Meet MJ Moody | Comedian

We had the good fortune of connecting with MJ Moody and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi MJ, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I feel my humor is a God given talent and shame on me if I did not share my gift with the world. They say find something you love to do and get paid for it. Well since my sleeping career has not jumped off yet, Comedy it is.

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.

I grew up in Augusta Georgia. A young naive boy who didn’t know what he wanted to do or be in life. When I graduated from high school I decided I wanted to join the Navy. The reason I chose the military was because I was not interested in going to college at the time. I joined in September 1990, and I went off to see the world. While in the military I got to do some very interesting things and meet some interesting people. During this time I felt I had a gift to bring humor to almost any situation. I wrote a note to myself in 1993 about getting on stage.

I continued my career in the Navy and eventually got married and started a family. I went on many deployments, took on many challenges, some of these challenges included going to college to get my BS degree, learning how to swim a mile in my flight suit, graduating from flight school and becoming a Naval Flight Officer. These accomplishments proved to me that anything is possible with the right attitude and work ethic.

During these challenging times I would always write about my experiences and add humor to them. Well after 23 years in the military and a tour in Iraq, I determined it was time to retire. While packing up my things I found the note I wrote myself in 1993 about comedy. With this note and the encouragement from my family I decided to take the risk and get on stage. I had a friend who did comedy and gave me a shot. I didn’t want to blow this so I read some books and did my research on comedy structure.

The big comedy day arrived and I was nervous as hell. I had only 5 minutes to do but it felt like I had to do an hour. I had practiced enough and had my bits memorized but stage fright was kicking in. The time came when they introduced me and I hit the stage. Well I did pretty good and the crowd really liked it. The owner liked me so much he asked me to come back and offered to pay me. I was like wait, you can get paid doing this? I was hooked. Well I had my second show booked and I was excited. I prepared my bits and actually invited family and friends to this one. When the time came, I got on stage and did really well again. It felt so good that people appreciated my take on life from my experiences.

I eventually moved from Jacksonville FL, to Dallas TX, for job purposes ready to take on the comedy world. I got to Dallas looking for the first stage I could get on. I eventually found a comedy club that gave me a shot, I got on stage and bombed. I felt so bad and wanted to give up but that was where the growth began. This experience humbled me and forced me to work on my craft through open mics, this allowed me to meet other comics and hone my craft. Well in a short amount of time I was hired by one of the local comedy clubs as an opener. I would tell stories about my unique military experience, and my family life that was well received.

I have now been doing comedy for over 8 years where I now feature or headline for venues. I have performed all over, some of the places to include Vegas, Georgia, California, Florida. I have shared the stage with the likes of Steven Michael Quezada (Breaking Bad) Dante (The Last Comic Standing) and Dean Edwards (SNL). This journey has been amazing and I have enjoyed every step of it. I have had shows where there were only 2 people in the audience but as a performer you have to give them the same energy as if there were 500 audience members. I was met with many challenges during this journey but the way I see it, if I apply the same determination I applied to my military career the sky’s the limit.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Oh that’s an easy one, the DFW area has plenty of places to choose from. I would say:

Monday -Legacy Hall first- This place is like a sports bar/slash food court with plenty of food selections to choose from.

Tuesday – Kithchen and Kocktails –  Southern Cuisine with great drinks.

Wednesday- Kennys Firewood Grill- Damn good food.

Thursday- Cigar International – Good drinks and people.

Friday and Saturday-  Comedy scene is awesome with plenty of stages: Hyenas/Improv/Backdoor/Comedy Arena.

Sunday- Common Table – Hip Hop Brunch, need I say more.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
OMG there are so many people to shout out. First off of course my Mom and Dad for getting it on and creating me, and instilling the humility, respect and grind I needed early off. My family for encouraging me to give it a shot, I remember my son’s direct quote “you have no more excuses dad.” Comedian David Emanuel for putting me on and my comedy family that keeps me sharp, two people especially that schooled me early in the game Comedian CJ Starr and Jon Stringer.

Website: mjmoodycomedy.com

Instagram: iam_mj_moody

Facebook: Mj Moody

Youtube: MJ Moody