Joyelle Nicole Johnson

Mar 12, 2026

Joyelle Nicole Johnson, a warm, autobiographical US stand-up who’s warmed up for Hasan Minhaj and appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers. She talks about considering leaving the US, balancing warmth with brutal honesty onstage, a scary Harlem heckler incident, how nerves can be respect, digging into ancestry, and why a bit of delusion kickstarts a comedy career.

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INSIGHT

Comedy As Voice After Childhood Silence

Comedy became Joyelle's outlet to speak truths she learned to suppress as a child with unreliable adults.
Therapy helped her switch from observing silently to using voice and calling out injustices on stage.

ADVICE

Reframe Nerves As Respect

Treat nerves as respect for the audience rather than a flaw to eliminate.
Use the quote from Being Julia to reframe pre-show anxiety into professional humility and focus.

ADVICE

Giggle And Move On When A Joke Dies

If a well-tested joke doesn't land, don't overreact; laugh and move on to preserve flow and authority.
Build confidence over time via therapy and repeated stage work so you instinctively trust your material.

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Joyelle Nicole Johnson is a US comedian known for bringing joy to the stage! Joyelle has performed on Late Night with Seth Meyers, is the permanent guest host on Sirius XM's Godfrey Complex and is currently the warm up comic for Hasan Minhaj's Patriot Act on Netflix.

In this episode we discuss:

why American comedians are seriously considering leaving the US
learning to tell brutal truths while still keeping the audience onside
why nerves can be a sign of respect for the audience
the night a heckler rushed the stage during her set in Harlem
how artists can’t thrive creatively when they don’t feel safe
why becoming a comedian requires “a little bit of delusion”
and we find out if Joyelle is happy...

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learning to use your voice
how people cosplay comfort
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Catch Up with Joyelle: Joyelle’s special Lovejoy is out now on Peacock if you’re in the US and you can listen to her album Yell Joy at Blonde Medicine. You can also follow on Instagram, @JoyelleNicole.

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Everything I'm up to: Come and see me LIVE including dates in Bristol, London, Manchester, Stoke, Marlborough and Mach! Find out all the info and more at stuartgoldsmith.com/comedy.

Discover my comedy about the climate crisis, for everyone from activists to CEOs, at stuartgoldsmith.com/climate.

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