How Showering & Anxious Plane Rides Help Comedian Jhanelle Dennis Get Her Writing Done

Speaking with the Toronto native about finding her voice in comedy.

Jhanelle Dennis balances her time performing standup, working in talent acquisition for CBS, and hosting a weekly Instagram series called “Pull Up” with @leahabrahams. Jhanelle also produces and co-hosts a podcast called I’M TRYING! where she and her co-host speak with friends to discuss failure and embarrassment.

Jhanelle was performing and now, like most of us, she is confined to her home, occasionally performing on a Zoom show while exploring other creative outlets to perform. A big part of Jhanelle’s stage persona is embracing what she doesn’t know and trying to figure it out in real time. I spoke with Jhanelle about finding her voice in comedy, combating anxiety in the creative rat race, and how showers help clear her writer’s block.

Do you have a routine when you write your standup material?

I’m one of those annoying people who would never sit down and write and I wanted to be that person, but jokes would rarely come to me when I wrote. My writing was in the shower. For some reason every time I’m in the shower that’s when my jokes come to me. As soon as I get out of the shower I take the notebook out and write. On days when I would have a show, when…