By Chanda Temple
Since October 2024, Eunice Elliott has been traveling across America as the opening act for Matt Mathews‘ Live Nation comedy tour known as “Boujee on a Budget.”
The Bessemer, AL natives have performed in sold out venues throughout the tour, and on Monday, Dec. 29 at 7 p.m., they will take the stage at Birmingham’s Legacy Arena. In Eunice’s 17 years of doing stand-up comedy, the Birmingham show will be her largest venue yet with more than 6,500 people slated to attend. (As of this evening, the show was sold out.)
“I feel blessed, and I feel honored,” Eunice said. “To watch (Matt) go from zero to a billion, he’s a phenomenon.”
Eunice first met Matt in 2022 when she was teaching people how to be funny on stage. Her students included attorneys, pastors and others from various backgrounds looking for ways to be more effective communicators by using stand up comedy techniques. As she wrapped the last of her “Find Your Funny” class at the Stardome Comedy Club in Hoover, AL, Matt inboxed her on Oct. 27, 2022.
At the time, Matt had grown a following of 5 million on TikTok, where he talked about life on his family’s farm, working as a boudoir photographer and more. But he was looking for something extra, and he felt that Eunice was the key. Eunice had already planned to move to Los Angeles in February 2023 to pursue projects there. But she saw purpose in what Matt wanted to do, and agreed to coach him. They started meeting in person in 2022, and moved to weekly Zoom sessions in 2023.
Eunice had never heard of Matt, but she decided to help him. She soon found out they had a lot in common, including that they were both from Bessemer, had funny conversations and enjoyed making people laugh.
“He had an interesting story that he was willing to share,” Eunice said. “He was willing to take personal parts of his life and share and laugh about it. He doesn’t take anything too seriously, and that makes him a good student.”
“He trusts me, and I give him feedback.”
Known to sparkle and shine with his delivery, Eunice thought people needed to see Matt on stage. So, she told the Stardome owner about Matt, and Matt was allowed to do a five-minute segment on the smaller stage at Stardome in December 2022. A week later in 2023, Matt moved to the bigger stage at Stardome. Then, by 2023, Matt started touring.
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Eunice appeared on TMZ’s television show, worked other TMZ projects and booked commercials. But because the cost of living was so high in Los Angeles, her dogs didn’t really like apartment living and she wanted to be closer to Alabama to help her mother, Eunice decided to return to Birmingham in 2024. When she did, Matt invited her to go on the road with him for his new tour and write for the tour.
Eunice also provided tips on timing, body movements, positions on stage, what worked, what didn’t, etc. The show now has music, Matt sings, he plays the guitar and he answers email questions from fans. Matt, who now has 6.3 million followers on TikTok , 3.8 million followers on Facebook and 2.8 million followers on Instagram, is also working on a new album.
Things are developing for Eunice, too. She’s written a few scripts for TV and a feature film; booked national commercials, two of which aired this month; traveled overseas to do a production that will be shown in 2026; she conquered her fear of heights by visiting the Grand Canyon this year; headlined at the Stardome during the Magic City Classic this year; and she found love. While on tour in March 2025, she met a man whom she’s excited about building a future.
Finding love was actually on her bingo card for 2025. It was a wild card square she’d added as a goal for the new year. Previously, she had gone on a dating hiatus for more than three years. But in 2025, she was operating at such a high vibration and feeling good about herself, she believes that only helped attract even bigger vibes.
Today, Eunice said she doesn’t feel like a new person but a different person who’s not sure what’s coming next, but she’s praying and planning for whatever will land in her path.
“I’m getting to experience things in new ways: as a touring comedienne, as a significant other,” said Eunice, 50, who is also an emcee, a former Birmingham TV anchor and a three-time author. “I’ve had a lot of growth this year.”
“I don’t want to look back and say, I should have done something. I’m trying to live every day so I can say, ‘Phew, I did that! ‘ ”
Chanda Temple is an award-winning writer living in Birmingham, Ala. She blogs at http://www.chandatemplewrites.com. If you have a food story idea, email her at chandatemple@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram at @chandatemple.
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