Jonah Hofmeyer — Staff writer

Think of your favorite comedian. Some of you may have thought of John Mulaney, others of Amy Schumer. Now think of that favorite comedian’s style of jokes. Do they work with mainly potty humor? Sex jokes? Jokes making fun of someone else’s way of life? Would you watch your selected comedian with your grandparents or 10-year-old brother?

Marty Simpson is a family-friendly comedian who will be hosting a show in 55th Ave on March 30. The show is at 8:30 p.m., and is a free show for all students to attend.

Simpson was not always a comedian, though he has been featured on ESPN, Nickelodeon, and Prime Video. He has even hosted a special on Dry Bar Comedy. Before entering the entertainment industry, Simpson was a high school drama teacher in South Carolina. He also was a football coach for the Protestant private school. He would work with his football players in the fall, and with his drama students in the spring.

“My students would always say I should be a comedian,” Simpson said. “I guess I made them laugh during class or something.”

After his 10 years as a school teacher, Simpson started his journey as a comedian. He competed in the TV show “Trial By Laughter” in 2017, a competition that puts comedians head to head. Simpson did not win the competition, but he was named a festival favorite at “Big Pine Comedy Festival.”

Since then, Simpson has traveled to 46 states and three different continents to do shows. Simpson is a Christian comedian and says that there are different challenges when he does a show for a Christian audience.

“Christians want positive and encouraging,” Simpson said. “So as a Christian comedian, I have to find a way to make fun of something, and possibly be mean, in such a way that we can all agree about.”

Simpson also said he uses that to his advantage during his sets.

Simpson has done many shows, but not very many in front of a college audience. His audiences often consist of Christian parents with kids, so doing a show for college students will be a different experience for him.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what my comedy is like with college students,” Simpson said. “I mean, they are the future.”  

Simpson describes his comedy as “being mildly agitated” and says that if his audience vibes with that mood, those shows go really well. Simpson also has a lot of experience with rougher crowds.

“People ask me if I get as many hecklers at Christian shows as I do anywhere else. The short answer is, yes,” Simpson said.

Simpson will also host three shows at the Fruited Plain, in a room called “The Back Back.” Those shows will be on March 31 at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. The final show will be on April 1 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased for these shows at martysimpson.com.

Simpson said he is excited to be on campus for the show and hopes the students that show up are entertained.

“When someone is at my show, it’s my hope that they are able to just relax and forget about life’s stresses for an hour and just laugh,” Simpson said. “And if some roasting of the audience happens, it’s my hope that folks would leave wishing I poked fun of them too, versus being glad I didn’t.”

Contributed Photo