Lil Rel Howery is a comedian and actor who has carried Chicago’s West Side with him throughout his career, from the stories and characters in his comedy to the way he performs.
Born and raised on the West Side, Howery, 46 years old, never forgets where he grew up and revisits the community. This year he represented the West Side in two very different ways: reading to children and filming his newest stand-up special at the historic Black Ensemble Theater as part of the third annual What’s Funny Comedy Festival.
Howery said it was important to him to give Black and brown comedians opportunities to be seen and recognized for their work. He also described Chicago as a strong proving ground for stand-up comedy.
“Talent can only take you so far, but you need to learn the business. Ultimately, always go back to just having fun with the job. I think sometimes, once you start really getting into the business side of the business, you tend to take it too seriously,” Howery said.
Understanding the business is important, but so is remembering that performing comedy is a blessing, he said, adding that because he loves comedy, it never feels like a job.
“My favorite part of performing for a Chicago crowd is really the energy. When you give them something to really laugh at, they’re going to laugh hard, and there’s nothing like the roar of a laughing crowd from Chicago,” Howery said.
Howery read to young children on April 2 at the Nia Family Center as part of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, an initiative aimed at expanding access to books and supporting early literacy.
“There’s something about holding the page. I just loved the excitement today, so that was a lot of fun,” Howery said.
For Howery, engaging and inspiring children through reading is important.
“It’s important to be engaging. That’s something I learned from doing all this voiceover work. They tell us who the audience is going to be like. When you’re doing them, you’re like, ‘Oh, I’ve got to measure my energy,’ because when they watch this, they have to experience it. I can’t necessarily describe it, but all my directors would say that and so that’s why I try to make sure I came here with some energy,” Howery said.
The event, hosted by Share Our Spare and Chicago Commons, highlighted the importance of exposing children to books early, particularly in South and West Side communities where families may have limited access to books at home.
The What’s Funny Comedy Festival took place Sept. 19–26, bringing comedians, performers and entertainment professionals together at venues across Chicago. The weeklong festival featured comedy showcases, headline performances, industry panels, networking events, live podcast recordings, content screenings and the annual Black Tie Brunch.
“I think Chicago has the best comedy audience in the world, to be honest with you, there was just so much excitement that year with everything. We have production companies and producers coming to the festival that year looking for talent. It is going to be a big deal. I am really excited,” Howery said.
Howery spoke about his connection with children at the Nia Family Center, explaining that being a father has made him appreciate spending time with younger kids. He joked about how teenagers tend to lose interest in their parents, making the excitement and happiness of younger children especially enjoyable.
Growing up on the West Side, he said he read a lot, partly because of a school program that rewarded children with pizza for reading books. He recalled enjoying Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor in sixth grade and discovered his mother’s copy of Love Story around age 12, which sparked his interest in romance novels.
“I was like 12 and I read Love Story. A 12-year-old reading Love Story is kind of insane. That was one of my favorite books. But it actually got me into romance. I started reading Danielle Steel books. It’s kind of weird. That’s why I’m such a hopeless romantic, because I was reading romance stuff way too early. But no, I’ve always loved reading,” Howery said.
While in Chicago for the What’s Funny Comedy Festival, Howery visited True Star’s headquarters, where he sat down with young creatives for a conversation about his experiences in the entertainment industry, the importance of putting in the work and taking initiative. He also toured the studio, participated in a workshop and taped an episode of From the Go Show with host Gary Langfield Jr.
Howery attended Providence St. Mel before later transferring to Crane High School. He got his start in comedy at Crane, where he performed a script for a senior talent show and began pursuing comedy seriously.
“I’ve had a chance to work on a lot of these festivals, like the Just for Laughs Festival, Netflix Is a Joke Festival, HBO’s Aspen Comedy Festival back in the day, and Fox’s Laugh-A-Palooza,” Howery said. “I’ve worked on a lot of festivals, but in recent years, I just don’t know if I’ve liked the way comedians of color were always kind of given the scraps at these festivals. It’s not necessarily the bigger shows. It’s only a few people.”