Tracey Ashley: Funny Woman

Wednesday, 16 September 2009 10:17

Nationally touring comedian Tracey Ashley performs at the Orange & Brew as part of RUB Entertainment's biweekly comedy series on September 15. The comedian was candid with us as she talked about her personal life and her career, which, as we came to find, are closely intertwined.

By Stephanie Granada

Miami native Tracey Ashley knew she wanted to be a comedian before she even knew what that meant. After an Easter Sunday church service, in which she gave a speech in front of the congregation, Tracey's mom asked her what she wanted to be. Tracey stretched her arms out as far as her 3-year-old limbs would allow and merrily said, "I want to make people laugh."

She took a detour from her dream job when she learned a comedian's life always starts off broke; she decided to get financially stable first. After jobs as a cruise director and radio ad salesperson, Tracey found her way back into the limelight.

"My favorite part of being a comedian is performing," she says. "I love taking up a crowd, then you might lose them for a bit, but you're able to bring them back up."

Tracey's comedy all comes from a source close to home: her own life.

"People often can't believe that some of these things have really happened to me," she says. "And I'm like, 'Yeah, it's true, someone really has asked to smell me before.'"

Her material comes from finding the comedy in life situations that might be considered sad-- a father she never knew, racism, a mentally ill mom.

"A lot of my material comes from my mom, when she was ill and when she was well," she says. "My mom was really funny when she was well."

Among all her accomplishments, Tracey most treasures the memory of being selected to continue onto the finals of NBC's Last Comic Standing in California.

"I knew I'd had a good set, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything," she says. "I never in a million years thought it would be me."

Her ultimate dream? To star a sitcom based off her own material.