‘Waffles and Mo’ bring on the laughter

Within a matter of two years, daughter and mother duo, Waffles and Mo, have taken the Mother City and the country by storm.

From having to attend school and having a full-time job, the two have now succeeded in becoming household names. In just 24 months, mother Whadia “Mo” Samuels and her 15-year-old daughter Wafeeqah “Waffles” became a social media sensation with their hilarious portrayals of moms and daughters, that often include collaborations with dad, Ikie.

On Facebook, they have more than 377 000 followers and more than 239 000 page likes. On Instagram, they have more than 76 200 followers, and on YouTube they have more than 18 300 subscribers.

In reality, Whadia has a modern technique of raising her daughter whereas Mo is very old-school, which is a clear indication of her upbringing. Waffles is more outspoken in real life and not as shy.

The duo recently collaborated with Comedy Central as part of the channel’s CC Seen It feature, which takes content by comics, curates it and plays it on high rotation, at key times of the day, on Comedy Central.

Whadia said: “We received a call from Comedy Central, who came across one of our videos which we made about coloured moms (inspired by my mother and the community of Hout Bay, where I grew up), which they really loved. They asked us to come on board as collaborators on their CC Seen It segment and we jumped at the opportunity. The response has been overwhelming and people are loving the content.”

The Lotus River pair do not have formal training in drama and, though the videos are scripted, they certainly have a natural flair for comedy.

“We haven’t had our own theatre show yet but we’ve featured in many shows. With regards to the videos we do, we’ve been doing this for two years and posted a minimum of three per week,” she added.

Wafeeqah, a Grade nine pupil at Bergvliet High School, said: “I enjoy how much fun we have together. My mother always encourages me to stay positive and trust the process. Our hard work will pay off someday. My goals are to finish school and to further my education.

“I really enjoyed seeing our content being broadcast on Comedy Central. It felt great to see myself on TV.”

Vice president for Comedy Central and creative services at ViacomCBS Networks Africa, Dillon Khan, said: “At Comedy Central, we are focused on using our platform to support careers of comedians.”

To catch CC Seen It, tune into Comedy Central daily on DSTV Channel 122.