Got housing? How milk helped this comedian deal with the harsh realities of growing up in a motel
CBC
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It was one of Janelle Niles's bleakest moments — and so she decided to turn it into a joke.
"Some kids count sheep to sleep. I was counting bedbugs," quipped the 36-year-old about being a homeless preteen and sharing a motel room with her family, as part of a set at a Yuk Yuk's in Ottawa.
Niles was 12 when her family was evicted, forcing them to move into a motel in Ottawa's east end while they awaited social housing.
In 2019, the comedian began bringing challenging moments from her past to the stage. Since then, Niles, who is a Black, Mi'kmaw, two-spirit woman, has cracked up audiences across North America and created the Got Land variety show highlighting Indigenous entertainers.
Now, five years into her career, she's sharing that journey in a piece she produced in collaboration with CBC Ottawa's Creator Network.
For her, reframing upsetting childhood memories through standup comedy allows her to take control of her own narrative.
"I've learned that tragedy plus time equals comedy," said Niles. "If I can make it funny, it loses its power over me."
In front of a packed audience, Niles shared her family's journey from Sipekne'katik First Nation in Nova Scotia to Ottawa.
She recalls taking the the long train ride to Ontario with her younger sister Lexis and her twin Jileen and what it was like surviving the ensuing years of financial hardship together.
"Our mother fell through the cracks," Jilleen Niles said, explaining that after their mother lost her job, the family of four was placed on Ottawa's housing wait-list and moved into a single motel room.
When Janelle thinks back to those first few weeks in the room, she cringes at the thought of the smell of stale cigarettes and the feel of the scratchy brown sheets.
She still remembers walking into the motel room and thinking one thing: where's the fridge?
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