Laughin’ Out Loud with Judy Gold

Laughin’ Out Loud with Judy Gold

On Saturday night, January 28th, the Gordon plays host to an uproarious night of humor with comedian, actor, and writer Judy Gold.

Winner of two Emmy awards for writing and producing The Rosie O’Donnell Show, Judy has had stand-up specials on HBO and Comedy Central and has written and starred in two critically acclaimed, Off-Broadway hit shows.  She has also had guest-starring roles on multiple sit-coms including Louie, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Inside Amy Schumer, 30 Rock, and 2 Broke Girls, and has a recurring role on the upcoming new TBS series, Search Party. Read Judy’s full bio.

Recently, the editors of JBlog had an opportunity to ask Judy a few candid questions about her background and rise in the world of comedy? Check it out:

How did you get into the world of comedy? Who influenced you? When did you know you were funny?  

The first time I did stand-up was in college. Right before Xmas break, my Secret Santa left a note on my door daring me to do stand-up. It was like G-d had spoken to me. I did a set and it felt like nothing I’d ever done before. A few months later there was a professional comedy show at Rutgers, and I asked if I could do 5 minutes on the show. I’m sure the comics were not happy, but I got laughs.

After the show, one of the comics, Adrienne Tolsch, invited me to come to Catch a Rising Star in NYC. She was the emcee for the open mic night, and so I started going into the city and hanging out at the clubs until the wee hours of the morning hoping to go on. The 80’s was an incredible time to do stand-up. There were so many places to go to get stage time, and the only way to grow is to get on stage. 

Joan Rivers was a huge influence on me, and still is. She was unabashedly hilarious, had an incredible work ethic, and most importantly she was very kind.

How did you begin your career in humor? Did you study acting?

I took some acting classes in college, but my major was music. After I graduated, I studied at HB Studios, and continued acting classes when I moved to LA. I still get on stage to do stand-up several times a week. It’s important to practice your craft. 

You are involved in so many different aspects of the humor world – writing, producing, performing in drama, or stand-up. Which of these platforms is your favorite? And can you tell us about one of your most memorable nights as a comedian.  

I love it all, but stand-up is, and will always be my favorite. I have had so many memorable nights as a comedian, but one that sticks out was years ago when I was performing on a gay cruise and a fire broke out in one of the rooms. The lights went out and the emergency lights came on, and then the captain came on the loudspeaker to tell everyone to remain where they were until further notice.  I was still on stage when all of this was going on, so I stayed until the fire was under control. The show must go on!!

Have you performed in Baltimore before? What comes to mind when you think of Baltimore?

When I was performing in DC a few years ago, we came to Baltimore to see Dream Girls. It was awesome, but what really comes to mind is Hairspray. 

Some folks refer to you as “edgy”- is that label appropriate? And what should we expect at this show?

If honest and fearless is edgy, then I suppose so. I have been performing for over 30 years – more than half of my life – I think you should expect to laugh. A lot.