For more than two decades, elementary school custodian Jimmy Cash kept classrooms, hallways, and restrooms running behind the scenes. But today, the “Janitor with Stamina” is also performing stand-up comedy on national stages, posting viral sketches, and reminding audiences that janitors have stories worth hearing.
“We’re always a little bit of the underdogs, but we have a voice too,” he said.
Cash’s path into custodial work wasn’t a calculated career move so much as a family tradition shaped by the community he grew up in, Worcester, Massachusetts.
“I went to Worcester Public Schools, and my dad was a janitor,” he said. “I didn’t really know what to do, and someone said I should take the civil service exam.”
After more than two decades inside school buildings, Cash has learned that the most essential parts of custodial work are often the least visible and that the profession is often misunderstood. “[People] misunderstand [the] time [it takes],” he explained. “They just want [cleaning] to happen by, you know, magic.”
Finding humor in the work
Cash found himself joking about his work—not to diminish it, but to honor it. He believes it is a job to be proud of, one that requires showing up every day and carrying real responsibility, yet one that always seemed to have its own unique humor.
Those moments often come from what he calls “the absurdity of things that you’re asked to do.” Custodial work regularly involves situations “nothing could have prepared you for,” including what Cash describes simply as “sickness and bathroom issues.”
Sweeping into social media
On stage, Cash often draws from the day-to-day life of a custodian and might talk about familiar characters, such as teachers.
But not all his observations make it into a stand-up set. Many reside online on YouTube, his social media accounts, and his website, jimmycashcomedy.com.
“I feel like I’ve brought a lot of positive awareness to our job,” Cash said. That visibility has led to invitations for Cash to perform at facility management conferences and custodian union meetings.
Cash was initially uncertain how the school district where he works would view his dual career. But the response surprised him. “They’ve been very supportive, the teachers, the principal, the superintendent, everybody,” Cash said.
Giving custodians a voice
At the core of Cash’s comedy is advocacy. Early in his career, he recalls feeling that custodians were expected to be “seen but not heard,” but now he believes comedy is helping change that attitude. Cash is spreading his message by branching out from local venues to headlining at larger venues. He has a podcast on his agenda next.
But for all the growth in his platform, performing hasn’t pulled him away from his roots—it’s reinforced them. “It’s not like [my comedy act] is a character I made up,” Cash explained. “It’s who I am.”
