Despite comedian Terence “Berger” Berger’s playful smirk and avant-garde sense of humor, this funny man’s passion for overcoming obstacles is no laughing matter. One of eight children raised by a single mother, Berger learned to use laughter to weather some of his darkest moments. In his stand-up routine, Berger says, “I come from a very large family, a family of eight, and we never ate.” Berger even recalls living in a car with his mother and siblings for a time. From near poverty and homelessness to academic struggles, Berger has been sharing his story of triumph through comedy to packed audiences for years.

Berger, a native of Kansas City, Missouri,  hosting shows with such well-known comedians as Guy Torrey, Gary Owen, Shorty Ward, Tommy Davidson and Tony Rock, to name a few. 

All jokes aside, Berger’s quest for knowledge and enlightenment has been a mainstay, as he holds a bachelor of arts in film and mass media and a master of arts in liberal studies from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Berger is a grant recipient of the Robert Altman Emerging Filmmakers Fund through the Kansas City Film Commission.