By Trenisha Wiggins
The Birmingham Times
Comedian Sheryl Underwood will be performing in Birmingham this week. There will be some cussing in her show, but that doesn’t mean those who go to church won’t find something they can relate to, she said.
“I’m gonna be cursing. … I’m ratchet enough verbally for young people, but I still put a little of the Lord in there,” she said. “I’m really old school, too, so there’s something for everybody in this show.
Underwood be performing at the StarDome Comedy Club in Hoover on Friday, June 23, and Saturday, June 24. Expect some familiar material mixed with current events, as well—like Bill Cosby, whose sexual assault case recently ended in a mistrial.
“You know we tell a lot of the old jokes people say was from Def Comedy Jam and BET Comic View, but we also bring in some new stories like how I got the job at The Talk, what happened in the conversation between me and Mo’Nique, what I believe about Bill Cosby, talking about Caitlyn Jenner before and after, being a host on The Talk, and having a great job and doing radio.”
Growing up in Little Rock, Arkansas, Underwood said she looked up to many of the male figures in her life.
“My father, my brothers and my uncles, all of them… they were so funny and they were such dynamic men, I wanted to be like that, so that’s why I’m a very male-directed comic. That’s the kind of humor you will probably see at the StarDome when you come,” said Underwood, who has previously been in Birmingham and performed at the StarDome before it moved to its current location in Hoover in 1993.
Underwood remains active in her community. She is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., was the 23rd International President of the organization and still serves on the national executive board of Zeta Phi Beta.
“The more successful my career becomes the stronger reach that I have and resources that I have to do good in the neighborhood,” she said.
As part of her community involvement, Underwood founded Rat Pack Productions, a branding and marketing company which has a series of Historically Black College and Universities initiatives that raise funds for those students in need.
The Rat Pack Foundation for Education allows young men to play tennis, lacrosse, soccer, and golf with members of fraternities. “We feel that’s the best conflict resolution for anger management for young boys,” she said. “We try to take our come-up’s and try to merge it with our philanthropy.”
Although she wears many hats in production, broadcast and charity, Underwood said she always finds time for everything that needs to get done.
“I think because when you look at it things are part of your life, not all of your life, so I have time to serve the Lord, I have time to serve the community with Zeta Phi Beta, and then I have time to pay for it all with television, radio and live comedy and producing. It’s just like anyone else. If you are on your church board, are in a sorority and you have a full-time job, it’s the exact same thing.”
