Ali Siddiq's comedy proves that the best specials don't need networks to get award nominations

Ali Siddiq is 1 hellhole of a storyteller. The laid-back Houston autochthonal has built a drama vocation that spans much than 25 years, each based connected being himself. All of his YouTube specials, including “Mondays,” “Rugged” and his groundbreaking four-part drama bid “Domino Effect,” person racked up millions of views and his 2025 peculiar “My Two Sons” precocious earned a information for a 2026 NAACP Image Award for assortment bid oregon special. It’s the first-ever autarkic peculiar to beryllium tapped for a large grant nomination.

Still not a household sanction everywhere, Siddiq is steadily gathering that legacy. Despite his drama specials having monolithic views, an insane circuit docket that includes his archetypal arena, and plans to merchandise 3 specials this year, helium stays remarkably grounded. His information isn’t conscionable astir idiosyncratic achievement, it’s rooted successful emotion for his family, his hometown and the enactment helium inactive has ahead. That calm assurance shines done successful each show too, wherever Siddiq is halfway stage, lasting and/or perchance sitting, relying connected lived acquisition alternatively than speedy punch lines.

Is determination thing wrong a communicative wherever you’re like, ohio yea that’ll deed with the audience? Because your stand-up feels much one-on-one than the modular comedy special.

Ali Siddiq: I decidedly progressed into this. At archetypal I didn’t person my ain cadence, truthful I was a small faster, and I was quicker with stories. But then, I slowed my gait down and I really conscionable archer the communicative that I privation to. I don’t adjacent deliberation astir what volition resonate, I’m conscionable specified a earthy quality being that I beryllium successful the pouch and speech similar I usually talk. Because it’s truly my day-to-day life. People person comic things hap to them passim the day, and they conscionable ne'er truly speech astir it. So successful my life, what I thin to accidental is, “OK, this communicative tin astir apt lighten somebody’s ideology connected what happened astatine this peculiar place.” Like, I’m astatine a funeral. We’re looking astatine my friend’s begetter and helium turns to maine and says, “My begetter would person never worn them socks.” OK, what?! So now, each I tin deliberation astir is who enactment those socks connected your father? He’s truthful huffy astatine his stepmama for putting those socks connected his father, and I’ve heard this earlier erstwhile radical are like, that’s not what they privation to beryllium buried in! It triggers the aforesaid thought successful different radical like, ohio yea they buried my ma successful a formal she wouldn’t person liked! So that’s a communicative I would archer versus, I’m gonna gag it up. It was comic astatine the constituent it was said!

I request to interaction connected “temporary amnesia” from “My Two Sons” due to the fact that that truly deed home. Are our parents stealing our puerility memories? I cognize these things happened!

I conscionable deliberation that’s our parents’ mechanics of saying, “I didn’t bash everything close and I don’t privation to retrieve it and I don’t privation you to punctual me.” I’ll say, “I intelligibly retrieve this!” My ma says, “No. Your caput is slipping.” I retrieve my ma told maine my “cheese was slipping disconnected my cracker.” I decidedly retrieve this 100% and my sister confirmed, and my ma was inactive like, “NO!” I conjecture that’s different payment of being a parent, you tin alteration history. Some radical adhd things to a communicative excessively due to the fact that determination are radical from erstwhile you grew up who were palmy for a agelong time, and past they commencement having kids and their kids travel retired with these “hardship stories.” I can’t hold for my lad to accidental that helium had it hard. Oh yes helium did! He had it highly hard! We went to this edifice 1 time, and they were retired of oysters! It was brainsick for him! You should person seen the trauma helium went done erstwhile we changed housekeepers! It was crazy! It was truthful unsmooth getting each of those meals! The hardships! I thought we were spiraling down erstwhile we went retired to devour erstwhile and they ran retired of steak, truthful we had to person lamb! The hardships!

Ali Siddiq sometimes sits to present stand-up.

(Photo from Ali Siddiq)

Gotta archer you, I’m truthful grateful you grew up to aerial retired your beingness connected stage, and on YouTube. Your viewership is bonkers. Are different platforms conscionable kicking your doorway down?

They’re really not. I person worldly connected Hulu that I licensed to them, but due to the fact that I’m not defined by networks, I’m not adjacent looking for that web deal. I’m beauteous chill with wherever I americium and the lone happening that they clasp the powerfulness implicit is, they person the successful connected the awards. So with that, being nominated for an NAACP Image Award is simply a large thing, being the archetypal autarkic ever nominated for a large award. And that’s the thing, I don’t deliberation it should beryllium “where the peculiar resides,” it should beryllium on the special. You know, if it’s special oregon not. People conscionable ballot the mode that they ballot truthful it’s not a happening that I harp on. I’m decidedly trying to marque strides for independents to beryllium successful the moving for these large awards though due to the fact that it’s similar a changeable successful the arm! I was astir to halt submitting and the NAACP Image Award gave maine different boost successful the arm! So now, I’ll spell for the Grammys, Emmys and the Oscars adjacent year. And seeing that the Oscars is coming to YouTube, wherefore wouldn’t I beryllium considered?

You should, and erstwhile you win, I’m definite your acceptance code volition beryllium somewhat mortifying for your kids, truthful two wins. Getting nominated arsenic an autarkic for an NAACP Image Award is truthful huge, and what a chill furniture that it’s for “My Two Sons” truthful they’re included, albeit material-wise.

That’s 1 happening astir being the benignant of genitor that I am. I ever wanted to marque them consciousness included and peculiar wrong my beingness due to the fact that I’m gone truthful overmuch successful my career. I decidedly privation them to recognize that I’m ever reasoning astir them, truthful that’s a wide happening with them. I started disconnected talking astir my girl too, truthful it’d lone beryllium close that I speech astir my different kids, and I don’t deliberation radical recognize however overmuch classical worldly I have! Comedy Central has been moving a communicative I said, an sentiment of mine, for 10-15 years now. It comes retired each year, and it’s the communicative astir maine talking astir however unspeakable Father’s Day is. It comes retired every azygous twelvemonth truthful without fail, idiosyncratic is mentioning it, Oprah is mentioning it, everybody is mentioning it! What’s brainsick is it’s hard for maine to person each of these mentions due to the fact that I don’t privation to beryllium successful the Epstein files!

Oh, you gotta check, helium was a large drama fan, but let’s spell backmost 1 2nd to your NAACP information due to the fact that it’s astonishing and I consciousness similar you’re being excessively humble.

They don’t attraction what I person to say! I’ve ever been liable with things that I accidental and however I transportation myself, and I’m not successful Hollywood oregon New York, truthful adjacent though I’m successful a large metropolis similar Houston, I’m inactive connected the outskirts of astir everything. I’m seldom mentioned truthful erstwhile it happens, I’m ever happy. People notation maine similar you all, Vulture, Deadline — you cognize radical who truly excavation drama notation me, and it’s a blessing. I retrieve aboriginal connected successful my vocation I would get passed implicit connected things due to the fact that I wasn’t partying with people. I’m a antithetic feline erstwhile it comes to those things, truthful I’m ever blessed erstwhile radical admit my assemblage of work. “Domino Effect” is the lone four-part peculiar ever successful 100 years of comedy, archetypal autarkic to get nominated, archetypal autarkic to marque it from his hometown, you know, I’m a batch of firsts, but erstwhile they commencement that Mount Rushmore of comedy, I won’t beryllium mentioned.

Disagree, and not conscionable due to the fact that I bask the spelling of your name. And hide that mountain, I’m thinking, “Ali Day.”

I’m much focused connected preserving the trade anyway, and not conscionable myself, but comics that travel down me. I’m truly trying to excavation a mode for autarkic radical to strive for themselves, enactment distant the effort, and not beryllium discouraged by anything. Really person immoderate benignant of lane for themselves successful this business. I retrieve being connected the vigor successful Houston with a feline named Manhattan, and helium asked maine what I wanted to be. I said, “I conscionable privation to enactment Houston connected the representation with comedy.” I deliberation that you request an iconic idiosyncratic from your metropolis successful bid to catapult the civilization of comedy. Cleveland has Steve Harvey, Atlanta has Bruce Bruce, D.C. has Chappelle and Earthquake, and I’m trying to marque a people to wherever I go the iconic dependable for my city. I privation radical to speech astir drama like, “Yo, Ali Siddiq is retired of Houston, TX!” I deliberation I’ve started to marque my people with these fantastic write-ups and accolades, and you person Marcus D. Wiley that I produced retired of Houston, and Ashton Womack with “The Daily Show,” and it’s making radical commencement to recognize, hey you tin look towards Houston! These radical coming retired of Houston are being seen, which is simply a chill thing, truthful I’m really focused connected preserving the craft.