Now 34, Johnson was raised in Alexandria, Louisiana. He kick-started his stand-up profession in Chicago, then received his first break in late night time as a author on The Tonight Present Starring Jimmy Fallon, the place he additionally carried out the occasional routine. In 2017 he jumped over to The Each day Present, which, within the wake of longtime host Jon Stewart’s departure, was present process rising pains. Johnson embraced the problem, and what adopted was a glow-up not even he might’ve predicted. He opened for Trevor Noah at Madison Sq. Backyard. He headlined a nationwide tour. He appeared in a number of specials, together with his personal on Peacock, titled Up Right here Killing Myself. On the identical time, he was build up a fan base on TikTok, with meandering, many-minute movies that trusted audiences to comply with alongside. The extra I speak to him, the extra I believe that that—Johnson’s persistence, and his expectation of ours—is the cornerstone of his attraction. Although his comedy could be very a lot on the web, it doesn’t really feel of the web: In an age of instantaneous gratification, Johnson takes his time.
This interview has been edited for size and readability, combining on-camera and off-camera parts. Try WIRED’s YouTube channel for the video.
Jason Parham: You headlined a nationwide tour this 12 months. I think about that comes with quite a lot of strain.
Josh Johnson: Positive, positive. But additionally, that strain could be very a lot a privilege. There was a very long time the place there was no strain on me as a result of nobody cared what I’d do.
Have you ever realized something about your self all through the method?
I don’t want a lot sleep. I want, like, 4 dangerous hours. I don’t know if that’ll final. I believe it’s very a lot a now factor. I believe, 5 years from now, I’ll want sleep very badly.
Let’s discuss your comedy heroes.
There are these nearly template solutions of Carlin and Pryor, however essentially they modified what folks understood stand-up to be. Reasonably than simply doing the joke—my spouse, oh my spouse—quite than doing that nonstop, quite a lot of it was both biographical or it was world takes.
Is there a joke that stands out?
What am I allowed to say?
Something.
I’m paraphrasing it badly, however principally Pryor had this joke the place he was like, “Duh, duh, duh, duh. That may be like me sucking a dick.” After which all people busts out laughing. Then he’s like, “I’m simply kidding.” After which he takes one other pause, and he’s like, “No, I’m not.”
He retains flipping the joke, to the purpose the place the viewers doesn’t know what to anticipate.
He did have jokes that didn’t make it into specials that had been about him being bisexual. This was a time the place it was really unthinkable and extraordinary. Who else was actually doing that? Who else was actually like, No, I’m well-known sufficient, I’m wealthy sufficient, and I’m influential sufficient to not simply allude, however really inform an viewers tales about an expertise that will be unimaginable for his or her favourite man to have? There’s a honest bravery to that, whether or not you get it proper or not, or whether or not historical past appears again on the context in a good method.