Chris James, a British-African comedian, performed a live stand-up comedy show for Bakersfield College via zoom on Feb. 25.

James began to follow his dream of doing stand-up comedy after a being a fashion model for some time. His style of comedy includes stories, impressions, and characters. He appeared on VH1, FOX, and HBO.

James’s comedy specials and one man show performances led to sold-out shows in New York City. He has lived in many places including England, South Africa, New York and LA. He continues to tour internationally to the best colleges and comedy venues around the world.

James uses comedy to share stories about his life as a person of color, and the obstacles he has encountered around racism and discrimination.

He started the show by encouraging the audience to interact with him by unmuting their microphones and putting their webcams for a more pleasant experience.

James shared about the judgments he faces because of his appearance. He said people assume that just because he is black that he is American. He also joked about people asking him what Black people eat in England. He said he gets mocked for celebrating the 4th of July because Brits don’t celebrate it. His response to that was “I love hot dogs!”

James told jokes about his parents refusing to get him a pet. The only pet they allowed him to get was a fish. He was laughing at what his mom told him; that the only reason he could have a fish, is because if he ends up not liking it, they can fry it for dinner.

James cracked jokes about the effect of COVID-19 on his dating life. From going on dates while maintaining social distance, or attempting small talk using his eyes because of wearing the mask. But he loved the fact that COVID-19 saved him money on dating as he used to go on FaceTime dates. One time he went on a facetime date all dressed up, with a glass of wine. To his surprise, his date was in her pajamas still trying to wake up. “I miss dating in person,” he said. James’s upcoming project includes him playing the leading role in a film.