Yannis Pappas

Yannis Pappas is an international headliner  from Brooklyn, New York. He has been featured on CBS, ABC, BET, MTV, AXS TV, VH1, and Comedy Central. He is well known for his characters, Maurica Rodriguez and Mr. Panos who have become internet sensations generating millions of views on YouTube. Yannis is bringing his variety show to Chicago at the UP Comedy Club this weekend. Yannis’ comedic journey has been nothing close to ordinary. He survived being shot. He’s also been struck by lightning! A true survivor who is one of a kind, and was nice enough to share his crazy tales, along with tips on how to prepare for a TV special, and what it takes to have a long, successful career in this industry. LIGHTNING STRIKES So you’ve been shot before AND you’ve been struck by lightning?! [laughs] I have. I’ve been the luckiest and the unluckiest person! Maybe I fucked God’s wife in another lifetime and he’s trying to whack me! [laughs] [Laughing] I’ve read the story about you getting shot. But what’s the story behind the lightning? I got struck by lightning when I was away at camp. I must have been like, 12 years old. Was it just you? Or did kids around you get struck, too? Yeah. It was three or four of us, I can’t remember. But we were being idiots! [laughs] There was a lightning storm that night, and it got so dangerous that the camp counselors brought all the kids inside to take cover. But then, me and my friends just run […]