The stories that comedian Dale Elliott Jr. grew up hearing in Jamaica were pure comedy.
Dale didn’t need TV for entertainment. He had his grandmothers for laughs. One was laid back. The other, a strict disciplinarian. Depending which house he was in, Dale had to adapt to Granny’s rules.
That’s part of the inspiration for his comedy. Dale is touring throughout the U.S. with his new show, Problem Child, Bad Pickney — with a stop in Broward.
Dale knows South Florida. His father still lives in Fort Lauderdale. And his U.S. grandmother goes to all his shows.
Getting here was a journey. Dale was cast in a movie called Sprinter, loosely based on the life of the famous Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. Acting got him a work visa to come to the U.S. where he saw his father for the first time since he was a boy in Jamaica.
Trauma, he says, makes for good comedy.
Since then he’s been making comedy everywhere his fans can find him: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram. He does his bits in Jamaican patois.
You can catch him this weekend at the Coral Spring Arts Center.
On the Sep. 13 episode of Sundial, Elliott joined us to talk about telling stories, family, culture and the people that make him laugh.
On Sundial's previous episode, we talked to Miami Herald Executive Editor Alex Mena about his immigrant story, path to leadership and why he thinks Miami means community.
Problem Child: Bad Pickney Tour
When: Saturday, September 16, 2023
Where: Coral Springs Center for the Arts, 2855 Coral Springs Dr, Coral Springs, FL 33065
More Info: https://www.thecentercs.com/events/detail/dale-elliott-jr
Listen to Sundial Monday through Thursday on WLRN, 91.3 FM, live at 1 p.m., rebroadcast at 8 p.m. Missed a show? Find every episode of Sundial on your favorite podcast app, such as Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Spotify.
