Saturday Night Live (SNL) and Ghostbusters star Leslie Jones revealed that she would have been oblivious about her comic talents if it weren’t for her friend. Although she is currently one of the premier repertory performers at SNL, Jones' stint with comedy began rather unwittingly. 

After taking part in a contest on her campus, she realized that comedy was her true calling. And since that epiphany, Jones redirected all her efforts into becoming a comedian of repute. 

Funniest Person On Campus

The 53-year-old comedian was 19 years old and studying at Colorado State University on a basketball scholarship when she found her passion. This life-altering realization hit her when she performed on stage in the “Funniest Person on Campus” contest, which her friend had secretly signed her up for. 

Not only did Jones participate in the contest, but she also emerged as the winner, which led her to drop her studies and dive headfirst into comedy. 

In an interview with People, the comic revealed that the first time she held a mic was when she realized that her passion lay in comedy.

The star said:

As soon as I touched the mic I knew that’s what I would do for the rest of my life,

Tallest Of Them All

In the conversation with People, the actor also confessed that she struggled with many insecurities during her early years, primarily regarding her height and skin color. 

The SNL star talked about being called names during her childhood because of her skin color. However, with time, she grew out of her insecurities regarding the color of her skin. 

People used to call me names so my mom had this beautiful African lady come talk to me. I was like, ‘Oh my God if I’m going to look like you then I don’t care what anyone says about me.'

Jones added she didn’t consider her above-average height a problem until she discovered boys.

The comic revealed that this discovery had made her feel aware of her height, but after letting it sink in, she is more confident now and pulls off 6-inch heels now and then. The comedian said:

I never had a problem with it until I discovered boys. Then I really became aware of it. It took me a while, but I’m totally into it now. I wear 6-in. heels.

Furthermore, in her Feb 11, 2019 post on Twitter, the comedian posted one of her sketches from SNL and joked about being the tallest among everyone.

The sketch was about commemorating black history month, where the comedians mentioned some African-American entertainers who had contributed to the legacy of SNL.

Jones tweeted the sketch with a caption: