Resident Spotlight: “Fresh King Benjamin” Bringing Comedy to Daybreak

By Justin Adams

Ben Brown had no idea that stand-up comedy was a thing that existed, let alone something that a person could do for a career, until he was about 22 years old.

“I grew up in Wyoming, in an isolated Mormon polygamist community. We believed that the end of the world was happening,” explained Brown.

Growing up in a religious fundamentalist community, he naturally didn’t consume much media that other kids his age, including comedy. Still, Brown seemed to have a knack for telling stories and making others laugh, something that wasn’t exactly welcome within his community.

“I liked being silly, I liked trying to make people laugh. That wasn’t looked at as a good thing, so I got in trouble a lot for making jokes about things that were ‘sacred,’” he said.
His eyes weren’t really opened to the outside world until he went away to college - “to become a lawyer so he could protect his family from the evil government,” he explained. “When I did, I discovered that the world was not wicked and is actually pretty delightful.”

He also quickly realized that his childhood wasn’t just a little different from others, but that he had gone through a lot of abuse and trauma.

“I found that when I told people about how I grew up, they were always really fascinated by it. And I also realized that I could talk about it in ways that were funny. And that’s ultimately what led me to find that I had trauma. I would tell people stories that I thought were funny, and they would say, ‘Oh my God, are you okay?’”

Once he’d realized the extent of the trauma he’d been through, Brown sought out and received help from a specialized therapist. Another method that he has used has been comedy.

“I was told that I was bad and the world was bad. I had to surrender my intuition and my self expression to this narrative. So comedy and humor, to laugh at this thing that used to enslave me, was a way to take my power back. If you can laugh at something, it doesn’t have as much power as it used to,” he said.

To that end, Brown has been sharing his story in the form of stand-up comedy for the last three years. Recently, he’s even started headlining shows at Wise Guys Comedy Club under the stage name of “The Fresh King Benjamin.”

“King Benjamin is a character in the Book of Mormon, he’s this righteous leader who builds a tower and preaches to his people and calls them to repentance,” Brown explained. “When I was younger, I was told that I would be like King Benjamin: go out and preach the gospel and call sinners to repent. So when I started doing comedy, I was like, ‘I’m on a stage, which is sort of like a tower. And I’m using my words to move people. So it’s like I’m kind of living up to my name-sake, but in my own way.”

Now, the “Fresh King” is looking to establish a regular comedy show in Daybreak, in part as a way to give back to the community that has had a big impact on his life since moving here four years ago.

“I love the Daybreak community,” he said. “In some ways, it reminds me of the community I left. There was a lot of abuse and trauma there, but it was also a tight-knit community that I lost. And so it’s been sort of lonely to try to transition into a world where I don’t have a lot of connection or support. But Daybreak has been able to replace that for me. I’ve found some really great friends and a really great community here.”

“I’m really interested in helping this community become more of what it is - more friendly, more vibrant, more connected,” Brown said. “So I’ve had this idea for a while of doing a show that’s just local. We have 40,000 people that live in this area, which I think is enough to support a regular show.”

So after conducting a survey of Daybreak residents to find out what kind of show they’d be interested in, as well as securing a venue, Brown is ready to launch the first pop-up comedy show in Daybreak. The first show is happening this Friday, April 26 from 7:30-9 p.m. at Biscotts Bakery and Cafe.

The show will feature a lineup of 4-5 local comedians, including Brown, who will do a routine of anywhere from 10-20 minutes each. The survey that Brown conducted showed that most respondents were more interested in an “adult” comedy show, this particular show is intended for individuals 18 years old and over. However, Brown said that if this first show goes well, he’s interested in making this pop-up comedy show a regularly occurring event, which would include some nights that would be designated as “family friendly.”

Tickets for the comedy show are $22 and can be purchased here.

Know someone in the Daybreak community that would make for a good subject of a resident spotlight article? Email mtviewchronicle@gmail.com to pitch us your idea.

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