Luenell heads to Raleigh, wants to make friends
Luenell wants "to make friends in every city" and part of that process is opening herself up to crowds, often with a question and answer session at the end of her final show of the weekend.
Posted — UpdatedPeople who go see Luenell often get more than just her telling jokes on stage. As she said during a Thursday afternoon phone interview, Luenell wants “to make friends in every city” and part of that process is opening herself up to crowds, often with a question and answer session at the end of her final show of the weekend.
As you’ll soon discover, the woman perhaps best known for her unforgettable role in Borat and for her nine seasons on BET’s Comic View also gives honest, thoughtful and funny interviews. On Thursday, Luenell and I discussed the stars who attended her LA birthday party, how she feels about the #MeToo movement, doing clean comedy shows and more.
I want people to know that, yes, I’m a mother. I’m married. How do you make that work when you’re on the road? What’s it like being a female in the business? The pay scale, I like for people to ask me questions so I can answer them and they walk away with a great show and some knowledge as well.
Every comic isn’t as concerned with their audience as I am. They just wanna come, do their job, get their money and leave. I truly want to make an impression on people everywhere I go. I want to make friends in every city because those are the people that will come back and see you the next time and bring a new friend.
Nobody has the right to violate anybody like (Harvey) Weinstein did. … Holding a job over your head if you don’t do sexual favors when you know you really want this job. You know this could be a groundbreaking job for you and could garner you a lot of money for you and your family. I was always like, “Why the hell did they wait so long (to speak out)?” Because you’ll get blacklisted and they’ll tell all the other old boys in the club and nobody (expletive) with you then. That’s why they held on to (that information).
There comes a time when you have to rise and say, “It’s enough.” … These people that were held in such high regard, they’re pigs at the end of the day and you’ve gotta respect women for who they are: intelligent, worthy, worthwhile beings on this Earth.
I think it’s a great movement. I don’t think it’s to be ridiculed. I don’t know why it doesn’t apply to our President. He openly admitted that he grabs women in the vagina like it’s just a thing to do and if you’re a powerful man, they’ll let you. He said that! Yet he gets no repercussions and everybody else is losing their job so I don’t understand what the double standard of that is.
I’m involved in this. I’m in Hollywood and I work around a lot of men in the comedy business. I hear the misogynistic conversations that go on and I hear the little comments and things that go on. I know how hard it is for a woman in this business so I’m down with (the movement). They can count me in.
Also, they know who to pick on. In all my years in the business, I have not had one single proposition. Me and the boys goof around or whatever, but a serious violation? I haven’t been violated in that way because I think they know that I will tear that a** up if they come at me that way.
I actually enjoy the challenge of doing a comedy show clean because you have to think a little bit and not be on automatic like sometimes people can be. I welcome it. I wish I did more.
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