Saidah Belo-Osagie Knows Good Clown
We took the G train from Williamsburg down to Church Avenue and back again.
Saidah and I met for lunch at a diner before our shoot, and by the end, that was my blood relative… She is kind, thoughtful, and genuinely hilarious. What struck me most was her confidence, fierce but warm. She had to ask for ketchup three times, but she got it, and the waiter fell in love with her along the way.
Saidah can talk about her craft for hours. She knows exactly what she wants, and she’s known for a while now. Her Instagram bio jokes that she’s a “clown school dropout,” which is not entirely untrue. Clowning, she told me, has reshaped nearly every part of her life. Of course it changed how she approaches comedy, but more than that, it changed how she pays attention to the world around her. She explained that the role of a clown is to drill into the cringe of the room and stay with it instead of escaping it. Imagine that! There is power in that kind of presence, and she seems to carry it with her everywhere she goes.
We took the G train from Williamsburg down to Church Ave and back again. Here are a few highlights from our conversation:
Which subway line is the best?
The L is unfortunately that girl. She brings people together and tears them apart, and she knows she can get away with it.
What inspires your comedy?
Growing up in New York City as a first-generation Nigerian-American on financial aid at a private school made me see the city through multiple lenses: native New Yorker, immigrant, poor, rich, Black, white. I’ve realized those contradictions play a huge role in my comedy.
On top of that, just talking with friends about the small, absurd realities of being a twenty-something adult feels like its own comedy/tragedy. So, in a long-winded way, I find inspiration all around me <3
Acting, Writing, or Live Performance?
Live performance, which is a bit of a cop out since it involves writing and acting. I love how ephemeral it is, but I really love being silly with an audience.
What was the highlight of last year for you?
I had a friend breakup that I thought was going to destroy me but I made my first ever solo show about it and whoa… it was the most cathartic, vulnerable and silliest fever dream and genuinely healed me.
Where’s your favorite place that you’ve visited?
I hate to be that girl who won’t shut the hell up about studying abroad, but living in Melbourne was the best time of my life. If there were more than seven Black people, it’d be the perfect city. Gorgeous people, incredible food & coffee... The music scene is impeccable, and everyone’s effortlessly cool.
What reality show would you be on?
I would say Love is Blind but my attachment style wouldn’t survive so… as a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Best park to flirt in?
Fort Greene Park, easily.
Fuck Marry Kill: Grad school, getting engaged, half marathon
Fuck grad school, marry getting engaged, and kill half marathon on SIGHT.
Song that’s been on repeat?
Friend Groups?
I mean, I love them? I’m obsessed with my friend group. I don’t know what I would do without them.
If this is about that whole “friend groups are the new influencers,” that feels super dystopian to me. The only real friend group I feel kind of parasocial about is this group of girls from my high school who are still super close, traveling the world together, and getting engaged. Ugh, they’re so cool.
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A grievance we all need to come to terms with…