Comedian Nicky Smigs on his rise to fame
Comedian Nicky Smigs joins 'One Nation with Brian Kilmeade' details his path from working in marketing to being one of the hottest comedians in the country.
One of the most interesting trends of the COVID-19 pandemic was individuals turning hobbies into careers and ditching corporate America for a new work field.
The digital interface connecting the world, despite shutdowns and mandates, provided an unprecedented outlet for people to cash in on digital marketing and social media, prompting a rise in influencers and viral talent.
Nicky Smigs is one of many who capitalized on the opportunity presented by the pandemic, and he shared his journey to success on "One Nation" Saturday.
Smigs was working in marketing around the time the world was plunged into a shutdown. He attended an improv comedy show at Second City with his sister, which sparked an idea that turned into a career.
"My sister took me, and I'm like, 'Whatever they're doing on stage, I want to do that.' Not to mention to be able to share a stage with like [the] Steve Carell's, Tina Fey's of the World," Smigs said.
Comedian Nicky Smigs shares his journey from marketing to comedy on "One Nation." (Fox News)
"So I took improv classes and fell in love with it," he said.
When the pandemic came, Smigs took to TikTok and began posting improv videos impersonating comedian Sebastian Maniscalco.
"It was time to take advantage of this downtime, free time and TikTok was all the hype," he said. After posting several videos, Smigs developed a following.
"It kind of had that like still very Gen Z like vibe to it. We're kind of like the millennials. I'm 28 now, but like, we weren't really like, ‘This is for comedy. TikTok’s for comedy,'" Smigs said. "But my family was like, 'Let's make the most of this. Put yourself out there. Who knows what could happen?'"
"And I live here now and no longer in the corporate world."
Smigs shared with host Brian Kilmeade that his comedy content doesn't come from the same place as many comedians.
"It was kind of a question I didn't expect. Like, ‘what do you want to talk about on stage?’ And to their point, it's like obviously the, you know, some of the best comics in the world have a darkness upbringing or something, you know, traumatic. I don't really have that experience, but I think the world has changed now where entertainment can be multifaceted."
Since his break-out, Smigs now has his own improv shows, touring in cities like New York City, Burbank and Chicago.
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"I'm doing [shows] anywhere from 30 to 45 [minutes]. I've got in close to an hour a couple of times. Depends how I'm feeling," Smigs shared. "I'm new. I'm under two years into this thing, and it's been it's been a blessing to get all this work. But I got a lot more work to do."
Despite the shutdown, Smigs saw the pandemic as an opportunity to try a new skill and excel.
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