Comedian Delorean “Delo” Brown Was Born to Be Wild

Delorean “Delo” Brown wears a lot of hats, but she wants to make one thing clear: She is, first and foremost, an actual stand-up comedian. “I’ll say I’m a comedian and people will ask me for my Instagram, or ask me how many followers I have. I have to go, ‘No sis, I go up on stage for 40 minutes, I have sets. I do stand-up!’ It just goes to show you how media and the industry is changing,” she says.

Brown, a Renaissance High School graduate and self-proclaimed “Six Mile girl,” is a Detroiter through and through. She’s currently living between Los Angeles and the Motor City, juggling an entertainment career that evolves by the second. You may have caught her onstage with B. Simone and D.C. Young Fly during Michigan State University’s homecoming weekend.

“The comedy scene is smaller in Detroit. I didn’t have much competition and I could carve my own lane a little. Here in LA, it’s a big change. It’s exciting to adapt. When people ask what I do, I tell them I do everything,” Brown says. Her plate is never empty. In addition to appearing in Diddy’s Funny AF on REVOLT TV, she’s been cast in an upcoming feature film Sisters by director Jahmar Hill, which recently started production.

And since January, she’s been a traveling content creator for College CurlFriends, a web series for young black girls that glorifies natural hair in a comedic, healthy way. In May, London-based natural hair care brand Aunt Jackie’s Curls and Coils asked Brown to represent the brand and College CurlFriends at its natural hair expo, Afro Hair & Beauty Live.

“I’m an international bad bitch now!” Brown laughs. “Going to London for Aunt Jackie’s Curls and Coils was an amazing experience. Seeing all those black people overseas (and) the artistry at the hair expo, and representing the show was great.”

Brown says she realized she had a gift for creating giggles as a kid when someone else pointed out her potential star power. “It came natural to me, like I had an energy that gravitated people towards me. In middle school, we had an awards ceremony, and afterwards, a guy came up to me and suggested I should be a comedian. I always knew I would be something,” she says.

Even after that, comedy was never Brown’s Plan A. She chose the career path later in life after realizing that what she was doing wasn’t at all what she loved. “I worked as a college advisor at (Michigan State University). When I graduated, I tried law school,” she says. “I even went for a master’s in higher education. But none of it felt like me. I would work long shifts and come home drained and uninspired, and I knew I had a talent I wanted to share.”

She says when she told her parents about her decision, they were “totally supportive.” Brown says, “My parents are one of my biggest blessings. They were with me from the beginning and a lot of people don’t have that support. It only took my mom two shows to warm up to the idea completely.” She says that her position in the industry as a black woman comic is a constantly changing one.

“Attitudes are shifting, you know – slowly but surely. People used to cringe at the idea of a female comic because they prejudge us and our topics and stories, but things like A Black (Lady) Sketch Show are making more avenues for us,” she says.

“Funny black girls are blowing up right now!” Brown describes her comedy as “raw, but not vulgar.” In her sets, she talks openly about aspects of her life like her weight, relationships, family, friends and anything else that comes to mind.

“I draw a lot of inspiration from comics like Sommore and Monique,” Brown says. “I especially like the way Mike Epps can turn pain and struggle into silliness the way he does.” She says that she was tagged to do Funny AF within months of moving to Los Angeles. She marvels at the speed with which everything is happening, but she’s not surprised.

“This new movie role (in Sisters) is so different from what I usually do and I’m still having a ball. Now that I’m getting started, I’m not being shy about anything. I plan to sell out the Garden one day.” Her comedy is for her, she says, but she hasn’t forgotten the people watching. “My career is bigger than me,” Brown says. “When I’m onstage, I’m a vessel to inspire others to live fearlessly and chase their dreams, even if they started a little late.”