Comedian Kam Patterson first found his knack for cracking jokes while performing impromptu sets for classmates and family in his youth and by testing material at a Foot Locker store where he worked.
After honing his talent at Central Florida open mic nights in 2021, the Orlando native moved to Austin, Texas, in 2023 to pursue his comedy dreams and is now one of five new cast members joining NBC’s Saturday Night Live for the show’s 51st season this fall.
Friends and comedy mentors who supported Patterson’s meteoric rise said that he reached such heights with his drive, dedication and by being himself.
“Kam told me that when he looked up and realized he didn’t know what he was going to do after school, he told his dad he’s like, ‘I think I want to be a comedian.’ His dad said, ‘Listen, if you do it, you got to do it right,’” said Vince Taylor, an Orlando-based comedian. “He’s a refreshing, cool, smiley and gentle but honest young face on the market. It’s a refreshing thing to see and we’re all happy in Orlando.”
Born in Orlando in 1999, Patterson got his start by performing at Wil Miller’s All Jokes Aside Comedy Showcase open mic night. He then found and performed at open mic nights nearly every night of the week.
In Austin, he appeared on the popular live podcast “Kill Tony,” created and hosted by Tony Hinchcliffe and produced and co-hosted by Brian Redban, where his one-minute pieces of stand-up made him a regular.
Kam Patterson, an Orlando native, is set to join the cast of Saturday Night Live for the show’s 51st season. (Jim McCambridge/Courtesy Kenneth Patterson)
“Kam lives and breathes comedy. The guy does not stop working. He loves to be on the stage,” Miller said. “He’s learned how to blend comedy with his persona perfectly. I think his biggest win is that white people love him. He’s unapologetic but still with a smile behind it.”
In minute-long comedy bits posted to Instagram, Patterson riffs on his dating life, his interactions with the crowd and his everyday life experiences.
“Kam made me see that everything is material,” said Jonte “TaeTattedUp” Vaughn, a comedian who started performing at Central Florida open mics around the same time Patterson did. “He ended up becoming my close comedy brother, like my little brother.”
Patterson made his open mic debut wearing sweatpants and flip flops, which goes completely against the normal conventions of stand-up comedy.
“He would wear his flip flops on stage. In comedy, you definitely don’t wear flip flops on stage. I told him, ‘If you’re going to wear flip flops, wear them every time. So it’s a part of your thing,’” Miller recalled saying to Patterson. “He keeps it very organic. He lives and breathes that West Orlando attitude. You might have met someone like Kam on the street, but you haven’t seen them on a stage.”
As Patterson practiced his comedy craft, he knew he had the drive and dedication to make it his career. In a 2022 interview with Orlando Magazine, he said, “I plan to be the greatest, point blank. I’ll become a household name.”
With the news about SNL and his casting for the upcoming Netflix comedy “72 Hours,” which stars Kevin Hart as a 40-year-old executive who joins a bunch of twentysomethings on a bachelor party after they accidentally add him to their group chat, the comedian seems well on his way to turning that dream into a reality.
“Kam is a humble kid, and he definitely deserves everything he’s getting. None of this was handed to him. He really put in the work in a short period of time,” Miller said. “When you see someone from Orlando on SNL, that’s super motivational. To be so young in his career and already launching to those heights is commendable.”
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SNL Season 51
Central Floridian Kam Patterson joins four other new cast members — Jeremy Culhane, Veronika Slowikowska, Tommy Brennan and Ben Marshall — in the fall season of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” when the show returns Oct. 4.
