From the first time he appeared on TV screens, laughter has been his brand. Now with a career spanning over a decade, very little has changed except that it has laid a foundation for even bigger and better things.
He went from being just a funny dude on So You Think You’re Funny - a comedy search tv show, to being an internationally renowned comedian, TV presenter, voice over artist, actor and podcaster.
Mpho ‘Popps’ Modikoane has tapped into every avenue available to him with just his ability to make people laugh.
Bringing his humorous side into the interview with Drum, he first says he’s nursing flu from the comfort of his bed and hopes he is back on his feet by the following day (3 June) when his newest show – The Masked Singer will be screening and airing on SABC 3.
He tells Drum how the opportunity to host the international franchise landed on his lap.
“I got a phone call from Anele Mdoda and she goes, ‘Hello, chom’am. Are you busy between this month and that month? We are doing a show and I think you might be a perfect’.”
Jokingly, he asked her if he would now need to name her cellphone number “Anele my boss” and the radio presenter and media personality agreed.
When Mpho finally went to the studio that had just been built for the show and was told which show he would be hosting, it wasn't a joke anymore and her name really had to change on his phone.
“When they said, ‘The Masked Singer’, it felt like my heart jumped out of my body, danced and jumped back in.”
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Hosting an international show is something that has been on his vision board for a while now and even though he hosted the Comedy Central celebrity roasts, a show of this magnitude was beyond his imagination.
“It went from excitement to nervousness, to happiness. I experienced all emotions at the same time, and I remember I’d keep having these out-of-body experiences every time we’d get to set and shoot.”
His sickly voice breaks out as he excitedly says, “It’s one thing to be the host but then you work with your favourite people!”
In the show produced by Anele’s production company, Mpho works with fellow comedian Skhumba Hlophe, J Something, Somizi Mhlongo and Sithelo Shozi.
Although the South African version of the show will have the same aesthetic, feel and concept, it will stand out from the rest because it has what Mpho calls ‘chakalaka’.
“There’s always the way the world does things and then there’s us – South Africa because we put spice in everything. [With us], we can play with different languages, different genres. [For instance], we have a chicken costume. To the world it’s just a chicken, to us it’s hardbody!”
“Only in South Africa can these characters have this narrative. If the world has four colours on a canvas, we have 12 colours to use.”
After the launch of this show, Mpho will be tying his boots tight and gearing up for his annual birthday comedy special at Emperor’s palace on 10 June which he started doing to have all his people under one roof to celebrate his birthday.
Instead of expecting gifts, he just expects tickets to be bought by people who want to celebrate with him.
For this year’s theme of the show, he taps into the nostalgic element that he always has in his comedy acts but with an update on fatherhood, love life, career and new experiences.
“I’ve come out of a really dark place in my life and it’s always good to laugh at one’s pain so that’s what I’ll be taking the audience through as well; talking about where I come from and what the past one year and six months has been like for me and that will be infused with surprise acts during the show.”
With the “funny superpower” that he discovered back in school where he would gel with every clique group, whether race-based or not, because he could make everyone life, he’s managed to pull big numbers for his comedy shows without fail.
While acknowledging comedy as his coping mechanism, he says that he will be comically sharing his journey through depression.
Last year between February and March, the award-winning comedian checked himself into a wellness centre in Mpumalanga where he would be treated back to health. He vividly remembers the experience as it was also around the time that Riky Rick passed on from suicide.
Although he was sad that he couldn’t bid his farewell to the rapper, he was also glad that he put his pride aside to seek help.
“When life brought me to my knees. I literally went ‘I’m in trouble here, I need to ask for help’, there’s no two ways about it. I was shocked at how many of my close people were immediately there to offer solutions, to be there for me and to help me rebuild my life.”
During peak Covid-induced lockdown in the country, Mpho ironically became busier than he usually was and because he was racing to recover from financial trauma, he did not want to let any bag pass him. In addition to this, he was also dealing with betrayal in business and a heartbreak.
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It was a gradual process to get to his breaking point level.
“I started hiding a lot behind my comedy because making people laugh made me feel good, but I was avoiding the truth, I was avoiding me. When all of it comes crashing inside, to the person looking from outside, it doesn’t make sense.”
“I was underneath, I hit rock bottom. I had to take a break, I had to stop. I [was doing] 10 different things all at the same time and you can’t do it unless you have a healthy balance in your life,” he adds.
To solidly get himself on his two feet, he went for therapy and shot back to the sky.
Ever since, he has also started a podcast with Robot Boii called Popcorn and Cheese which he describes as the source of the most fun thing he’s having at the moment.
“I went from being the guy who did not want to live to having the most insane will to live and I remember with my vision boards, I always wanted to have a podcast where people could come and have a funny conversation for an hour, a podcast that looks at life in a comical manner.”
For their “cheese gang”, the duo envisioned the podcast as one that could be watched with the whole family and be a “soft landing” for everyone.
