SNL comedian Ego Nwodim performs at Yale, discusses self-discovery and dating
Nwodim performed as part of Yale College Council Events's annual comedy show.
Courtesy of Devin Thomas
For its annual comedy show, Yale College Council Events hosted the Saturday Night Live star Ego Nwodim. Nwodim’s interactive set brought both ripples of laughter and moments of reflection.
On Feb. 15, the comedian confidently took the stage and filled the room with charisma. Nwodim wore a fierce Anine Bing crew neck paired with the muted luxury of Prada loafers. Marsh Hall roared with applause. After a quick introduction, Nwodim presented an hour-long comedy set driven by audience interaction and personal anecdotes.
“Ego made the audience feel like a friend group,” said Crawford Arnow ’27. “She rolled with the punches and all of her jokes landed. I was laughing head-back the entire time.”
He added that the show felt both very polished and audience-driven. As a fellow performer, Arnow commended Nwodim’s skill as an entertainer.
Upon her entrance, Nwodim entertained by poking fun at her college experience at the University of Southern California and her Nigerian-American upbringing. As a biology major turned comedian, Nwodim joked about her family’s expectation that she pursue medicine.
After one student shouted, “this is a biology lecture hall!”, in response to Nwodim discussing her college major, she responded to the comment and many others to make the show feel like a conversation. Boos filled the room after Nwodim revealed she minored in business. The front rows occasionally joined with snappy comments as the crowd became part of the performance.
Nwodim’s set took place the day after Valentine’s day, so she eventually addressed the much-anticipated topic of dating. She joked about failed relationships and the difficulties of dating as a comedian.
“We wanted the show to be around Valentine’s Day,” said YCC Events Director Olivia Lombardo, “And the themes in the comedy show reflected dating at college, and Ego’s own personal experiences.”
Another highlight from the show was when Nwodim drew one of her ex boyfriends on the board, prompting laughter. She joked about having low standards in men, and outlined some of her expectations from potential boyfriends.
Tickets for the event were free, and Lombardo recalled an “overwhelmingly positive” reaction from students to the event.
Devin Thomas ’27, event lead for the YCC Comedy Show, said that there was a very high demand for tickets.
“Tickets sold out within an hour, and over 100 tickets were sold in the first minute,” he said. “All 11 students who rated the event gave it five stars.”
Ego Nwodim has been performing for SNL since 2018.