Comedian Leslie Liao Finds Inspiration at Coffee Shops

When Leslie Liao, one of America's fastest growing comedians, is working on her newest bit, she can usually be found at one of Los Angeles' trendiest coffee shops. It's there, at Coffee MCO specifically, that she sat down with Jamie Yuccas in this week's episode of "Java with Jamie."

While there, she uses the surrounding atmosphere, and people, in hopes that each different place provides a vibe to help with her writing.

"I feel like ... it's like taking a workout class," Liao said. "If I'm sitting next to other people that are doing it, then I'll do it. They'll pressure me into like, at least even pretending to write."

She says that no matter who productive each visit to a coffee shop is, the harsh reality of comedic writing is that only a fraction of the jokes she comes up with will make it on stage.

"It's a numbers game — everything. Not everything you write is going to be a banger joke. So, it's like if I have to, I have to invest eight hours, maybe half of it will be vaguely interesting. Half of that will be worth trying on stage. Half of that would be actually good."

Turns out that most of it is good, as she quickly climbs the ranks of America's most popular comedians. Liao taps into her life as a single Chinese-American woman living in Los Angeles, helping with her recent selection as one of the new Faces of Comedy for the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival. 

That accolade comes just weeks after she made her television debut on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and her appearance in the Netflix comedy special "Verified."

How did you get into comedy? 

"So, I was always a standup fan. I didn't start standup until I was 29, which I think in standup years is like you're 70 ... and I almost didn't do it because I felt too old."

She did follow through however, thanks in large part to a certain feeling that took over. 

"I wanted to wait until I felt the most confident before I started it," she recalled. "Because, also, standup is a very mean job. Not everyone likes you, and I knew that was gonna be the case. Like, statistically, there will be people that loathe my comedy."

Liao took a calculated approach to beginning her comedy career, enrolling in a writing class before she started to perform around the Los Angeles comedy circuit.

"LA is a really, it's a tough place to start. I think a lot of comics would prefer starting elsewhere, like maybe a smaller city so you get more stage time. Then graduate and come to LA. But, I like starting here, cause just like, the best comics are here. They're headlining, they have specials, they tour, and if you're lucky enough you get to hop on a show with like, Bill Bur, Whitney Cummings, and like, I've had to follow some of these people when I was only two years in."

She says surrounding herself with the right people kickstart her career to where she is today.

You know, the whole saying of like, surround yourself with people that are smart and cool and push you, like that's LA. So, it was really, really hard, but it like, lit a fire.

So you actually are glad you stayed in Los Angeles?

"I am glad. I'm, I tortured myself and I'm glad I did it. Yeah, it was so hard."

So far, Liao has played at iconic venues throughout the Los Angeles area, including The Comedy Store, The Laugh Factory and Hollywood Improv.

"I believe that as a comedian, it's important to draw inspiration from your own experiences," Liao shared. "Personally, I try to keep my material very authentic and relatable to my own life."