Community Corner

Meet Zay Zay, Lakewood's Very Own Internet Comedy Sensation

The 5-year-old, self-dubbed the world's youngest comedian, and his father have created a series of YouTube videos that have gone viral. Over the past few weeks, he has gone to Hollywood and made the blog of the popular Tosh.0 television show.

Zay Zay has gone viral.

The 5-year-old comedian from Lakewood has one of the hottest brands on the Internet right now. His popular standup video, "Growing up Black," has gotten more than 430,000 views on YouTube since it was posted some two weeks ago.

It's a two-and-a-half minute video rant - produced with the help of fellow funnyman/his dad, Kevin Fredericks - in which young Zay Zay (whose real name is Isaiah) highlights some of the, um, idiosyncracies of black parents.

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His father says his son wouldn't stop bugging him about wanting to be a comedian, so, almost as a joke, he put Zay Zay on YouTube and set up Twitter and Facebook accounts for him.

A few hundred thousand views later, Zay Zay is making people across the Internet crack up at their computer screens.

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"Growing up Black" could one day go down as Zay Zay's big break. Like a tiny Richard Pryor or Eddie Murphy in their heydays, Zay Zay's material isn't for everyone but can be uncomfortably and hilariously true: "My dad is like Joe Jackson ... with a little more love."

This was my favorite line because it hit way too close to home: "They make us dance too much. 'Do the Dougie, Zay Zay. Do the Dougie.' If I don't dance I get in trouble. It's crazy!"

Since it has gone viral, he's flown to Hollywood for television interviews. He even made the blog of the popular Comedy Central show, "Tosh.0," which is akin to being a starving singer in the 1960s and signing a record deal with Motown. Basically, being associated with Tosh.0 is a big deal among amateur stuntmen and pranksters alike.

But for many locals, Zay Zay is the kid who plays basketball at the and whose father coaches youth sports.

Go get 'em, Zay Zay. When we're not laughing, we're filled with pride over what you've accomplished.


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