Etta Mae Mumphries [photo credit: Pasadena Senior Center]
On Saturday, February 7 at 1 p.m., the Pasadena Senior Center will host a free comedy showcase featuring four veteran performers. The event promises “an afternoon of comedy, joy, and good vibes—plus a special nod to Eaton Fire survivors.”
That phrase carries weight in a community where nearly 80 percent of fire survivors remain displaced one year later, caught in what First City Credit Union describes as “a maze of insurance delays and red tape.”
The timing creates deliberate convergence: the opening week of Black History Month’s 100th anniversary of commemorations, the day before Super Bowl LX, and exactly one month after the fire’s one-year anniversary on January 7.
The event’s namesake performer is Etta Mae Mumphries, the comedic character portrayed by veteran actress Karen Bankhead, described as “everyone’s favorite ‘church mother,’ also known as the Black Forrest Gump.” Joining her are Rev. Monty B. Sharpton (comedian Lamont Bonman), who has appeared on TBN and BET’s “Comic View”; Pam Trotter, who has a recurring role on ABC’s “Abbott Elementary”; and Nick Arnette, whose Dry Bar Comedy special is titled “Finding Success After 50.”
The Pasadena Senior Center made 3,000 phone calls to members during the fire and continues distributing supplies and assisting with insurance forms, according to Executive Director Akila Gibbs.
The comedy event represents the center’s transition from emergency response to long-term community wellness programming.
Etta Mae Mumphries’ Black History Month Comedy Kick-Off will run on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at 1 p.m. Pasadena Senior Center, 85 E. Holly St., Pasadena. For more information, call (626) 795-4331 or visit https://www.pasadenaseniorcenter.org/activities-events/special-events/2228-etta-mae-mumphries-black-history-month-comedy-kick-off.
