Be quiet, Bon Qui Qui! It’s Anjelah Johnson’s turn to make Charlotte laugh

Anjelah Johnson is telling a story about a past visit to Charlotte, and from the sounds of it, she was having a Bon Qui Qui moment at the time.

“I remember I did a radio interview one day there, and they said something about the barbecue – like, it’s the home of barbecue or something? I was like, ‘Well, I feel like people in Texas would disagree with that,’ ” says the 34-year-old comedian best known for creating a hilariously combative fast-food employee named Bon Qui Qui for “MADtv.” “And I didn’t even realize that Charlotte was considered the South. Everybody kept saying it’s the South, and I’m like, ‘Whaaaaat? No, it’s the North. What do you mean?’ I didn’t get it.”

We can argue that geographical point with Johnson when she returns to town this weekend for a series of stand-up performances at The Comedy Zone as herself (not in character as Bon Qui Qui; she did that at uptown’s Knight Theater in 2015). But know this: In real-life, she’s nothing like her alter ego and her “I will cut you” threats.

Pleasant and polite as a Southern (Northern?) belle, the L.A.-based actress/comedian/former NFL cheerleader spoke with us by phone last week about her two very different approaches to comedy, the pros and cons of creating such an iconic character, and the pros and cons of social media.

Q. So give me a tease of some of the topics you’ll cover in the show you’re doing here in Charlotte.

I am working on my new hour – I’m filming February 3rd – and these next two weeks are my prep hours, so you’re gonna be getting my new show. It’s a lot of stories from my marriage, stories of things that have happened to me. ... My goal’s always to connect and relate to my audience. I want them to leave my show feeling like they got to know me better; not only that, but like we could be friends. I want people to leave going, “Oh my gosh, I could totally hang out with her!”

Q. How does the preparation differ between an Anjelah show and a Bon Qui Qui show?

It’s totally different. I mean, with a standup date, it’s just my life. It’s my everyday life. I live life during the week, then I get on a plane on the weekend, I go tell my stories, and I come home. With the Bon Qui Qui tour (which resumes April 27 in Indianapolis), it’s months before of working out, and dieting, and making sure I’m staying healthy, and getting into that brain of dancing and singing for multiple shows in a row.

Q. And then is it easier to sell a show with your name on it, or is it easier to sell a show with Bon Qui Qui’s?

With my name. I think people know what they’re getting with my name, because they’ve seen my specials on Netflix. With Bon Qui Qui, they’re like, “Wait, what exactly is it? ’Cause you do standup, and I get that she does music, but what is the show? I don’t get it...” So we’ve tried to explain what the show is in videos, by showing people what to expect. You can look up a video on YouTube – our tour announcement video: It’s Bon Qui Qui and Anjelah standing side by side, talking about what the show is, and we have some footage of our past tour.

Q. Is Bon Qui Qui in some ways a blessing and a curse? I mean, she’s not just a meal ticket for you, but she also continues to fill people up with laughter almost a decade after the character was born on TV. But I also wonder if there are times when she can overshadow all the other work you’ve done and are doing – whether sometimes you get to the point where you’re just like, “Dammit, shut up about Bon Qui Qui already!”

It’s exactly what you said: pros and cons, man. I’m so grateful that I have something that has resonated with so many people, that they find joy in it, and to the extent that they would pay their hard-earned money to come and see me live at a show – you know, what a blessing. I don’t take that for granted. And then there’s the other hand, where I have no makeup on, I just came from the gym, I’m going to target to get some toothpaste, and there’s somebody who wants to videotape me saying “Hi!” to their sister and doing all my most famous lines, and I’m like, “Oh.” (Makes cringing sound.) “OK...”

Q. Right. And if you made a big deal out of it, somebody might call for “Sah-cuh-ri-ty!” Just kidding. But you could end up getting called out on social media. Speaking of which: Thoughts on how social media has changed the way you do your job?

It’s a new world we live in, where social media is everything. You have to have an online presence, and you have to keep your fans happy and fed, basically. ... We have the ability to reach our fans at the touch of a button. We don’t have to try to book a late-night set on “The Tonight Show” in order to be seen by millions; we can just go on our phone and do it, you know? So there’s that aspect that’s amazing. But at the same time, we have to now not only work on stage, we have to work off-stage to entertain the fans. You’re entertaining during your show, and you’re entertaining when you’re off your show. You’re constantly entertaining.

Q. Another blessing-and-a-curse situation.

Exactly. Sometimes I have fun with it – I’m doing Snapchat or Instagram stories and I’m having fun just sharing my life – and other times, I’m like, “Damn, I have to post something. I have nothing to post. What am I gonna say? OK, well, here’s this!”

This story was originally published January 17, 2017 at 4:45 PM with the headline "Be quiet, Bon Qui Qui! It’s Anjelah Johnson’s turn to make Charlotte laugh."