Romont Harris

Charleston, Rita
Philadelphia Tribune, The
07-28-2000
Perseverance pays off for comedian: Romont Harris spends time off stage
delivering positive message to children

"You know, there are lots of kids out there searching for a role model, and
I think the role models start inside your own house. Role models should be
your mother, your father," says local comic Romont Harris, who not only
lived by those words but, thanks to those role models, went on to a highly
successful career in show business.

Harris, born and raised in Mt. Airy, says one of the earliest influences in
his life was his mother, with a sense of humor that still keeps her
neighbors in stitches. - The Philadelphia Tribune

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

Romont Harris was the class clown when he attended Pastorious Elementary School, the Ada Lewis Middle School and Germantown High School.
"I was the guy everybody wanted to sit around," he recalled. "That’s how I attracted all the women."
Some teachers caught on to his act and made him sit up front so they could keep an eye on him.
Harris is all grown up now, and nobody can stop him from performing his brand of humor.
At 35, he has moved from the classroom to the stage, the college circuit, television, radio, and corporate and charity settings. He can be "squeaky clean" or "suggestive," depending on the venue.
Next weekend, he’ll be at one of his favorite stops — the Northeast Philly Comedy Cabaret on Roosevelt Boulevard. He’ll be there on March 30-31.
"It’s home," he said. "Those people give it to you. They either laugh or they don’t laugh. New York thinks they have the baddest crowd. Philly is. It’s real. They give me the love."
Harris was born and raised in Germantown. Since then, he’s lived everywhere from Morrell Park in Northeast Philly to Los Angeles. A year ago, he moved to Clementon, N.J.
Despite being a jokester growing up, he didn’t always have his sights set on a career of making people laugh. He planned to join the U.S. Marine Corps or enroll in one of the four colleges that had accepted him.
Harris described himself as both a funnyman and a bookworm.
"I was going to go to college and be an OB-GYN," he said. "While everybody was laughing, I was getting my homework done."
Harris graduated from high school in 1989, and it wasn’t long after that he began his career in show business. It was on July 19, 1989 when he accompanied his older brother Ralph — who appeared in the movie Dreamgirls — to a show at the old Comedy Works at Second and Chestnut streets.
As a teenager, he attended shows hosted by his brother, and that gave him the confidence to go onstage.
That summer night in 1989, Ralph Harris introduced his brother — only he didn’t tell the crowd it was his sibling, which probably would have brought some additional goodwill from the audience.
"Wow," the younger Harris remembered thinking. "I have to be on my own now."
Harris was supposed to do five minutes, but stayed up there for 13 minutes without getting the hook. It wasn’t until a couple of years later that he started getting paid regularly to entertain folks at such places as the former Funny Bone on South Street. He adheres to the comic adage, "Short is sweet, and too long you’ll be gone."
Harris, the single father of a 4-year-old girl named Macy, thinks his career is on the upswing.
"It’s just waiting to happen," he said.
What exactly is waiting to happen?
Harris wants to star in movie comedies. "I want what Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy have," he said. "I believe I’m on the same level."
Harris, who also is a disc jockey for The Pros and plays in a very competitive pool league at a bar at Fourth and Bristol streets, doesn’t believe he has to move to New York or return to L.A. to make it big.
"It’s not where you’re from, it’s where you’re at," he said.
Harris sees himself as an energetic, spontaneous performer who mixes comedy with singing and dancing, sometimes pulling audience members onstage.
"You don’t know what I’m going to do because I don’t know," he said. "I go off the crowd."
The comedian has appeared on TV on Last Comic Standing, It’s Showtime at the Apollo and Comic View. His radio credits include an appearance last year on Howard Stern’s show on Sirius Satellite.
In addition, he’s been the opening act for Foxx, Martin Lawrence, Damon Wayans, Chris Rock, Ice Cube, D.L. Hughley and Morris Day and the Time.
"I’m a mix of Jim Carrey, Eddie Murphy and Jamie Foxx," he said.
Also, to give back to his craft, he teaches a comedy workshop and improv class to up-and-coming local comedians.
On the stage, Harris likes to warm up to the audience. He’ll often start a show by saying, "I know what you’re thinking. It’s Carlton from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." He also has fun talking about the differences between men and women and whites and blacks.
For Harris, telling jokes is a lot better than some of his former jobs, which have included security guard and vacuum-cleaner salesman. He used to go door to door in L.A. offering demonstrations on high-end vacuums.
"I would say, ‘How about a vacuum for three-thousand dollars?’ They would say, ‘Man, if you don’t get out of my house, I’m going to shoot you,’" he said.
During his March 31 show, the cameras will be rolling for a taping of No Damn Cents 2, which will be produced on DVD. The Comedy Cabaret also was the site for the taping of No Damn Cents a couple of years ago.
Harris is building a Web site and is excited to be part of the Cutting Edge Entertainment agency. He can’t wait for the curtain to rise at the Comedy Cabaret.
"I want to pack that club," he said. "Let’s party. I’m back." ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at - North East Times

When comedian, Romont Harris got to the mic, he told Robin that she and Condoleezza Rice both graduated from H.N.U., which he said stands for “House N*gger University.” Following some jokes about Lisa Lampanelli that got no response from the crowd, Romont acknowledged that he doesn’t understand why some white people are racist, given that they go to tanning salons to “look like black people.” More silence followed, at least until Yucko honked his horn, which got a laugh from the crowd. Because Romont was pulled over by the police on his way to the show this morning, Sal asked him if there was any chance he could get pulled over again so he could get out of the studio. Angry Black, who was in the studio audience, then commented that Romont’s material was “so bad” that it should be dropped over Baghdad. As Angry and Romont continued to exchange words with each other, Daniel pointed out that he liked watching them argue. This led Artie to say that the roast wasn’t going to be a success if most people ended up on Daniel’s side afterwards. - HowardStern.com

Romont is an energetic performer who likes to give his audiences a well-rounded show of comedy, song and dance. He has opened for many musical acts and celebrity attractions, from Martin Lawrence, Sinbad and Chris Rock; to Spyra Gyra, Morris Day and the Time, and Ice Cube. When not touring college campuses, Romont dedicates some of his time to youth, working with drug-free programs in the schools of Philadlephia. He loves performing, making people feel good through laughter instead of drugs. Romont Harris is on the fast track to success, with a message of hope. - Shanango.com