Ever Mainard: Comedy Impresario

John Henton will never forget where it all started…on the road. John continues performing in clubs, writing new jokes, and traveling the country, but recently took a break to appear in a guest role on a “Hannah Montana” episode. Back in July of 2005, John performed at the Montreal International Comedy Festival – Just For Laughs. Initially scheduled for one performance at their “Uptown Comedy Show,” John had the audience in so much laughter, that he was asked to perform at the second show. John has also paired up with former “Living Single” co-star Kim Coles and together they have delighted audiences as well.

After having nine successful years on network television, John Henton established a name for himself as one of today’s leading comic talents. He is fortunate to be among an elite group of actors who found success on the small screen. He found a loyal and endearing following through the lovable and sensible character of “Overton Wakefield Jones” on the FOX hit sitcom “Living Single,” and the loyalty continued with fans embracing the character of “Milsap” on the sitcom, “The Hughleys.” For its third season, “The Hughleys” moved to UPN, and contributed to the network’s very successful Monday night line-up. “The Hughley’s” wrapped its fourth and final season in spring 2002. John’s stellar television work has not gone unnoticed, as he was recognized in 2001 and 2002 with an NAACP Image Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

Born and raised in Cleveland, John Henton never entertained the thought of a career in comedy. In 1982, while working during the day and studying computer science at night, Henton was urged by a co-worker to try his jokes at a local comedy club’s amateur night. By his second night, Henton won the amateur night contest and began stand-up part time. Henton made the move to Los Angeles in 1985 and by 1988 started his stand-up career full time.

After taking his comedy on the road for a year and winning the 1991 Johnny Walker National Comedy Search, Henton was spotted by “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” comedy executive, the late Jim McCawley, who booked him for a performance on the show. As he finished his set, Henton looked to Carson for his approval and received much more. Henton was called over to take a seat on the coveted couch where Carson asked him if he had an agent. To Henton’s reply of “no,” Carson mugged, “Well, you will after tonight.” It was a performance that Henton says gave his career a “serious jump-start.”

Since then, Henton has made appearances on “The Arsenio Hall Show” and “Bob Hope’s Young Comedian’s Special” as well as returning to “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” In January 1993, Henton starred in his own half-hour comedy special for Showtime, “John Henton: Comedy With An Attitude.” John performed on Comedy Central’s “Premium Blend” to an overwhelming audience response.

In April of 1993, Henton was cast in the FOX TV series “Living Single” starring Queen Latifah, Kim Fields and Kim Coles. The show received stellar ratings, and TV Guide selected Henton’s character as one of the “break out” characters of the 1993-fall season. When the show came to an end after five years, Henton was proud and pleased with the work he had done on the show. He continues to be a favorite on talk shows with appearances on “Weekends at the DL,” “Best Damn Sports Show” “The View,” “Late Night With Conan O’Brien,” “The Howie Mandel Show,” “Roseanne,” “Later,” “Donny & Marie,” “Fox and Friends” and “Politically Incorrect.”

Although Henton lives in Los Angeles, he will always call Cleveland home. He spends his free time with his adorable little girl Nicole Simone Henton. Currently, he is sharpening his golf skills.

Is it possible to joke about rape? Listen to this Story EIGHT FORTY-EIGHT | FEB. 10, 2012

Chicago stand-up comedian Ever Mainard has become a viral sensation by joking about something that many people consider verboten: rape. Vocalo’s Brian Babylon and Molly Adams spoke with Tony about breaking taboos in the name of comedy, and how truth can sometimes trump taste. Before going on 848, Brian and Molly talked with Ever Mainard in her Lincoln Square neighborhood about her sudden fame. Below is an edited look at her responses to their queries; hit play to hear their whole conversation.

How does it feel to be internet famous?

It feels kind of cool, but also strange, because my mom doesn’t own the internet, so she doesn’t get it. She’s like, “What does that mean?”

Can a rape joke be funny?

Absolutely! Obviously. I think the thing that people are missing is that it’s not necessarily a rape joke. Like I went on stage knowing a little bit like, I want to tell this story about how it felt as a woman to be followed, and having that perception in her mind…because one out of four women are raped. And the statistics climb higher. So there’s that thought in my mind like, this is it. There’s nobody else around, this guy’s following me. And he wasn’t being discreet about it. I’m just walking to the corner store. Like I’m walking towards you.

After you realized you were fine, did you feel bad for overreacting?

Right, everything was fine, I just ducked. I just got out of there. I wasn’t raped, obviously. I think that joke would have happened a lot differently if I had been raped. But it’s just a joke about that whole idea of being a woman, knowing that…it’s like a cloud. It’s like a black cloud, walking alone at night.

Is this a way to get this topic out in the open?

I think that’s a gift that we all share as comedians is to be able to talk about this, and not just rape in general, but taboo subjects. And to bring it to other people’s minds, in front of their faces, without just being like, barky. Does that make sense?

I think as comedians that’s our gift. Yeah, we can tell fart jokes all we want, but we also have that power, because we’re on a stage with a microphone, and we have so many peoples attention. And they’re listening to us, and they want to hear what we say, and they want to hear what we have to say, and when you have that power, you can say whatever you want.

Some people said that you were racist for pointing out that the man who was following you was Black. What do you think about that claim?

I did say it was a Black man, but I also said that race had nothing to do with it. It didn’t matter, this persons skin color. What mattered was that I was being followed by a man, and no matter what color, a woman will always be scared when they’re walking alone at night, and some dude just jumps out of nowhere and starts aggressively following you….A fur hood and sunglasses at night! You’re covering your face!

Atomic Comics

   By Matt Byrne February 10, 2012   For every well-established piece of entertainment the city has to offer, there seems to be five new ventures competing for your attendance. The New Pollution looks to cut through the smog to spotlight the events that could easily become the next big thing in Chicago’s ever-growing comedy, literary, and storytelling scenes.

What it is: Atomic Comics: Masters of the Humorverse is a new comedy showcase at the Mayne Stage theater in Rogers Park. The show kicked off last month, with a lineup boasting some of the city’s most popular standup comedians, including A.V. Club contributor Dan Telfer, the insanely talented Candy Lawrence, and viral hit Ever Mainard. In the coming months, the show will return to Mayne Stage, with the Double Header, a riff on the show’s concept, running Friday, Feb. 10 and Saturday, Feb. 11.

Who’s behind it: Nellie Huggins, a local freelance writer, was moved to work with the Mayne Stage after attending a showcase that the theater put together last fall when the scheduled headliner, Maria Bamford, canceled her appearance due to illness. “I’ve always loved Chris Ritter [general manager at Mayne Stage and former Lakeshore Theater owner],” says Huggins, “and when I went to Mayne Stage and the Bamford show got cancelled, without even skipping a beat, they comped everybody’s tickets and still put on a really good show. It spoke volumes to me about independent comedy as a whole, as well as Mayne Stage, the vibe was so good.”

After this negative-cancellation-turned-positive-local-showcase, Huggins wrote Ritter to ask about producing a show, and spent the next few months developing the idea for Atomic Comics and aggressively scouting talent. While this is her first solo venture in producing shows, her experience within the scene is much deeper. In addition to her coverage of local comedy for Gapers Block(including a comprehensive, generation-spanning feature on some of the city’s finest female comedic performers), Huggins also spent one season producing for local comedy juggernaut The Lincoln Lodge.

Why it’s worth your time: The first Atomic Comics event happened to be booked for the one night in January 2012 with legitimately horrendous winter weather, but went on undeterred. “We had an amazing turnout despite the blizzard. It was the only show that didn’t cancel and we still filled almost 70 seats,” recalls Huggins.

Those 70 or so people were certainly on to something, because soon after, Ritter asked Huggins to produce two shows in February, and the Double Header was born. A cousin to the Atomic Comics showcase that Huggins hopes to make a regular feature at Mayne Stage, Double Header provides three up-and-coming comics with the opportunity to open for a pair of popular local acts over two nights.

Dave Stinton, David Drake, and Natalie Jose will share the bill the first night with Kelsie Huff, producer of the all-lady showcase The Kates, and will spend the next evening with Adam Burke, cohost of Cole’s excellent open mic night. The juxtaposition of fresh talent and well-versed scene vets will make for an especially intriguing set of shows.

The future’s bright for all those involved with Atomic Comics. Nellie Huggins’ ongoing collaboration with the folks at Mayne Stage has produced intelligently curated comedy with some of the city’s finest, and at one of the most underrated venues. 

Check it out guys! An article about “Rape Tag” and my jokes lands in the blog!