FRONT ROW OR FRONTAL LOBOTOMY? –
Feb. 26, 2022 – Helberg got into comedy because it was on his bucket list, he says by phone from his home in Southern California. He had been interested in theater when he was young but had put off trying stand-up comedy out of fear.
“I took a class and did a workshop and did a little recital at The Improv in 2008,” he says. “I hit the ground running and started doing open mics because it was not as terrifying as I thought it would be.”
Several years later, after years of alcoholism and drug addiction, he got sober, and being more clear-headed helped him focus on his act. After a few more years of performing at open mics and some booked gigs around Southern California, however, he was still looking for his place in the comedy scene.
“I decided to start doing shows for people in recovery in Los Angeles, and then a hospital in Encino gave me a call,” he says. “They said, ‘Hey, we heard about your show. We can’t bring people to your show because they’re in drug detox, but why don’t you come and do a show here?’ Me and my buddies went and did a show for a handful of people, and they absolutely loved it and were so excited they were able to get some laughs in without any drugs in their body. I realized at that moment that this is an awesome thing that I had to keep doing.”
