Reality star, personal trainer, dancer, villain, bad boy; Sarper Guven can now add “comedian” to his list of varying character tags. If the face and drip is familiar, you may be a fan of the long running and highly addictive reality show 90 Day Fiance, where the Turkish transplant, alongside his wife Shekinah, has exposed the trials and tribulations of a tumultuous relationship many thought to be doomed from the start. Thankfully, the two are now married and thriving in the US, but Guven’s new life is not without its challenges. Another battle the 44 year old has chosen to take on is a brand new career in standup comedy. Rarely do fans get to see the early development of one’s journey on stage, let alone a comic whose confidence is through the roof from the get-go. Chatting with Guven is invigorating. Though his bad boy persona on TV has been slowly changing over the last year, sitting down face to face with the man is a different story altogether. He is endlessly positive, full of smiles and encouragement and driven as all get out. His outlook is contagious and a great reminder that we’re allowed to be proud of our accomplishments. Guven is less than a year into his standup life and already touring the country and performing alongside the likes of Whitney Cummings and Bobby Lee. Love him or love to hate him, Guven isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
New Noise Magazine: You stated on the show that you missed being on stage, missed the attention, but why comedy? You chose a very vulnerable and difficult artform.
Sarper Guven: I love to be on stage. I love attention. I was always like this when I was dancing. At this age and with Shekinah it’s impossible to dance. I thought about it and why not? It was always a thing I wanted to do in Turkey. I never started. This was like “let me try, there’s nothing I can lose”. It’s a lot more difficult than I thought but I’m lucky that I don’t have any stage phobia or any fear, nothing. I danced for seven years, for 500 people sometimes. I don’t have any embarrassment and I’m not shy. But, I asked myself do I have talent? Right now I see it. Today was the first day I watched myself, a 70-minute set. I’m not doing high intense crowd work so it’s really intense comedy. I’m a perfectionist so I never watched myself. I could get mad at myself thinking I should say this or do this. Today I watched it and oh my God, today I really believed I was a comedian. The mimics, the gestures I didn’t know about because when you’re doing it you don’t know. I looked at it and people are saying “you are unbelievable” and today I saw it. I could criticize myself but I do have talent, and I discovered it!
NNM: That’s really inspiring to find something in yourself you just weren’t aware of. When you decided to dive into comedy did you take classes or do anything to get educated?
SG: I did nothing. I didn’t take any classes because I’m a guy who has a high ego. If I believe I can do something I can do it. For example, I learned Russian on my own, never going to a course or anything. Same with the comedy. I wrote down two hours of a routine, but I had a Turkish mindset. I did not know it was totally different than American comedy. I learned that by trial and error. All my set now is adapted to American style. At first I wrote two hours and every day I was doing it at home on my own with the phone and the mirror. I was so good at it but I didn’t know if it would work. I just believed in something and I did it. The first tries were bad. What you saw on the show was the first time I was on the stage, I was in shock. I didn’t even hold the mic. I’m watching that now and laughing.
“I do have talent, and I discovered it!”
NNM: I assume most comics would tell you that confidence is the hardest part.
SG: I play with the crowd right now. I can be myself without any stress. I don’t even rehearse anything before the show. Even today in Portland, I went out and experienced some things and I’ll talk about it tonight. I’ll talk about that and I’m ready. It’s so difficult to do comedy in a foreign country where the language is not yours. Normally people can smoke weed before their sets but I cannot. If I smoke weed I forget English (laughs). Right now I’m not thinking about it or being stressed. I’m so comfortable on stage.
NNM: You’ve said that Turkish comedy can be very different than American comedy. Are you watching a lot of American comedy now and trying to learn?
SG: I need to watch some American comedy to see what’s happening. The ones in Los Angeles, the ones I’ve watched, are a lot of dark comedies. I don’t like dark comedies. My fans are couples and families so it has to be more friendly. I started to watch some Netflix specials especially Sebastian, that Italian guy, he’s inspired me a lot because he’s so physical on stage. I do a lot on stage so I take something from him, something from there, something from there etc. but this is my style I have today. It was not the first style I planned but it’s still me.
NNM: I’ve heard comedians say you wear your influences on your sleeve for the first handful of years. I feel like you’ve found your voice at a pretty rapid pace.
SG: I experience a lot in short time, like six months. Because of the show I started ahead of everyone, that’s not a lie. Right now I’m deserving it and I’m trying to prove I deserve it. Whoever comes to my show leaves so happy and says it’s unbelievable. This is the biggest compliment to me. When I started I saw a lot of things, I’ve been on stage in Los Angeles with some big names. My first job I was with Bobby Lee, Whitney Cummings, and Pauly Shore. I don’t want to say anything bad about people but some people have their one set, like 15-20 minutes, and they go 15 years with the same set. I’m not like this, I get sick of myself. I have to change every show. I have to try something new every show. I’ll have a joke I think is so good then nobody laughs, it happens a lot but it doesn’t demotivate me, I just change it.
NNM: You are such a positive guy but bombing has to be tough on anyone. Does it take you awhile to bounce back?
SG: I hate it. Two or three nights it was so bad in Los Angeles. There’s a club called Hollywood Improv, they say is the most difficult club in the world. Hollywood residents they are such snobs, they don’t love to laugh, they’re different. First it was bad but then I made it a challenge. Those lineup shows you’re limited with minutes to make as many jokes as you can so I was making them so fast but that’s wrong. Do it with your tempo. Tempo is the most important thing at a comedy show.
NNM: Being on television already has to be a bit of a double-edged sword. People know who you are but they may dismiss you quickly because they only know you as this reality star.
SG: There are haters that make bad comments about me but none of them came to my show. Some haters came to my show to write bad comments on Reddit about me then they confessed they loved it so much. That’s the biggest thing. On Reddit I saw about twenty comments after my show and it was all positive.
“I’m trying to prove I deserve it.”
NNM: I’m glad you mentioned that because when you started on 90 Day Fiance you were a bit of a villain.
SG: I was the biggest villain (laughs).
NNM: As time went on you wonder how much of someone’s development on a reality show is made up in the edit. In this last run of episodes you’re so fun, but because of those earlier days, I bet you’ve built up a lot of armor.
SG: Exactly. My transformation may be one of the biggest in reality TV, which my 2500 body count, I didn’t hide anything, it was my life. Also editing, its 45 minutes and you have like 5 or 10 minutes per episode to express everything. You can see I’m trying to change. Right now I’ve turned from a bad boy into a lovey dovey guy. They love this because the change happened before their eyes. Comedy happened in front of their eyes. They watched my first time on stage on tv and now when fans come to the shows they’re in shock.
NNM: And that first show was less than a year ago.
SG: Yes! I worked with some comedians who have like 20 years experience and they cannot believe I’ve only been doing it for six or seven months. I never understood it until I watched the tape today. That’s why I’m talking more confidently with you. If this was yesterday I’d talk different. Right now I believe in myself. I laughed at myself. Normally comedians don’t laugh at themselves.
NNM: So much comedy is so self-deprecating. It’s nice to see someone be positive and still be funny. In these last few months what do you feel like is the biggest lesson you’ve learned?
SG: Whatever happens, never demotivate, always think positive. It’s so cliché but its real especially for comedy because there are nights where you feel so shit. One night can be great then the next night in another city, same show, same everything and its not. You feel that when something is off, you don’t understand it. I’m not demotivating, I’m saying “next time will be better”.
NNM: Do you run your material by your wife Shekinah or by friends beforehand?
SG: (Laughs) I tell no one my jokes, especially Shekinah because she’s the worse person ever on the planet you can tell a joke to. She’s like a wall, she never laughs, nothing. She always criticizes and it demotivates me a lot. She’s first hearing the jokes when I’m on stage and it’s a risk because I don’t know what will happen so I’m gambling with my jokes. Every show I try three or four new jokes, that’s my style. Maybe one or two is good.
NNM: That’s tough when you’ve had no feedback until you’re on stage.
SG: Yeah, I tell no one. I’m using ChatGPT by the way, that’s another thing. I write a joke and I ask ChatGPT if Americans can understand this joke, should I change some word because a little bit changes everything. It gives some advice and I’m good.
NNM: We talked about US comedy vs Turkish comedy. Do you see a big differences as far as crassness or things you will or won’t talk about?
SG: A lot of different things yes. Turkish comedians always tell a story. The joke has to be a story. There has to be all this connection between everything but in America it’s like small choppy jokes. I’m trying to make it balanced.
NNM: Its impressive when a comic can tell a long story with lots of beats of jokes along the way.
SG: If you’re on stage 70 minutes you have to tell stories. I’ve worked with a comedian, I won’t give a name, he’s so good for 15 minute sets but when it goes longer like 45 minutes, it doesn’t work. People get tired of the choppy, they need a story.
NNM: Its almost two different artforms.
Absolutely. Right now I’m used to this, my show, like one hour or 70 minutes on stage with no restriction. I don’t look for that red light. It’s so fun. I don’t know if I could go back to ten or fifteen minutes.
NNM: Who are you into?
SG: Sebastian (Maniscalco) is great. His old work I watched a lot of that, I love his style. He sold out Madison Square Garden two or three time, he’s big. He has his style. I don’t know who inspires him but I love that he doesn’t look like anyone else.
“Whatever happens, never demotivate, always think positive. It’s so cliché but it’s real, especially for comedy because there are nights where you feel so shit.”
NNM: Tell me about Bootlaugh.
SG: Because I’m a personal trainer, I merged comedy with personal training. It was great but my comedy is getting stronger and Bootlaugh is getting difficult. It’s one hour and its big energy and I’m teaching people a Turkish dance and we have a lot of fun. People are so happy. Sometimes I do Bootlaugh and comedy on the same day, it’s difficult. I learned something, voice health is so important for a comedian. With Bootlaugh I’m shouting a lot. You cannot be a comedian with a hoarse voice. I’m learning something new every day.
NNM: I love that, we seem to lose that as we get older.
SG: It’s a younger thing for sure, like taking just my backpack and going on tour. I’m married and Shekinah has a diva personality so we’re going to the best hotels. There’ll be time when we go to four or five cities and you can’t always go to the best places.
NNM: What a great way to see the US though. Touring will take you to a lot of places you’d usually have little reason to visit.
SG: I just wanted to see the US and this is a perfect excuse. Everywhere is so different. Turkey is not like this.
NNM: Maybe this should be off the record but I’m curious what you think of the politics here so far.
SG: I’m coming from a homeland of politics, we have a dictator ruling the country right now. I was so happy to get here and leave everything behind. In America everything is so lenient. I get to America and everything is worse here (laughs). I have some jokes. I don’t go at it directly but I have some Trump jokes I need to make (laughs).
NNM: I want to touch on your musical taste. Can you name an artist or song that you can say changed your life or had a major impact on you?
SG: Men at Work. I love everything about them, that’s my youth. Also I love Guns N’ Roses.
NNM: Have you gone to many shows here?
SG: I haven’t been to any in America yet. I need to go to the Hollywood Bowl. I want to go to The Sphere in Las Vegas. I just want to watch a movie there. I have show there January 11th there so I may have to try.
NNM: So you haven’t experienced Vegas yet?
SG: Once, when my parents came here for forty days I took them to Las Vegas.
NNM: Have you been back to Turkey?
SG: No, they came just once. I want to go but right now because of comedy I can’t leave everything and go.
NNM: Your parents seem very sweet on TV.
SG: They are. That’s my biggest dream. I want them to watch me live. They won’t understand it because they don’t know English but I don’t care.
NNM: If you could be on another reality show. My easy answer is I’d want to see you on Survivor.
SG: I applied for Survivor in Turkey. I went to one or two auditions. My age was a little high for what they wanted. But I’m not that driven, I can get injured so easy so I probably wouldn’t be successful. I would do Love is Blind, I would influence the girls there and they would fight for me (laughs).
NNM: You could be a consultant or therapist to the contestants.
SG: That’s my goal one day. If I could do a show where I will find a nerd and make him go on dates and I’ll be in his ear and give him tactics, say this, say that. If you watched The Single Life tell-all, I gave some advice to Tyray. he’s so sweet, he’s coming to my San Francisco show.
“Right now, I believe in myself.”
Visit www.SarperGuven.com for upcoming tour dates!
Follow Sarper’s shenanigans on Instagram: @Sarper90Day
