When COVID-19 struck and the world turned upside down, comedian Sam Morril provided individuals with laughter — what some would call the best medicine — through his rooftop shows. In 2022, Morril appeared on the hit Netflix series, “That’s My Time with David Letterman.” He’d go on a few months later to star in his own Netflix comedy special called “Same Time Tomorrow.”
This week, Morril will bring his comedy stylings to Miami Beach on Thursday, March 23 as part of his national Class Act Tour. The Miami Hurricane interviewed Morril on his life, career and upcoming visit to Miami.
“I loved comedy in college. I actually started right before college,” Morril said. “I remember becoming kind of obsessed with it at the time, and guys like Bill Burr would come to my college and were nice enough to let me open and do a set.”
Opening for Burr reinforced his desire to pursue a career in comedy. While studying At NYU, Morril majored in Ancient Greek comedy, noting that “comedy hasn’t changed that much in 4,000 years.”
Morril said that performing on stage is different from his everyday conversations with friends.
“You go on stage and it’s a different type of funny you have to be,” Morril said. “Your friends are rooting for you and you start an open mic for people who are like, ‘Who told you [that] you were good at this?’”
In preparation for his shows, Morril usually drinks coffee and goes on a walk.
“I usually get to the venue a little early just to chill and relax with my friend Gary Vider, who opens for me,” Morril said.
A fan of the New York Knicks, Morrill usually has one of their basketball games on in the green room.
Doing comedy during the COVID-19 pandemic looked largely different from today.
“We had to get creative, and I was getting sick of doing other people’s shows,” Morril said. “In some weird alleyway, I’m literally next to a dumpster trying to tell my jokes. It’s pathetic, so I’m doing ten minutes and bombing it and was like, ‘When am I going to get good again?’”
To satisfy people’s appetite for live entertainment during quarantine, Morril thought to post on his Instagram stories.
“If you have an available rooftop, a mic and amp… I’ll come to your roof, just tell your friends to show up,” Morril posted online. These online shows quickly became popular.
When someone attends one of Morril’s shows, he hopes they can “forget about their problems for a little while, have fun, laugh and feel good.”
Morril said that college students should come to his show because “there’s a lot of stress in college, whether it’s finals or the like.” What better way to blow off steam than to laugh it away?
A rewarding experience in Morril’s career was his special “I Got This,” which aired on Comedy Central.
“It has a double-meaning,” Morril said. “‘I got this’ [because] it’s a free special, and also a sarcastic, ‘I got this’ — like fake confidence — [saying] I’ll pull this off [while] thinking ‘I don’t know if I’ll pull this off.’”
If you’ve heard Sam Morril and David Letterman talk about Florida, you may have breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing that Morril didn’t mention the city of Miami when he called Florida “a mixed bag.”
On his upcoming Miami tour, Morril looks forward to the Knicks-Heat game on March 22. Despite being a “die-hard Knicks fan,” Morril likes how the Miami Heat team plays. In addition, Morril enjoys eating Cuban food whenever he is in Miami.
“I love Versailles,” Morril said. “It’s classic, it’s unpretentious, it’s open late, it’s the right vibe. I love it.”
Morril caters to a wide variety of interests. He just launched a podcast called “Games with Names” with former NFL wide receiver, Julian Edelman.
“I want to walk the line of being true to who you are and never pander,” Morril said. “The job is to be an entertainer. I think of what I loved growing up and I loved guys like Rodney Dangerfield who would go up and kill, and guys who would unite rooms,” Morril said.
Even within his sketches, Morril will admit that the next joke might ruffle some feathers, but does so skillfully without sacrificing the humor.
“If I think of a divisive topic, I’m going to use it to unite people because it’s a beautiful thing,” Morril said.
If you need a good laugh and have a friend group with varying interests, Morril’s show is perfect for you! He will perform two shows at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach this Thursday, March 23. The early show is at 7pm and the late show is at 9pm.