq has released five comedy albums: ''Talking Loud Saying Something (Live at the Improv)'' released in 2010; ''Enjoy Your Life'' and ''Freedom of Speech'', which were both released in 2013; ''Damaged Goods'' released in 2016 and ''The Prison Manual'' released in 2019.][
In early 2020, Siddiq headlined an episode of '' Laff Mobb's Laff Tracks''.
In January 2021, Siddiq joined the Funky Larry Jones afternoon drive show on ]KMJQ
KMJQ (102.1 FM) is a commercial radio station in Houston, Texas. Owned by Urban One, "Majic 102" has an urban adult contemporary radio format. KMJQ is co-owned with 97.9 KBXX and 92.1 KROI, with studios and offices located in the Greenway ...
(102.1 FM) in Houston.
In 2022, Siddiq guest-starred on the Showtime comedy series, '' Flatbush Misdemeanors''.
Discography
* ''Talking Loud, Saying Something'' (2010)
* ''Freedom of Speech'' (August 5, 2013)
* ''Enjoy Your Life'' (August 18, 2013)
* ''Damaged Goods'' (2016)
* ''It's Bigger Than These Bars'' (August 2019)
* ''The Prison Manual'' (Sep. 2019)
* "The Domino Effect" (May 19, 2022)
* The Domino Effect 2: Loss (June 4,2023)
Philanthropy
Source:
Since 2009 Siddiq has hosted the annual Jive Turkeys Comedy Show to raise money for the Houston Food Bank. The show is performed each November close to Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...
.[
In 2017 he organized and performed at a benefit for Houstonians affected by Hurricane Harvey.][ In 2018 Siddiq also performed at an annual benefit held by Saba Homes, an orphanage organization created to help orphans of the ]2005 Kashmir earthquake
The 2005 Kashmir earthquake occurred at on 8 October in Pakistani-administered Azad Kashmir. It was centred near the city of Muzaffarabad, and also affected nearby Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and some areas of Indian-administered Jammu an ...
in Pakistan.
Siddiq has also volunteered for Harris County's Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program.[
]
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Siddiq, Ali
Living people
Writers from Houston
African-American stand-up comedians
American stand-up comedians
20th-century American comedians
21st-century American comedians
Muslim male comedians
Year of birth missing (living people)
20th-century African-American people
21st-century African-American people