Rodney Perry is a highly respected and hardworking comedian, having opened for the likes of George Lopez, Steve Harvey and Cedric the Entertainer, to name a few. Mr. Perry has hosted comedy shows like “Who’s Got Jokes” and starred in films like Tyler Perry’s “Madea’s Big Happy Family” and Eddie Murphey’s “Coming 2 America.” If not on tour or producing you can be sure the hardest working man in comedy has got something in the works.

I Ascend: Please share with us, who is Rodney Perry?

Rodney: Rodney Perry is a husband, a great father, a comedian, an actor, and a good guy. When you get to know him you will discover that he is nice, he is opinionated, and he is a great friend. Rodney is always working on being better than he was the day before. Yeah, I like him. He is a real good guy.

I Ascend: How many years have you been in this profession?

I Rodney: I have been a comedian for a long time. It is astonishing and kind of crazy to process this most of the time, in regards to how long it has been. It has probably been thirty plus years. I believe that you have a couple of different starts, it is the first time you ever go on a stage, which is one year. Then there is another moment when you become a professional and that is the beginning of another start. That moment happened for me around Nineteen Ninety eight. That would put me around twenty four years as a professional in the business but thirty plus doing what I do overall.

I Ascend: What has been the process of “Becoming” on this journey been like for you?

Rodney: The process of becoming that is a great question. The best way I can explain the process is to say, that I became quickly, but then I became over time. When I was a small child, I was about seven years old when I knew I wanted to be a comedian. In that instance I became a comedian. I started telling jokes. I was the kid that would host all the talent shows. I had a teacher that would let me tell jokes at the end of the day if I shut up during class time. The point I am making is I became immediately. But it would take many years, where it was no longer an idea of becoming before I would find it as a profession. I honestly did not even know at the time you could make money doing this. Now here we are many years later with homes, cars, kids and college tuition and all that good stuff on the back of jokes.

I Ascend: What hardships have you faced in Ascending to where you are?

Rodney: This business is a business of “No,” and you really do not know when the yes is coming. That means your test is withstanding all the No’s until the yes comes. That is the biggest hurdle for any artist, or any person that is going to embark on a career. How about this, there is usually no reference point. Most of us that are in entertainment are first generation entertainers. We did not have an uncle, a guy friend or a girl friend to go to get some direction. When I told my mother I was about to do comedy full time, her first question was “Who’s going to pay the bills?” This little lady read me the riot act for an hour about all the reasons why I should not move forward. Then I told her “I am not telling you this for your permission. I am telling you this because I love you and I want you to know what I am doing next.” She saw that I was passionate about this and she eventually embraced the decision I made.

I Ascend: Who served as your Cushion and Support Team during the hard times?

Rodney: I would have to say in retrospect of having thought about this honestly, my wife, and my family. They showed up, they kept me focused. When you have people depending on you, you do not have the luxury of playing. While you are in the process, there are many vices that this business will afford you. If you take your eye off the prize and become fallen prey you can lose sight of what truly matters. I am grateful for my family because they held me accountable.

I Ascend: What have these experiences taught you? The Highs and the Lows if any?

Rodney: There are a litany of lessons. Respect has always been very important, whether it is my peers, or my family, respect has always been important to me. As you navigate life in general, there are any number of lessons I could pull from. I want to be really thoughtful about this answer. I learned to be trustworthy. I learned to be a man of my word. We are in a time now where, people are being canceled. I recall a time when Mo’Nique the Oscar winner and my friend, we had performed a show together. I offended some people. I did not even realize it, sometimes you can be offensive without knowing it. I reached out and I apologized because I honestly did not intend to offend anyone. To make amends, I went back the following year as I promised. I did the show for free to let them know I was sincere. It was great for everyone involved. We were able to heal and repair the offense. Mo’Nique would tell me later, “Rodney that is why I mess with you because, your integrity is head and shoulders above the rest.” Mo’Nique and I are friends to this day, I learned integrity is everything. How you navigate this life in dealing with people really means something. Even if you are a comedian who people do not take seriously, or you are someone in corporate America, your integrity matters.

I Ascend: How do you juggle your time with your home life while pursuing your craft?

Rodney: It is the thing I am always in a perpetual state of working on because I am a workaholic. I am always working, even when we are on vacation. I do not know a time when I am not working. However, as I get older, I am trying to get better at stopping and resting. I am working on being okay in the moment and learning to relax. It is very difficult for me to relax, I am a work in progress on that.

I Ascend: Congratulations on Ascending and standing in your Truth and Pursuing Destiny. What do you want people to remember most about you?

Rodney: At the end of the day, when my chapter is done, and people are talking about the best to do it. I just want to be in a conversation. I do not have to be the Michael Jordan, but, I would like to be you know, Charles Barkley, or Kareem Abdul Jabbar. I would like to be in the conversation of the guys that were the best. If I can achieve that on this journey, then I will be just fine. I teach an Improv Workshop, and I was talking with my students. I was telling them, you have to be okay with patting yourself on the back sometimes. It is okay every now and again, to tell yourself you did a great job. Sometimes you cannot wait for people to give you that. To every person that reads this, just know that you deserve to be able to celebrate yourself. I have a friend who is brilliant at making your day. When he would call, the moment you picked up the phone, he would just start introducing you like you were a star. “Ladies, and gentlemen, coming to the stage is Rodney Perry” This guy would go down a list of the person’s credits and everything. When I reflect and look back on that, I am in awe of how powerful that really was. Think about the last time you stopped to really recognize your accomplishments? That matters; it allows you to see that you have done some great things. Sometimes we are so busy looking ahead, that we do not take inventory of what we have already done.

I Ascend: What word of advice would you give to the readers to have them to continue to ascend in pursuit of their dream, no matter where they are currently?

Rodney: Ascension is important, you have to do a couple of things before you can ascend. You have to commit. I will put it in these terms. Find the thing you love to do, do it, and do not quit. The only way you lose is if you quit. The only way you fail to ascend, is if you stop flapping your wings. You have to press forward and be comfortable with pressing and forward movement, which has been my journey. You must constantly reinvent yourself, and constantly find every goal you achieve as an opening to another door. Most importantly, continue to trust that God is going to continue to guide your steps.

I Ascend: Can you share with us a bit about your health recovery?

Rodney: I had a stroke. I was diagnosed with hypertension, maybe five years before, and I was not taking the medication. I am like most black men, I was failing in attending to my health. They gave me the medication and my libido took a hit. I decided not to take my medicine and that was a foolish decision. I should have went back to my doctor and asked for another option or a different medication. Then five years later, I was in Denver, Colorado for a show and I had a stroke. The blessing is that it was a moment of learning. It was a moment for God to make me stop; a guy that never stops. It was a moment to stop and take inventory of my life. In that moment I had to decide how I wanted to live the rest of it. It has been a pretty good run in recovering for me, everybody does not get to come back with basically no damages. I’m blessed to be able to hit the stage and get back to work again.

I Ascend: I watched one of your recent performances. The first thing you did was give the credit for still being present (living) and being able to perform to God. Kudos to you because many do not acknowledge or give God the glory publicly.

Rodney: I had some real talks with God when I was in the hospital. I asked, “Why me?” And He was very clear, “Why not you?” He is allowing me to tell my story through writing period. I now have the opportunity to explain to black men the importance of the taking care of themselves. I get to share with men in general that if they have been diagnosed with Hypertension not to take that information lightly. I can share my experience that if they feel the medication is not working for them, they need to discuss it with the physician and find other options.

I Ascend: Please share with us some of the projects you’re currently working on. How can our readers continue to follow and stay abreast of all that you’re doing?

Rodney: I did a movie last year which should be coming this spring. The film is titled “Easter Sunday, with Jo Koy, an extraordinary Filipino comedian. Jo Koy got an opportunity to be the star of this movie and called me to be a part of it. That is the kind of guy that he is. I am always touring so, I am probably in your city right now as you read this. I am always creating content, if you want to be a producer, you have to produce. If you want to be creative, you have to create. I recently created a show called “Five Quick Questions” where I asked my friends, comedians, actors, and interesting people that I have met five questions. Be sure to check it out, you can find that program on my YouTube Channel. You can follow on most social media platforms as Rodney Perry Live. My website is Rodneyperry.com.