The acclaimed stand-up comedian, 44, on surviving heart failure and a stroke, leading by example, and learning to agree to disagree
My morning ritual is …
Get up and go to the gym – usually for 90 minutes. No coffee, no breakfast – I don’t eat in the morning, probably until 1pm or 2pm.
I feel optimistic about …
Life. In 2019, I was on-stage in Dubai and, just as I got to my last joke, my heart decided it was going to stop pumping oxygenated blood around my body. I went into heart failure. That put me into hospital for about two and a half weeks. When I got back in the UK, I suffered a TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack), which is a mini-stroke. It’s given me an appreciation of life. I don’t think any of us really have that – we act like we’re immortal. There are so many things people do, from a risk point of view, that we don’t think about. It gave me a fresh perspective of going “I now know what I can lose.”
What makes me angry …
I’m a lot more chilled out than I ever was, purely because of the heart failure. But two things make me angry. One is rudeness. Rudeness is a choice. You can be angry at someone but you don’t need to be rude. The second is the state of the world we live in. It’s in this state because a minority of people are drunk with power.
If I wasn’t a comedian, I’d have liked to become …
A professional rugby player. I played at school, I played in adult life, and I still play now if I get the chance. I play loose-head.
The habit that has served me best in life …
Punctuality – it’s been the basis of my work ethic. I like to get to a place early because I don’t like to rush.
The habit I’ve successfully kicked …
Smoking. 2019 is the last time I had a cigarette. It’s easy – all you need to do is nearly die of heart failure, think it’s lung cancer, and think “Maybe I should give up smoking.” If I hadn’t had gone through heart failure, I don’t think I would’ve given up smoking until something bad or worse had happened.
'I’m good at picking myself up. The alternative is much worse. We choose our own ‘hard’. Giving up is hard and going again is hard, but going again has more of a reward' says Sonubi
My sources of joy are …
My kids. I’ve got three. When I’m with my kids, nothing else matters. I could be sat watching Netflix on my phone, and my daughter will sit on my head watching my 75-inch TV. It’s adorable. It makes me laugh.
When things get tough I …
Start again. I’m good at picking myself up. The alternative is much worse. We choose our own ‘hard’. Giving up is hard and going again is hard, but going again has more of a reward.
The book I wish everyone would read …
Richard Pryor’s autobiography Pryor Convictions: And Other Life Sentences. Grammatically, it’s not great, because it’s written exactly as he spoke. But you see his entire life and his struggles.
I don’t argue anymore. Just because someone doesn’t agree with me on something, it’s not enough to put me in a bad mood
The big thing I’ve changed my mind about in life …
Is how important it is for someone else to agree with you. I don’t argue anymore. Just because someone doesn’t agree with me on something, it’s not enough to put me in a bad mood. I just think “Some people are different” and that’s fine.
What keeps me awake at night …
My show. I could be lying in bed and I’ll have a thought, and I’ll have to get up and write that thought out. I have to get it out of my head.
The thing that motivates me most of all …
My kids. I can’t tell my kids that they need to work hard if I don’t work hard. I need to show them an example of what you can do if you do put your mind to something.
'I can’t tell my kids that they need to work hard if I don’t work hard. I need to show them an example of what you can do if you do put your mind to something'
My parents taught me …
How to keep going. My parents taught me how to pick yourself up when things don’t go your way. I say ‘parents’, but really it should be ‘parent’. The only thing I learned from my dad is the kind of dad I didn’t want to be.
I have this theory that …
Cats can talk but they don’t. They’re doing it behind our backs. If any animal could do it, it’d be cats. They see what kind of stuff they can get away with and they talk about it when no one’s around.
I’d like to tell my younger self…
Nothing. That’s the thing about time travel – if you go back in time and change anything, events could change, so me going back and telling my younger self anything means I could set something off that means I don’t have the three kids I have now. I’d just go back, sit in the background and laugh at myself for being an idiot, knowing it’s all going to get better.
Photography: Jiksaw
Emmanuel Sonubi performs his new show Life After Near Death at the Edinburgh Fringe at the Pleasance Courtyard from July 30 to August 25, then touring the UK from Sept 17 to Nov 28: www.emmanuelstandup.com
Be part of the solution
Positive News is helping more people than ever to get a balanced and uplifting view of the world. While doom and gloom dominates other news outlets, our solutions journalism exists to support your wellbeing and empower you to make a difference towards a better future.
But our reporting has a cost and, as an independent, not-for-profit media organisation, we rely on the financial backing of our readers. If you value what we do and can afford to, please get behind our team with a regular or one-off contribution.
Give once from just £1, or join 1,500+ others who contribute an average of £3 or more per month. You’ll be directly funding the production and sharing of our stories – helping our solutions journalism to benefit many more people.
Join our community today, and together, we’ll change the news for good.
