Meet D’Angelo Himes | Comedian and Actor

We had the good fortune of connecting with D’Angelo Himes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi D’Angelo, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
It just made sense. I’ve always been funny. I just never knew what to do about it until I pursued stand-up comedy. Most of the time when I would get cast in a play it would be comedic roles. In college, my best friend Parker and I always talked about how funny we were and how we should do stand up, but we were too afraid to do it. We were not only scared of people not finding us funny but also scared that this thing we thought we were meant for might not be for us. It wasn’t until February 2020, when I signed up for a slam poetry open mic, that I thought to myself, “Okay, D’Angelo, if you can go up on stage and make a room full of people reading poetry about how sad they are laugh, then you can make anybody laugh.” And it worked!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The journey as an actor, it has not been easy. I went to college for acting, and after I graduated, I thought the next best move was to become an intern for an theatre company. That turned out to be a big mistake. The owner of the business did not like me, never cast me in anything, and treated me poorly because I was a (in his words) “black man from a white institution.” The owner of the business is black by the way. He made my life miserable. But it was in those dark moments is when I finally said, “ Screw it. If I can’t be an actor I might as well try stand-up comedy.” As a comedian, it has been tough, but very enjoyable along the way. One of the reasons that makes it tough is I’m going on stage in front of a room full of strangers and telling them jokes about myself. With acting at least you’re playing a different person, but with stand-up comedy I’m 100% me. It’s a weird time to be vulnerable. I’m usually telling jokes about my gap teeth, or how I’m not the best example for what a black guy should be, etc. In the entire time I’m just hoping that they find me funny. The biggest lesson I’ve learned from doing stand up is you can talk about anything and the more vulnerable you are people will love it. As long as you make it funny. And that’s actually really comforting for me. Because of that mindset I’ve had a lot of confidence going into many opportunities given to me. Which is now lead me to having the biggest blessing of my career and that is that I will be performing at Jimmy Kimmel‘s comedy club in Las Vegas on July 12th and 13th.  

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I definitely have to bring my homie to church. Because every day is a good day when the Lord is with you. I’d go to Fearless LA or Evergreen for service. Little Tokyo is sure to make a move. Hopefully it will be around a time when an anime convention is happening. There are a lot of great anime stores in that area. Plus, it’s the only place I know where I can find banana milk. The Breakfast Club is a must. If you order their chicken and waffles, you’ll be amazed by the size due to how big they are. For a good laugh, I would take them to the Icehouse Comedy Club. This is my favorite comedy club around. Not only do they book some of the funniest comedians ever, but the staff are incredible, they have an amazing bar, and the atmosphere all together is comforting. Last, I’d bring them to a morning sunrise on the beach. It’s the literal definition of peaceful.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’ve got to give a shout out to my friend Parker Dean. We’ve been friends since college back in Indiana; we both decided to move to LA in pursuit of the entertainment industry, and we started doing stand up together as well. It’s always good to know that your best friend is always good at stand up when you decide to start together, and he’s hilarious! I also want to show some love to Joe Manente, the owner of the Fourth Wall and the Fourth Wall Comedy Cafe. Joe not only put me on stage for the first time but has also given me great advice going along this journey. To this day, I still ask him for advice on how to work a joke and what I can work on to be a better stand up comedian. Next I have to mention is Cat Ce. Cat is a great friend who has exposed me to more of the comedy game than I could’ve imagined. Because of her, I have shared the stage with so many great comedians, and I really appreciate her for that. Last but not least, of course, I have to thank God. God has blessed me so much to the point that sometimes I feel like I don’t deserve what he’s given me. Throughout my life, I always wanted to be a performer, but I never knew if it was truly meant for me. Every time I doubted myself, the Lord always gave me a sign. I’ve always wondered what the Lord had brought me to do. Now that I am doing stand up comedy, I now know what it is. It’s not only to make people laugh, but also to “blow up and act like I don’t know anybody.” Riff Raff

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/da.himes/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dangelo.himes/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpIM4SQF26kYDcRMipHLaCw

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@dahimespv?_t=8jMEJMokFHa&_r=1 https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8tReeaW/ https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0co5qKPSqO/?igsh=NzBmMjdhZWRiYQ==

Image Credits
Stephanie Zushie Michael Schwartz Diego Lugo idil Cenberci