Comedian Ali Siddiq is bringing his Custom Fit Comedy Tour to State Farm Arena on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. Ahead of the downtown stop, he sat down with WABE Arts to talk about where his material comes from and why he has kept his work on his own terms for two decades.
Siddiq is known as a storyteller first, and fans follow him for that style. This year has been a busy one: his stand-up specials "Mondays" and "My Father" drew critical acclaim and strong viewership, and on April 19 he released "Ali Siddiq: From Inside," a long-form conversation special.
Stories pulled from his own life
Asked why his comedy connects with people, Siddiq told WABE it comes down to being open about his own experiences, the highs and the lows. He picks stories he feels close to, and he hopes some of them help listeners through whatever they are dealing with. When he builds a bit, he walks through what happened in chronological order and keeps every detail, and he says being real with the audience and with himself is the whole method.
Independent since 2005
What sets Siddiq apart from many comics at his level is how often he releases specials and where he releases them. Instead of premiering with a streaming giant such as Netflix or Hulu, he posts his specials on YouTube, where a wider audience can watch them. That approach paid off when his 2025 special "My Two Sons" won the 2026 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Variety Series or Special. Siddiq told WABE it was the first time an independently produced and released YouTube special had been nominated for, or won, a major award.
He has worked independently since 2005, and he credits that freedom with letting him put out two or three specials a year, a pace he says most comedians on a network or industry platform could not match. He also told WABE he is not trying to land a Netflix special, and that owning his work and keeping creative control matters more to him than industry approval.
More on the way
Siddiq is not slowing down. He told WABE he plans to release two more hour-long specials this year, both already filmed. Even so, he said he is in no hurry: each special comes out when his team feels it is done, not on a set timeline.
For downtown, the October show is another big comedy night at the arena, close to the restaurants and bars around Centennial Olympic Park.
Source: WABE, September 15, 2026.
