Tarik Lewis

The son of a postal worker and English teacher, Tarik was born in Brooklyn, NY. At the age of five the Lewis family moved from a predominately Black neighborhood in Queens, to a predominately White suburb in Tampa, Fl.  Diagnosed with asthma at a young age he spent a lot of the time in front of the television where he became fascinated with the world of comedy. Unfortunately, idolizing comedians like Martin Lawrence, Eddie Murphy, and Richard Pryor often got Tarik into lots of trouble at school. Pressure to exceed in class, along with his parent’s desire for him to become a computer engineer or doctor forced Tarik to keep secret his dream to one day become a comedian.  

In his final semester of school USF he decided to take a class called Stand Up Comedy to help finish his communications minor. Exhibiting a natural ability to make people laugh he became the stand out student in class.  For the final class project each student was required to perform a 7-minute comedic piece to a group of peers, family, and friends.  Tarik performed and won the entire crowd over.  From then on he has pursued a career in stand-up comedy winning competitions all throughout the Tampa Bay Area in clubs such as Side Splitters, Coconuts, and the Tampa Improv. He has gone on to receive hosting duties and features at nightclubs, social events, colleges, and comedy shows opening for acts such as Gary Owens, Hannibal Burress, Bruce Bruce and SNL alum Finesse Mitchell. He has also expanded his repertoire to include improv, acting, and voice over work.

Tarik prides himself on being an in your face comedian not afraid to touch on topics that other comedians shy away from.  With material spanning from politics and ethics, to relationships and family; he wields a comedic arsenal that can please any crowd no matter race, religion, or lifestyle.  His comedic influences include legends such as Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, Martin Lawrence, and some of the biggest stars of the day such as: Chris Rock, Louis C.K., Dave Chappelle, Jon Stewart, and Cedric the Entertainer. Along with being a touring stand-up comedian Tarik is working towards become a successful actor, screenwriter and producer. 

“I just like to make people laugh,, it makes me feel important. There’s nothing better than knowing that you can put a smile on somebody’s face and make them forget their problems even for a minute…that’s power.”