Nine To Noon Emmanuel Sonubi on his transformative near-death experience
Mar 17, 2026
Emmanuel Sonubi, a British stand-up comic and Live at the Apollo headliner, turned a literal near-death into a comedy show. He recounts collapsing onstage, a shocking heart-failure diagnosis, and the scare of a possible transplant. He also talks about how past jobs shaped his voice, using humour to diffuse conflict, and reshaping life and material after surviving.
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First Gig Taught Him To Be Himself
- Emmanuel's first open-mic was at Dirty Dicks on Liverpool Street where he nervously hoped not to be called but ended up performing.
- Early gigs taught him to lean into unique personal experiences like bouncer stories to stand out.
Drunk Man Thought Slow Walking Made Him Invisible
- As a bouncer Emmanuel describes a man so drunk he believed walking slowly made him invisible and tried to stroll past the door.
- The man truly thought it worked, moving at a snail-like pace and taking longer to be removed.
Comedy As A De escalation Tool
- Emmanuel uses comedy as a tool to diffuse anger by showing someone how ridiculous they look rather than confronting them.
- He learned this as a bouncer where humour de-escalated fights and changed people's reactions.