Houston comedian Ezra Washington has lost more than one gig because he works clean. ”The number one reason I decided to change my approach to comedy,” Washington says, ”was so that my mother could come and see me perform. But she’s an extremely devout Christian, and I knew she would never come to a club. One day I listened to the other comics on the show and I knew that I didn’t want my mother to come and sit through a show full of profanity just to see me.” After a one-time stint as MC at a church event, Washington was asked to perform his stand-up set, the profanity-free version. ”I ended up putting on a 45-minute show, clean; I realized that was harder than doing stand-up at a regular comedy club.”
The change in approach cost Washington a spot on Def Comedy Jam. Producers reminded him that it was a late-night show on HBO and profanity would be expected. Initially Washington agreed, but when he hit the stage, he changed his mind. ”I went out and did a clean set, got a standing ovation and…they didn’t air it.” The Comedy Showcase, where Washington will perform this weekend, has no such concerns.
Dec. 21-22, 8 & 10:30 p.m., 2012
This article appears in Jun 14-20, 2012.