Call him one of the pioneers of Nigeria’s digital comedy, and you won’t be wrong. Emmanuel Gonna Iwueke, commonly known as Craze Clown or Baba Ade, is a comedian who came into limelight through his comedy skits on social media pages, especially YouTube and Instagram. Crazeclown began dishing out exceptional comedy videos way before the industry became saturated like we have today.
Born and Bred in Nigeria, Emmanuel Iwueke alias Crazeclown’s love for comedy started at a young age; from doing comedy in his school and hosting shows, the enterprising comedian grew to making people laugh on a big scale and hosting national and international music and comedy shows.
Although not yet married, Crazeclown got engaged to his girlfriend of eight years in December 2019. It was a popular affair and made the headlines; the comedian also posted it on his social media handles.
As expected, Crazeclown has an active social media presence and a large social media following. As of the time of writing this biography, his Instagram followers @Crazeclown are about 3.5 million. His YouTube page, with the name Crazeclown, also has over 120,000 subscribers.
Ever since the comedian gained prominence in 2013, he has remained relevant in the Nigerian entertainment scene to date. Crazeclown isn’t only a comedian; he is also an actor and, surprisingly, a doctor!
Crazeclown Early Life
Table of Contents
Growing Up
Emmanuel Gonna Iwueke alias Crazeclown was born on December 24, 1991. He was born as the third child into a family of five children; he has two male brothers and a sister. His dad hails from Imo state, while his mum was an Edo state indigene. Crazeclown’s father and mother were both pharmacists. This would later impact Emmanuel to have a passion and drive for medicine as he watches his parents administer drugs as a young boy.
On his About page on his social media pages, Crazeclown once talked about his parents, and all he had was affection for them, especially his mum. While he talked about the blind love he has for his mum, he referred to his father as a diamond. This goes to show that Crazeclown had it loving, simple, and average while growing up.
Craze Clown Education
Crazeclown went to Immaculate nursery and primary school for his primary education. However, he changed schools three times before finally finishing at St Stephens nursery and primary school. He went to FGC Daura for his secondary school education, but like his primary education, Crazeclown would also change school twice. He later got his WASSCE certificate at St. Thomas Secondary School Kano, Nigeria, in 2008.
After graduating from secondary school, Crazeclown pursued his university degree in two different universities in Nigeria. The first was Delta State University, and then the University of Maiduguri. Before gaining admission, Crazeclown narrated on his pages how he has tried jamb many times to the extent that he “started retailing jamb scratch cards.” Obviously gunning for medicine, Crazeclown later accepted a course he claimed he knew nothing about just so he could leave home from frustration.
This was the probable reason why Crazeclown switched schools. However, he didn’t stop trying to study his dream course. After a brief stint at the University of Maiduguri, Crazeclown gained admission to the University of Ghana Legon to study medicine. Unfortunately, he could not pay the school fees because it was tripled; he had to drop out. However, Crazeclown didn’t let this bad experience faze him; Instead, he went to the drawing board with the determination to get admission to study medicine again in an affordable institution. Luck smiled on him, however, and he got a Visa to go study medicine at Kharkiv National Medical University, Ukraine. Crazeclown graduated from this university with a degree in medicine on June 30, 2017.
Combining rigorous medical school with entertainment, coping with the loss of his dad in September 2015, and yet still graduating in flying colours was a feat only a determined man like Crazeclown can achieve.
How Craze Clown Career started?
Many sources would point out that Crazeclown’s love for comedy ran deep as his love for medicine. He started making comedy sketches at a young age. He also hosted several events in his school. However, professionally, Crazeclown had his first gig in 2011, where he performed as an MC at The International Students Association (ISA) ball. By this time, he had started an entertainment company called Hi5 entertainment.
In 2012, Crazeclown further cemented his career by organizing his debut comedy show tagged, “Kharkov must laugh.” The show was the premier comedy show in Kharkiv and hosted several comedians. He hosted another show in Kharkiv in 2013, where he performed with the best of the best in the industry like Bovi.
After performing at several shows and hosting events for about three years, Crazeclown began making and uploading comedy skits on his social media pages, particularly YouTube and Instagram. The first series of comedy skits, which lasted for quite a long time, portrayed himself acting as “Papa Ade” while two other fast-rising comedians acted as his sons “Ade” and “Tobi.” The comedy skits captured the hearts of many and acted as the catalyst for Crazeclown’s success in the industry. They went so viral that before long, their views ran into millions and also generated a lot of followers for Crazeclown.
CrazeClown Career Breakthroughs
Crazeclown had through the “papa ade” skits he dropped on Instagram and YouTube. Although he had done a lot of popular comedy skits over the years, none came near his “papa are” skits. Till today, we know him as papa ade than even his brand name. The skits feature him as the mischievous father of two cantankerous sons who are always falling in trouble with their father. People love the funny and short comedy skits and couldn’t stop asking for more.
In 2014, Crazeclown went on your across the United Kingdom and participated in several shows. The show he hosted in Aberdeen was arguably the best show Crazeclown participated in, in the 2014 Tour.
In 2015, Crazeclown was one of the most viewed social media comedians in Nigeria and Africa; he has over a hundred million views.
As of 2016, Crazeclown reached a milestone by having over a million followers on his Instagram account. Today his followers have increased to over 3.5 million followers. This shows the growth Crazeclown is experiencing in his career.
His comedy skits paved way and opened a lot of doors for him. He was invited to perform in several concerts all over the world.
On May 6, 2015, Crazeclown was announced as the host of the industry Nite United States edition, which was headlined by Wizkid. The show would be the first time Crazeclown would perform in the United States.
Around this time, Crazeclown established his production company “House of Craze production Ltd, which would be instrumental in organizing his future shows. He created a website for his company -houseofcraze.com, where his fans can keep updated with his latest comedy shows and upcoming events. He also utilizes the site as a mini shopping platform where he sells branded T-shirts, caps, and other clothing accessories.
In 2015, Crazeclown started a competition titled “common sense.” The competition featured the wittiest of characters in which a winner emerges every week and wins a prize money of $500.
In May 2016, he organized a show in Kharkiv tagged ‘the good, the mad, the funny’ The show had in attendance several popular music artistes like Falz the bhad guy. It was a sold-out show which Crazeclown referred to on his Twitter account as “a dream come true.” This gingered him to make the comedy show an annual program. The 2017 version of “Kharkov must laugh” had famous artists line Reekado Banks and Lil Kesh in attendance. The program was also held in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
Not only did he go to concerts and organize shows, but Crazeclown also bagged several endorsements during this period. He was announced as one ofNAIRABET’s Official Ambassadors alongside Phyno and Skuki in 2016.
Craze Clown Memorable Moments
There is no doubt that Crazeclown would have had several memorable moments on his journey to stardom. Notable amongst them include the show he organized in Kharkiv in 2016. He sold out and had a lot of people in attendance. The artist was so happy that he took to Twitter to appreciate God and his fans for making his dream come true.
Another event is when he bagged a medical degree and graduated from Kharkiv National Medical University in 2017. After about ten years of trying to achieve his dream of being a medical doctor.
Notable Achievements
Most Famous Works
Craze Clown is best known for his “Papa Ade” skits, which he started uploading on his YouTube and Instagram pages.
He is also renowned for organizing comedy shows under the auspices of his company -House of Craze. His most famous show, which is held annually, is “Kharkov must laugh,” where he features several popular and upcoming comedians as well as singers.
He started a competition in 2015 titled “Common sense” Participants battle wittily against each other to win the $500 grand prize every week.
Awards/Recognition
Crazeclown had garnered a lot of recognition in the industry over the years. Most times, with recognition, come awards, and other perks, Crazeclown’s case isn’t an exception. He won the Naija FM Comedy Jam Awards for the Online Sensation of the Year in 2015. In the same year, he won the City People’s Award for Comedian of the Year and The Nigeria Youth Choice Awards. He also beat other upcoming internet comedians like Emmanuella and Wowo Boyz to bag the 2017 Best Comedy Act Award (Online) at the Nigerian Entertainment Awards.
Craze Clown Net Worth
Not much information about about Crazeclown’s net worth online. Since the internet comedian himself isn’t a fan of showoff and does not display exorbitant wealth on social media. However, we believe Crazeclown to be worth a lot, about $100,000
Other interesting facts
Most people might not believe it, but Crazeclown is an ardent prayer warrior and an upright Christian. Crazeclown’s parents both come from Royal families; this explains why the comedian refers to himself as a “double prince” sometimes. Lastly, the internet comedian is 6ft 5 tall and weighs 80kg.