Superstar stand-up comic Fortune Feimster got a big break headlining a New Faces of Comedy showcase at the 2010 edition of the iconic Just For Laughs Montréal Festival, the largest comedy festival in the world.
Feimster returns this summer to headline a July 26 Gala at the 43rd edition of Just For Laughs Montréal which runs from July 16 to 27 at various venues. This year’s edition also marks the beginning of a bold new era for the festival.
I spoke with Feimster the day after she and her wife Jacquelyn Smith amicably filed for divorce, a private subject that – along with Fortune supporting her beloved mom Ginger’s battle against cancer – we steered clear of in our candid Q&A.
What was it like growing up in small-town Belmont, North Carolina? How young were you when you realized that you weren’t like the other kids?
Fortune Feimster: It was a great childhood. My hometown is really cute and the people are so friendly. My mom and dad both still live there. When I was growing up, it being so small, I felt like I wanted more. I wanted to see more. I wasn’t trying to get away from there. I had a really great support system but I just wanted to broaden my horizons. I don’t think I really realized I was different until I got to college where I started to meet different people and realize there’s a much bigger world out there with a lot of different people.
In 1998 you were presented to society at the Gastonia Debutante Ball. What was that experience like?
Fortune Feimster: I did that very reluctantly! That was something my mom forced upon me, trying to keep up with the Joneses. We were broke and had no business being a part of that. So I came out to society twice: once as a lady and once as a gay person!
You majored in communications at Peace College before you moved to L.A. where you began a seven-year career in entertainment journalism. You know my job inside out, from both sides of the coin. Did you like being an entertainment journalist?
Fortune Feimster: I loved it. It was an amazing day job. I got to talk to really cool people and learn about the business kind of adjacent to what I was trying to accomplish as a comedian. It allowed me to take Groundlings improv classes at night and pursue stand up. It’s what kept me afloat for seven years and paid my bills. It allowed me to chase my dreams, and my bosses were so supportive. They knew what my dream was and encouraged me as long as I did my work and was responsible. But what a cool job to get – to interview actors and directors and writers and go on sets and award shows and movie premieres. It was pretty spectacular.
This all comes in handy in your comedy career as well.
Fortune Feimster: On my first job writing on Chelsea Lately, it occurred to me in that interview, “Wait a second, I’ve been talking to celebrities and dealing with pop culture for seven years! I actually know a lot about this world.” I never thought it would come in so handy in a comedy career but it really did. I mean, writing is such an essential part of my job now that it was nice to be working on those skills for seven years while trying to make it as a comedian.
How life-changing was your run as a writer and round-table guest on Chelsea Lately?
Fortune Feimster: It changed everything. I had been trying to get traction and trying to get hired for jobs. The journalism job was fading. Newspapers were folding and it came to a natural end. I had to take a leap of faith to pursue comedy full-time. And I was broke. I was getting close to things – I had tested twice for Saturday Night Live – and didn’t get those, and it was very heartbreaking. You just kind of go, “When is my break? When is something going to happen?” Back then, people weren’t championing being different, and I was very different. Then when I met Chelsea (Handler), the fact that I was different was the bonus. She liked that I was unique and not like everybody else. And once she said yes and hired me, everybody else started saying yes. But it took a person in a position of power to open that door for me, and she did.
What is it about comedy that makes you happy?
Fortune Feimster: That I get to make people laugh for a living is wild to me. I just can’t believe that that’s a job. You know, I certainly didn’t think that I could do that as a career when I was growing up. It seems like make-believe, yeah, but I am so grateful that once I found it, it became such a passion for me that I wanted to do it no matter what. There were many years I did it with no pay, and the fact that I get to make a living at it – and a nice living – is a dream come true. I have pinch-me moments on the regular with this job!
Was it tough to be an out comic when you were up-and-coming?
Fortune Feimster: I made a conscious choice from day one to be myself. I didn’t want to pretend or leave the audience wondering, “Who is this person?” I very much leaned into sharing who I am, and my stories are very personable and personal. So if I did not share that part of myself, that would have felt very disingenuous. This is who I am. Hopefully you like it, and if you don’t, move on. I just encourage everyone to be themselves and not hide who they are.
Comedy Festivals like JFL used to have queer comedy series. In Montreal it was the long-running Queer Comics. Do you think queer comedians and queer audiences are more integrated now in the comedy scene?
Fortune Feimster: There were a lot of queer comedy nights when I was coming up where we weren’t competing against all these bros. We had to sort of create a spaces for ourselves. And I love those shows because the audience was like-minded and open-minded. So I got to experience that love in those rooms, then go to other rooms that were more difficult and bro-ey, and you had to win those audiences over too. So I embrace both worlds. But yeah, it feels like it’s definitely more integrated. Now people are embracing individuality, and I’m grateful for that. That was not the case when I was coming up. If you were different, it was not a positive. So I’m happy to see this evolve.
Do you consider yourself a gay comedian or a comedian who happens to be gay?
Fortune Feimster: I’m just a comedian. There are so many things that encompass who I am. I talk about it a lot. It’s definitely a big part of my story. But the goal is to make people laugh.
How do you feel about being a hero to many, for helping break down societal barriers surrounding LGBTQ+ issues and body positivity in comedy?
Fortune Feimster: The responsibility is to try to use the platform for good when I can. If being authentically me helps someone in any way, I take that very seriously. It means a lot to me. You know, I’ve been a big gal my whole life. I will always be that, and there are a lot of people who look like me and have that journey as well. If I can help them feel more comfortable in their skin, I love that. I see my flaws, I’m very aware of them, but I genuinely like myself, and if that encourages anyone else to like themselves, that’s important too. Be who you are and embrace who you are.
I remember in 2018 you headlined a small theatre at OFF-JFL in Montreal. Now you’re back hosting a huge gala!
Fortune Feimster: I’m so excited! This is my first time hosting a gala. It’s such an honour. And, you know, I was worried that JFL was done. All of us were worried that this was it. JFL is such a huge part of the comedy community, and one of the rare places that we can all go to be with one another and see other comics. And it’s important for the comics coming up to be seen and make their mark in the world. So the fact that it’s back, I’m so pumped! I wanted to be a part of it, to come back and help get it back off the ground again. I’m sure it will be amazing. To host a gala after having done New Faces in 2010 feels very full circle.
INFOS | Fortune Feimster hosts a Just For Laughs Gala at Théatre Maisonneuve on July 26.
The Just For Laughs Montréal Festival runs from July 16 to 27 at various venues. For tickets, visit hahaha.com.
For more Fortune Feimster, visit www.fortunefeimster.com.
