Aisha Tyler is spinning more plates than the most talented circus performer.
She’s an actress, director, philanthropist, author, Huffington Post contributor and a downright hottie who speaks four languages — including Swahili. Does that sum it up? Nope. She’s also a stand-up comedian.
“[Stand-up comedy has] always been an aspect of what I’ve done,” Tyler told RedEye during a phone interview Wednesday, “but it’s hard to tour consistently when [I’m] filming shows. Last year, I was able to tour the whole year, film the DVD and develop this show, which is entirely different material than the DVD.”
She goes from screen to the Chicago scene this week, returning to her stand-up comedy roots at Chicago Improv in Schaumburg.
Tyler recently has been able to revisit her comedic career with the February release of her first comedy DVD, “Aisha Tyler is Lit — Live at the Fillmore,” along with her current comedy tour.
She gets excited talking about her new stand-up production. Already a fast talker, she energetically spins through the “silly and fun” content of the show, including the bad U.S. economy and what it really means to be an adult. The 38-year-old admits that she’s been fighting adulthood for a long time.
“I live a very immature life in a lot of ways,” she said. “I love video games, cocktails, staying up late and sleeping in. I don’t have children, so if I want to eat cereal for dinner, I can. But at some point, you have to grow up, and I’m having a hard time accepting it.”
Throughout the flurry of all her projects, Tyler has been spinning the largest plate of all — a 15-year marriage. That’s about 100 years in Hollywood terms. How does she do it? “I married the right person,” she says.
Tyler and her husband, attorney Jeff Tietjens, met while they both attended Dartmouth.
“He’s an awesome guy who’s super-patient, supports my career and couldn’t care less about the Hollywood drama,” she said. “He knew me before I started my career, and he was the guy who drove with me to armpit clubs and sat through my acts so many times that he could mouth each word of my performance.
“And he tolerates me when I get up there and make fun of him mercilessly. We’re friends.”
Tyler and Tietjens live a life unaffected by Hollywood glam.
“I’m not being chased by the paparazzi, and I don’t drive an Escalade with spinners,” she said. “We’re a normal couple and we work in our home office a lot, so we’re together all the time — like symbiotic fungi.”
Although she’s not planning to abandon her occasional cereal dinners and beloved Halo game any time soon, Tyler maintains a dizzying adult schedule. She works tirelessly, often devoting 18 hours a day to multiple projects. Some might call her an overachieving workaholic, but Tyler humbly says that she works just the right amount to attain her goals.
“The thing about being a woman in Hollywood is that you’re like a racehorse,” she said. “You can’t slow down, or someone might shoot you in the head, or break your leg, and take you out of the race.”
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Aisha Tyler
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 8 and 10:15 p.m. Friday; 7 and 9:15 p.m. Saturday; 7 p.m. Sunday
Where: Chicago Improv, 5 Woodfield Rd., Woodfield Mall, Schaumburg
Tickets: $17-$19; 847-240-2001 or symfonee.com/improv/chicago/attractions/
Bonus: Tyler invites fans to stick around for her post-show meet-and-greets, when she chats with the audience and signs autographs.
