Rita Brent is exploding nationally in comedy—and she is a familiar face to Mississippians. She is active in her home state and the capital city where she grew up, volunteering for many community events, and she is the face of the Patty Peck Honda commercials.
Brent grew up in Jackson, where she graduated from Murrah High School and Jackson State University. Prior to embarking on her comedy career, she worked as a producer and host for local radio programming at Mississippi Public Broadcasting. A military veteran and a musician, Brent was also a drummer in the 41st Army National Guard Band.
She never aspired to be a stand-up comedian, although Brent always enjoyed making people laugh. Then one night in 2013, she attended an open-mic comedy show at Suite 106, a Jackson club that is no longer in business. That night, Brent felt for the first time a calling to do stand-up—a voice inside her said, “You can do this.” She acted on that sense of calling, and hasn’t looked back.
In 2017 Brent left her job with MPB to devote herself full-time to her burgeoning comedy career. In the ensuing years she has toured with comedian Rickey Smiley and Cedric the Entertainer, been featured on Kevin Hart’s Comedy Central show, “Hart of the City,” released viral music videos such as “Kamala,” and “Can You Rock Me Like a Pothole,” and gained a following for her satirical prayer videos.
Most recently, Brent was a writer for both the 2022 Academy of Country Music Awards show and “Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration,” part of Netflix is a Joke: The Festival.
In order to further her career, Brent moved from Jackson to New York City in 2019. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, however, forced a change of plans, and she now lives in Atlanta, Ga., with her wife.
Tune in to the MFP Facebook page or YouTube channel on Thursday, June 9, at 6 p.m. to hear what’s next for Rita Brent as she joins Kimberly Griffin and Donna Ladd for MFP Live.
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