Comedian Monica Nevi Brings Big Stepdad Energy To The Tri-Cities

Monica Nevi may be the hardest working comic in the Northwest. She tours constantly, hosts a podcast or two, recorded a comedy special for Helium that's due later this year, and in 2020 she released TWO comedy albums that went to number one. That makes her like the Taylor Swift of comedy. And according to her Twitter bio, she is also Justin Bieber's step-dad. But I'm 97.5% sure that last one is a joke.

With so much going on, I was happy she found time to connect with me about her shows this weekend at Joker's Comedy Club in Richland.

A Comedian's Impression of the Tri-Cities

Dan: What does Monica Nevi think of the Tri-Cities? Pull no punches. 

Monica: I'm happy to be going back.

Dan: Do they have a sense of humor about themselves?

Monica: They do, in fact. (People) would always tell me, "don't talk about the nuclear plant." And I was like, that's interesting because everything here is named Atomic Bowl, and Bombers… Everything has to do with it. But I'm not supposed to acknowledge it? And finally, I just brought it up, I just had to mention, "you're not hiding it very well." The audience had a great sense of humor about it.

Dan: Yeah, it’s one of the reasons I felt good about moving here.

Monica: And I think it's an interesting place, too. It's a mixed bag of who's moving there, who's worked there, and they actually are really good at kind of coexisting. I guess that's what I like about the Tri-Cities.

Why is Joker's a Fun Place for Stand-Up Comedy?

Monica: At my shows, I feel like I've always had a pretty mixed audience; age range, what they do for work, or whatever. And they all are there to have a good time. And especially Joker's. It's got a casino in it, a bowling alley, and then dancing afterward. And so people are there just to be entertained. So it does bring a lot of different kinds of people, and they're just there to have fun.

Dan: And will you be paid in Skee-Ball tickets, or free bowling?

Monica: Yeah, I will. I will bring my own bowling ball this weekend for sure.

Dan: Do you really have a bowling ball?

Monica: I do. And shoes. And the staff at (Atomic Bowl) are so sweet, and they always remember me, so it's kind of a fun thing. Because you do one show. In a lot of comedy clubs, you do two shows in a night. So with one show, I get done early enough to not be completely dead. So then I'll go bowl a couple of games, then go back to my hotel. It's a good, good thing.

Tri-Cities Audiences are Not Pushovers

Monica: I will say that every time I've worked in the Tri-Cities, whether it's Richland, Pasco, or Kennewick, I do feel like they make me work for it. There is no benefit of the doubt when I get on stage. They're like, "You need to make me laugh." But as soon as I do, then they're in. They're loyal once you get them, but they definitely aren't going to give you anything for free.

Dan: I love it. Where can people go for more Monica Nevi?

Monica: If you follow me on the social medias, everything is just my name @monicanevi. Or monicanevi.com if you want to check out my calendar.

That calendar includes June dates in Seattle, Port Townsend, Bremerton, Spokane, Post Falls, Gold Bar, and Portland. I told you Monica Nevi was busy.

Monica Nevi/Helium Comedy Studios Videos Referenced in This Article