Haitians will find humor anywhere — at funerals, after an earthquake, during a divorce, you name it. That’s how the culture captures reality, says SeJoe, the first Haitian-American comedian to ever release a groundbreaking special in Haitian Creole on Amazon Prime.
Five years later, he’s back with a new special, Ayisyen Pale, Ayisyen Konprann (“Haitian Spoken, Haitian Understood”). Watch his YouTube trailer here.
The tri-lingual comedian Alexandre Joseph Ducasse, 38, affectionately known as SeJoe, is known as the "Haitian Dave Chappelle" — a nod to the legendary American comedian known for his sharp commentary and on-stage storytelling prowess.
SeJoe uses a similar creative process to tackle the complexities of Haitian identity and cultural politics. In one crowd-pleasing bit, he describes key cultural differences between American and Haitian dark humor.
"Americans have something in their culture called 'too soon,'" said SeJo, in reference to jokes that may not land well with an audience because it's considered inappropriate to find humor to soon after a recent tragedy.
"Remember that earthquake? The earthquake happened at 4:53 p.m., by 4:59 p.m. Haitians already had jokes," referring to the devastating 2010 earthquake that struck Haiti, killing tens of thousands of people.
SeJoe told WLRN Haitian humor is often used as a coping mechanism and that "comedy is universal but humor is very cultural.”
READ MORE: From Miami to 'Jurassic World Rebirth': Béchir Sylvain brings Haiti to Hollywood’s biggest stage
Even the title of his new special is a satirical play on the common Haitian phrase Kreyol Pale, Kreyol Konprann ("Creole Spoken, Creole Understood"), a stamp on the importance of speaking the Haitian language.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., SeJoe spent his formative years between Haiti and Florida, and is considered one of the leading voices in the growing Haitian comedy scene.
Haitian comedians have emerged following a long history of censorship under the Papa and Baby Doc Duvalier dictatorships, which SeJoe says hindered the development of Haitian stand-up due to the historical lack of "freedom of speech" in Haiti.
”It's [stand-up comedy] new in our community and we haven't had time to really develop or to create stand-up comedians because of our history,” he said. “We had a dictatorship for 29 years.”
The 1987 Haitian Constitution, adopted after the Duvalier dictatorships that spanned from 1957 to 1986, guarantees free speech and civil liberties, though enforcement has been inconsistent.
READ MORE: From Miami to 'Jurassic World Rebirth': Béchir Sylvain brings Haiti to Hollywood’s biggest stage
While there’s much to be said about the regressive political influence on Haiti’s art and comedy scene, SeJoe said he’d rather focus on laughter as an underrated form of community therapy, grounding his work in pride for Haitian culture — from using AI-driven podcasts to connect with ancestors, to uplifting both local and diaspora comedy scenes, and advocating for the preservation of the Haitian language.
In one standout bit from his new special, he seriously suggests calling the nation’s official language simply “Haitian” instead of “Haitian Creole.”
”When they say French, speak French, English, speak English, Portuguese, speak Portuguese. Japanese speak Japanese. Germans speak German,” said SeJoe, making the argument for a renewed sense of Haitian cultural unity. “Koreans speak Korean. Why do Haitians speak Creole?”
The special, shot live in Montreal — home to the largest Haitian population in Canada — spotlights situational comedy around romantic relationships and parenting. He rattles through punchlines about everyday life in the diaspora, including the creative process behind writing stand-up comedy itself.
The show is produced with English captions. SeJoe has not yet announced a release date or streaming platform.
In the meantime, SeJoe’s most recent project, Time Capsule with SeJoe, uses AI to reimagine interviews with digital versions of historic Haitian Revolution heroes like Toussaint Louverture and Cécile Fatiman — exploring their ideas in today’s context.
Uplifting the new era of Haitian comedy
SeJoe first went viral with videos spotlighting Haitian humor, but his breakthrough came with the Amazon comedy special Nou Chaje ak Pwoblèm (“We’ve Got Problems”).
He said he's part of a new movement of Haitian comedians standing on the shoulders of sketch, stand-up, and sitcom giants like Tom Male (Lamour E. Laguerre), Papa Pye, Tonton Bicha, Jesifra, among others.
Now, the broader comedy scene includes prominent, media-savvy names performing online sketches, movies, and stand-up — from Success Jr and Plus Pierre to Elizabeth Bronot, Garihanna, and Jonas.
Each with thousands of social media fans.
Ahead of his new special, SeJoe also released clips from his SeJoe & Friends Comedy Show, previewing other top stand-up comedians Ti Inosan, Maya Fairy, Paul Privil, and Blex — each contributing to the richness of Haitian humor and cultural expression.
SeJoe, whose family is in the funeral business, quotes a common phrase to capture humor’s importance in the culture: Si ou pa ri, w ap toufe ("If you don’t laugh, you will choke”).
“That’s how important laughter is,” SeJoe told WLRN. “We use laughter as a form of therapy in our community.”
Keep up with South Florida's arts and culture scene by signing up for The A/C Newsletter. Every Wednesday, the A/C will offer a curation of stories and deep dives that celebrate South Florida's arts community. Click here to subscribe.
