The Enneagram & Stand-Up Comedy
Plus: Take My New Joke Writing Class FREE
Here’s my thesis for this article: Knowing your Enneagram number can actually help with comedy. Hear me out. I know some people, specifically some religious folks, get uptight the moment they hear “Enneagram,” just like they often have about Harry Potter, The Smurfs, and yoga. Because, yeah, all those things somehow make you demonic. Sigh!
Anyway, the more I study stand-up comedy, the more I realize how much who you are shapes what you joke about. Comedy isn’t just about writing punchlines, though that’s certainly part of it—it’s about perspective, attitude, and the way you see the world. And for at least the last 14 months, I’ve been thinking about how personality plays into that. And I think looking at it through the lens of the Enneagram can be helpful.
I’m an Enneagram 8, sometimes called “The Challenger.” If you know anything about 8s, we thrive on intensity, directness, and calling things out as they are. We hate pretense, don’t back down from conflict, and tend to have a “go through it, not around it” mentality. Sound familiar? That’s a very accurate description of me. And, well, that definitely gives shape to my comedy.
I have two mottos I tend to live by as a comedian. One is: “If it’s messed up, it’s material.” Enneagram 8s don’t sugarcoat things in real life and most don’t on stage either; given our personality type, it would almost be impossible. We don’t look away. If something is broken, ridiculous, hypocritical, or just straight-up dumb, we say it. And in comedy, I think that instinct is pure gold. I find material in life’s messes—mine, yours, society’s—and I organize the chaos with jokes. That’s how I see the world: everything’s a little messed up, so we might as well laugh at it.
My other motto is: “Laughter > Outrage.” (By the way, be on the lookout for some merch with that on it to drop soon.) As an 8, I feel things intensely. But I’ve learned that, while rage rarely changes anything, laughter does. Outrage is exhausting. Comedy is cathartic. I can rant about the world’s problems (and trust me, I have opinions), or I can turn them into jokes. And that’s what I choose to do. Instead of dwelling in frustration, I try to channel it into punchlines.
Understanding your Enneagram number can give you a clearer sense of your comedic voice/persona and what material suits you best. A Type 1 (The Perfectionist) might craft jokes around rules and expectations. A Type 4 (The Individualist) might lean into deeply personal, emotional storytelling. A Type 7 (The Enthusiast) might thrive in high-energy, absurdist comedy. For me, as an 8, I know I’m at my best when I’m sharp, direct, and unafraid to say what others are thinking but won’t say out loud. My comedy works when I push boundaries, when I challenge assumptions, and when I laugh in the face of things that should probably make me mad instead.
In my new Udemy course, The Joke Writer’s Lab, I have an entire lesson on persona—how to find your comedic identity and make it work for you. And if you’ve read this far, I’ll let you in on a little secret: If you contact me in the next 24 hours, I’ll send you a free coupon for the course (on the condition that you’ll sign up, finish it, then leave a review). Offer ends 4:30pm HST on 2/6/25. You can see the entire course curriclum HERE. Take the class. Learn about joke writing, performing, and persona.
