Nose taped up, wearing clothes that would probably be found in the juniors department of JCPenny and holding a bag shaped like a chihuahua, John Roberts found his fame.
Roberts, described above as his teenage girl character, Debra, found recent success thanks to YouTube.com and fans that can’t get enough of his characters. Inspired by his loved ones, Roberts said his characters were born during his stand-up routines over the past five years.
“The Christmas Tree” hit YouTube about two years ago and was welcomed by over a million viewers. Encouraging people to “come ova” and look at his Christmas tree, Roberts portrayed a mother with fiery red hair and a love for Bailey’s inspired by his own mom.
The video follows the mom through the holiday season from the arrival of the tree to saying goodbye to her “good tree.” Wearing his own mother’s clothes throughout the film, Roberts described his mother as a good sport in the process.
“I have a great relationship with my mom,” Roberts said. “She gives me jokes now, mostly, when she doesn’t want to.”
The mom character goes on to celebrate Mother’s Day, have a chat on the phone with a ridiculously long cord and discover that her son is gay. Roberts said the character’s success is because she’s relatable.
“A lot of people know that woman,” Roberts said. “Besides my mom, there are a lot of women that are like that.”
Several months after the mom hit YouTube, Jackie and Debra made their debut. Following Debra during a fight with her best friend, Jackie, the film mocks high school girls and their everyday dilemmas. Roberts said that the film was an enjoyable experience but might have been a little embarrassing for his nephew.
“The new ‘Jackie and Debra’ I filmed at my old high school and now my nephew’s there,” he said. “He’s on the football team and he sees his uncle walking around with his nose taped up in yellow sweatpants.”
The comedian of over 20 years said that he had no idea how much fame he would gain from a few videos on YouTube.
“YouTube has been a wonderful surprise,” Roberts said. “To get the reaction that they have has been a total blessing.”
Even though YouTube has put him on the map, Roberts said he is ready to move on to bigger projects.
“I have a pilot I’m working on with the Debra character and some new characters,” Roberts said. “I have a new character that’s a soccer mom that is inspired by my sister and her life.”
But don’t worry, YouTube fans, Roberts said he is not done making videos for the site.
“I think my character Paulie P, the stand-up comedian, will be next,” Roberts said. “He could be described as a poor man’s Andrew Dice Clay.”
Staying out of character the entire interview, Roberts couldn’t resist the urge to slip into the mom just once.
“Enjoy Long Island,” he said while laughing.