Bob Smiley

Many moons ago – before Ritalin or the Internet – a young, broke college student named Roberto Antonio Smiley signed up for a stand-up competition at his college. The prize money was $500, which was 5 months rent for the “efficiency” closet Smiley was living in at the time. Though he had never done standup, and the only prior laughs he’d gotten were due to his colossal leprechaun ears, he went for gold. When he arrived, his only competition was a grown man wearing an oversized sombrero… so… he won the money and the tender hearts of his fellow students. The rest is history. Since that incredibly average performance, Roberto shortened his name and started a caffeine-induced tour spreading laughter and gaiety to the masses. As a novice jokester, Smiley honed his talents as the merch-managing MC for bands like Newsboys, Third Day, and Mercy Me. This exposure, along with the fact that his act had the word “booger” in it three times, led to a swarm of goatee’d youth leaders begging Smiley to come entertain their sugar-high kids. He was forced to match their manic energy and soon developed a machine gun approach to comedy. Twenty years later, Bob is now one of the nation’s most in-demand and hilarious clean comedians.And he absolutely loves his job, no matter how many times his father challenges its legitimacy as a career choice…