In almost 25-years, Aisha Tyler has established herself as a very talented actress, TV host, and comedian. She has racked up dozens of credits including appearances on shows like Ghost Whisperer, Archer, and Criminal Minds. In addition to her on screen work, Aisha is also a skilled voice actress who will be showing off her abilities in an upcoming Disney series called Monsters at Work. The show will be a spinoff of Disney’s now classic animated film, Monsters Inc. If there’s anyone who can do it all, it’s definitely Aisha Tyler. Keep reading for 10 things you didn’t know about Aisha Tyler.
1. She Wanted To Be A Lawyer
Aisha Tyler’s original plan was to be a lawyer, however she developed a love for comedy after attending a local comedy show. Tyler ultimately decided that she wanted to pursue something creative. She ultimately chose comedy because it “was the only thing where you didn’t need to know anybody or have an agent or get booked for. You could just go do it.”
2. She’s A Gamer
Aisha Tyler has been the voice of several video game characters, but these roles are about more than just work opportunities. Aisha is an avid gamer who has been playing seriously for years. Unfortunately though, her busy schedule doesn’t always allow her to play as frequently as she’d like.
3. Jennifer Aniston Gave Her Life Changing Advice
When Aisha Tyler was working on Friends, she was also hoping to land a big movie role. She ultimately learned that she didn’t get the part and was feeling a little discouraged. However, Jennifer Aniston offered Aisha a piece of advice that she will never forget. Aniston said, “Look, that’s never going to go away. No matter where you are in your career. You’re always going to lose stuff to other people. You’re always going to get your heart broken. So you need to just find a way to have it not be that important.”
4. She Married Her College Boyfriend
Lots of celebrities choose not to get married or have serious relationships – especially early in their careers. Aisha Tyler took a different route, though. She married her college boyfriend, Jeff Tietjens in 1992. Sadly, the couple divorced in 2014.
5. She Was Raised By A Single Father
Aisha’s parents divorced when she was young. During an interview with People, Aisha shared that her parents announced their divorce to the family on Christmas Eve. Although the news was hard to accept at the time, Aisha now says she understands. She told People, “What our parents did was, they divorced kindly, and we always felt loved. I never heard my mother or my father say one bad word about each other. Not one, no matter how angry they were. No matter how furious.” Aisha was raised primarily by her father and says eventually began to develop interest in hobbies that were typically thought of as being for boys.
6. Her Failures Have Kept Her Motivated
Working in the entertainment industry means that you’ll have to deal with a lot of rejection. No matter how talented you are, there will always be times when you’ll hear the word no. Aisha has dealt with her fair share of rejection, especially in the early stages of her comedy career. However, she says that all of her failures are what has kept her motivated over the years.
7. Authenticity Is Important To Her Comedy
When Aisha Tyler began her comedy career, she realized that she didn’t sound like the other black comedians who were popular the time. Instead of conforming to the audience’s expectations, she decided that she would continue to be herself. She told Vox, “I had to be really committed to authenticity over laughs. I could have played a character. I could have gone up and pretended to be somebody else. But I knew early on I was never going to be able to do it in an authentic way. I was going to have to stick to my guns and talk about the stuff that was personal and meaningful to me, and then hopefully people who were like me would find me.”
8. She Supports Several Charities
During her career, Aisha has very actively supported the causes she believes in through volunteer work and charitable contributions. Some of the organizations Aisha has worked with over the years include Planned Parenthood, The American Red Cross, and Doctors Without Boarders.
9. She Didn’t Have A Lot Of Friends Growing Up
Aisha admits that she was a little on the nerdy side when she was a kid. She says that she loved to read which resulted in her not having many friends for most of her childhood. Fortunately, things worked out for Aisha in the long run and she’s probably doing a lot better than most of the kids who thought they wre too cool to be friends with her.
10. She’s Had A Podcast For Nearly A Decade
In addition to everything else she does, Aisha Tyler is also a podcaster. She launched her podcast, Girl on Guy in 2011. The podcast features Tyler and her guests discussing a wide range of topics from video games to dating.
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