Local comedienne: Gift of laughter can heal wounds

She had her fair share of troubles as a child, but always turned to smiles and laughter to get her through. Kellye Howard, a comedienne from the south suburbs, said cracking jokes was her specialty, but didn’t necessarily channel it the right way du

She had her fair share of troubles as a child, but always turned to smiles and laughter to get her through.

Kellye Howard, a comedienne from the south suburbs, said cracking jokes was her specialty but didn’t necessarily channel it the right way during her elementary and high school years.

“I would act up often in school. I was a jokester, but I was also a troublemaker,” Howard recently told the Defender as she prepared to perform at a Breast Cancer Awareness fundraiser.

The 29 year old said sometimes she focused a little too much on getting laughs from “the crowd,” instead of focusing on what she needed to–to do well in school.

Then, she became a teen parent and things got hard.

Howard was told by a few of her high school’s staff that she would need to take months off from school because of the baby, and that would eventually lead to her being held back. She would not be able to graduate with her class.

That was the wake-up call she needed, Howard said.

“There was no way I was going to repeat anything. I took the time off to have the baby but immediately went back to school to get my studies together. I grew up real fast,” she said.

In the midst of hunkering down with her schoolwork, Howard lost the baby. The loss, she said, fueled her fire to exceed beyond her wildest dreams.

She did extra credit and turned in extra assignments every chance she could. She was on a mission to prove to herself, and to all the naysayers, that she could do it.

“I did just about everything I could to make up for my time away. I was determined to walk across that stage with the rest of my peers,” Howard said.

The hard work paid off, and Howard graduated on time.

Then it was time to get her comedic career off the ground. She would do comedy spotlights in clubs and on local radio shows. Soon, she was traveling to different states performing stand-up routines.

The highlight of Howard’s career thus far was being selected by comedian Katt Williams two years ago to perform on tour with him.

“It felt good to win his competition and get that tour spot with him. Then to hit the stage, especially in Chicago on New Year’s Eve, that felt really good. I felt that I made it,” Howard said.

Since then, she performs regularly at Jokes and Notes in Bronzeville and has added more out-of-state venues to her schedule.

Howard, the mother of a 7-year-old daughter, said she is truly blessed and wants to encourage other young women to follow their dreams, no matter how hard it seems.

The comedienne said the strength of her family carried her through the tough times.

“They have been my rock. They allowed me to fully see my talents. They allowed me to make them laugh during times when there was nothing funny. One example was my brother’s funeral. Everyone was crying, but when I got up there to say a few words, I let them know that he would want laughter instead of tears from them,” Howard said.

Howard will be performing on Thursdays this month at Jokes and Notes on 46th and King Drive.