I Said It. Y'all Thinking It.

Lil Rel Howery returns to his hometown to perform with a palpable, self-contained joy, frequently chuckling at his own jokes as he holds court at the Chicago Theatre. This performance captured Howery at a comfortable peak in his career, balancing a busy slate of film roles with his roots on the stand-up stage.

Instead of seeking to provoke, Howery leans into high-energy, relatable storytelling. He addresses the generational divide, his transition into therapy, and the absurdities of parenting. A centerpiece of the set is his detailed breakdown of the infamous Will Smith Oscar slap, recalling his own disbelief while watching the television broadcast in real time. He also brings his physical comedy to a memorable bit about the R&B group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.

The set was filmed in August 2022 and premiered on HBO later that year as his second hour-long special for the network, following 2019’s Live in Crenshaw. The special earned Howery an NAACP Image Award nomination for outstanding writing, with critics and peers praising his ability to channel neighborhood humor into a polished theater show.