Michigan State Police Sgt. Dwayne Gill uses his day job as a reference pool for his stand-up sets.
Gill said that comedy came first for him, but open-mic nights did not bring in enough money, so he became a police officer.
“They knew that I was doing stand-up in the academy and I was called 'Recruit Joker,'” Gill said.
Gill started his comedic journey in 1989. He signed up for an Apollo Night contest in April 1995. After getting booed off the stage, he decided to quit comedy and focus on his police work.
Seven years later, he went to a retirement party for a trooper at the Ann Arbor Showcase, and said that gave him the itch to try comedy again.
He read books, took a class in New York, and learned more about comedy. September 11, 2002 he was back on stage, and started getting paid for his jokes in 2004.
Now he has opened up for celebrities like Tim Allen, and recently for Aretha Franklin.
Gill has been working in law enforcement for 21 years. He is now the Michigan State Police liaison to the Legislature, and he still continues to do stand-up work.
*Listen to our full interview with Dwayne Gill above.
