Interview: Christi Chiello of NICOLE BYER LIVE at Pantages Theater Minneapolis

Christi Chiello is a stand up comedian and comedy educator based in New York City.  She made her television debut on Comedy Central's Roast Battle, opposite legend Jimmy Carr. She was featured on Comedy Central Stand Up Featuring, This Joka presented by Will Smith, TruTV's Rachel Dratch's Late Night Snack & Comedy Knockout, Kevin Hart's LOL Network, Chris Gethard Presents & IFC's Comedy Crib. 

Christi recently opened for Nicole Byer Live here in Minneapolis on Saturday, Septembr 16, 2023.

We had a conversation with Christi about comedy and her recent visit to Minneapolis!

What inspired you to go into comedy?

I've always been a huge and easy laugh. I'm a dream audience member, to be honest. Growing up, I was obsessed with In Living Color and picked up a lot of over-the-top physical comedy traits that I'd happily display for anyone who'd watch me. I did school plays and always got cast as the comic relief. I'm a middle child so I learned early on I could get attention by making people laugh. I was always a class clown with a delusional amount of confidence. But then, none of the jokes were original? I was just mimicking what I saw other people laugh at. Being funny in 7th grade was just quoting Ace Ventura...

I moved to NYC when I was 19 to attend an acting conservatory.  A teacher at my acting school told me that if I wanted to learn more about comedy, I should look into the Upright Citizens Brigade.  I trained at UCB before they even had their training center. And in improv, there was a person who would take a suggestion from the audience and do a little monologue based on their suggestion. I learned quickly that I ONLY wanted to do the monologue. So basically, I learned at improv school that I don't like improv, but I like improv's hot uncle - standup comedy. I didn't really realize until then that stand-up comedy was a thing. I loved watching sketches and funny movies but knew nothing of stand-up, really. It blew my mind when I learned I could just stand on a stage with a mic and tell jokes. I was like, "I wanna do that."

What do you enjoy most about doing stand-up?

Connecting with other people, making them feel happy and helping them to forget about their problems for a few hours. Comedy is so healing, and it brings people together. I'm so lucky to be a comedian.

What do you hope audiences take away from your shows?

I hope the audience’s vibe with my playful energy leave feeling like maybe they can take life a little less seriously.  At the end of the day... we're all gonna die, yunno? Who cares? That may sound morbid, but I find it inspiring! Just take big swings and fuck it all. (Say that at my funeral). 

Did you enjoy your time in Minneapolis? Did you have any favorite places that you checked out while here? 

I loved Minneapolis. I was definitely "feelin Minneapolis." I listened to Janet's 'Escapade' nonstop. Unfortunately, Nicole & I were there for only 20 minutes. We came straight from a show in St. Louis. We really wanted to hit up the Mall of America but instead we went to this massive Target. It was really the biggest target I've ever seen. I'll never forget it... I hope to go back there one day. 

Thank you for Christi for your time! We hope to have you back in Minnesota again soon!

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