Blessed by Evan

Evan Hughes, comedian and host, is a pied piper of positivity on Tulsa's social media. And he doesn’t even post that much. But he likes and loves A LOT. Like, he really loves to like and love Tulsans’ posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

"I think I just realized at some point that negativity doesn't do anything," Evan says. "It doesn't help. What’s it going to do? You know, positivity makes everything what it is."

Aside from some select touring comedians, his social feeds are predominantly filled with all things 918. By design, his scroll typically starts and ends with someone from Green Country.

   

Several years ago, he began favoriting posts in bulk. Several years later, community members began to post screenshots of Evan's lined-up love in their notifications. He doesn’t remember who was the first to screenshot it.

What started with the tap of his finger was now out of his hands. He simply kept positively engaging with local posts. Others kept screenshotting and sharing it. His barrage of blessings no longer went unnoticed. The only true limit was found in how many posts had been made since Evan’s last scroll.

Everything from simple public testimonies on the impact of the digital love to proclamations that waking up to Evan’s support was "better than sex."

"Being Blessed" by Evan Hughes became a thing—a joke one of the town’s most beloved comics won’t take credit for. "It’s really Tulsa’s joke," Evan has no issue acknowledging. "It's not my joke, you know, it's like I am part of it. But it's something that other people came up with, and they all kind of kicked it around. And it's almost like everybody collectively decides how we're going to talk about it." 

    

For a Tulsa tastemaker like Evan, there is value in seeing community members' feeds and knowing what’s going on. But this isn’t a strategy. There are no quotas or alarm-induced scrolls throughout the day. He simply likes what people around him are doing. Whether they screenshot and share or not, he’s going to continue liking and loving. 

 Evan hosts and performs in multiple comedy shows a week. He will also be hosting the next Fansub SELECT Showcase on Feb. 16 at Mercury Lounge

 Like and follow him on social media at @evanbhughes. He would do it for you, especially if you live in Tulsa.