• Home
  • About
      EventsDonationsSubscriptionsResourcesPatrick Oliver JonesThe WINMI Story
  • Seasons
      Season 1Season 2Season 3Season 4Season 5Season 6
  • Donate
  • Watch
  • Subscribe
  1. All Episodes

Monday Mar 21, 2022

Judy Tenuta is Kicking Cancer’s and Shares Her Journey from Stage to Stand-up
  • Download

In 1987, HBO had a comedy special called Women of the Night. It featured four women who were known regionally and at certain comedy clubs, but had yet to really reach a national audience. They were Ellen DeGeneres, Paula Poundstone, Rita Rudner, and today’s guest Judy Tenuta. In fact, for the next four years each one of these women would be named Best Female Stand-up Comic at the American Comedy Awards (with Tenuta being the first in 1988).

Tenuta, Judy - Attention Butt Pirates & Lesbetarians - Amazon.com Music

So throughout the 1980s and 90s Judy was a part of a big boom for women in comedy. She branded herself as The Love Goddess and starred in national commercials, published her first book, and received Grammy nominations for her comedy albums. And if you’ve seen the movie Waiting for Guffman, one of my all-time favorite films, you’ll notice a certain Judy Tenuta T-shirt worn by Corky St. Clair.

Waiting For Guffman: Judy Tenuta – T-Shirts On Screen

However, her introduction to the stage was actually as an actress, and in college she majored in theater. In this interview we’ll talk about her transition from plays and musicals to stand-up comedy as well as her long-standing connection with the LGBTQ community. But first she shares with us the cancer diagnosis she received during the height of the Covid pandemic. As the Aphrodite of the Accordion, though, she hasn’t let that stop her, and this past New Year’s Eve she released a music video called “Kicking Cancer’s Ass.” It’s in perfect keeping with her campy and offbeat persona that has made Judy Tenuta one of the most unique comedians and performers of her generation.

MV5BODA1ZjcxZTMtNTFiZS00OTBjLWE5ZDEtNzZiMTNkN2M4N2IxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI4ODc2NDY@._V1_.jpg

Podcast hosted by Off-Broadway actor and singer Patrick Oliver Jones. Find a transcription of this episode on the WINMI Blog.

  • Follow Judy - YouTube / Instagram / Twitter 
  • Support WINMI and get access to Members-Only Episodes on Supercast.
  • Check out Artist Resources and follow WINMI on Instagram or Twitter.

----------

Why I’ll Never Make It is a Top 25 Theater Podcast on Feedspot, and is also a part of Helium Radio Network and a member of the Broadway Makers Alliance. 

Background music in the episode by John Hartman and Blue Dot Sessions is used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Comments (0)

To leave or reply to comments, please download free Podbean or

No Comments

To leave or reply to comments,
please download free Podbean App.

iOS appAndroid app

©2022, WINMI Media

Podcast Powered By Podbean