Blake Ung Is Your New Doomscroll
Interview by Mollie Smith, with Photography by Katey Cooney.
As far back as he can remember, Blake Ung always wanted to be a comedian.
The New York native joins our initial conversation from a Zoom call in his childhood bedroom in Long Island. The child of two bagel shop owners, he’s spent years of his life alternating between self-described New York stereotypes: selling half-dozens and performing sketch comedy gigs all around the city.
Ung got his start creating YouTube video sketches in the third grade; by college, he found himself co-president of his college sketch comedy team, Slippery When Wet. Like most young people, he’ll be the first to admit that his sense of humor was formed via the internet. Ung’s humor was informed by everything he consumed on a daily basis, from Bo Burnham to car crash compilations; his friends, to the inevitable doomscrolling.
Thus, his upcoming show was born — a series of slides directed by the audience, who rotate through them at a whim to prompt Blake into increasingly ridiculous activities. Aptly named Doomscroll, the 60 image prompt slideshow ranges from the kind of social media content on your feed, to your weird grandfather’s.
You can find tickets to Blake’s upcoming Doomscroll show at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade on January 4th linked here. We’ll be there – come join us!
We sat down with Blake Ung to discuss doomscrolling, comedy, digital culture, transplant ethics, and the magic of car crash compilations.
Blake Ung, picture in his natural habitat — phone in hand.
Mollie Smith: What's the last thing you listened to?
Blake Ung: I listen to a lot of podcasts and I usually just skip to the Betterhelp ad.
MS: Just to start off, I'd love to know where the idea for your show Doomscroll came from. Can you talk a bit more about that?
BU: I guess it starts in LA. I saw one of my friends, Kenny Gray’s solo show. He rotated through a bunch of different characters in an hour show, and I thought it was super cool. When I finished college, I had some time off so I started working on a show, which morphed into this. I was trying to figure out what it could be, because I didn’t want it to just be a normal stand-up show. I love doing stand-up and I’ve been doing it since high school, but I also wanted to try something different. I thought it would be cool to do something with short form video algorithms and the way we receive content. Originally the idea was to make a show that was sort of powered by an algorithm that the audience fed into…that transformed into a slideshow of stuff that I’m going to do, and the audience controls it. I’m ceding control; the fact that someone else in the audience is controlling me is a large part of it. I think there’s comedy in that dynamic, on top of the bits that I’m doing.
MS: I think it’s so interesting that you talk about wanting to not do a traditional stand-up set, because I think that touches on a key part of your show; the Gen-Z attention span, and how we have none. Was that part of the bit and inspiration behind doomscroll?
BU: Yeah, I knew that if I was going to be the only person on stage, it would have to be a constant flow of different jokes to keep people’s attention. I spent seven months writing the show. A lot of the time, I would be sitting at my laptop working on it, and I would just start doom scrolling on my phone to procrastinate. It didn’t help the process at all – and so I think there’s a bit of the show that’s satirical of social media, but I also wanted it to be approachable even if you were offline. There’s not a ton of referential stuff.
MS: Really? So it was intentional to keep it approachable to the average audience member?
BU: Yeah, absolutely. I wanted it to be approachable, and not just topical stuff. I love topical comedy like SNL, but I also didn’t want this show to just be referential to online stuff because it’s also like, I want my parents to enjoy it. A lot of it is more silly than it is a reference to pop culture.
MS: You mentioned SNL. Who and what are your biggest inspirations?
BU: Bo Burnham and car crash compilations.
MS: [Laughs] It’s crazy in retrospect how much Bo Burnham influenced Gen Z humor!
BU: It’s crazy. I rewatched his special Make Happy recently. It was one of the first comedy specials I ever watched, in eighth grade – and it changed my life. Some of the jokes have definitely aged poorly, but I think I was obsessed with the performance of it and what he could do with just a microphone and a back track, and some lights. With Doomscroll, I try to channel that. I’m trying to make the comedy that I like to watch.
MS: As a New York native, what’s one piece of advice you would give to transplants?
BU: If you can afford to move here, you can afford to give some money to the homeless.
A wild Blung speeds past the New York skyline.
MS: Is there anything that’s surprised you about doing comedy, maybe in New York versus other cities?
BU: I think the most surprising thing for me about doing comedy has just been that there’s so many ways to do it. I’ve met so many hilarious people that are all completely different in their styles of comedy and what they choose to do. I started making YouTube videos in third grade, and making video sketches. I’ve been doing this for a long time and always kind of had a one-track mind about it, but I think in the last two years I’ve tried a lot of things – I took clown classes, I did sketch comedy and stand up, and I got to see all these different flavors and be inspired by them. I love the variety of ways that you can make someone laugh. I think New York is definitely my favorite scene so far, because you see a lot of familiar faces, and it’s so supportive.
MS: That was beautiful, and deeply moving. I think it’s time for the quintessential Gen Z internet question: would you rather have a gay son or thot daughter?
BU: I’m fine with whichever, just whoever calls me the most. I prioritize a proper father-child relationship. I just hope I can love them more than society scrutinizes them, or something.
MS: That’s great. Now, let me offer you a New York specific follow-up question: would you rather have a comedian son, or a Bushwick warehouse rave daughter?
BU: Let me see if I understand this question right; would I rather have a fun-loving daughter who prioritizes dancing and cultural engagement, or an attention-seeking comedian son? Oh, wow. [Laughs] That’s a hard one.
Pop culture princess Blake Ung, a la Sabrina Carpenter.
MS: We received an anonymous tip about how you do interviews. Are there any specific words that you’d like to get out there?
BU: I just want to shout out any of my marsh-fellows listening. Hope you get to kick one back on the mini-fridge.
MS: Speaking of socio-cutural movements, what does BLUNGTOBER mean to you? Is BLUNGTOBER a physical act, or a state of mind?
BU: I think BLUNGTOBER is definitely more in the metaphysical realm.
MS: It’s a major movement, sort of like Daoism, or Christianity.
BU: Ah, yes. BLUNGTOBER is a lot like Daoism. You have to find the balance between Blung and Tober.
MS: For any viewers out there who are about to experience their first Blake Ung Winter…any advice?
BU: Oh, absolutely. This Blake Ung Winter, you have to have a fool’s bold. I haven’t made an official announcement yet, but obviously it’s happening. Whether you want it to, or not.
MS: Is there a start date on Blake Ung Winter?
BU: Not really. I’d say maybe the first time it gets a little cold out.
MS: [Laughs] Got it. So does Blake Ung Winter perhaps overlap with BLUNGTOBER, even?
BU: It could, if it gets a little cold out. Big tiger shark energy. If you know, you know.
MS: Understood. Final question: what does 2026 BLUNG mean to you?
BU: I’m popping off.
If you liked what you read here, you can find Blake Ung on Instagram (@blake_ung) and Tik Tok (@blakemakesokayvideos). Tickets to Blake’s upcoming Doomscroll show at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade on January 4th are linked here!
