Chris Kent: ‘When live comedy stopped during the pandemic, I went back to being an electrician’

What did you learn about money from your family while growing up?

To work hard and appreciate the value of money. I got a job in a butcher’s shop when I was 14 and was delighted with the little independence that it gave me.

I also learned that you can work hard and still struggle at the end of the week.

When were you most broke?

During the early stages of comedy. I once went into a shop and tried buying a Yop but my card was declined. Insufficient funds for a Yop. I don’t know if you’ve ever had to carry a Yop back to the fridge but it was one of the longest walks of my life.

How lucrative is comedy compared to working as an electrician?

They are completely different, really, so it’s hard to compare the two. As an electrician, I was employed and was paid every week so I didn’t really have to worry about tax and other overheads.

In comedy, you can have really good weeks or months, and other weeks you might not have a gig so you don’t get paid.

You can also lose money, too, like going to the Edinburgh Festival for the month, because there are a lot of overheads.

How did the closure of live entertainment during the pandemic affect your financial wellbeing?

It broke me initially. I was in the middle of a tour that I’d worked very hard on and had been promoting for the best part of a year. I was a week or two out from some huge gigs, like at Vicar Street and at the Everyman in Cork, where the tickets were sold and I was banking on the money.

It ended up okay, though, because I got to spend some well-overdue time with my family. I was lucky to be able to fall back on my trade and now I’m back at comedy and it’s going better than I have ever dreamed it would.

What’s the most expensive place you’ve ever been to?

I did a gig in Monaco on the French Riviera. It was full of designer shops, yachts, and miserable-looking people trying to buy happiness.

Have you been affected by the housing crisis?

Yes. My wife and I were trying to buy a house when we moved back to Cork (from London).

I had two jobs at the time, she has a good job, and we also have savings but we still couldn’t get on the property ladder.

We gave up after a year of being outbid and we are still very disheartened because it seems like nothing is being done about it. The only thing I got out of it was some material for my show – which is more than a lot of people get.

What was your best ever investment?

Doing a trade, as it really saved me when the comedy stopped unexpectedly (during the pandemic).

Do you have a pension?

I have a few – one from the electrical job and one from comedy. They are my biggest motivation to stay alive.

What was your biggest ever financial mistake?

Not buying a house with my Communion money.