Ahead of her four-city Australian tour this July, we catch up with the hilarious Fortune Feimster about what brings her Down Under.
After gaining recognition for her hilarious character acting and wild story telling, Fortune Feimster rapidly rose to comedic stardom through television appearances on “Last Comic Standing” and “Chelsea Lately.”
These days, Fortune is finding herself between Netflix specials, film roles (‘Office Christmas Party’, ‘Barb And Star Go To Vista Del Mar’) and her podcast, Sincerely Fortune.
Fortune doesn’t fall far from the tree
On one of her latest episodes of Sincerely Fortune, the comedian invites her mother Ginger on as a guest, who exudes the same Southern Charm and sharp wit which Fortune has become famous for.
When asked if this is where Fortune inherits her sense of humour from, Fortune tells me, “She’s definitely a part of it.”
“She’s got a fun sense of humor and she’s great at storytelling so I’m sure I was influenced by watching her,” Fortune continues.
“My family as a whole approached life light-heartedly and we always found a way to laugh even in hard times. The rest of it I think came from being inspired by performers like a Carol Burnett.
“I used to watch reruns of her show with my grandmother and I was always in awe of her talent. I like to think I picked up a few tips.”
The lived, queer experience
While some queer people recognise a growing trend of LGBTQIA+ comedians tapping into a characteristically ‘queer humour’, Fortune’s defies this, telling me her humour comes as naturally as her sexuality does.
“I came out the same year that I started comedy so for me they’ve always gone hand in hand,” she says.
“Obviously, my stories are going to be from the perspective of a gay person because that’s who I am.
“I’m seeing things from that lens. I’m talking about those experiences from my life.
“At the end of the day, I’m happy if anyone can see themselves in my stories, but it certainly means a ton to be any sort of positive representation for my community.”
Strange times for queer entertainers
However, this positive representation has been a recent point of contention for our community amidst the recent push-back against drag queens, especially in the U.S., where Fortune has worked closely with these entertainers.
“I don’t quite understand it, to be honest, and why all of a sudden it became so controversial,” she says.
“I’ve found my experiences with the drag community to be one of love and positivity.
“I know entertainers like myself are also in the business of spreading love and acceptance.
“I can only hope this scrutiny is a temporary bump in the road.”
Queer awakening
And while audiences have been lucky enough to have Fortune be part of the incredibly vast array of queer entertainment and media to come out in the past decade, like many of us, Fortune’s queer awakening came a decade earlier, at a time when lesbian representation was much more scarce:
“The original ‘L Word’ certainly stirred a lot of feelings for me,” she says. “I wasn’t out yet and I watched that show and I was blown away by it.
“Not even the drama part of it. Just seeing a group of gay women be friends and hold hands and go have coffee together.
“I got to see what it was like for two women to be in a relationship together.
“I hadn’t seen that kind of representation before and it made me think, ‘I’m relating to them in a way that I have never experienced before.’
“It was really eye opening.”
The Australia/Fortune love affair
The ‘Live Laugh Love!’ tour marks Fortune’s first appearance in Australia since 2017, and audiences are so ready to have her back.
“This is actually my fourth trip to Australia and every trip has been so fantastic. I first came to Sydney in 2010 to film a week of “Chelsea Lately” shows.
“Then I did the Melbourne Comedy Festival in 2016, I believe. A year later I did shows in Sydney.
“So now I’m super excited tofinally be back. I love returning to two cities I got to know really well.
“But now I’m adding Adelaide and Brisbane to that list too so I can’t wait to explore those places.
“Aussies have always been really nice when I’ve visited and I certainly appreciate that. In return, I just hope I can make them laugh.”
Fortune is everywhere, so don’t miss your chance to experience her unique style of standup comedy when she visits a city near you! Grab your tickets now at TEG Dainty.
For the latest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) news in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
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