‘Shoutout’: Caleb Hearon talks comedy, queerness, politics, and more at latest SPB event – studlife.com

Courtesy of Social Programming Broad
Life advice. Dream blunt rotations. An accidental 6-7 joke. Comedian Caleb Hearon brought it all to the Clark-Fox Forum in front of a packed crowd of WashU undergraduates last Wednesday, April 1. Student Union’s Social Programming Board (SPB) teased the event for weeks leading up to the show.
Hearon, a performer of many types (stand-up comedian, actor, improv-er, content creator, and the list goes on), is arguably best known for his podcast, “So True with Caleb Hearon.”
SPB is responsible for all those big names you see coming to campus: FloRida, Natasha Bedingfield, and now, Hearon. From concerts like Walk in, Lay Down (WILD) and Night at the Pageant (NAP) to comedy shows to paintball games, SPB members and executives are the ones sending off a million emails to make the magic happen. 
This was many students’ first ever SPB event. For some, they felt there was a lack of communication and advertising on SPB’s part. Junior Coco Jones said that she found out about the event through word of mouth, not directly from any advertisements for Hearon’s appearance.
“I just didn’t know about a lot of events happening. … I only knew this because I had heard [Hearon’s] name before,” Jones said. 
Despite students’ previous lack of awareness and interest in entertainment speakers on campus, WashU students turned out last Wednesday night with students lining up an hour early to nab a seat in the Forum. Clark-Fox was soon filled to the brim, with every seat taken both on the ground floor and on the balcony above. Many students resorted to sitting on the floor of the Hillman balcony. 
SPB President Shannon Rao shared the positive outcomes of Hearon’s visit for the future of SPB events.
“This success inspires us to continue bringing a diverse range of speakers to campus,” Rao wrote in an email to Student Life. “This event helps demonstrate to the University that programming like this is both popular and impactful, reinforcing the case for the funding needed to bring speakers of Caleb’s caliber to campus.”
While many audience members were avid listeners of “So True,” some WashU students were deeply in the know of Hearon’s career. 
A row full of Mama’s Pot Roast (MPR) improv members (whom Hearon engaged with multiple times throughout the talk — ‘tis the nature of improv) were eager to shoutout Hearon’s improvisational roots. 
Sophomore Winston Mattson of MPR was looking forward to learning about how Hearon’s comedy and activism intersect.
“I’m interested in how he’s channeling his improv experience into his advocacy work, because that’s something I’m interested in long term, and seeing how he’s using his platform for social justice issues,” Mattson said.
Ty Eveland, senior and member of MPR, was similarly interested in how Hearon’s journey with improv could inform his own plans for after graduation. 
“[I’m] curious about his journey in comedy, specifically post-college, and how he kept comedy in his life and has now made a career out of it,” he said.
After SPB began the event by introducing moderators, senior Paige Naughton and sophomore Sofia Malik, the auditorium fell quiet. This silence was soon broken by excited whispers and gasps upon seeing Hearon walk up to the stage. Applause rang out, students’ excitement palpable as they welcomed Hearon onto the stage.
From the moment he joined the stage, Hearon had the audience laughing with his witty remarks. His balance of jokes, raw honesty, and politically conscious commentary resonated with the WashU students in attendance. His insight into the political state of both the nation and Missouri drew applause from the audience.
Hearon offered up advice to students based on his own experience, which added an element of personalization to WashU students. He spoke about his experience growing up in Missouri and making his way from poverty to financial success through comedy. 
“I worked very hard and I was ready when the luck came,” Hearon said, adding that there is no possibility of getting lucky without putting in work.
When discussing his experience writing for the TV show “Big Mouth,” Hearon emphasized the idea that you don’t have to be good at everything, but find what you’re good at and be an expert at it.
“Just do what you do well,” he said, speaking to how he found his niche writing jokes for the show rather than attempting to construct entire scripts.
Hearon specified that he wanted to give WashU students answers to the Q&A that couldn’t be found anywhere else (such as his viral videos), to really make the event unique to the WashU community.
When asked how he began his comedy journey, Hearon’s response was humble and heartwarming. 
“All the women in my family are so funny …  and they were the first people I wanted to make laugh,” Hearon said.
With it being graduation season, one audience member asked Hearon what advice he had for heading into one’s post-graduate reality.
“Go make so many mistakes in your 20s. … Almost every decision in life is reversible,” Hearon said. “Just have fun, make mistakes. … Chase the fun and the enjoyment and the passion.”
Seniors Lillian Salter (a long-time Hearon fan) and Ariana Welsbie said the talk more than exceeded their hopes for the night.
“He had a way of breaching really complex political topics in a very funny way,” Welsbie said. “Using humor to get around the taboo nature of certain topics is really, really impactful.” 
Salter echoed Welsbie’s thoughts, expressing excitement at getting to see the more serious side of Hearon. 
“He had a lot of depth when it came to explaining really hard topics. That’s a certain intelligence that not a lot of people have, to be that funny and that knowledgeable and to be able to handle those topics so gracefully,” Salter said. 
Salter also appreciated Hearon’s unpretentiousness. 
“It’s nice to see someone so grounded still make it in entertainment … because when we think of the Hollywood elite, we don’t think of someone like him,” Salter said. 
When asked if the talk was anything like what she was expecting, Salter expressed an overall joy with the event.
“I don’t know what we were expecting, but it was even better, it was so nice. We just laughed a lot,” Salter said. 
Rao shared an exciting outlook on the future of SPB’s special guests and events.
“[We are] already looking ahead to our next speaker event and are excited to continue delivering experiences that make undergraduate life at WashU more vibrant and fulfilling,” Rao wrote.
 
Tags: comedy, SPB, SPB Comedy
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