A Legendary Rebound

In her sophomore year at Seattle University, basketball player Monica Nevi, ’12, suffered repeated ankle injuries that sidelined her collegiate hoops career. So, she pursued the next logical hobby that became her profession—stand-up comedy.

Originally from Renton, Wash., Nevi attended SU to play basketball and study sports and exercise science. In her first and second years on the team, she unknowingly played on a broken ankle that became a significant injury and retired her from the sport. 

“I would have loved to have a longer career. I got so much out of it,” Nevi says. “But if I hadn’t gotten hurt, I might not have started stand-up.”

Her first foray into comedy came years before she attended SU. Nevi started watching comics on Comedy Central at 13 years old and loved them. Actress and comedian Maria Bamford was the first female stand-up Nevi saw on TV and that made her think, “Maybe I could do that.”

After Google searches of “How to become stand-up comedian,” Nevi started drafting jokes at age 18. Two years later, the end of her athletic career was the last push for her to finally sign up for a three-minute slot at an open mic at Laughs Comedy Club in Kirkland, Wash.

Nevi’s comedy is observational and relatable, with her jokes coming to her mostly fully formed, often in conversation or while she’s driving. She tested those early jokes with her peers.

“It was my junior year at SU and my basketball teammates were really supportive,” Nevi says. “I was over prepared. I had a whole notebook written word for word of what I would say, including ‘pause for laughter.’ It actually went pretty well.”

Riding the momentum of a successful first open mic session—with an audience—Nevi started performing more and more at clubs in Seattle and Tacoma. After graduating from SU in 2012, Nevi worked at a trampoline park and later as an Assistant Director at the Boys and Girls Club while doing comedy at night. In 2015, she made the jump to pursue comedy full-time.

“Me and another comedian went on tour and drove all over the country,” Nevi says. “I performed in almost all states. The crowds are different, but all types of people can laugh at the same things.”

After the tour, Nevi lived in Los Angeles for three years before moving to Tacoma with her now wife in 2019. Nevi experienced how the COVID-19 pandemic and increase in social media use shifted the comedy industry online. A viral clip is now more successful than appearing on a late-night talk show and although social media increases the accessibility of comedy, it changes the audience experience.

“I encourage going to live shows. It’s fun and contagious to be in a room laughing at the same thing,” Nevi says.

In her career, Nevi has performed at the 208 Comedy Festival, Bridgetown Comedy Festival and at Bumbershoot. She also produced and hosted a documentary series, 80 for 80, on Amazon Prime, and has been seen on FOX’s Laughs TV show. Nevi is also the host and producer of her podcast, Dumb Pitches.

A stand-out gig and full-circle moment for Nevi was opening for Bamford in her Puget Sound area stops in Mt. Vernon and Olympia. 

“She was the first woman I saw in a male-dominated industry,” says Nevi. “They say don’t meet your heroes, but she was wonderful, nice and hilarious.”

Now more than 15 years into her comedy career, Nevi is investing in the next generation. In 2024, Nevi and her wife, Aryn, founded the nonprofit Gates Open Washington, with the mission of supporting comedians and artists in Washington. Twice a year, the nonprofit awards grants to one comedian and one artist to complete a creative project. (Applications for the next cycle are currently open until June 30.)

“People should be able to afford to live and make art and comedy here,” Nevi says. 

In addition to performing locally, including at the Emerald City Comedy Club, Nevi continues to tour across the US. One pre-show habit has stuck with her since her time as a basketball player at SU: arriving early.

“It trickles over from being an athlete. I need to be at a show half an hour early, which is unusual for a comedian. I like to get the lay of land, write a set list and get a feel for the audience,” Nevi says. “I’ve been doing it for long enough that I can look at an audience and know what will make them laugh. We’re all more alike than we give ourselves credit for.”

Visit Monica Nevi’s website to see her specials, Big Stepdad Energy and Jokes for the Holidays, and to learn about upcoming live shows.