Image courtesy of ART19
Until about two weeks ago, the name “Caleb Hearon” only brought two things to mind: He has a podcast, and he is undoubtedly hilarious. One evening, my friend told me she had two tickets to his live show in San Diego on April 4 and asked if I would accompany her to the event. Having never been to a comedy show, and in the spirit of saying yes to new experiences, I agreed immediately.
Caleb Hearon is a beloved gay comedian from Kansas City, Missouri, who has made a name for himself in the world of comedy. Growing up gay in the Midwest, he relied on humor to not only create a sense of community but to befriend people that could relate to him in their own way. His podcast, “So True with Caleb Hearon,” has amassed a large following over the course of just a year. His style of comedy is hard not to enjoy — he is incredibly quick-witted and never shies away from being outlandish, and it always results in a laugh. I frequently see clips of the podcast on TikTok, which was my first introduction to him, so I jumped at the chance to witness his humor in person.
My friend and I made our way downtown to the Balboa Theatre; our anticipation increased as we struggled to find parking and ran to the venue. I had grown anxious that we might be late, as we tend to be, but our timing could not have been more perfect. A short introduction video was playing as we were led to our seats, featuring Hearon alongside the boys of Please Don’t Destroy, Saturday Night Live’s current digital sketch comedy group. As a massive fan of SNL, I was instantly even more excited and could not wait to see what the night had in store.
After the video, out came Hearon, met with applause and cheers from the audience. He introduced drag queen Naomi Daniels — if you’re ever in North Park, you can find her at Lips — who started off the show with a wonderfully enchanting performance. Draped in a bright pink, ruffled showtime coat, she grabbed everyone’s attention as Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing” roared through the theater and she sauntered across the stage. She followed up with another song and threw off the pink coat to reveal a neon green costume underneath, weaving through the theater aisles during her performance.
At the end of her set, Hearon returned to the stage and brought out two members of his team: Chance and Virginia. The three of them briefly shared silly and relatable travel stories from the tour so far, from crying babies on the plane to bizarre interactions with airport employees. Afterward, Chance took his place as moderator, and Hearon geared up to introduce his guest. He said it was “a person we all definitely know,” to which my friend and I exchanged puzzled glances, racking our brains for who it could be. Giving us no time to brace ourselves, he shouted, “Please welcome my friend and yours, Drew Afualo!”
A scream escaped my mouth as I nearly jumped out of my seat. I’ve been following Afualo’s work for several years now, primarily for her bold personality and hilarious confrontations with losers on the Internet. I’ve always found her funny, and she’s even funnier when joining forces with Hearon — to see them entertain each other and us in real time was an absolute delight.
I am someone who finds pleasure in seemingly mundane things. Some of my favorite films are centered around two characters having a conversation for two hours, so a live podcast is right up my alley. Hearon and Afualo seamlessly told joke after joke, eliciting constant laughs from everyone in the audience. And they weren’t just little chuckles, either — I mean, the full-on-cackle-and-clutch-your-stomach kind. It was reminiscent of how I interact with my friends, jumping from one idea to the next with lots of riffing in between. Their ridiculous sense of humor was endearing and made me feel like I was their friend, too.
After the show, adrenaline lingered in the air as my friend and I, like many others, gushed with praise about the show. Being truly funny is not something you can learn, and Hearon is naturally entertaining in a way that’s hard to come by. I have so much love and respect for comedy — it is such a joy to make people laugh, even if they’re just your friends. I left the theater that night with a face sore from smiling, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.