Today we’d like to introduce you to Lea’h Sampson
Hi Lea’h, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
In 2016, I was working two jobs: One as a bartender and the other as a bank teller I was also in school focused on graduating. Whenever I was at work bartending, people would tell me that I should do stand up because of my banter with customers. I always loved the arts but doing stand up comedy was never my plan or something I even thought about.They finally convinced me to do my first open mic and from that day forward, I had the “comedy bug”. Soon after, I started doing open mics anywhere from 3 to 5 times a week sometimes, 2 or 3 in one night. I’d leave work, do mics and unpaid shows, then go back to work in the middle of the shift. To my surprise, people always supported me doing stand up, including my employers. It helped that I would tell jokes during my interviews. Soon, I started getting opportunities to open for big name comics such as Micheal Blackson and even touring with musical artist Julio Iglesias. My journey continued with running my own local shows in Austin and performing around the city. For 6 years, the hustle continued everyday non-stop, no matter the time, weather, if I was getting paid $20 or nothing. All of a sudden, things came to a halt and my comedy career was no longer progressing- not for income or exposure. I started to not be booked as much and began working more jobs. I was about to quit comedy because I needed a career that would sustain my life. I got booked to film a set for “Don’t Tell Comedy” and once it released the rest was history. My set and clips went viral with over 50 million views. I began to get recognition within comedy on the internet and on a national level. Months later. I was performing at Maddison Square Garden opening for Bill Burr and on the “Tamron Hall” show. I’ve recently filmed my first 30-minute comedy special, a project for the United Nations’ “Summit of the Future” and there’s so much more to come.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I wouldn’t say it’s been a “smooth” journey. One of the biggest challenges were not having a family support system– really, no family at all. There came a point when I was able to make ends meet pursuing comedy so I had to work multiple jobs, live on couches, hop from one friends place to another just to make it to my shows all in the hopes of being noticed. I always felt like I was in limbo constantly choosing between comedy or a place to sleep or wondering where my next meal would come from. My mental health declined a lot during those times leaving me in a dark space not knowing what I should do next
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a professional stand-up comedian, actress, host and writer. I specialize in stand up comedy and comedic acting. I’m best known for my stand up comedy and sketches on social media. I’m most proud of the versatility I’ve created in my comedy and how I have stayed true to that my entire career. What sets me apart from others is my diverse sense of humor and my point of view on different topics- even the ones people may be too afraid to speak about- and still managing to create something that we all can relate to and laugh at.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory is doing improv games on the street with my friends during the summer when we were In grade school. We’d copy games from Wild n’ Out and would just make jokes about each other. It was always fun and helped us all not take ourselves too seriously.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @officialleahsampson
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leahsampsoncomedy?mibextid=kFxxJD
- Twitter: https://x.com/leah_sampson1?lang=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@leahsampsoncomedy5169?themeRefresh=1
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@leahsampson2?lang=en
Image Credits
Marcus Russell
Yui Tadokoro
Jeff Neira
Angel Penn
