Comedy & Conversations Tackles Suicide Awareness With Humor and Honesty in Atlanta
Comedy and difficult truths shared the same stage on October 15 at Skewed Orbit on Auburn Avenue, where community members gathered for Comedy & Conversations, an event blending stand-up comedy with open discussion about mental health.
Created nearly six years ago by comedians David Perdue and Munir Meghjani, a member of the Atlanta Way 2.0 Board of Directors, the series is known for mixing laughter with real-world issues. This particular evening focused on suicide awareness, in partnership with AFSP Georgia, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s state chapter (https://afsp.org/georgia).
The topic was one the organizers never imagined covering. Meghjani told the audience that when the series began, they didn’t expect to tackle something so heavy. But when a colleague suggested an event centered on suicide, they agreed, relying on the trust built with their community. Perdue nodded and summed it up simply: “Yes… we did it.”
The night featured stand-up sets from Madeline Evans, Baron Vaughn, and Ian Aber, each weaving humor with deeply personal experiences. Evans paused early in her set to share that her brother died by suicide, making the event personally meaningful. She emphasized her belief that everyone deserves a voice and to be celebrated, explaining that much of her work is about lifting people up.
Aber mixed sharp humor with candid vulnerability. He joked about being in therapy with an 18-year-old psychology student because he can’t afford a licensed therapist, then shifted into a serious admission: suicidal thoughts had been a constant presence in his life. He described a childhood overdose attempt that led to hospitalization and a surreal dreamlike vision he experienced while unconscious for 36 hours, involving a strange man on a train who threw him off before he woke up.
Throughout the evening, Perdue and Meghjani highlighted how rarely suicide is talked about openly, even in communities where it’s common. Perdue noted that in the comedy world, he hasn’t gone a single year without losing a fellow comedian to suicide, underscoring the urgency of breaking the silence.
Between comedy sets, the hosts led a panel discussion featuring AFSP Georgia representatives Chelsea Payit, Amanda Thomas, and Tina and Dascia Freeman. Freeman shared that mental health struggles weren’t acknowledged in her Jamaican upbringing. After losing her mother-in-law, she turned to AFSP, where she found comfort and connection. Payit introduced herself as both a program manager and a loss survivor, having lost her father to suicide. She explained AFSP’s efforts to reduce stigma by encouraging healthier language, pointing out that “you don’t commit cancer, you don’t commit heart disease, just the same way you don’t commit suicide.”
Thomas stressed treating mental health with the same seriousness as physical illness, whether through medication or holistic approaches. She also emphasized the power of simply showing up, saying that people crave genuine connection and presence.
By the end of the event, the crowd had experienced something rare: a space where heavy stories could be shared without fear and where laughter didn’t diminish pain—it made room for it. For anyone seeking community or support, AFSP Georgia will host its International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day event on November 22, offering a space for healing and connection. Registration details can be found on the AFSP Georgia website (https://afsp.org/georgia).
