The face of BYU stand-up comedy

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Aaron Woodall generates big laughs at Humor U's stand-up comedy shows. (Photo Credit: Aaron Woodall)
Aaron Woodall generates big laughs at Humor U’s stand-up comedy shows. (Photo courtesy Aaron Woodall)

For some, stand-up comedy is a hobby, but for one BYU student it may end up being a career.

Aaron Woodall, a California native, expressed his interest in the art of stand-up as a young child.

“I liked making people laugh through telling stories,” Woodall said. “My mom tells stories of me really young, walking up to adults and telling stories or reciting Steve Martin jokes that I had heard.”

In high school, Woodall recalls telling stories in unique ways that would make people laugh and then revising those stories to make them more and more humorous. He didn’t realize it at the time, but this was his first crack at workshopping and editing jokes tailored to audiences.

Woodall’s storytelling abilities are a part of his everyday life, according to his wife, Danielle, adding a comical aspect to their relationship.

“At-home Aaron and on-stage Aaron are pretty much the same guy,” Danielle Woodall said. “Although a lot of our conversations at home are about mundane, everyday things, Aaron is just a good storyteller. He can take a simple story of something that happened to him that day and turn it into a funny and unique story.”

Paul Sheffield, a fellow comedian and friend to Woodall, shares that the student’s sincerity and story-telling abilities are what make him the outstanding comedian he has become.

“Part of what makes (Aaron’s) jokes so funny is that you know they are coming from a real place in his mind,” Sheffield said. “It’s not hokey or fake, it’s really him up there making you laugh. That is the best kind of humor, the kind that makes a joke funny no matter how many times you tell it.”

Woodall’s comedy style has functioned as part of his personality and has become something that has made him who he is today and brought his relationship with his family closer together, according to his younger brother, Jeremy.

“Aaron’s choice to be a comedian has probably brought us closer together because I always knew the potential he had and tried to encourage him to pursue what would make him happy as opposed to just getting a degree that would give him a ‘good job,'” Jeremy Woodall said. “I was very happy when he started to seriously pursue this career path, and it gave me the opportunity to be very supportive of him.”

Woodall is also the father of a 9-month-old son named Ethan, who is the major driving force in his life.

“I think even before he was born, I was making decisions based on him and so much of college has been about my fear of supporting my family,” Aaron Woodall said.

Being a father is Woodall’s best attributes, Danielle Woodall said.

“He’s an amazing father. That’s probably what I love most about him. Seeing him take care of our son is so heart-warming,” she said. “I don’t think there is any other way he would rather spend his time than just hanging out with or taking care of Ethan. I love it so much, (and) it is incredibly attractive, I must say.”

Woodall expressed that he is not too sure what the future holds for him and his family, but at the end of the day, he stands as an example of someone who has hope for the future, a love for the art of comedy and, most importantly, a passion for his family.

Woodall’s next show will be Friday, Jan. 10 at 8 p.m. at The Wall. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the information desk in the Wilkinson Student Center.

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