On Sept. 2, comedian Ryan Kelly performed his stand up comedy routine at Brandeis. Kelly has made a big name for himself online in comedy, which led to a lot of anticipation for the event. This comedic event was organized by the Department of Student Engagement. There was free admission that was on a first-come, first-served basis. Kelly performed his stand-up in the Shapiro Campus Center theater to a packed audience. The stand-up comedy performance lasted a little more than an hour, and ended with a standing ovation. Following Kelly’s stand-up performance, he hosted a meet-and-greet just outside the theater for the excited fans.
In the past couple of years, Kelly has amassed over 1 million followers on Instagram and over 4 million followers on TikTok. He gained his fame for his stand-up comedy, some amusing online videos, quick comedy bits with his former roommate Ahmed and his online attacks of annoying scammers with the help of his Masters degree in Homeland Security. Kelly became known by the online handle @YouthPastorRyan, which he often states that he created based on how he believes his clean-cut looks are perceived.
Kelly’s stand-up routine discussed a myriad of topics. He is Jewish, which he expressed his happiness at being able to connect with Brandeis through that. Kelly told stories of his life growing up in Missouri. He then talked about his life in college and his strange roommate. He talked about moving to Los Angeles and incidents that have happened to him as an adult and at comedy shows. Kelly also talked about what it was like to work at Disneyland as a performer, playing roles like Spider-Man and a Stormtrooper. Kelly had the audience in complete stitches. Throughout the entire set, the audience was laughing and applauding. After the show, the audience lined up to meet with Kelly. Everyone in line got to talk to him and they also got to take a few photos with him. Based on observations, the whole event seemed to be a success.
To see some of Kelly’s comedy, you can follow him @ryankellycomedy on Instagram and @YouthPastorRyan on TikTok and Twitch. His comedy special “Girlfriends and Girl Friends” is available for rent on Amazon. Linktr.ee/YouthPastorRyan will provide you some more information about Kelly, including access to his Discord community, his merchandise, different ways to email him about a scam, a form to fill out for him to be your plus one at a wedding and more.
