Jordan Garnett Hopes To Strike It Big In Comedy Story by Chris Felker • Photo by Abner Pedraza
Jordan Garnett’s last full-time job was cleaning pools. His folks had paid for him to take the classes and get certified in the field. He lasted two weeks before deciding it was not for him. Then, back in April, he took the leap toward pursuing what he believes is his real muse. “I’m going to be a stand-up comedian!” he told his parents. To them, it might have sounded a lot like, “I’m going to be a starving artist!” They were initially not happy with his choice. After all, most comedians do tend toward the starving end of the pay scale. The 22-year-old didn’t get ridicule from his family when he told them he wanted to do stand-up comedy for a living, just some chagrin and a lot of surprise. But his father, Ed, eventually came around and is one of his biggest backers now. In fact, his dad is the doorman who collects the cover charges and checks IDs at Aroma’s Hookah Lounge in Wellington, where Jordan runs a weekly comedy show. That makes him kind of a “bouncer,” more or less, but for Jordan, his father is also his goto “bouncer-off” guy (one of his comedy testers). Aroma’s — a cozy hangout in the Pointe at Wellington Green that caters mostly to young adults and serves up beer, wine and mixed drinks, along with hookahs all around, plus flavored tobaccos — often sees its biggest crowds when Jordan “runs the room,” as he says, on Tuesday nights. Many of them might be ex-classmates; he was
born and raised in Boynton Beach and has many friends in the western communities. “I went to Trinity Christian Academy, which nobody can believe,” he said, “then graduated from Park Vista [High School] in 2010. My girlfriend is from Seminole Ridge [High School]. I met her at a comedy club… wow, it has been three years now.” They’re sharing an apartment, but Danielle had moved into his parents’ house with him until dad said, “Uh, you gotta get out of my house!” That was one of Jordan’s less funny moments at home, but he always earned lots of laughs growing up there. Since he decided to follow his true muse, it has been a little rough making ends meet. “Just this year it became a full-time gig,” Jordan said. “Thank God. I couldn’t last in any other job. I honestly cannot count on my two hands how many jobs I’ve had — even toes, I run out.” He performs off and on at Improv locations in West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale. “Comedy is the only thing that I have ever loved,” he said. “But it just took a while. I’ve been doing com-
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Comedy is the only thing that I have ever loved, but it just took a while. I’ve been doing comedy since about two weeks after I turned 17. Jordan Garnett
42December December2014 2014|wellington |wellingtonthe themagazine| magazine|10th 10thAnniversary Anniversary 42
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