She's Pretty Funny: Aisha Tyler, DC Improv

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AISHA TYLER MAY be more recognized for her roles on shows like "24" and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" than for her stand-up. But that doesn't deter the sometimes-actress from continuing to crack jokes. Instead, it encourages her to keep creating comedy that pushes both her own — and others' — boundaries.

"I've been doing it for 17 years now," Tyler says of her stand-up, which spurred a career that now includes acting, writing and directing.

"Stand-up and acting and writing, it's all married to each other — they're all fingers on a very malformed hand and they're all related. ... If you think you can do something, you might as well go for it."

And for Tyler, who will perform at the DC Improv this weekend, that balancing act has continued to pay off.

With a recurring role voicing Agent Lana Kane on the new animated spy show "Archer" on FX; another role on ABC's "The Forgotten" later this spring; and the possibility of a second stand-up special and other TV projects in the works, the multi-talented comedian has a busy year ahead of her. But stand-up, she says, will always be her first passion — and the one that shocks people most.

"My stage act is totally balls-out, no-holds-barred — it's intense, it's high-energy, it's super-physical. It's a show [where] I leave everything up on the stage, and I think people are surprised by that," Tyler said. "I think people who know me from 'Friends' or 'Ghost Whisperer' are really thrown."

Tyler often draws from personal experiences to craft her set, she says, a tendency that sometimes annoys her friends — "They're like, 'Dude, you're going to turn this into a bit, aren't you? Stop writing!" — but pays off when she gets onstage and her words "take on a life of their own."

And for that reason, she has just one bit of advice for this weekend's attendees: Don't bring your kids.

"It's for grown-ups!" Tyler stresses about the live show. "I want people to be shocked and surprised and laugh their butts off and go home saying, 'Holy crap; can't believe she said that.'"

» DC Improv, 1140 Connecticut Ave. NW; through Sat., Feb. 6, $15; 202-296-7008. (Farragut North)

Written by Express contributor Roxana Hadadi
Photo courtesy Michael Buckner/Getty Images