Having full commitment to being absurd is the comedy style of Tom Simons which also allows for him to express openness.
More commonly known as “TommyInnit,” Simons is known for his role in the Minecraft content club, the “DreamSMP,” which stands for “Dream Survival Multiplayer.” The 21 year old Brighton, UK native made the switch from Minecraft to comedy with his first stand-up comedy tour.
“I think a lot of comedians, their comedy is built on vulnerability and openness and discussing mental health or trauma,” Simons said. “I found that in my comedy, the vulnerability comes from the silliness and the complete sort of throwing away of social standards.”
The 90-minute show is split into two parts: a half hour of Simons’s stand up routine based on his newly released book “TommyInnit’s Guide to Survival” and one hour of scripted comedy featuring a special guest each show.
As of this year, the combined total of subscribers from all his platforms has reached 50 million. Simons has a long history with gaming, one that has changed over time.
“Once I moved out, at like age 18, I kinda stopped playing most video games,” Simons said. “I’ve sort of wrung that towel dry, I feel like, but I still love it.”
For Simons, the appeal of Minecraft was the ability to create comedic storylines. At age 21, Simons is in the midst of pivoting to a full-time career in comedy. Having spent the past year performing in the UK basement scene, Simons decided to launch his rebrand with the release of his new book and the coinciding comedy tour.
In the past few years, Simons has been open about his mental health struggles, including his recent depression diagnosis. With “TommyInnit’s Guide to Survival,” Simons explored the genre of a self-help book through a satirical lens.
Growing up as an online persona, Simons learned to embrace all parts of life; including the good, the bad and the cringe. His ability to inspire his audience through both his comedic and serious videos fuel his willingness to be open.
“It’s kind of helped me to know that, even though I’m feeling low, that it’s sort of shining, not even shining a light, but, is at least helpful for someone else as a reference point, just as I’ve found other artists. It’s really nice that I can do that for someone else,” said Simons.
Cristina Estrella, a sophomore illustration major, was a DreamSMP fan in high school. As she grew out of the community, Estrella occasionally kept up with former members. Having kept an eye out for Simons’s budding comedy career, she sees the same humor that drew her to the SMP.
“Not everybody gets his humor,” Estrella said. “There are a couple of people who don’t like him because they consider him loud, annoying, but I feel like he’s more, like, genuine humor, you know? He takes account of what’s in his life and doesn’t necessarily make fun of it, but actually has that humor that people wouldn’t find offensive.”
Also a DreamSMP fan since high school through friends, sophomore film and television major Ashley Kirkland gravitated towards Simons.
“We were the same age, it was a little bit of jealousy, I’ll admit. It was like I could have been doing this kind of thing and maybe been in a similar position, but it was also just like, he was a funny guy, it was enjoyable to watch,” said Kirkland.
Cassidy Colvin, a junior graphic design major, watched the DreamSMP to connect with her little brother.
“I still have really fond memories of waking up in the middle of the night to hear Minecraft videos playing and just laughing because I knew my brother was having fun watching his favorite YouTubers.”
Like many of his peers, his transition from streamer to comedian comes during a period of self-discovery. The “TommyInnit Survival Tour” wraps up in late May, after which Simons said he plans to “just kinda take it a little slower and figure out what’s going on, who I am, what we’re doing.”
Copy edited by Manuel Nocera
Resumen En Español:
Tom Simons, mejor conocido como TommyInnit, es un creador de contenido digital.
Originalmente alcanzó la fama después de haber hecho contenido en plataformas como Twitch, YouTube y TikTok.
Recientemente ha estrenado su nuevo libro, el cual está conectado con su tour de comedia.
Simons discutió como su estilo de comedia le ayudaba a ser más abierto hablando sobre su salud mental.
Su tour tiene un show en Chicago, el cual es en Mayo 9.
Resumen Por Uriel Reyes
Resumen editado por Manuel Nocera
