‘Only in Florida’

Josh Robinson, who performs as OMGITSWICKS. [Submitted photo]

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Posted June 16, 2026 | By Jamie Berube, [email protected]

For some, the Everglades represents a place of unchecked danger, reptilian terror or a wild land best avoided altogether. But for Josh Robinson, it is the complete opposite.

The comedian known as OMGITSWICKS spent time there as a boy. As an adult, he has turned his untamed childhood adventures into the foundation of his humor.

“I grew up going to the Everglades every weekend,” Robinson said.

If he had to pinpoint something from his upbringing that shaped his comedy the most, he named his experiences in nature.

“A lot of my stories are about my love for animals and things like that, which came from me spending so much time in the Everglades and out in nature. I would say that would probably be the part I think that shaped me the most with my animal experiences. We would fish mainly, but mainly just hanging out in the Everglades, and my granddad always wanted us to be outside. Every weekend, he would take us through the Everglades and we would find some new adventure to do. I spent a lot of time down there,” Robinson said.

Those trips instilled in him a deep love for the untamed side of Florida and, particularly, the animals.

“You can pretty much see anything down there, especially when it comes to animals, and I’m a big animal person, so I think that would be my favorite part, is the wildlife experiences that you get down there,” Robinson said.

One memorable encounter still stands out.

“There was one time where we were fishing and an alligator came up behind us and it kind of startled everybody because it just showed up behind us. My granddad turned around with his fishing pole. I went one way, the alligator went the other,” Robinson recalled.

Far from scaring him away, experiences like this helped shape the comedy that now has millions laughing along.

Robinson is bringing his authentic “only in Florida” energy to the Ocala Civic Theatre, or The Civic, on June 27. There will be an early show at 5 p.m. and one at 8:30 p.m. He will be joined by fellow Florida comedians Ken Miller and Myke Herlihy for “OMGITSWICKS & Friends.” Audiences can expect a stand-up packed with Florida stories, sketches, plenty of audience interaction and a Q&A segment. A free meet-and-greet with merchandise available will follow both performances. The shows are for ages 18+.

Managing Director Amy Burns explained why The Civic chose to bring Robinson in.

“We’re always looking for opportunities to bring in fresh audiences while still delivering something we know will resonate locally. When this opportunity came across, I was already familiar with his work and understood how strongly his Florida-centric style connects with people here. It felt like a natural fit, something that would not only perform well, but also introduce new patrons to The Civic,” Burns said.

According to the Director of Marketing and Public Relations for The Civic, Melody Murphy, both shows filled up quickly. At the time this story was written, there were only three tickets left for the 5 p.m. show and four for the 8:30 p.m. show, she said.

Robinson’s signature “only in Florida” energy shines through in his famous Publix bits, which have become fan favorites.

“I just love Publix myself. I go there pretty much every day, even before I started making content. The people who worked at the Publix that I go to all the time, it was weird for them because they started seeing me pop up online, so it kind of was a shock to them,” he said.

His go-to Publix order is the chicken tender sub, which he rotates between a classic sub, a wrap or a salad depending on how he’s feeling that day. He also raves about the s’mores cookies, key lime pie, mango key lime pie and glazed croissants.

“I could go on forever with this,” he said with a laugh.

His unfiltered love for everyday Florida life, from Publix runs to wildlife encounters, is what makes his comedy so relatable. In many of his reels, Robinson can be seen holding a dessert such as a Publix key lime pie in one hand and his signature flip-phone in the other. During some of his sketches, he will stop and exclaim, “flip-phone activate” while capturing something wildly Florida-like, like a frozen iguana falling from a tree in the winter.

Robinson’s now-iconic flip phone became part of his brand almost by accident.

“With the flip phone, I did a sketch a long time ago about hanging up on someone with a flip phone. It’s a lot different than hanging up on something with a smartphone,” Robinson said.

Robinson’s rise from a Southwest Florida call center customer service job to full-time comedian is a true success story. He started creating content during the pandemic while working in customer service, citing the boredom of being stuck home for spurring him on to make comedy.

“We were working from home, my kids were home as well, so we were just kind of there. And then I just started making videos, because I was just on there at first to watch my nieces and nephews and my kids, and then I realized I could make some videos,” he said.

“I loved sketch comedy growing up, and with the way TikTok was formatted at the time, I learned how to put a sketch together. Then I started adding my experiences with Florida and I kind of realized that we all kind of share the same experience and so I started making videos about that,” he said.

A pivotal push came from comedian friend Herlihy, who encouraged Robinson to try stand-up. Their first show was in Orlando and, by 2022, comedy had become his full-time career.

“We’re pretty much in a different city at least two or three times a month,” Robinson said.

As a proud father of two girls, he keeps his material clean and family friendly.

“I always have it in the back of my mind, I want my kids to be able to watch this without me having to shield them from what they’re about to see from me,” he explained.

His influences include Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence, Jim Carrey and the Wayans Brothers.

Robinson’s sketches brilliantly capture the absurdity and charm of Florida life and he balances poking fun at the state while showing love for it.

“I just try to show everyone our experience, so however they take our experience is however they take it. People don’t understand how we do hurricanes and things like that, so it’s more so me just showing our perspective on things by giving our side of the story, basically on why a lot of these crazy things happen and how we see these crazy things as normal,” he said.

At The Civic, fans will get a heaping dose of his brand of unapologetic Florida humor.

“It’s gonna be stand-up, but it’s gonna be a lot of Florida stand-up,” Robinson said.

Murphy highlighted what makes The Civic a perfect fit for Robinson.

“It’s an intimate venue, small enough so fans feel like they’re able to get up close and personal and really connect with the entertainers they love. And we’ve been around for 76 years, so you could say we’re a Florida institution as well. I bet we could provide him with plenty of material. Just get us started talking about the hurricane season of 2004, or when the A/C went out before our closing musical last May,” Murphy said.

Beyond the stage, Robinson is expanding with a podcast. As for any plans to take a step back from sketch comedy, he said that won’t happen.

“We just started a podcast; we are up to our sixth episode. I also have a movie that I’ve been working on. It’s taken a lot longer to do than I thought, and then I have some other shows, a “Floridaing” show where I pretty much go around doing a lot of Florida adventures. I have a couple things that I’m working on, as far as show wise, but that’s kind of what my passion is, sketch comedy,” Robinson said. “I enjoy it so much, so that’s why I go so hard with it.”

For aspiring creators, his advice is, “Be original, because I do see a lot of people that will see something that’s working for someone else and then they’ll just try to do that and it’s like, be original to you, be true to you, that way you don’t have to find, I guess, a style because you already have it. I would say just keep going, be true to you, do what relates to you, and don’t let people’s opinions sway how you feel about you.”

For “OMGITSWICKS & Friends” tickets and more information, visit thecivic.org