From Trevor Noah’s lucky discovery to sold-out Dubai shows: Robby Collins bets on kindness, empathy and laughter

Dubai: At a time when headlines feel heavy, South African comedian Robby Collins (read the full interview here) chose laughter over fear.

In Dubai with The Laughter Factory, he found packed rooms, warm audiences, and a city that feels incredibly safe, despite uncertainty due to ongoing regional tensions.

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“There are phones just lying around… sometimes I feel like robbing someone,” he jokes, half amused, half in disbelief.

But beneath the humour is a comic who gets it.

“People come out to escape what’s happening out there… you want to let them go home feeling better.”

His style isn't harsh punchlines or acidic jabs, but just observational humour rooted in empathy.

“You don’t know what someone in the audience is going through,” he says.

And his own journey? Just one of those right-place, right-time moments. Sample this: Trevor Noah walked into a club and caught his set.

“My relationship with Trevor is strictly luck.”

From that fluke night to sold-out shows in Dubai, Collins keeps it simple: show up, stay kind, and let the laughter do the rest.