‘I can just fly off and start talking on stage. I feel very comfortable,’ says London comedian Abigoliah Schamaun
Abigoliah Schamaun is a woman who is exceedingly not on a mission… although she may have some words of wisdom for those that are.
The US-born comedian, now living in London, has made waves with over ten million hits on TikTok, while also co-hosting the podcast Neurodivergent Moments with fellow comic Joe Wells over the past five years.
It’s a simple premise; Abigoliah has ADHD and Joe has autism. Each episode, they invite a fellow neurodivergent guest – including an infinite number of comedians – onto their show.
“It’s funny,” says Abigoliah. “Sometimes I’ll email a comedian and they’ll say, ‘Oh, I’m not neurodivergent’ and I’ll be like, ‘Okay, my bad’. And then a year or two later, they’ll come out as diagnosed with autism or ADHD or dyspraxia or something. I’ll email them again and say… ‘Are you ready now?'”
A typical anecdote sees Abigoliah describe hurriedly buying three train tickets to her own comedy gig in order to be prepared… despite travelling alone. Or, the differences between guests with autism who “of course” dial in on time, and those with ADHD, who are apt to check with their hosts 15 minutes beforehand whether they need to show up in person.
Now on to their tenth season, Abigoliah and Joe have brought their podcast into the publishing world with their new book, ‘ Neurodivergent Moments: Sex, Sunscreen, Turtles and How (Not) to Pack a Suitcase ‘, to be released on June 18.
For Abigoliah, her musings about living with ADHD are a goldmine for comedy, and although she describes herself as not overtly political, she says ADHD “is always going to be part of the conversation”.
“It’s interesting because I really don’t know how to be a comedian without being ADHD,” she says. “For a long time, I didn’t know I had ADHD. I’m one of those fabulous, late-diagnosed people.
“One thing that I do that maybe someone without ADHD wouldn’t do, is I can just fly off and start talking on stage. I feel very comfortable on stage… just talking. So, if I go and I write a joke and it doesn’t work, I go and fly in a different direction, and I’ll find something new on stage in the moment. I find that incredibly exhilarating. And then, I can take it back and fix it up.
“I know some people who write jokes verbatim and then perform them verbatim on stage. I think being ADHD, I’m very comfortable being messy in person, and kind of seeing where the energy of a live room will take me.”
The book promises to be a reflection of the duo’s podcast, which gives a humorous, light-hearted glimpse into the lives of neurodiverse people – estimated to be one in seven of us – capturing the inevitable quirks and gaffes of life.
Abigoliah says: “It’s so nerve-wracking to release something that hasn’t been tried 600 times, before you can say, ‘ It’s ready !’ Only five people have read it!
“But now, I’m getting excited. When we first finished it, friends would say, ‘What did you do this summer?’ I’d say ‘nothing’ and then, ‘Oh, yeah… I wrote a book. But I forgot. Because it’s not come out yet.'”
The book records much of the duo’s observations, although Abigoliah is keen to emphasise that ‘Neurodivergent Moments’ is fun, down to its very roots. The publication is far from being preachy and Abigoliah is firm she won’t be compared to a social justice warrior. A lofty question on my part is gently pulled back to earth.
“‘Important’ seems like a heavy word,” Abigoliah says, when asked what inspired the book. “I don’t think about how important things are. Because if I do, it’s too much pressure.
“Once you get to a set, you have a set. If you see me on the weekend, I’ve worked on that. But when I’m on stage, talking about the troubles of immigrating to the UK or writing about ADHD in the book, I’m not thinking to myself, ‘This is important! People need to know!’
“I think that can kill comedy, if you go out with a mind of worthiness. I’m just thinking ‘this is funny’ and it’s for other people to decide if it’s important. I just think about doing the thing I want to do. And this, we thought, would be fun.”
Born in a small rural town in Ohio, Abigoliah left for the bright lights of New York as an undergraduate student before moving to the UK in 2014, where she lives with her partner Tom. She confesses she’s “always loved” London, although – like most of the city’s eight million citizens – it can be “overwhelming” and she is starting to yearn for a garden.
“We’ve all been on the Tube at rush hour,” she quips. “Whether you’re neurotypical or neurodivergent, I don’t think anyone is thinking, ‘This is a great time’. But, you sign up for that when you move here.”
Common tropes around neurodivergence are often of an exacting, rigid mindset – especially around comedy. It’s something Abigoliah gives short shrift.
“It’s a hard disagree,” she laughs. “I don’t think comedy is so rigid that any sort of mind can’t approach it, if that makes sense?
“When it comes to autism, people will say ‘Oh, they don’t understand humour’. But they do understand humour – Joe is one of the funniest people I know – they’re also very honest when they don’t find something funny. When it comes to social cues, a neurotypical person might make a courtesy laugh. An autistic person will just say ‘okay’.
“Laughter is involuntary. The two opposite ends of the spectrum – laughter and crying – are both involuntary. No one does them on purpose, unless you’re acting or faking it.”
The tenth season of Neurodivergent Moments will land soon, but meanwhile, Abigoliah is currently collaborating with her friend, comedian Tom Salinsky, on a new podcast called ‘ All British Comedy Explained ‘.
She says: “We watch old British television shows, like Fawlty Towers and Absolutely Fabulous, stuff I haven’t really seen, and then Tom tells me the history of it and we talk about it. And he gets my reaction as someone who’s watched it for the first time. We started it a couple of months ago, and that’s my project now.”
Joe, meanwhile, is hitting the road in autumn, touring his new show, Daddy Autism, exploring fatherhood through the lens of autism.
‘ Neurodivergent Moments: Sex, Sunscreen, Turtles and How (Not) to Pack a Suitcase ‘ is out on June 18.
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