queercomedy

Lauren has a genuinely hilarious conversation with comedian and podcaster Carmen Lagala, who spills all the details of her recent coming out story! Carmen grew up in Vermont, which is arguably one of the very best states to be a queer woman (hiking; leftists; liberal arts colleges; you get it). Carmen was so sure that she *wasn't* queer, however, that when a lesbian rumor spread during her freshman year of high school, she actually came out to her family as straight. Carmen, who now identifies as pansexual, describes having "teenage boy levels" of horniness as an adolescent, while simultaneously carrying a deep shame about sex in general, and masturbation in particular. She discusses how being in back-to-back relationships with men led to her feeling like her sexual attraction to women somehow didn't count, and how coming out on stage actually helped her get past that ("it legitimized it to me as soon as people laughed at what I was saying"). Also, Carmen shares her high school obsession with G.I. Jane, and Lauren tells a story about Michelle Rodriguez that she probably shouldn't!

Follow Carmen on Instagram at @carmstagrams and on Twitter at @CarmenLagala, and subscribe to her YouTube channel at youtube.com/@carmenlagalacomedy! Also check out her comedy OnlyFans, and listen to In Cahoots w/ Corey & Carmen wherever you get your podcasts!

Lauren gets into it with comedian Andie Main, who just released her aptly titled comedy album, "Rocky Mountain Bi!" Andie grew up in Portland's artsy district, and identifies as "classic '90s bi." She reveals the various cartoon characters who helped her realize her sexuality, discusses her adolescent passions ("I was a horse girl, and then I was a boob girl"), and details the path that led her to who she is today ("a divorced, 43-year-old bisexual woman who had dreams of Alanis Morissette as an early child"). Andie also describes the challenges of dating couples, and - brace yourself - because we talk a little bit of smack about astrology SORRY!!! Also, a word of warning to the person who left the podcast a three-star review on iTunes titled "Would love this if it weren't for the foul language": you should probably skip this episode.

Follow Andie on Instagram at @andiemain, and listen to "Rocky Mountain Bi" (as well as Andie's first album, "Magpie") on all streaming platforms. Also, check out Andie's new podcast, "Recovering with Andie Main," wherever you get your pods!

If you're an old school listener of the pod, then over the years you've probably heard Lauren and Nicole mention their SINGLE GREATEST SUCCESS STORY* as podcasters, which is the marriage of Episode 25 guest Vanessa Ravenscroft. Well, get ready for a lovey-dovey episode, because today Lauren and her guest co-host Vanessa are talking to the woman who made it all possible: baker, artist, and Vanessa's wife, Sarah Ravenscroft! Sarah hit the ground running by living every lesbian's dream (i.e., dating her best friend at an all-girls Catholic high school). But when that relationship had run its course, she found herself grappling with an all-too-relatable queer conundrum: how do you find potential partners; *especially* if you're considered "straight-presenting?" Sarah discusses the queer platonic relationship she entered into with an ace male friend (they had a dog *and* a house!), and the fateful night that Vanessa slid into her DMs. Squeal along with Lauren as Sarah and Vanessa share their love story, from that very first message on Twitter to the day Nicole officiated their wedding at Disneyland!

Follow Sarah and all of her fuzzy/feathered kids on Twitter at @Squatchycat, and on Insta and Threads at @fuzziesoflakeview! Follow Vanessa on Twitter at @LochNessy7891, and on Insta and TikTok at @vanessalynn25!

*(besides finding Ricky)

The moment is here, y'all: it's our final episode as Lauren & Nicole. So grab a glass of red wine and/or bottle of sparkling mineral water, and strap in as we take an equally hilarious and tearful stroll down memory lane; from the original tiny closet that we crammed Stephanie Beatriz into, to our posh podcasting studio, to our respective hot, sweaty closets that we've been recording in since we went virtual! Nicole shares what she's learned, what she's grateful for, and even a few things she wishes she'd done differently. We reminisce about some of our favorite moments, and talk about our ONLY fight as #workwives! Nicole sobs! Lauren actually CRIES! It's a beautiful, funny, and fitting goodbye for a truly irreplaceable co-host.

Keep up with Nicole on Instagram at @nicolepacent. Our hashtags are #comingoutpod and, in ethereal perpetuity, #foundricky.

We laugh our goddamned asses off with standup, writer, and biomedical engineer (yes, really!), Pallavi Gunalan, who wins Lauren over in the first sixty seconds by stating that she "would die for Pierro." Pallavi grew up in an Indian family in Utah, and only started coming to terms with her queerness in her late 20's ("I had just started wearing crop tops; I didn't know you could do that without a sari"). Pallavi made the bold choice to incorporate her newfound identity into her comedy almost immediately, and shares the exhilarating story of coming out live on stage to her cousins. (She also discusses the much less effusive reaction she got when she later told her parents...) Not only that; Pallavi provides us with a *phenomenal* pudding cup analogy, and we talk shame, adult goths, and the Tootsie Pops owl!

Follow Pallavi everywhere and on all the things at @PallaviGunalan. Share her stuff, come to her shows, and don't forget to keep an eye out for her in the comments under Pierro's pictures!

Hot on the heels of her newly-released debut comedy album "Off-White," we talked to Nicaraguan-American comedian and writer, Cat Alvarado! Growing up in a mostly Spanish-speaking household, Cat always felt more Latina...and yet more often than not, she was perceived by her own community as "a white girl." Needless to say, Cat's dawning realization that she was bisexual only enhanced her experience of straddling two different worlds. Cat describes the dismal Vegas wedding she went through with as a teenager because she was terrified of going to hell for having premarital sex, and shares the refreshingly *positive* experience she had being a unicorn (good couples ARE out there!!). We also have a candid conversation about those instances where we're not 100% "out and proud" with family members, and the guilt we place on ourselves as queer people for these deeply personal decisions. Plus: naked ladies!

Follow Cat on Twitter and Instagram at @thecatalvarado, and on TikTok at @catalvaradocomedy. And you can buy "Off-White" on iTunes and Bandcamp, or stream it on Spotify! But, you know - buy it!

Lauren talks to her CHARMING AND HILARIOUS friend Shenuque Tissera, a New York-based actor and standup who identifies as a genderqueer pansexual! Shenuque (he/they) grew up in a Sri Lankan Catholic family on Staten Island, and remembers the concept of masculinity making him uncomfortable as far back as childhood. This didn't get any easier when he started attending an all-boys Catholic high school, and so Shenuque learned to just keep his head down, and try to blend in with the machismo around him. It wasn't until just after college that Shenuque finally stopped repressing his sexuality...and by then he was already in a very serious relationship with a woman. Shenuque talks about how he started using standup as a way to process his sexual identity, and shares how exploring gender is what's currently most interesting to him. He also describes the messages he gets from queer Sri Lankan kids, and tells a surprisingly tender story about a hunky gym rat with a heart of gold!

Follow Shenuque (and watch his standup clips!) on Instagram at @shenuque, and on TikTok at @fakeshenuque. And check out Lauren and Shenuque TOGETHER on past episodes of FMK Champions here and here!

Nicole flies solo this week for a WILD ride of a conversation with NYC comedian Maggie Lalley, who took her childhood trauma and turned it into a *hilarious* off-Broadway musical! Sex Witch The Musical covers Maggie's time in, quote, "a two-person teen witch sex cult," and if that sentence doesn't grab your attention...then we are quite simply out of ideas. Maggie divulges an incredible true tale of Albanian witches, bi-locational powers, and even A-List celebrities (kind of)! Plus, Nicole helps Maggie have *multiple* breakthrough realizations in real time!

Follow Maggie on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok at @magslals, and purchase tickets for Sex Witch The Musical (opening April 19th!) at https://www.sohoplayhouse.com/sex-witch-the-musical. Don't forget that you can DM Maggie for a secret discount code!

There's "I didn't realize I was queer!" and then there's "An actual pastor's kid had to inform me that I was queer!" Comedian and podcast host Jolenta Greenberg (How to Be Fine) hilariously falls into the second category. Although Jolenta spent all of high school in blissful obliviousness, the evidence of her bisexuality had been piling up since childhood, notably with simultaneous crushes on LeVar Burton and a female side character on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. But despite frequently hooking up with her female friends and regularly attending a queer club, Jolenta genuinely believed that she was just a REALLY good ally! She and Nicole bond over being bi women in straight-facing marriages, and Jolenta discusses the "pang" she sometimes feels about not having put a label on her sexuality sooner. Also: what it's like to live by the teachings of different self-help books week after week, all for the purposes of your podcast!

Follow Jolenta on Instagram at @jolenta_g and on Twitter at @JolentaG. Also, check out How to Be Fine (formerly known as By The Book) wherever you get your podcasts, and follow them on Instagram at @howtobefinepod!

Okay: so last month in Episode 234, we had a good ol' fashioned bitch session about how gatekeep-y the Los Angeles queer scene can be. But because we are mature and balanced adults, it seemed only fair to highlight the founder of one queer event in L.A. that is getting it 100% RIGHT! Enter Lilly Brown, the creator and organizer of Queer Field Day! Fostering community has always been a central part of Lilly's life, tracing all the way back to one night in college when she found herself at a queer oil wrestling after-party, looked around, and realized "everything feels right here." Lilly explains how a beach get-together that she figured would draw maybe twenty to fifty people ended up being a 300+ person event, and how from there she built Queer Field Day into one of the most popular gatherings in L.A.! Also, the tale of how a mismatched room share situation at Dinah Shore unexpectedly led Lilly to the love of her life...

Follow Lilly on TikTok and Instagram at @lilly27sings, and check out Queer Field Day at https://www.queerfieldday.com/, and on Instagram at @queerfieldday! For those local to L.A., other queer community resources mentioned in this episode were https://www.hicuties.com/ (make sure to sign up for their fantastic email list!), and @beingqueerinla on Insta.

We chat with the FABULOUSLY queer Amir Yass, a content creator and TikTokker whose self-described job is "to make straight white men uncomfortable!" Amir grew up the child of immigrant parents in a conservative Muslim household in Orange County. How conservative? Let's just say his parents not only pulled him out of sex ed in middle school, they also moved houses because their neighbor was an out gay man. Amir shares how both therapy and comedy have helped him to destigmatize the shame he felt for so much of his life, and discusses how "coming in" is not just an affirming practice in general; it can also be a real lifesaver for those in situations where it simply isn't safe to come out. All this, plus that full-circle Hallmark moment when Grindr reconnects you with someone from your distant past!

Follow Amir on Instagram and TikTok at @amiryassofficial, and feel free to DM him!

We're so excited to be releasing the episode of The Bechdel Cast that we both guested on back in June of 2019! Listen to us discuss allllllll the gay goodness of the *classic* holiday film Carol, and remember: always leave your gloves behind if you want to help a repressed shopgirl have her lesbian awakening.

Follow The Bechdel Cast at @BechdelCast, and follow hosts Caitlin and Jamie at @caitlindurante and @jamieloftusHELP (@jamiechristsuperstar on Insta).

HAPPY HOLIGAYS, Y'ALL!!! It's our annual Listener Mailbag episode, and we got *so* many great questions from you this year! We discuss a wide variety of queer queries, ranging from the serious (what to do about transphobic colleagues and how to check in with a loved one re: their mental health) to the sexy! Listen as we share resources and spicy personal anecdotes; plus, Lauren closes out the year by throwing us a GENUINE CURVEBALL. May your holidays be merry and very, very, gay, and we'll see you all in 2023!

As always, we'll be taking next week off, but check your feed on Wednesday for a special *bonus* episode all about the GREATEST LESBIAN CHRISTMAS MOVIE OF ALL TIME! (No; not Happiest Season.)

Read the article at ComedyWham.com

Episode #255

Recorded October 2022

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Follow Alyssa

• Website - alyssaspatola.com
• Linktree - linktr.ee/AlyssaSpatola
• Twitter - @AlyssaSpatola
• Instagram - @alyssaspatola
• Do512 - Do512.com/alyssa-spatola
• Youtube - Youtube.com/AlyssaSpatola

Alyssa can be seen and heard:

• Texass: Queer Comedy Show - October 25, 2022 9pm at The Creek and the Cave. Tickets
• Interviewed and produced video of a NYC comedian who uses stand up to cope with trauma : Huffpost - This Comedian Wants Abuse Survivors To Know They’re Not Alone
• Podcast interview with local Austin Feedback Podcast: Ep 203 - You Should Exist More with Alyssa Spatola
• Article written and video produced about queer middle-aged burleque dancer - HuffPost - Why This Queer, Middle-Aged Burlesque Dancer Wants You To 'Be Shameless' Too

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Strap in and strap-on for this VERY HORNY EPISODE!! Unflinchingly-authentic comedian and actor Abe Farrelly (Curb Your Enthusiasm; Netflix Is A Joke Fest) is back as our first ever post-transition guest! Abe discusses how his standup - which used to lean heavily on the butch lesbian jokes - was "a big tell" when it came to realizing he needed to transition, and how he sees comedy as an opportunity to educate audiences without lecturing them. He also shares the beautiful ways in which his parents have adjusted to his new identity, and how his 89-year-old, Catholic Mass-attending grandmother has become his biggest supporter! Plus, Abe reveals all of the surprising changes he has gone through since starting testosterone (spoiler alert: no tree stump is safe, and Rob Lowe is the only person who can make him cry).

Follow Abe on Instagram at @abfarrelly, and on TikTok at @abefarrelly!

We have a *delightful* time with writer, film analyst, and green-haired swamp queen GODDESS, BJ Colangelo! BJ breaks down the ways in which queerness and the horror genre are intrinsically linked, and details the incredible impact that Chris Sarandon - NOT Susan! - has had on her understanding of attraction. She also shares her experiences as a cis woman married to a trans woman, and discusses reclaiming the word "lesbian" from bad faith actors. Plus, BJ tells us a story SO MIND-BLOWING, we can't even tease it!!!

Follow BJ on TikTok (queer sh*t), Twitter (angry queer sh*t and film stuff), and Instagram (very dumb photos) at @bjcolangelo. And check out This Ends At Prom (@thisendsatprom on Twitter and Instagram) wherever you get your pods!

We sit down with Nicole's dear friend and concert-going buddy, Mike Mizwicki! Mike grew up in an Irish Catholic family in Chicago, so suffice to say he was surrounded by an ever-present machismo factor. But even as a child, he could tell from other people's reactions to his behaviors and interests that there was something about him that was "wrong or different." Mike pays homage to Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss (the guiding gay light of his youth), and we talk for the first time about the differences between public vs. private first queer kisses! Also, we get real about what it means to even passively ask your parents for "permission" to come out to extended family.

Follow Mike on Instagram at @miz.interpretations!

In a mere twenty-two years on this planet, Regan Aliyah (Club Mickey Mouse) has already forged a career as an actor, rapper, spoken word artist, choreographer, and more! Regan started working professionally at the age of twelve; as a result, she never really focused on herself or her personal life because she felt she had to prioritize her outward-facing persona. She teaches us all about The Lesbian Masterdoc (TM), reveals her cartoon crushes, and tells the *adorable* story of how she met her MMA fighter girlfriend! Also, how she and her mom got to the beautiful place in their relationship that they're at now, despite getting off on the wrong foot when Regan first came out.

Check out all things Regan at https://www.reganaliyah.com/, and follow her everywhere at @reganaliyah!

We're joined by Germana Belo, co-writer of the award-winning, *very* sexy and sapphic web series RED, as well as a brand new series that she and Nicole wrote TOGETHER! Growing up in Brazil in the 1980s, Germana feared that the feelings she had for women (especially Brooke Shields...) were a sin, or even a curse. She talks about falling in love with her first therapist at the age of eighteen (classic!), and shares how to this day she often feels like she is "too gay to be bi, and not gay enough to be a lesbian" (also classic, sadly). Plus, we do an in-depth examination of queer storytelling, and Nicole and Germana share some *scintillating* details about their upcoming web series, As Love Goes!

Follow Germana on Twitter at @_germana, and on Instagram at @gebelo.
Follow "As Love Goes" at @aslovegoes_ on Instagram, and check out their fundraising campaign at www.indiegogo.com/projects/as-love-goes-season-1!

We're starting the year off right with actor/content creator/all-around-joyful-and-hilarious-human-being, Nikki Garza! Nikki explains how she's distanced herself from the term "body positivity" as she's watched it come to mean insecurity in general, as opposed to the actual marginalization of othered bodies. Nikki prefers the term "body confidence," and discusses how so many people are attracted to fat folks...but want to "love you in private" (yes; even ultra-accepting queer people). We also dissect the concept of "sexy ugly," and Nikki beautifully illustrates the difference between straight men and queer women by reading us DMs from her thirst traps!

Follow Nikki on TikTok and Instagram at @itsnikki.g, and on Twitter at @itsnikkigarza