Sarah Cooper, comedian and bestselling author who gained fame earlier this year for impersonating President Donald Trump on TikTok, said she was close to quitting comedy before her impersonations went viral.

The Wednesday evening Zoom call marked A&O Productions’ second speaker event of the quarter. A fellow comedian, Nikki MacCallum, moderated the event. MacCallum and Cooper first met while doing stand-up comedy in New York and reflected on their early experiences.

“We ran a show together in a basement,” MacCallum said. “So you (go) from (the) basement to your face (being) on a billboard in Times Square.”

Cooper’s special “Sarah Cooper: Everything’s Fine” premiered last month on Netflix and she was recently named one of Variety’s “10 Comics to Watch for 2020.”

“I didn’t see it coming, I was definitely about to move on from comedy and try something else.” Cooper said. “It really gave me a lot of confidence that I could make something that people would like.”

Communication senior and director of speakers Isaac Dodson said Cooper was a great choice since she worked in the digital space and could speak in a way that would resonate with students.

Cooper used to work in the tech world, and comedy and writing were a “side hustle” to her, Dodson said. She once worked at Yahoo and Google, but always knew her dream was to work in comedy.

“I think it’s really inspirational to see that play out, especially as a woman of color breaking into this space,” Dodson said.

Today, Cooper is putting effort and thought into projects like an upcoming CBS show, based on her novel titled, “How to Be Successful Without Hurting Men’s Feelings.”

But she didn’t always work so methodically.

“The first (video) that went viral, I had made it in a few hours,” Cooper said. “I didn’t think about it that hard. I kind of just put it together.”

Because the landscape of comedy has changed due to the pandemic, Cooper said Northwestern students who hope to become famous on the Internet should try a variety of routes.

To go viral, she said, you don’t need a huge platform. Instead, she recommended making something that speaks to you personally.

“It’s all about the content,” she said. “If the content is good, it will go viral on its own.”

Ultimately, Cooper said she’s happy to continue writing and telling stories that matter for a larger audience.

“It’s fun making things, but being able to reach a lot of people is something that really has always excited me,” Cooper said.

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Twitter: @KailaNichols07

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