It’s common to ask follow-up questions when conducting an interview, but it’s rare for these queries to begin the conversation.
Lucky for us, New York-based comedian Kenice Mobley loves a good follow-up right out of the gates. She is a comedian with an intellectual approach to blue comedy – risque or R-rated material – that welcomes everyone into her orbit to enjoy a lot of laughs while breaking down barriers. Her debut album Follow Up Question, recorded live at Union Hall and available now via Blonde Medicine, landed on Paste Magazine‘s Best Comedy Albums of 2022 list and earned Mobley a feature in Ebony Magazine.
We had the chance to catch-up on everything that’s been going on in her in life since Follow Up Question‘s December release and ask her to expand upon her thoughts on sex, relationships, family, and other Follow Up Question topics like her weed regimen, therapy, and the evolution of Jim Halpert from The Office, AKA John Krasinski.
“We liked you [Krasinski] so much as Jim. And it wasn’t because you were kicking butt or doing anything. It was just sly looks to camera. Nice guy smiles that’s what you’re good at. I don’t want to see the guy whose really good at cracking jokes also have an eight pack and shoot up a bunch of bad guys of a different color. I don’t want to see that,” she said with a laugh. “He’s in Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and we don’t need more of those guys. We have enough of those guys. Be a different guy.”
For many (hilarious) reasons discussed on the album, Mobley also wanted her therapist to be a different guy, in fact she didn’t want them to be a guy at all, so she followed up with us on this topic sharing how she has since requested that she be paired with a Black woman moving forward.
“I said, I would like a Black female. And they said sure we have someone that’s kind of close and they paired me with an Asian male. ‘I don’t think you understood what I was looking for,’” said Mobley, laughing. “Now I have a lady and she’s great.”
On Follow Up Question, Mobley shares how she picked-up a hobby of smoking weed during the pandemic while all of her friends seemed to be moving on to mushrooms. She’s happy to report that psilocybin still isn’t in the cards for her, but her friends seemed to be moving on to ketamine which she hopes to one day be rich enough to afford.
Even when discussing serious topics, like how Mobley is currently recovering from a stroke that she says doctors call “a bit of a fluke,” there is a humorously inquisitive nature to the comedian that encourages deep conversation and engagement.
“The only lasting side effect is I don’t have feeling on the left side of my body, but other than that, I’m really lucky,” said Mobley. “I have been a part of some stroke survivor support groups and to see people whose lives are changed very dramatically, I feel super lucky that mine – don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to have a stroke – but I do feel lucky that mine hasn’t made it where I can’t continue to live alone or live the life that I was living before so in that way I’m lucky.”
Asking a lot of questions isn’t new for Mobley, she has an analytical mind and studied psychology in college where she conducted research studies on racial biases.
“Asking people questions, trying to understand how these different ideas connect, see what connections exist – if no connections exist – and why people think the way they do. That stuff fascinates me,” she explained adding that this approach now shapes her comedy and crowd work.
Mobley said, “I’m much more fascinated in the stuff that we all try to hide that we think that we’re above, but we also participate in. That is fascinating to me.”
What fascinates her leads to hilarity for listeners, especially women.
“Any woman who ever tries to date a man should listen to the album because I think there are unique challenges specific to this time period that should be being discussed because they are funny,” said Mobley with a chuckle.
You can keep up with all things Kenice Mobley – including stand-up dates – at Kenicemobley.com. The website is also where you can find news, bio info, and the comedian’s growing list of watched films – she loves the dark humor and singular focus of The Banshees of Inisherin – and books she’s completed.
Click here to check-out Follow Up Question and be sure to follow Kenice Mobley on Instagram.