Social media star Shannon Fiedler brings stand-up routine to Goodnights Comedy Club in Raleigh

Social media sensation and comedian Shannon Fiedler is set to perform this weekend at Goodnights Comedy Club in Raleigh.

Tickets are $22 for the 7 p.m. ET Sunday event.

“My show is very performative,” Fiedler said. “So, there’s physical comedy and there’s voices and there’s a lot of high energy and storytelling, and I think you can tell that there’s an acting background.”

Fiedler has amassed a huge following on Instagram (222,000 followers) and TikTok (229,300 followers) performing several characters as part of her "city girl series." It includes over-the-top impressions of women from different regions from the preppy Connecticut girl to the brash Bostonian to the naive Minnesotan.

“My show is a very traditional stand-up comedy show,” Fiedler said. “I do stand-up comedy. That’s where I got my start.

“But if you like what you see on my Instagram, you’re going to find a lot of that flavor throughout the performance.”

Shannon Fiedler’s journey to stand-up comedy

Originally from Connecticut, Fiedler was a child actress and studied theater at Middlebury College in Vermont.

“I moved to New York the day after I graduated college and was like, ‘I’m going to be an actress,’” Fiedler said. “And, that was really challenging.”

Fiedler said she was constantly waiting for other people while auditioning for various roles.

“I didn’t have any other plans,” she said.

Fiedler worked various part-time and writing roles. It included writing for magazines, blogs and as a copywriter at an advertising agency.

Fiedler said she missed performing, so she took a stand-up class. It helped her gain the comedic chops to start to book performances. Shortly after, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted several businesses to close in March 2020.

“The pandemic hit right as I was starting to feel like a real stand-up,” Fiedler said. “I was getting into clubs. I was getting opportunities.

“And, I was supposed to have my first Saturday gig at a real club [in March 2020], and so, obviously, that didn’t happen.”

The pandemic closures prompted Fiedler to go to her parents’ house in Rhode Island. She figured she could focus on writing and relax. The comedy club closures

“I really missed making people laugh and I missed having an outlet to perform,” she said.

It prompted Fiedler to create her TikTok account.

“No one I knew had a TikTok,” Fiedler said. “So, I was like, no one is going to think it’s weird if I do this.”

One of Fiedler’s first videos she uploaded to the platform went viral, leading to the creation of her character “Connecticut girl.”

“Instead of just talking about [being from Connecticut], what if I created a character and I called her ‘Connecticut girl’?” Fiedler said. “And what if I put her on a date?”

Fiedler said she had 1 million views overnight.

“I was like, ‘this is crazy,’” Fiedler said.

Fiedler also decided to create other characters for her growing social media following.

“I love it because it allows me to reach people in Raleigh or anywhere that wouldn’t get to see me in a club in New York City on a Saturday night,” Fiedler said. “And, it’s just helped me reach this larger audience, which has made it easier for me to do stand-up because more people want to come.”

Fiedler explained how doing stand-up comedy and creating content for her social media fans complement one another.

“To me, they’re such different art forms, that, I love doing them both,” she said. “And so, I’m really grateful that it was able to take off for me, and that’s it’s still growing and I still find it really fun.”

Fiedler said she had to adjust once comedy clubs began to reopen. She had been accustomed to doing comedy sets between 10 to 15 minutes.

“[It was] terrifying,” Fiedler said. “Before that, nobody knew who I was. I got on stage, and there were no expectations, and it went well and it was fun.”

Fiedler said she initially started to do some smaller shows. After gaining a huge social media following, she recalled the first time she posted to her social media pages about a live performance.

“It was like, a bar show, and 100 people bought tickets,” Fiedler said. “They had to move the show to a different location that had more seats because I started promoting it.

“And I was like, ‘what if they don’t like me?’”

Fiedler said she learned to appeal to people already familiar with her material on social media.

“It’s the best,” Fiedler said. “When an audience comes in, and they’re already aligned with your humor, you’re going to have such a more fun show because they know what they’re coming in for and they’re excited about it.”

Shannon Fiedler’s tour and upcoming comedy special

Fiedler taped her comedy special in January. Details are are expected soon about its release.

“It was just amazing to be surrounded by so many audience members and they were so supportive, and they knew that they were coming to my filming,” Fiedler said. “It just felt so legit and cool … that was definitely the coolest, most rewarding moment.”

Fiedler is still sorting out her goals, dreams and aspirations in the comedy world.

“Right now, I’m still in the phase where I’m saying, ‘yes,’ to a lot of things,” Fiedler said.

Before coming Raleigh, Fiedler’s tour has stops in Buffalo and New York City.

Fiedler’s tour also has stops in:

• April 16 in Philadelphia
• April 17 in Indianapolis
• April 18 in St. Louis
• April 21 in Portland
• May 2 in Stamford
• May 17 in New York City
• June 5 in Nashville
• June 6 in Atlanta

“Nothing beats touring and being on stage though for me,” Fiedler said. “So, I hope to continue doing stand-up, and making specials, and going around the country.”