He’s a writer and actor on the award-winning CBS sitcom “The Neighborhood” and is featured on the one-hour comedy special “Laughing Voodoo” on YouTube. A comedian with a knack for humor, Malik S., the youngest of seven, has been telling jokes for a very long time.
“We all told jokes growing up,” says the comedian. “I didn’t know I was funny until after high school. I just thought we were all funny, but people would say ‘you really are funny.’ I didn’t realize there was a difference.”
Known for his wit, acerbic and observational humor, Malik came by his art naturally. For the comedian, there’s no topic or people out of bounds when it comes to comedy.
“If I think it’s funny, I will touch it. I am not really worried about this whole cancel stuff, and I don’t get caught up in that. The only people who want you canceled are those who don’t like you anyway. If you are putting more weight on my words than our President, then clearly you have an agenda. And he’s not off limits either.”
On “Laughing Voodoo,” the comedy special directed by Cedric the Entertainer, Malik muses on dating, politics, sex, religion and even his children are fodder for humor.
“I do pretty much whatever I find interesting. It could be something I want to share about my personal life or even something that I witness,” adds the comedian who was born in Miami to Haitian immigrants and cites comedic legends D. L. Hughley and Cedric the Entertainer as his inspiration.
“Those are the guys I used to watch on BET’s ComicView back in the day. I got to work with those guys and have traveled the world with them.Cedric knows my comedy, so it was easy to make it happen for ‘Laughing Voodoo.”
Malik, whose projects include TV Land’s “The Soul Man,” “Black-ish” and the Netflix film “You People,” is working on a two-hour comedy special slated for release later this year. He also has an upcoming podcast titled “3 Dope Dads” where he and two other dads discuss fatherhood.
“We all have a dad in our lives, whether present or not present. It is a podcast open to everybody to discuss their fathers as we all have something to bring to the table. Comedy has opened many doors for me and I am open to exploring everything.”
By Samantha Ofole-Prince
