Comedian Amanda Seales says her first stand-up special, taping in New York City this weekend, can only be described as “smart, funny and black.”
The actress has been making a name for herself in the stand-up scene far before landing the role of Tiffany DuBois on “Insecure” in 2016. Currently touring with the traveling black culture comedy/game show she created — “Smart Funny & Black” — Seales has landed her first television special after more than a decade behind the mic.
Dubbed “Amanda Seales: I Be Knowin’,” the show is slated to tape at the 47th Street Edison Ballroom on Sunday. Tickets aren’t being sold to the public.
“Fans can expect my trademark wit and social commentary mixed with the right dose of silly,” Seales says of the comedy special, set to air sometime next year.
The 37-year-old, whose material often celebrates black history and culture, adds she’ll bust out material decades in the making. “The process has been really dope because it has been totally organic and I’ve had a lot of time in the last year to really grow with my audience,” she says.
Seales, a Los Angeles resident, spent more than 12 years in Harlem before landing her “Insecure” gig rising up in the city’s comedy scene. She’s massaged material in front of many audiences at Ginny’s Supper Club on Lenox Avenue and Caroline’s on Broadway, and hustled as a D.J. at the iconic Apollo Theater.
“I literally have two more one-hour specials that I could do tomorrow solely based on my time in NYC,” she says. “It truly is a fact; if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere, and damn it feels great to come back after you have!”
Seales’ stand-up show is the latest of a stream of specials delivered by HBO, from Amy Schumer’s 2015 Apollo stint to Bill Maher’s 2010 “But I’m Not Wrong.” An official release date for "I Be Knowin’" has not yet been announced.
