“I knew dressing like a party promoter would get me women in Houston,” said Karlous Miller, laughing as he motioned to the green shorts and shirt he was wearing to the crowd. Addressing audience members who responded in kind, he singled out the women yelling at him: “If the two or three of y’all keep talking about how good I look we are gonna have ourselves an auction!”
Miller started his career in Atlanta as a comedian, actor, and rapper after leaving his job as a firefighter in Oxford, Mississippi. He began to build up his name working and appearing on TV shows like Hell Date, The Mo’nique Show, Comic View, and Last Comic Standing.
After becoming one of the standouts on Nick Cannon’s hit MTV show Wild ‘n Out he launched The 85 South Show with castmates DC Young Fly and Chico Bean. The show has become a cultural touchstone, mixing elements of Hip Hop, pop culture, music, interviews and improv in a live show and podcasts which has hosted guests such as Bruce Bruce, Young Joc, Ms Pat, Key Glock, Funny Marco, Amanda Seales, Deon Cole, Z-Ro, Lil Flip, Lil Keke and Boosie.
The group has even helped to extend the reach of up-and-coming podcasts like the Pour Minds Podcast and the We Talk Back Podcast. The 85 South Show has brought a fresh take to the tradition of improv comedy shows like Whose Line Is It Anyway, Wild ‘N Out and An Evening at the Improv garnering them a fan base that has allowed them to tour the country. The trio released 85 South: Ghetto Legends on Netflix this summer, a Stan Lathan directed “freestyle special” filmed at the Gateway Center Arena in Atlanta which had the group displaying their crowd working skills and featuring musical guests Rich Homie Quan and Goodie Mob.
Since the launch of their podcast, The 85 South show has amassed 2.4 million YouTube subscribers, 3 million followers on Instagram, a iHeart Radio nomination for Best Comedy Podcast, and their own video-on-demand service Channel Eighty Five. To his own credit, Miller has been featured on the HBO stand-up series All Def Comedy and Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Network.
While the group is still touring and recording, Miller takes the time out to tour his own solo show, Karlous Miller: At The End Of The Day, a multi city tour that touched down at the Cullen Performance Hall on the University of Houston Campus. The show is much in line with his improv style developed over the years with Wild N’ Out and 85 South. Miller is at his best when working with the crowd and doesn’t appear to be stumped or caught off guard by any interruption..
Whether addressing how hot it is in Houston, how COVID has changed our interactions, or even making audience members move down the row to give others space, Miller’s show is an interactive affair with him acting as a comedy tour guide. For fans of improv comedy like 85 South it didn’t disappoint.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
