Keith Robinson Had Two Debilitating Strokes. They Only Made Him Funnier.
As a mainstay at New York’s prestigious Comedy Cellar for many years, Keith Robinson has long been the definition of a comedian’s comedian. But it wasn’t until he suffered two debilitating strokes over the course of four years that he finally landed his first hour-long special on Netflix.
In this episode of The Last Laugh podcast, Robinson talks about how managed to get back on stage so quickly (against medical advice) after his first stroke in 2016 and how he was able to find so many cathartic laughs in what has otherwise been a truly terrifying experience. He also discusses how he felt about the standing ovation that opens his special Different Strokes—especially with so many comedian friends in the room—and looks back at the chaotic early days of his career, including stories about working with Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer, Chris Rock and more.
When I begin our conversation by asking Robinson how he’s feeling health-wise now that another four years have passed since his second stroke, he smiles and replies, “I’m pretty good.” Then, when I ask if he’s sick of people asking how he’s feeling, he says, “Not really,” before pivoting into a joke: “When I think of somebody holding a door for me, and then having the nerve to say, ‘Take your time’—what else am I going to do?”