Richard Pryor’s Advice To A Young Tiffany Haddish

Tiffany Haddish was in high school, at a comedy camp, and Richard Pryor dropped in on the class. 

Yeah, that Richard Pryor. This would have been in the 90s. So he was a little older, and - in a wheelchair as she remembers it, but he was still the highly revered comedian, RICHARD PRYOR, in the crowd while a group of kids workshopped short stand-up sets. 

So there was pressure to get on stage in front of him and do a short set. 

Haddish did her thing. 

Pryor watched her perform. 

His feedback was focused on what she’d need to remember about the audience. She said (approximately this) to Marc Maron on the WTF podcast,

You have to remember, the audience is coming to have fun. So it doesn’t matter what you’re talking about, as long as YOU’RE having fun. If you’re not having fun, they’re not having fun. 

You can take that advice on stage. 

You can take that advice to work. 

You can take that advice to dropping your kids off at soccer practice. 

If you’re not having fun, they’re not having fun. 

And yeah, not all of life is fun, but if people are stuck with you - especially if you have the literal or figurative mic, it really is as simple as this. 

Pryor priorities. 

If you’re not having fun, they’re not having fun.