American comedian and TV personality Kemah Bob has created and is hosting a brand-new podcast called ‘FOC IT UP with Kemah Bob’, produced by The Guilty Feminist’s team. FOC stands for Femmes of Color, however the podcast celebrates and centres on the perspectives of women, non-binary and trans-masculine comedians of color, and episodes are released every Tuesday.
Based on her live show The Femmes of Color Comedy Club (@focitupcomedy), the first season features performances and chat from over 50 different fierce and fabulous comedians. Recorded in London with a live audience, it is a rare opportunity to hear incredible comedy and get to know the folks behind the funny. Her many incredible guests include Taskmaster’s Desiree Burch and Sophie Duker, Esther Manito, theatre maker extraordinaire Travis Alabanza, Janine Harouni, Yuriko Kotani and the award-winning Shazia Mirza.
“Since co-hosting the Guilty Feminist years ago, I’ve always been inspired by its ability to raise awareness of amazing comedians that are often overlooked by the mainstream. And more-so its ability to align us with an audience that connects with our perspectives and may not have found us otherwise. Since founding FOC IT UP! one of my greatest joys is bringing relatable talent to an audience that many comedy spaces don’t cater to, and I’m delighted to say that with the help of The House of The Guilty Feminist I’ll be able to invite an even bigger audience to get to know these FOC-ing legends.” KEMAH BOB
As a Texas native new to London’s comedy scene, Kemah noticed blatant tokenism and a general a lack of non-white acts and audience members at mainstream gigs - which she found surprising in Europe’s most multicultural city. So she founded the Femmes of Color Comedy Club with one intention: to create a joyful and empowering experience for her acts and her audience.
“The House of The Guilty Feminist is fizzingly proud to present the FOC IT UP! podcast with the shooting star that is Kemah Bob. Her Femmes of Color Comedy Club is the freshest & most important new outfit in the British comedy landscape presenting both the hottest legendary talent and supporting exciting new emerging voices. Come out to the live shows for the IRL buzz or let us bring the big laughs to your headphones through the magic of podcasting. Prepare to be engaged, challenged and highly entertained as Kemah and the glorious comedians she showcases, in stand up and conversation, keep you giddy with laughter.” DEBORAH FRANCES-WHITE – The Guilty Feminist
Kemah (she/they) is a comedian, presenter, writer, actor, drag artist and producer. Her work centres black cultural identity, mental health, sexuality, healing and well-being using entertainment as a tool for enlightenment and empowerment. In addition to performing stand-up and hosting events around the UK and beyond – she has supported Hannah Gadsby, Nish Kumar, Desiree Burch and Jess Fostekew on tour.
Her TV work includes hosting ‘It’s A Sin – After Hours’ for Ch 4, co-hosting ‘The Island’ with Tom Allen (Dave 2021), Richard Osman’s House of Games, Jonathan Ross’ Comedy Club (ITV), PLS Like (BBC 3), Fully Blown (BBC 3), Guessable (Comedy Central), Mission Accessible (channel 4), Question Team (Dave), Stand Up For Live Comedy (BBC), Don’t Hate The Playaz, Celebrity Karaoke Club: Drag Edition, CelebAbility, Apocalypse Wow! and Stand-Up Sketch Show (all ITV2).
Kemah is a regular co-host on The Guilty Feminist podcast, playing the Palladium and Barbican and joining their UK tours. They also hosted Five Steps to Sexual Confidence, a BBC Sounds podcast on “owning your sexuality”. She can also be heard featuring on... well too many other podcasts including Off Menu, James Acaster’s Perfect Sounds, You’re Dead to Me, Sarah Millican’s Elephant in the Room and Brett Goldstein’s Films To Be Buried With.
LISTINGS:
Location: 21 Soho 3-5 Sutton Row London - W1D 4NR
Time: 7-10pm
Tickets for all shows: https://www.21-soho.com/foc-it-up
September 16th
October 4th
October 20th
LEARN MORE ABOUT FOC IT UP & FIND THE PODCAST: https://www.focitupcomedy.com/
