Though he has toured the world over as an entertainer in casinos, on cruise ships, and has appeared on HBO for its Def Comedy Jam, Philadelphia’s Tu Rae Gordon — better known as Tu Rae — has forever served his hometown as its best-known, most relatable stand-up comedian. Actually, Tu Rae has been doing live stand-up comedy for 30 years, and will celebrate that anniversary simultaneously with his 50th birthday, this weekend at Punch Line Philadelphia.
From June 16 to 18—with fellow comedians Ashima Franklin, Henry Coleman, Leonard Ouzts, Talent, Isiah Kelly, Jay Sutton and Keith From Up Da Block on the bill—Tu Rae will use the Punch Line platform to discuss where he’s at now, and where he’s been all this time.
“It’s just real things that I talk about,” said Tu Rae in preparation for his birthday/anniversary celebration. “People immediately identify with my take on getting older, and the state of Philadelphia and society as it is now. As they say, “it’s funny because it’ true.”
Not a comedian who sets out to hurt, wound, or, as he told Metro in 2018, “put anyone’s business out there that doesn’t need to be,” who Tu Rae is, onstage and off, is what means the most to the Philadelphia entertainer.
Growing up in Philly, Tu Rae listened to albums by Richard Pryor, George Carlin and his grandmother’s old Redd Foxx records.
“The first jokes I ever did in public were told in the Student Activities Center at Temple University,” he recalled. “I also performed at, and won, the Delta Theta Sigma Star Search in 1992 on campus. That gave me a certain amount of confidence with that achievement. All I did was talk about was being a “lost” freshman running around campus. But they loved it. And my first “followers” were my supporters, my friends and family.”
Considering his time as a headliner in the city, Tu Rae believes that his current role as a Godfather of Philly comedy came the hard way. “I stand at the forefront of Philadelphia comedy because I’ve had a hand in establishing it,” he said frankly. “And the entire entertainment industry has changed vastly, mostly because of social media.”
In this writer’s opinion, the good part of comedy artists utilizing social media comes down to being able to sell their wares and live showcases direct to consumers. And Tu Rae is definitely a comedy entrepreneur with a website full of stuff to sell. The downside of social media and comedy? Cancel culture and comedians having to watch their words and their backs, along with having to maintain a comic presence without giving away their entire act.
Asked which has been a harder road to navigate: 50 years of manhood or surviving 30 years of stand-up comedy, Tu Rae laughs. “I never thought about it like that. I do know that to be a 50-year-old Black man in relatively good health living a blessed life is something, but the part that I actively pursued was comedy, and for that, I am greatly thankful.”
As for making the most of his stand-up comedy pursuits in Philadelphia, Tu Rae is doubly thankful.
“Philadelphia is where I live,” he said. “My children are here or near here. So, I stayed initially because I didn’t want to leave them. As they got older, the internet and airports made the world smaller, so I was able to attack my career while living and thriving in Philadelphia.”
And though social and political landscapes may make it harder every year, Tu Rae keeps it light, tight and keeps moving.
“Being Philadelphia strong for me means that I don’t bend to the pressures of being offensive or political in my humor. It’s mine. It’s what I think. If it hurts your feelings, then you not Philadelphia strong.”
For tickets and showtimes, visit punchlinephilly.com
