Award-winning skitmaker Layi Wasabi has revealed that he never set out to become an “intellectual comedian,” saying the label, though flattering, has placed enormous pressure on his creativity.
Speaking on the Joey Akan Experience podcast, the content creator, whose real name is Isaac Ayomide Olayiwola, said his comedy journey began with stand-up performances during his school days, where classmates encouraged him after recognising his natural sense of humour.
According to Wasabi, he simply created comedy that felt authentic to him without trying to fit into any particular category. It was audiences who later described his style as intellectual comedy.
“To be honest, when I started comedy, I didn’t start out wanting to be perceived as an intellectual. I just created comedy in a way that felt natural to me, and people decided it was different and called it intellectual comedy,” he said.
The AMVCA-winning comedian explained that he initially created content for his own enjoyment before it gradually attracted a wider audience.
“I started creating comedy for me before it found people. I didn’t create comedy for people,” he added.
While grateful for the recognition, Wasabi admitted the label has become both an honour and a burden, saying it now shapes the kind of content he feels comfortable releasing.
Describing it as “a crown and a cross,” he noted that the expectations of his audience sometimes prevent him from experimenting with ideas he personally finds funny.
He also disclosed that producing his signature style of comedy requires extensive preparation, including research, fact-checking and continuous learning to keep his content fresh and avoid becoming repetitive.
“There’s a lot of effort in being effortless. You have to research, fact-check and constantly update your knowledge because you don’t want your content to become stale,” he said.
Wasabi also weighed in on the ongoing debate about whether skitmakers should be regarded as actors, disagreeing with filmmaker Daniel Etim’s view that they are not.
According to him, acting remains one of the most important skills required to produce compelling comedy skits.
“To be a great skitmaker, you have to be a good actor,” he said.
