The renowned comedian known as Alibaba, Atunyota Akpobome, has disclosed how his choice to pursue comedy rather than law caused tension in his relationship with his father for ten years.
Alibaba talked about the day he told his father about his career decision in a recent Honest Bunch podcast episode.
He claimed that they were silent for ten years as a result of his father’s criticism.
He went on to say that he was still determined to disprove his father through comedy.
“My dad is a bookworm. He got his PhD at 86. I told him, I said, ‘Daddy, I came from school to tell you something.’ He said, ‘Okay, have you been rusticated?’ I said, ‘No. I have decided that I do not want to read law. I want to do comedy,” he said.
“He asked, ‘comedy like what?’ I said, ‘like cracking jokes.’ He laughed and asked my younger brother to call my uncle who lived close by.
“When my uncle came, he asked what the matter was and I said I do not want to read law again and that I want to do comedy. He said that means I have found another father.
“I knew I could not sleep in that house because my dad would beat me. So as my uncle was going out, I followed him to lock the burglary and I did not go back in.
“My dad and I did not talk from 1988 – 1998. Ten years. I tried to reach out to him. I went one time to talk to him but he did not want to see me.
“This was the thing. So people ask, ‘Where did you get the inspiration to become a great comedian?’ I was committed. I was like I want to prove him [my Dad] wrong.”
Alibaba’s journey in comedy began in the late 1980s.
