Comedian Erica Clark revealed that many people did not believe she was the daughter of actor and former wrestler Mr. T when she was growing up.
Clark, 46, is one of Mr. T’s three children. In a recent comedy routine, she joked, “Most people think I’m lying when I say that, but I’m like, why would I pick him?”
She said that reactions to her parentage were divided. “Either everybody believed me, or no one did; there was no in between,” she explained. Clark grew up in a wealthy neighborhood where people accepted it, but in her childhood on the South Side of Chicago, friends and teachers were skeptical.
“I get it,” she said during a performance on the pop-up comedy series Don’t Tell Comedy. “I’m a Black kid in an all-Black school, and I’m trying to explain to my friends that the reason why they’ve never seen my dad before is ‘cause he’s doing WrestleMania with Hulk Hogan.’”
Clark said her experiences led her to be cautious about sharing her family background. “If I’m on stage, I’ll talk about my dad, but I never tell people who my dad is or stuff I’ve seen because no one ever believes me,” she said.
Before starting her comedy career, Clark worked as a special education teacher with children with autism and Down syndrome. While Mr. T encouraged her to pursue teaching and a conventional life, she chose entertainment, joking that her father has not attended any of her shows.
Clark acknowledged that being Mr. T’s daughter opened doors in comedy but said talent ultimately matters. “You still have to be funny. They’re not going to keep putting you on stage because of who you’re related to,” she said.
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