In 2016, University of Hawaii football players Tumua Tuinei and Hunter Hughes were seeking a fun but easy-to-pass course.

“We signed up for Nick Murray’s stand-up comedy class at Kennedy Theater,” Hughes recalled. “There were only four people in the class, including the two of us. It was kind of an excuse to watch stand-up comedy, study it a little bit, write some jokes.”

The final exam was a 15-minute routine at Anna O’Brien’s. They invited their UH teammates. Hughes received some chuckles. Tuinei’s set earned uproarious laughter and more knee slaps than a ha‘a performance.

“Tumua stole the show,” Hughes said.

Six years later, who’s laughing now?

Well, everybody.

Tuinei will headline a comedy show at the Blaisdell Arena on Nov. 12 and 13. Tickets still are available for the second show.

Two years ago, Tuinei had three sold-out shows in the 2,158-seat Blaisdell Concert Hall. But this will be his first show in the arena where Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams and Jo Koy performed.

“All the legends performed there,” said Tuinei, who admits to don’t-awaken moments about his career’s ascent. “It takes me back to when I first started five years ago. I was performing before 10, 15 people at Irish pubs downtown. Now 6,500 people? That’s crazy.”

After earning a degree and completing his eligibility as a UH safety in December 2018, Tuinei performed at small venues across Oahu. A breakthrough was the Andy Bumatai-hosted show at Blue Note Hawaii.

TikTok and Instagram have increased his popularity. His online skits, much like his act, use physical comedy. It was a skill he learned as an aspiring thespian at Punahou School, where his initial role came during the school carnival’s variety show. “I think I was ‘Person No. 2,’” he said, laughing. “I took theater (classes) in college.”

Tuinei said his TikTok videos use different material from his stand-up act. The videos “help people know about my shows,” he said.

As Tuinei’s calendar began to fill, he was faced with a career choice. He decided to quit his job as a stevedore to pursue comedy full time.

“I walked away from that to follow my dream,” Tuinei said. “It was a tough decision. I’m thankful I had the opportunity to choose. I was trying to do both, but it was too hard to manage both jobs.”

This summer, he did a mainland tour, with stops in Utah, Oregon, Arizona, Las Vegas, San Jose, Sacramento and San Diego. Attendance ranged from 300 at clubs to 1,500 at the Craig Ranch Amphitheater in Las Vegas. “I was giving (Hawaii transplants) a little piece of home,” Tuinei said.

Tuinei said his playlist keeps changing.

“That’s the art of comedy,” he said. “You develop new material as you live. You experience new things in life and then you get new jokes.”

A stand-up act, he said, “is not like music, where you play your hit songs. … But there are some people who come up after a show, and ask, ‘Why didn’t you do your old stuff?’ They really enjoy hearing that. I try to mix it up.”

His favorite material revolves around his father. Tom Tuinei, who is 6 feet 5, was an imposing lineman for UH. His late uncle Mark Tuinei played 15 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.

“I talk about being a lot smaller than my dad,” Tuinei said. “Everybody likes jokes about him. My dad’s like 6-5, and I’m 5-8 and still waiting for my growth spurt. Hopefully, it comes next week Thursday. I joke about that a lot.”

He said even his bit on teaching mainlanders to speak pidgin is rooted in being “relatable to local people. I want people to watch me on stage or online and say, ‘I know that guy.’ He reminds me of my dad or my brother or my local neighbor.”

But after Tuesday’s election, he will have to delete one of his crowd-pleasing impressions.

“Oh, I’ve got to retire those jokes about David Ige,” said Tuinei, who honed the voice studying an amphibious Muppet. “The way he talks is funny. I would practice it and imitate him. It started with me joking around with my friends, and they said, ‘You’ve got to use it on stage.’ Maybe I have to find the next one, either Josh Green or Duke Aiona.”