Today we’d like to introduce you to Comedian JuCee.
Comedian, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born on the Eastside of Detroit , the youngest of 3 girls, I born to master carpenter Sherman Sparks & my beautiful mother Evangelist Sandra Williams a retired banker for over 40+ years. Growing up in the church with my stepfather Cornell McGee’s guidance & encouragement to sing any chance I got & teaching me to read at the age of 4 my journey has always been blessed & for that I am grateful. I have sung in many churches & cathedrals, with many greats like my godfather Paul Clark & long time choir director Toni Lett. I started out singing at my home church Hicks Memorial COGiC in Detroit, Mi & flourished from there. I have always had an out going spirit as a child. I sung gospel, I did modern dance, & I was captain of the swim team. My high school social worker & second parents Lisa & Lionel Scott made sure to keep enrolled and active in programs throughout my high school career for weight management & confidence and boy did it work! Being plus sized in life can be difficult, kids are cruel but confidence makes all the difference and since the days of old I’ve been “Supa Wit This Fupa “. In June 2003 after I graduated high school, I left home just 5 days later to pursue my dreams of travel & entertainment at age 17. I took a management position at Cedar Point amusement Park. It was there in Sandusky Ohio I got my first taste of stand up comedy. My coworkers believed in me & thought I was hilarious, so they signed me up for a comedy showcase and at 19, the fire was lit in me because I won. But nothing came of it. Well in 2007 after completing 5 seasons of Cedar point & being 8 months pregnant I returned to Detroit to give birth to my only daughter at age 22. Amari, my first love was born & that lit a whole new fire for life in me. With her birth I now had a great purpose in love and life & I was ready to tackle ANYTHING. In 2008 I began JuceeNation with my partners Shaunda Hudson, Paula Beanum, & Joanne Sparks , later in 2022 adding our event coordinators Natasha Coleman & Mariah Woods . We are a non profit organization who assist single mothers/ single fathers & children with obtaining resources & supplies for their families through redistribution of goods both new and gently used donated by the community & services provided free of charge among one another. We are now on our 13 year of JuceeNation’s mass community give away rightfully named “Something For All” which takes place every second Saturday in October in Highland Park. In 2012 While assisting my nieces with school & extra curriculum activities, I was introduced to Ms. Sharon Dumas of Full & Fabulous – The Curvy Girl Project of Detroit Michigan under her modeling expertise, mentorship, and leadership I was first introduced into professional modeling and public speaking on a higher platform than before. I then took training on becoming a mentor for plus size girls ages 10-19 & received tremendous opportunities to model & speak myself. After stepping away due to health & life issues, I gave birth to my only son Julian in July of 2018. He is a remarkable little boy. He has been diagnosed level 2 autism, but is hyperlexic & a savant in his own right. He is also semi-verbal teaching me true love does not need words but is truly an action. Due to him I am a proud autism mom & advocate in the Metro Detroit autism world partnering & working with Hezekiah Kids , Dr. Vertongie & Dice Clark on many platforms to bring awareness- acceptance- advocation to autism in Detroit & surrounding areas.
On February 10, 2019 my eldest sister was murdered & my life changed forever. I had lost my best friend & partner in crime forever so the only thing left to do was fulfill all those goals we dreamed about & honor her life by living mine to the fullest. In March 2021 I was introduced to Cardon Detroit & offered an opportunity to compete in my second comedy competition in my life at SportsZone Comedy Club, a black owned sports bar (8044 Harper Ave. Detroit) afraid but excited I took to the stage against 3 other really good female competitors & I WON. After that I was invited to attend legendary comedian Mike Bonner’s birthday featuring Alex Thomas, and it was there I got to go backstage and meet the legendary Coco of Coco’s House of Comedy -Ginger Hudson & Darryl Earl, he is one of my favorite comedians to this very day. I think that’s where my comedy began in Detroit but like I said at the beginning, favor ain’t fair & my career has been ordered and blessed. Shortly in my journey I met Buddy Love on his introduction, an outbreak comedian from Detroit based in New York & through our friendship, he introduced me to Shanell Farris aka Simply Shanell which decided to showcase me at Ford Rd Patio in Detroit, on her Tuesday night long running for 8 consecutive years free entry comedy show with Dj Arthur Burgman called Let’s Laugh New Faces ShowCase in Sept 2021 which was an absolute hit & since that day it’s been up for me! I still to this day appreciate her for guidance on stage presence, writing material, staying true to self, and teaching the business side. A true friendship was formed over time & she has been a blessing to many and many careers, you have to give honor where due. I truly appreciate every veteran comedian in the game that has offered advice with love towards my growth. Everyday the more I know, the more I grow in my craft & for growth I am grateful. I have been blessed to grace stages with some of the best in this business in just 4 short years. My steps are indeed ordered and I’m looking to many more years of comedy & growth into comedic greatness
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Has it been a smooth road? Yes and no, I can’t complain about my plate being full when the plan was to eat good. But I believe anything God is in won’t have chaos and uncertainty in the ingredients. While anything worth having is worth fighting for, I didn’t have to fight too hard. I pray and listen in times I’m lost . God orders my steps. Struggles along the way for me would be costs and time. Being an active mother and caretaker, time management is very important. It also take money to make money, things like wardrobe, camera, headshots, merchandise, media, business cards, classes. It takes time, patience, humbleness, being strong willed and holding firm in your morals and values no matter what the check says or you’re being offered. Material isn’t a struggle for me because I’m brutally honest with myself and my audience. I’m a real woman, living real life, and I’m going to keep it real in my thoughts and delivery. I want to be transparent and talk to my audience like the cousins and not consumers.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
In my personal life I am a manager of an adult foster care home thru DWIHN . In my home I care for up to 6 intellectually disabled men, I began this journey I’m 2020 after my sister was murdered inside her adult foster care home in February 2019, after staff left the clients alone for 30 minutes to eat dinner at a local coney Island. It showed me to many employees this field is just a paycheck, and they need more loving, caring, conscious staff that understands these are people with families, and lives that are loved and deserve respect and great treatment even when no one is watching staff. That’s integrity. Let’s make integrity great again because my sister was failed by this system and in my presence I hope to improve consumer care in homes across Michigan
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Stay true to you! Be original! Try out your new material at a dinner party for your family. Never stop writing or recording. It’s ok not to be with everything with everyone. You are not for everyone, find your tribe and thrive there. Comedy is a one man band. The more you know the more you grow. Stay humble but don’t be no fool. If you allow disrespect, they will disrespect you. If you respect yourself, they will to. Let your no come without an explanation. Let your yes come with assurance. Be a person of your words. I wish I started earlier and didn’t let fear stop me, even the words impossible says I’m Possible, remember that! Keep it JuCee .. details are everything. Keep God first. Everything is for sale, doing discount your value just to make one. Patience is key. Clap for others while you wait your turn. What God has for you . It is for you. Never limit you to one way to eat. The average millionaire has 7 sources of income
Pricing:
- Contact for pricing for comedy
- Contact for pricing for event hosting
- Contact for pricing for motivational speaker
- Contact for pricing for gospel singing
- Contact for pricing for plus size modeling
Contact Info:
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jucee313
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jucee313
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/16MzTrMN3s/
Image Credits
Krystal Norwood of Luxx Lavander Photography
