From the Pulpit to the Punchline: The Rise of Eric Husband

CO-CEO/Publisher On The Rise Media

Comedy doesn’t always start with a punchline. For Eric Husband, it began with Easter speeches, delivered as a child with confidence and a surprising flair. He wasn’t the class clown — no way his mother was getting a call about her son being a clown. But even back then, the kids around him knew: Eric was funny.

That quiet but undeniable gift would eventually lead him to the stage — not because he had a lifelong dream to be a comedian, but because he saw a comic bomb onstage… and still walk away with a paycheck. “I thought it looked easy enough,” he recalls with a smirk. “I get paid even if I fail… and failure is my close friend.”

That self-awareness and humility are part of what make Eric so magnetic. Raised by parents who were both ministers, his upbringing instilled in him a natural sense of storytelling — and a deep understanding of timing. “My father used humor to teach lessons or get the attention of the congregation. So, it’s either via osmosis or genetics,” he jokes. “Real life is stranger than fiction, and I like stories with a twist — though most times, a twist isn’t even needed.”

Eric’s approach to comedy is deeply spiritual. His writing process? Silence. Stillness. “In my opinion, my material is divine,” he says. “I sit in silence and write whatever comes up for a few hours. Then I take away everything that’s not funny. Then rewrite. And rewrite again.” He doesn’t rely on open mics anymore — his church gives him a monthly 15-minute set, which provides immediate, honest feedback. “Plus, I get ideas and pointers.”

Of course, it hasn’t always been smooth. Eric remembers one of his earliest performances — or rather, the haunting feeling of not being heard. “The mic had issues, or maybe I was holding it wrong. The crowd was leaving… and I wonder, ‘Was there something I could’ve done to draw them back?’ That question still haunts me.”

But haunting moments don’t stop his hustle — they sharpen it. Eric credits his resilience to a life filled with lessons. “I’ve failed so much in life that I’ve learned wisdom is everywhere. I take criticism and negative feedback as fuel to be better.”

His inspirations are rooted close to home. “My family is my biggest influence. They support me, so it makes it easy to try new things.” He also recalls watching Lavell Crawford and laughing so hard he couldn’t breathe — a “near-death experience with laughter,” he calls it. It lit a fire in him, showing the power of well-crafted comedy.

Now, Eric has bigger dreams. With a few degrees in science and a career in molecular imaging, he’s proof that comedy can coexist with brilliance. Oh, and he’s an ordained deacon, too. His five-year plan? To tour with a show that fuses music and comedy — he’s learning guitar and envisions a performance package that’s uniquely his own.