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Encore: Oakland Comedian Jackie Keliiaa on Pain, Punchlines, and Her ‘Good Medicine’

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Jackie Keliiaa sits on her couch at her apartment in Oakland on Sept. 5, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

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This week, we’re revisiting a conversation from September 2025 with Oakland comedian Jackie Keliiaa. She’s a stand-up, writer, actor, and producer whose work not only reflects on her everyday life, but also her Native heritage. She’s been featured on Comedy Central, Team Coco, Netflix and IllumiNative’s list of 25 Native American Comedians to Follow, and she organizes the all-Native comedy show, Good Medicine. Host Sasha Khokha sat down with Keliiaa for a conversation about comedy, identity, and how laughter can help keep us going during hard times.

Listen to more conversations in our resilience series here

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