Alibaba: My dad didn’t talk to me for 10 years for choosing comedy over law

Atunyota Akpobome, the ace comedian better known as Alibaba, has revealed how his decision to pursue comedy instead of law strained his relationship with his father for a decade.

In a recent episode of the Honest Bunch podcast, Alibaba discussed the moment when he told his father about his career choice.

He said his father’s disapproval resulted in 10 years of silence between them.

He added that he remained committed to comedy to prove his father wrong.

“My dad is a bookworm. He got his PhD at 86. I told him, I said, ‘Daddy, I came from school to tell you something.’ He said, ‘Okay, have you been rusticated?’ I said, ‘No. I have decided that I do not want to read law. I want to do comedy,” he said.

“He asked, ‘comedy like what?’ I said, ‘like cracking jokes.’ He laughed and asked my younger brother to call my uncle who lived close by.

“When my uncle came, he asked what the matter was and I said I do not want to read law again and that I want to do comedy. He said that means I have found another father.

“I knew I could not sleep in that house because my dad would beat me. So as my uncle was going out, I followed him to lock the burglary and I did not go back in.

“My dad and I did not talk from 1988 – 1998. Ten years. I tried to reach out to him. I went one time to talk to him but he did not want to see me.

“This was the thing. So people ask, ‘Where did you get the inspiration to become a great comedian?’ I was committed. I was like I want to prove him [my Dad] wrong.”

Alibaba’s journey in comedy began in the late 1980s.