Rising Stars: Meet Jenna Kim Jones of Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenna Kim Jones.

Hi Jenna Kim, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
When I was 18 I moved to New York City to attend college and became really interested in working in television. After 5 internships in TV, I graduated and was really lucky to land a job at The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. That’s where I found stand up comedy. I fell in love with it after watching so many of my co-workers get up there and tell jokes. So after work, I would go to every open mic I could and eventually I started to do stand up more and more. I left TV to pursue comedy and never looked back! (Although I still really love television and was able to host a television show called Random Acts which was a blast!)

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I wish I could say once I started working in stand up it was all sunshine and rainbows but it’s been an up and down journey and it still is! The drama never ends because even when you’re killing it, even when you’re booked on shows and headlining clubs, comedy is cruel and you can have an off night. Nothing is worse. Ask any comic.

Since I started stand up, I got married, left NYC and moved to LA, started having children, moved to Atlanta (apparently I only do cross country moves), had more kids and I’m still working. Stand up comedy is like a muscle and it can be hard to start and stop which I’ve had to do here and there because I’ve chosen to have kids. I have four! Four kids! I performed during all of my pregnancies but always took a few months off after they were born to recover. The soonest I worked after having a baby was after my second was born. I took a quick commercial job at 4 weeks post partum. I was pumping milk during breaks in the bathroom. I also released a new album about six weeks after I had my 4th child. I recorded that album when I was 8 months pregnant. So while pregnancy and motherhood has slowed me down (a choice I very much made), it has never stopped me!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a comedian. I love comedy and when I originally set out to work in TV, I always wanted it to be in comedy.

I’ve had an interesting comedy journey that has felt different from my peers. I have four kids and because of that, I’m constantly losing my mind. Ok that’s only partially true. What I really mean is my schedule is different, I pick and choose shows around my family and also my ability to travel in and out of town quickly. I live on 6 AM flights and red eyes (yes, I am tired, thank you for asking). One of the best things about living 20 minutes from the Atlanta airport is that I can get anywhere I want to go, just about any time of the day plus I get to ride the plane train which my four year old son is always very jealous of. I try really hard to maintain a healthy work/life balance so I can be a mom to my kids and also fulfill my dream of and passion for performing and making people laugh.

I work clean so you won’t hear anything from that you’d be embarrassed to hear in front of your grandma. My shows are for everyone! If you come to see me, everyone you bring, no matter who they are will find something to laugh at, I guarantee it.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
As a comedian, it’s really hard not to care what people think. Every time I perform, I’m putting myself out there in hopes that what I say makes people laugh. When I step back and think about what I have chosen to do, I question my sanity. Why do I love this?

So I’ve learned along the way, that I have to be myself and I cannot compare myself to anyone else. Which is the other really hard thing to do in comedy. Comedians are always being compared to one another. I mean, am I flattered that I’ve been called the PG Amy Schumer and the female Jim Gaffigan? Yes, yes I am. But I also want to be me! So I think that most important thing is, I have to be me and I have to only be me. I have to be honest and (while I sort of hate this word, it’s the right one) authentic. When I do that, comedy is fun again and I remember why I love it so much.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jennakimjones.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/jennakimjones
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/jkjcomedy
• Twitter: https://x.com/jennakimjones
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/jennakimjones
• Yelp: jennatries.com
• Soundcloud: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jenna-tries/id831310808