Sam Morrison’s Unforgettable 5 gigs

LA-based comedian Sam Morrison brings his show, Sugar Daddy, about queer love, loss and diabetes diagnosis to Underbelly Boulevard in Soho, Central London, from today. Here are his Unforgettable Five gigs ‘which really made me’ – in reverse order:

5. The Stand Up NBC finals

Stand Up NBC was this competition that auditioned comedians in cities all over the US. People would wait outside overnight for an opportunity to perform one (1!) minute for the executives of NBC, which included the booker of The Tonight Show, and three or four other really important industry people.

I did it. I waited out overnight, which was of course, very memorable. I was there with my other friends and colleagues, and we made a great time of it, but in retrospect, there should have been a better system. I don't think you should be making amateur comedians pull all-nighters for an opportunity to perform one minute, or is that just me? 

Most of us were obviously poor as hell and trying to make it, but I did my minute, and got invited into the semi-finals. For the semis, they chose six people from each audition location to perform their one minute sets in major cities like Nashville, New York, Chicago. From those gigs, the panel chose six to eight people to fly to LA and do a five minute set in the finals. 

I went through the whole process and got chosen to fly to LA, to perform in the finals of this NBC competition. I was 24, and I was so, so excited for this opportunity. I was mostly performing in open mics as well as bar shows, and it just felt like THE biggest deal in the entire world. They put me up in this gorgeous hotel in Los Angeles, which I had never been to before, and you perform at The Hollywood Improv for all this industry (the audience is almost entirely industry). 

And I BOMBED. It was devastating. And I was so depressed afterwards and it felt like my career was over. It wasn't logical, but it really felt like I'd just performed and introduced myself to the entire industry, and they all saw me, and they saw me bomb. 

Knowing what I do now, of course, it doesn't matter at all. Didn't affect my career one bit. I can get into the politics of why that is, but I think that experience was fundamental for me learning that no single performance is going to create a career, and that I woke up the next day and I was so sad, and I was ultimately okay. 

I had more shows booked, and I ecided that 'I'm just gonna keep doing this because it's what I love to do and it's what I feel like I'm meant to do'.

4. Late night debut with Seth Myers

This one's a bit more celebratory. It was really special for a lot of reasons, but when I started stand-up, I always loved late-night sets. I'd always watch them on YouTube religiously and I studied them, and I was just a fan of them. And it's really, really hard to have a good late-night set. It's a really, really constricting format. 

I had almost got on The Tonight Show several times, and that was a sort of heartbreaking process for me, and then finally the Seth Myers booker saw me, and immediately was just like: 'Yes! We want this to happen. Let's make this happen'. 

The whole process was so seamless. They were so open to me pushing boundaries. I got to say 'Grindr' on network television and do a bottoming joke, and I got to do grief material too. Seth Myers came into my dressing room afterwards and was so sweet and prepped the audience in a perfect way. 

Also my mom was there, that was so special. She was stealing green room snacks which was fucking awesome - I love Jewish mothers. My friends were there. My agent was there, who I love. And it was just a really special experience. I felt surprisingly comfortable performing, and I'm really grateful that I got to have that experience. 

3. First show after the pandemic

I'd say another really special one was my first performance coming back from the pandemic. I remember it was an outdoor show and I hadn't performed in so long, and it was basically no audience, but it was such a good vibe. 

All the other comedians were so excited to be there. I specifically remember seeing my friend Dara Jemmott. We hadn't really kept in touch over the pandemic, and she is one of those comedians who I absolutely love. We were so excited to see each other and it just felt like the world was coming back a little bit. 

2. My first proper open mic

Technically it was this little open mic at college in my college town of Ithaca in New York state. Unfortunately it went well and it made my ego HUGE, and I was like 'Oh, I can do this'. 

But then the real formative experience for me was the first open mic I did when I went to New York City. Well, actually, the second gig I did in NY. The very first open mic I went to there, I don't really remember that well, but what I do remember is meeting the other comedians afterwards. 

One of them told me about another gig that was around the corner that we can go to and still have time to put our name in the bucket. That was at this little bar on the Lower East Side, called Karma Lounge. And I went there and it was a little bit more on the 'in' of the comedy scene at the time, so there were a lot more experienced comedians, and I got to see what an actual open mic was like. 

I absolutely bombed (a theme emerges). I didn't get a single laugh. BUT I got to see all these other comedians who were taking it super seriously and it was half the same comedians as the first gig, and they did the same jokes, and I got to see how actual comedians were taking this really seriously and pay attention to their craft. And then I also got to realise that I was absolutely awful and had years and years of hard work ahead of me. 

1. The Sugar Daddy performance where Jonathan's PR friends came

Sugar Daddy’s the show I created in response to losing my ex-boyfriend to Covid. The performance I did where his friends came along was an absolute blast. They were hooing and hollering throughout the whole thing, and it's hard to put into words how meaningful that was.

It was a really, really special show and I felt totally supported and loved, and felt his [Jonathan's] presence. We went for a drink afterwards and it was a really positive experience that I think we all needed.

• Sam Morrison’s Sugar Daddy is at  Underbelly Boulevard Soho from tonight until 5 to April 4, Tickets.  Sam is  @samuelhmorrison on Instagram and the show is at @_sugardaddyshow 

Published: 5 Mar 2026