Fortune Feimster talks RuPaul, growing in NC

Feimster was born in Charlotte and raised in Belmont. She plays three shows at Carolina Theatre of Durham Feb. 18-19.

Posted 3:16 p.m. Feb 11, 2022 — Updated 3:16 p.m. Feb 11, 2022

Kathy Hanrahan

, WRAL lifestyle editor

DURHAM, N.C. — North Carolina native Fortune Feimster has three upcoming stand-up shows at Carolina Theatre of Durham.

You might recognize Feimster from her appearances on "Chelsea Lately," "The Mindy Project," "Glee" and "Life in Pieces." She has also voiced some great characters including Evelyn on "The Simpsons" and Brenda on "Bless the Harts."

Feimster was born in Charlotte and raised in Belmont. She is a graduate of Peace University in Raleigh, so her upcoming shows Feb. 18 and 19 are a homecoming.

I caught up with Fortune for a quick Q&A this week:

Out and About: What are some of your fondest memories of growing up in North Carolina?

Fortune: I just remember it feeling very quaint because I’m from a small town where most people knew each other. It seemed like a simpler time. I spent a lot of time outdoors and playing with kids in my neighborhood. I just loved that sense of community and being in a place where people genuinely cared about you.

Do you think growing up here shaped your sense of humor?

Definitely. I think the South has a lot of natural storytellers. People here love telling you stories and they get so animated about it. I remember growing up listening to people in my family do that and people around town so I guess it just rubbed off on me.

My 9 year old son loved "Bless the Harts" and he was amazed that you were from NC! We loved Brenda. She was a great character. What roles do you get recognized the most for?

That’s so cool. I loved that show and am so sad it’s over. They gave my so many funny lines. It seems like most people recognize me from "Chelsea Lately" where I played a lot of different people, my character Dougie on "Life in Pieces," and the crazy Uber driver I played in the movie "Office Christmas Party."

What was it like appearing on RuPaul's Drag Race?! You've been on the show numerous times.

I’m such a fan of that show and RuPaul so it was such a treat. Plus I loved that behind the scenes look of seeing how the show is made. I still keep in touch with a lot of the drag queens I met doing it.

What does it feel like coming back to Durham to play these shows at Carolina Theatre?

It feels awesome. I went to college in Raleigh so I spent four awesome years in that Research Triangle area. I’ve got a lot of friends coming who I went to school with so it will be great to see some familiar faces. I always love performing anywhere in my home state because people here show me a lot of love.

What can people expect for your upcoming shows, are we talking about the pandemic, politics, etc?

I’m more of a story-teller. I talk about things that are going on in my life or things that I experienced growing up. This hour picks up where my Sweet & Salty Netflix special left off. It’s more about me as an adult and how I’ve handled having to be the one in charge.

How has humor helped you get through the past 2 years and other difficult moments in your life? Have people told you that your comedy has helped get them through hard times?

There were certainly times, especially in the beginning of the pandemic, where I didn’t feel very funny. I wasn’t sure how I was going to do my job when I was stressing out like everybody else. But then filming videos or doing my radio show proved to be a nice outlet for me and certainly kept me sane. And now that I’m finally on tour I have been hearing from a lot of people that they watched my special a ton this last two years and it helped lift their spirits so I love that.

Fortune is playing Carolina Theatre of Durham Feb. 18-19. She has two shows on Feb. 19. The Carolina Theatre of Durham is requiring all fans to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours or full vaccination for entry. The City of Durham is requiring face coverings to be worn while at the theater except while eating or drinking. Get more information on the Carolina Theatre of Durham website.

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