July 26, 2024 • 46 mins
• Leslie will be performing at COMEDY WORKS DOWNTOWN in DENVER, CO - JULY 25-27.
Tickets Available At: LeslieLiao.com or ComedyWorks.com
• Leslie is a stand-up comedian, actress, and writer.
• Late last year Leslie was one of the comics featured in the Netflix Multi-Comic Stand-Up Series, “VERIFIED STANDUP”.
• Audiences around the world have been drawn to her relatable, introspective, and matter-of-fact style of humor which is often
anchored around her experiences as a single Chinese-American woman living in Los Angeles.
• Leslie has appeared on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon"
• Leslie was selected to be a New Face of Comedy at Montreal's prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival 2023.
• Leslie’s debut set on Don't Tell Comedy platforms, “Fixing Straight Men,” debuted boldly on YouTube with clips going viral
on Instagram and TikTok.
• Leslie has toured with some of the biggest names in comedy and can often be seen in Los Angeles gracing the stages of The
Comedy Store, The Improv and Laugh Factory among others.
For addl. info.: LeslieLiao.com OR follow her on…
Facebook and YouTube @ LeslieLiao
Instagram and TikTok @ResrieRiao
Tickets Available At: LeslieLiao.com or ComedyWorks.com
• Leslie is a stand-up comedian, actress, and writer.
• Late last year Leslie was one of the comics featured in the Netflix Multi-Comic Stand-Up Series, “VERIFIED STANDUP”.
• Audiences around the world have been drawn to her relatable, introspective, and matter-of-fact style of humor which is often
anchored around her experiences as a single Chinese-American woman living in Los Angeles.
• Leslie has appeared on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon"
• Leslie was selected to be a New Face of Comedy at Montreal's prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival 2023.
• Leslie’s debut set on Don't Tell Comedy platforms, “Fixing Straight Men,” debuted boldly on YouTube with clips going viral
on Instagram and TikTok.
• Leslie has toured with some of the biggest names in comedy and can often be seen in Los Angeles gracing the stages of The
Comedy Store, The Improv and Laugh Factory among others.
For addl. info.: LeslieLiao.com OR follow her on…
Facebook and YouTube @ LeslieLiao
Instagram and TikTok @ResrieRiao
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Boba Do Do Do Do Do doo. Hey, y'all, it's Denise's podcast.
Happy Happy Friday TG. Let's giveit a golf clap, everybody.
We made it to the weekend,and I am kicking off today's show with
a comedian who's at Comedy Works downtownin Laramer Square. She's really funny.
Leslie Leau, a female comedian thathas performed on Jimmy Fallon And How's the
(00:26):
best skin Ever? I get herSkin Secrets, ladies. She's funny,
but I am obsessed with how sheis wrinkled free, and I'm totally into
that right now. So we're goingto talk about that. But first let's
hit Denise's dirt. And I dowant to mention please follow my podcast,
Denise's Podcast. I just started itup again. You can download it on
(00:47):
the iHeartRadio app or listen to itwherever you get your podcasts, but make
sure you follow and like it,and that way you'll get alerted every time
there's a new podcast. I tryand post Tuesday and Thursday, but then
sometimes I have other interviews that comealong, like Leslie, and I want
to get them on before it's toolate, all right, So please give
(01:07):
me a fair, give me alie, give me a follow. So
Denise's dirt Ryan Reynolds. Yep.There's been a ton of speculation about who
will be playing Lady Deadpool. Nobodyknows. The rumors have ranged from Ryan
reynolds wife's Blake Lively, to TaylorSwift to Reynolds himself in a wig.
(01:29):
But now it seems we finally know. At least according to IMDb, Lady
Deadpool is Blake Lively. I amdbcast revealed also who else will appear in
the movie For those who can't waitto find out. Henry Caville will pop
up as a Wolverine variant, andI am still keeping my fingers crossed that
(01:49):
Taylor Swift makes a surprise appearance becausethey are best friends. As a matter
of fact, she did a poston her Instagram which I love the way
she wrote it. She put,over the past few years, I've watched
one of my best friends on thisplanet for every bit of his heart,
soul, sweat, time, energy, jokes, paying joy, rebellion,
darkness, and magic into this film. Shout out to Wade Wilson aka my
(02:12):
Godkids sperm donor, she joked.So she's encouraging everybody to go see that
movie. And I'm gonna watch itthis weekend for sure. Definitely. The
Olympics started today and just a quickreminder, iHeartRadio is your exclusive audio partner
to the NBC Olympics, So downloadthe iHeartRadio app. You can take us
with you twenty four seven wherever yougo. Don't miss a thing. But
(02:35):
Gwen Stefani, Ryan Tetter, andAnderson Pack have teamed up for a brand
new song called Hello World, andit was made in partnership with the Coca
Cola Company and the International Olympic Committee. Take a listen. Welcome up in
the middle of the night, liketo the telephone rang, I don't need
to tell you, I don't needto do it, sir it Hello?
Will we showIn up with changin theGuy? Since we're speaking of new music.
(02:59):
Riba mac tire Woo. She couldbe downright fiery when she wants to
be, but she's showing more ofa restrained rage in the video. I
Can't I Can't made its debut onthe Voice and also she performed it at
the ACMs. But take a listener, Flame Gun now a play. I'm
so excited for Tiger Lily Gold.These girls are the nicest girls in the
(03:23):
world. Their sisters, and theyare so talented. Hindra and Christa just
dropped their debut full length album,Blonde. One of the most impressive things
about the project is they wrote allthe songs together. They know each other
so well, so long. They'regonna be on the Bobby Bone Show.
(03:45):
I think it's Monday morning, solisten to one oh six seven the Bowl
And at this point we should justall throw out our country music bingo cards
because I had no idea Jelly Rollwould be blowing the doors off with Machine
Gun Kelly. Their new collaboration isLonely Road and it kind of riffs off
of John Denver's Take Me Home CountryRoad. Lonely Road in the video,
(04:10):
Megan Fox and Jelly's wife Bunny XO. They appear in the video as their
partner significant others. Also new musicby Halsey. She teased it last week
and she just dropped her latest song, Lucky. I'm so happy. Thomas
c C, Maddie and Tay havejoined Andy Grammer on the new song I
(04:33):
Do that's going to be drop inAugust. Second. They make a pretty
awesome trio Thomas Rhett. If you'vebeen following along his competition with his wife
Lauren, his upcoming album is Abouta Woman, which is about his beautiful
wife Lauren. But they released twodifferent album covers. One is a Georgia
Red addition and the other is aTennessee Orange version. You still have a
(04:56):
month left to order your favorite coveralbum and cash your vote. Do you
want Thomas to win or do youwant Lauren Lauren Lauren to win? Also,
since we're talking about new music,Casey Musgraves will release an expanded version
of her most recent album, DeeperWell. The revised collection features seven new
songs, and that drops August seventh. You can pre order now. Get
Irish Goodbye to Night to Night,you can get that. Justin Timberlake's lawyer
(05:23):
said today in court he was notdrunk when a Long Island cop pulled him
over and charged him with DWI ina brief court hearing, he did it
today this morning. Justin was onhis tour in Europe, so he didn't
appear for the hearing, but hisattorney, Edward Burke, he pretty much
told reporters that authorities made a numberof very significant errors in connection with the
(05:44):
case. He said, sometimes thepolice, just like everyone else, makes
mistakes, and that's the case inthis very incident. I will say that
justin respects law enforcement, I willsay that he recognizes the very important job
they do, and he cooperated withpolice officers from the second he was ordered
out of his car to the secondhe was discharged. Justin Timberlake was cuffed
(06:05):
after driving erratically when leaving a hotelbar this summer, but he declined to
take a breathalyzer test. He insistedhe only had one drink before getting behind
the wheel. J Lo There's stillmay be hope with her love and her
marriage to Ben Alfleck. She stillhas a wedding photo displayed at her home
in the Hamptons. However, hewasn't at her birthday party. But I'm
(06:27):
keeping my fingers crossed for the twobecause I think they're adorable and finally,
this is awesome. Snoop Dogg hasnamed three rappers who could compete in the
rap Olympics if there was one.He said em and M was the first
pick. He said, I woulddefinitely take Rakim old School, and then
you gotta grab a female. He'dgo with Queen Latifah. There you go,
quick look at Denise's dirt. Nowlet's get to the interview with comedian
(06:49):
Leslie Leoo. Leslie Leao, Igot you in studio, which I'm so
excited about because normally I always getto talk to comedians over the phone.
The girl. You're at Comedy Works, which is a legendary comedy place.
I know it's one of the bestin the country. Yeah, you performed
there last night last night for thefirst time, and now I get it
(07:10):
because everyone told me in the comedyworld, like, oh, You're going
to Comedy Works, and I'm like, I've never been. I was like,
well, what's so special about youknow, like I've never been,
And last night I had my firstshow there and I was like more excited
than nervous, but like everyone justtold me how amazing it is, and
I'm like, I don't want tobe let down like everyone said it's amazing.
I was like, is it them? Is it me? Is at
the club? I think it's likeeverything like they the opening comics were great.
(07:36):
The crowd is so pure. They'relike, I just want to have
fun, like I have nothing.They literally they walk through the doors and
they're like, I have no othergoal but to have fun, no expectations
except you on stage making us laugh. Yeah, and they laugh like the
second you walk out, like it'slike they're like, welcome Leslie, and
they're like cracking up already. I'mlike, what is going on? Am
(07:57):
I being pranked? Like They're soperfect? It was, Yeah, unbelievable
Leslie Leo. If you don't knowabout Leslie, she had a corporate job,
which is insane to think about.And it was at Netflix. I
mean, it makes me laugh still. Yeah. Most comedians don't have like
corporate jobs. They have like sidehustles. Yes, but you had a
(08:20):
full eight to five kind of jobthat you were hustling on the side too.
Yeah, it's not the normal routecomedians take is to like have a
corporate job their entire adult life.I just had like a past life,
Like I I didn't grow up aroundcomedy, so my parents weren't in the
comedy seat like at all. Theywere just like grow up and go to
school and get a job. Job. So I always did that, but
(08:41):
it was in entertainment and then Istarted stand up the same year I started
at Netflix. In my corporate hrtype of job you're an HR person,
It wasn't it. Yeah, itwas, Oh my god, I wasn't.
I wasn't like technically like the HRlady. It's just my job happened
to be within HR. But stillit was like HR where like I'm expected
(09:01):
to like be a certain person ata corporate job in HR. And I
had coworkers that called me Hannah Montana. And I'm a little old for that
reference, honestly, Like I didn'twatch it, but Hannah Montana is like
the Miley Cyrus Show, where like, oh, yeah, I know who
she is. You know, likein the in the day, she's just
a middle school student whatever, butthen at night she's a rock star.
(09:24):
She's Hannah Montana. Oh I getit. So she has the double life.
And that's what people called me whenthey found out I did stand up
at night. And I didn't wanteveryone to know. I really didn't why,
I mean, especially working at Netflix. Get your own special, I
mean, okay, imagine imagine likeyour coworkers know you do stand up,
and they're like, wow, youdo stand Like be funny for me,
(09:46):
make me laugh, make me laugh. I'm like I can't. I gotta
save it for the show tonight,like I don't have energy, like and
I had to switch my brain everyday to be like daytime professional, corporate
normal, and then at night,like the second I left the office,
switch it to like okay comedy comedymode. Like it was exhausting. Plus
it's like it's just not that easy. It's like if someone expects you to
(10:09):
be funny NonStop when they find outyou're a comedian, Like my husband,
he's like, why can't you talkto me like you sound on the radio.
And I'm like, oh, I'msorry, you're like that. You
can you know what? You canlisten to the radio. Then if he
wants to hear you on the radio, is he tuning in right now?
Hello? Here? And also it'slike this is your job, you know
(10:30):
what I mean? Like he shouldpay you to talk like you talk on
the radio, that's right. Likemy I have a boyfriend. He's lovely,
but like I feel terrible because Iput all my energy into being entertaining
and smart and poignant and funny forthe stage. So when it's him and
I, I got nothing left.I have nothing interesting to say to him
because I just used it all atthe shows. But that's good because honestly,
(10:54):
you want you don't want to beon all the time because we can't.
No, it's not even that Idon't want you. I can.
I can we No is he inentertainment. He works in advertising and he's
like a writer director, But he'snot like in comedy, which I love.
I don't know that I could dateanother comic with everything we both would
go through, but no, he'she's adjacent, which is perfect for me.
(11:15):
Yeah, and talk about how youget some of your stand up material.
I would imagine, especially working inthe HR world before and at Netflix
with all the people that are like, oh he looked at me wrong,
or she said this to me,Oh my god, she's eating meat and
I'm a vegetarian. Yeah, there'sa lot of drama in HR. But
where I get my material from isjust like I will sit down and just
(11:39):
journal about like what am I actuallygoing through. I'm a straight woman,
I'm a millennial, I'm Asian,I have a deep voice. I'm attracted
to straight men for some reason.Well, of course these are things I
journal. If you were attracted toa gay man, we would have probably
(12:00):
different Yeah, but like, yeah, for some like I I write down,
like what am I going through now? I'm sleepy. I don't have
kids, do I want kids?I'm an auntie. You know, those
are like bare bones. So that'smostly what my my show is about.
It's just like what I'm dealing withwhen I'm observing what I'm going through,
so it's less it's less observational stuffabout like the world. Like I don't
(12:24):
have a lot to add to currentevents, like I I than any other
comedians, So stay away from politics. I mean, I got I got
nothing to add. I seriously likeI have like I can't make it funny,
like that's just my thing. SoI love I love the comics that
can do it. I'm like that'simpressive. But like I love Nate Bargatzi,
Like I just to just the simplesmall moments in your life and like
(12:48):
how that is funny. And I'mjust a sleepy woman trying to get by.
Well. I think once you hitpast like your twenties or twenty one,
it's like you don't have more energy. I'm constantly sleepy and I'm constantly
having hot flashes, which I don'tget your sleep schedule, Like how you
(13:09):
make that? Like I don't gethow you're awake and working right now.
Well that's because you work really lightat night. I do. Yeah,
what time do you go to bedon a show night? Honestly like two
am? Oh? Because well,I mean this is also in my show.
We have a bedtime routine, likeI have a a like I have
ten jars of creams waiting for meevery night. You know, I don't
(13:31):
just go I don't go home andgo all right time for bed, like
I spaz out about what I didthat day and did I do a good
job? And then while I'm rubbingmy creams on my face and taking everything
like that, whole process is sixtyminutes, like door to door, like
teeth, face, hair, youknow, like everything. I'm obsessed really
quick because your skin is flalling andI am going through this thing like deep
(13:56):
down, this is so stupid.I'm kind of embarrassed to admit it.
But I want to be a makeupinfluencer. Oh I love but your skin,
thank you, lawless, thank you. Because I did not sleep a
full night of sleep last night.I only have mild makeup on, like
confeeler ish here and there. Honestly, it looks natural. You don't look
like okay, thank you pick makeupon or anything. I mean it comes
(14:18):
at a cost literally of my moneyand time. Like every night, I
do not skip the step. Whatdo you do? I mean, you
gotta stick to the basics, doublecleanse because the makeup, you gotta really
take that off. So like acleansing bomb or the myceellar water like something
to just take off the makeup.The what water? My cellar water?
I don't know that it's everywhere.It's not like Target. There's like it's
(14:41):
a special water where you take acotton round and it will wipe off your
makeup and you can feel your poresbeing like thank you, like it opens
up. And then you wash yourface with the cleanser. That's a separate
thing to like and really take yourtime and like massage your face. You
deserve it. Yeah, you hada long day, right we all you
(15:03):
know, so massage your face.And then there is the toner. I
am so into this. This isso selfish. Right now, I'm supposed
to be talking about your comedy.Comedy. It's fine, everyone comes see
my comedy. Blah blah blahs.Face thank you. I am so honored
because I really I do this everynight, like on the road every night,
(15:26):
and it doesn't matter if it's oneam, I will not skip it.
And then the toner helps, likeyou know when after you wash your
face with a cleanser, your skinfeels kind of tight. The toner will
add the balance something about pH balance. I don't really know what that means.
It'll it'll bring the moisture back andthen preps your face for the other
steps, which is the serum.So serums have a very specific role.
(15:48):
It's either is it your skin isdry, you have acne, you have
a discoloration, like everyone has athing. So whatever you're going through that
week, use the serum for yourspecific thing, okay, and then you
do the moisturizer, which is veryimportant. Which one are you using?
So honestly, just go Korean orgo home. When it comes to skincare,
Koreans, for whatever reason, theyknow what is they know, so
(16:12):
like there's really affordable Korean brands onAmazon. I don't think you have to
spend a million dollars on this stuff. So there's like one that is so
after you use this cream, yourskin looks like you just dipped it in
basiline. It's like my boyfriend makesfun of me. He like, does
he can't kiss my face after Ido my routine. He's like, your
skin is so shiny, like Idon't even like He like laughs at it.
(16:34):
It looks like saran wrap like onmine. I want it, Yes,
I want it. And you knowI am using Korean skincare the gen
sing. Yes, I'm using that. I have a gensy toe. Do
you like it? Is it atoner? I'm using it as a moisturizer.
It comes in all forms. Youcan't go wrong. You almost can't
go wrong with the Korean anything.And it's always after. It's like a
(16:56):
plum, a pair, a ginthing and whatever, a rice. I
don't care. And but you know, as much as I tout the skincare,
nothing beats a night, a fullnight of sober sleep. But how
much of us are getting eight hoursof sober sleep every night? I know
it's unrealistic. Okay, I willbe honest. I have had botox and
(17:17):
I've had filler in the past,Like I'm almost a walking piece of plastic.
So I so, have you everhad botox? So I haven't.
I don't know if I I thinkI should need to start because it's no,
you don't. But it's preventative,right, yeah, but it don't.
It's pre maintenance. And I'm thirtyseven. I gotta I gotta go
seven. And you have no elevens. You have no which was eleven the
(17:38):
eyebrows between the look at this.I also have no eyebrows, by the
way, I have to draw themon every day. No, no,
these I have to like that,so that takes a lot of my time.
But if I go like this,well, yeah, but how I
mean, you're really pushing it hard. Naturally you don't have those lines,
but it's a lot of it's somuch cream. I am getting your before
(18:00):
I'll send it to Yeah, yeah, please please please, I mean,
you look fabulous. You should doa stand up about that. And have
you tried those masks where I putit on the other night and they're white
when you put them on, butwhen you wake up, you look the
terminator. My husband said, Ilook like that guy that cut off skin
of other people and put it onlike a serial killer. Yeah, but
that's what it takes. Yeah,they don't know what it takes. It's
(18:22):
not we don't just wake up likethis like this is not fully natural.
Like it takes a lot of likeresearch because I love watching those tutorial me
too. I love it. Ithelps me, Like I I you know,
those are the real essential workers,real essential workers. I mean in
COVID, they helped me through hardtimes. These tutorial ladies, like they
(18:42):
helped me. Yeah, they're amazing. There's one girl you need to follow.
Her name is Mikaela and she's fromBoston and she's on tik twalk and
she's just hilarious and she's a makeuptutorial. Deep down I want to be
her, I really do. Solet's talk about I mean, in comedy,
let's go back to what we're supposedto be talking, yeah out here
instead of my selfish. You've workedwith the biggest comedians and you were selected
(19:07):
to be the new face of comedyat Montreal's prestigious Just for Laugh Comedy Festival
in twenty twenty three. You've appearedon Jimmy fallon The Tonight Show. How
cool was that with Jimmy? Thatwas like the best day of my life.
Like, this was while I wasworking at Netflix that I filmed The
Tonight Show. I had to takea long weekend from my day job and
(19:29):
I casually mentioned to my boss.I'm like, hey, I'm just I'm
gonna go to New York so I'llbe back on Tuesday, like, and
she's like, oh cool, likeanything fun plan. I was like,
yeah, I'm just gonna do theTonight show real quick, snow, big
deal. And she was like,what is going on? Leslie? Like
what she's like? And I wasso busy last year when I did the
Tonight Show that, like, theJimmy Fallon Show was just another thing on
my calendar. What I like,that's how busy you were busy? Yeah?
(19:53):
That it was. I was sonumb to everything that was coming to
me and it was just another show. That's how I I think, you
know, I think my brain wastrying to go in self defense mode of
don't blow up, how huge thisis? Just it's just another show.
So that's how I felt. Nice. That's the difference between us. I
would have walked up to that HLlady and would have been, Okay,
get ready to write this down.I'm gonna get written up because I'm gonna
(20:17):
say, come on, Jimmy Fallen. Yeah, like I went and self
to like my body shut down andjust said it's not a big deal.
Just go to New York and doa set. It's just a set.
Which it was not just a set, it was a Tonight show. So
like, I planned my outfit whatever, and I I go to New York
and I I've never been married,but I imagine like it's it's like your
(20:38):
wedding day. There's you. Itjust happened so fast, you know,
so that someone swoops me up andtakes me to Rockefeller Center and I'm like,
oh cool, Rockefeller Center. Likeit's becoming real as the day,
you know what I mean. It'syou put your dress on, and you
know, you see your family andyour friends looking beautiful, and you see
you see everything. You're like,oh, this is happening today. Oh
(21:00):
oh oh no, you know,like so then everyone backstage is like so
happy and cool, and then youmeet Jimmy backstage and he's like so lovely.
And then I had friends there,which was great, and it didn't
dawn on me until they put mein the hallway right before you go backstage,
and you see all these photos oflike past Tonight's show hosts and like
(21:22):
legendary guests, and I'm and youknow, it's like your wedding day.
You're always with people, right,Like you might even have a girlfriend sleep
over the night before, Like you'realways with someone, Like you're never alone
that day. I think, right, that's so monumental that you're comparing it
to your wedding day. I meanthat just shows you may have compartmentalized that
day and thinking to yourself, Okay, I can do this. It's not
a big deal. It's not abig deal, but that just shows how
(21:45):
huge it was for you. Yeah, because I didn't have not had that
day, and I'm gonna be likean intense bride if that ever happens,
but like people are always around you. And then like the first time I
was alone that day, when Iwas in the hallway and I didn't have
people buzzing around me, I waslike, oh God. I was like,
oh, I have to do thetonight show. And then I went
backstage right before you go on andthe moment where the sound guy hands me
(22:11):
the mic and it like touches myhand, I felt like I was thor
and I was handed like the hammerLike that's truly. I know I'm sounding
dramatic, but for real, itwas like electric. I was like,
oh, I'm gonna do this likeyou know, and then I got excited.
And then The Roots is his band, and they were playing in between
you know, commercial breaks whatever,and I was like I was making eye
(22:34):
contact with like quest Love. Iwas like, what is happening? And
I've never had The Roots play standup play music for me before I did
stand up, so I was like, this is cool. And it just
so the second I walked on stageand this is I think this is on
the tape, but I never amthis happy when I do stand up,
Like but you can see me likeskipping and smiling and like running to the
(22:57):
stage because I was like so excitedlike I did it. Yeah, Like
that's when it dawned on me oflike oh I'm gonna do okay, like
I'm gonna do this, like evenwith the rehearsal and being there, like
it just didn't hit me until Idid it. It was like the bet
I'm so happy with the whole day. Did you meet Jimmy before that night?
Yeah? So he does the wholelike oh not before the night,
(23:18):
just right before okay, because hedoes the whole like I meet all the
guests whatever. So that was likemeeting Santa Claus kinda yeah, you know,
it's like you're real like this isand he used to do stand up,
so he he gets it. Yeah, he was on SNL. So
have you ever thought about, like, was there a dream when you were
younger watching SNL? I'm going tobe on that and then I'm going to
be a comedian one hundred percent watchingI watched SNL like hardcore as a kid,
(23:44):
so I but the thing is,like I love I loved SNL.
I loved stand up as a kid. I loved Conan O'Brien, like I
love that. But I never thoughtI could as a kid. I never
thought that was a thing because Iit was just like it was like watching
a cartoon, like I saw Mediansand I never thought like, oh,
I'll do that one day. LikeI just thought I was going to be
a corporate lady, which is likekind of you know, have I was
(24:07):
going to have a briefcase in apower suit and be drinking coffee and traffic
and yelling at people like That's whatI thought. You know, I just
didn't assume I could or would dothat until way later in my life.
Men are dominant in the comedy world, right, and you don't I mean,
there are more and more female standups, which is amazing. But
growing up, did you have anyfemale comedians that you aspired to be,
(24:32):
Like I loved Tig Nataro and SarahSilverman, Like I love them, but
I never thought I could do it, Like yeah, like they were like
gods to me. They were likemythical Greek gods, and they seemed so
far from me. So I justso I yeah, I watched them and
thought like, oh, they're amazing, but like they they were like Disney
princesses, just like a myth.And then in La, in La,
(24:57):
like I end up on shows withlike just the best comics, Like I
just end up luckily on these lineups. And one show I did with Sarah
Silverman and we all had like shortsets and like we're in the green room
together, and it's annoying to bea comic because you always have to just
be cool, even if you can'tbe like excited that you're hanging around her.
(25:19):
Yeah, it's it's an unwritten rulethat I think I've picked up on.
But it's like I can't act likea fan in front of comics who
I worship, So in La,it's so annoying. I have to just
be like, yeah, like,what's what's up, Sarah? She when
inside I'm literally crying. Yeah.So it's like if you don't think,
like if someone came to you andthey're like, Leslie, oh my gosh,
(25:42):
I'm so excited to see you.I know we're I'm a comedian too,
but I have watched you forever.You would how would you take that?
I think personally would you take thatas like this is cool? Or
would you be like, oh,you're annoying. That's actually happened to me
now that I think about it.I do have like really funny female comics
who like open for me on theroad, like locally in the cities i'm
(26:04):
in, and they're great. They'rejust like they I think they do two
things. They go like hey,like nice to meet you, whatever,
and then like later on in thenight they'll kind of whisper by the way,
I'm like a huge fan, thisis amazing, that's cool. Yeah,
they'll be like this is amazing forme, and I'll go, Okay,
that's cool. Like and I don't. I don't think that I have
that impact on them, but likeit's it's it's it's nice. I think
(26:25):
you do. And I think you'reso down to earth. Just meeting you
and talking to you, I thinkyou're down to earth, and uh yeah,
you're relatable, which is probably anotherfun I haven't seen you live.
I've seen a lot of YouTube,and I've watched a lot of your your
comedy on TV. But to meetyou in person, you're down to earth.
I think I'm honestly, I thinkI'm just very sleepy right now.
(26:48):
Honestly, in the morning, I'mdown to earth. Evening Leslie is a
little more yeah, like yeah,burn it up right, Yeah, I'm
like, I'm a star is goingfrom six pm to midnight? I'm I'm
a star other hours, I'm let'slet's say down to earth. Just throw
money, people, just throw money. So Thursday, last night, she
performed at Comedy Works Tonight seven thirtynine forty five Saturday seven thirty nine forty
(27:14):
five. You can get tickets Comedyworksdot com or at the door, but
I would say go to Comedyworks dotCom ahead of time because it's gonna sell
out. You're also an actress anda writer. I'm trying trying. Yeah,
So talk about I mean, areyou going through auditions for movies,
for sitcoms. I am, yes, I am in La. This is
the trick about being a stand upis everyone sees you as a stand up
(27:38):
as automatically they're an actor and awriter. And I kind of forgot that
because I when I started stand up, that was my only goal is just
to stand up. I didn't becauseobviously it's like so many of our favorite
stand ups like have these booming moviecareers and acting careers and write and direct.
But I forgot so when I startedstand up, like people just see
you as that is such a realskill, Like it's a real skill that
(28:03):
people assume stand ups can just do. So I'm like, I'm semi natural
at it, but have a lotto learn, honestly. And like,
so I do all these auditions likein La, and I feel so silly
doing them. But and a lotof them you do on like you do
a self tape, Like you justtape yourself like reading lines and stuff.
(28:25):
And like I I'm like, Iwonder if my neighbors can hear me,
Like it sounds like I'm just talkingto myself. But it's it's hard.
Are they all comedies or have yougone for any dramatic roles mostly mostly comedies,
some dramatic things where it feels likeit's a little off to what I
would be doing, but sometimes it'sAnd every comic has funny stories like this,
Like sometimes it's like a middle agedlike Japanese teacher and I'm like,
(28:51):
I'm not Japanese, nor am Imiddle aged? Like I'm like why,
Or it's like a very like angry, tired Asian lady. I'm like,
all right, that's okay, that'smore on branch for me. Like,
so it's just funny to see likewhat people see you as like it's very
humbling sometimes or confusing. I don'tthink your middle age. I don't know
how old you are. To behonest, I'm thirty seven, see I
(29:12):
mean honestly, I'm thirty age.I'm like, what age aged? Is
that? That forty five? Iwould think? I don't know, but
I just forty five. I dowant to age like j Lo, So
that's my goal, Like I don't. I want to be like a goddess
like you cannot tell? Well,she I heard crushing it rubs like avocado
one. I'm sure sure there's aLet's Care her brand too. She's probably
(29:33):
using Korean skincare. I'm sure.So your Netflix multi comic stand up series,
verified stand up Let's talk about thata little bit. How weird was
it going from working at Netflix andthen you're like, yeah, here,
I am hello. I mean Iso I did film a short set,
a stand up set for Netflix.And I also was still working at Netflix
(29:57):
at the time I filmed to that, So that was I. I was
so cross eyed during that whole timebecause I remember I was at the office
working when my manager called me andwas like, Hey, cool, cool,
little opportunity for you. Netflix wantsyou to film this like ten minute
(30:18):
set. And I had to cometo terms with like, oh, it's
going to be on Netflix. Theywere like yes, it films very soon
in New York. So again Ihad to take off vacation time from my
day job what to film the method. But you're helping out Netflix, you
think they'd be like in more waysthan one. I was like, God,
like, you know. So Iagain told my boss, who is
(30:38):
lovely, she's like kind of myage and a fan and she's awesome.
And when I told her, shewas like, Okay, as a person,
I'm psyched for you. This isawesome. As your boss, I
kind of feel like we should runthis by HR, like what because we
were like what do we do?Am I allowed to do this? Like
I'm an employee right like so thatwas the whole thing that obviously let me
(31:00):
do it. But and I wentto go film the thing and there was
a lot of Netflix people there onset who they were technically my coworkers,
like they were Netflix employees, butthey all did a great job of like,
Leslie's a comic. She's not aNetflix HR. She's a comic.
We're going to treat her like therest of the nine comics. And that
was like it all happened so fast. That was very like I want to
(31:25):
say, that was right before thetonight show. So ah, it was
boom boom boom with the opportunities.Last year was boom boom boom. I'm
so sleepy like boom boom boom,so I was. I never slept all
of twenty three. I did notsleep basically, And you're on tour now,
so this is just one stop inyour crazy schedule. Yeah, I
(31:45):
think I'm on tour for the restof my life, is what I understand.
Like, I because my friends arelike, so, when is a
tour done? I was like,it's not every comic tour for the rest
of their life. Yeah, soI just am gonna do this. I
mean it's a good gig, thoughthe hours are hard on me. I
kind of liked nine to five tobe honest, like, yeah, it's
consistent, well, and you're thereto be with your boyfriend. It's like
(32:07):
a normal life instead of saying sorry, honey, I'm used to go into
bed at two or three in themorning. I know. And it's hard,
and like comics, it's a hardlife because it's like we don't get
to do dinner dates. We don'tdo I don't do dinner dates. Like
when do we have Like we're notgoing to restaurants, Like we're always at
the shows and at the clubs andtraveling and stuff. But but it's a
yeah. Film filming, the Netflixthing was it was dreamy, but as
(32:32):
an employee, it was like myhandah Montana nightmare because then more coworkers found
out because they they advertised the contentand coworkers did double takes and then they
wanted to come and say go ahead, tell me Joe correct and you're like
not not, like oh, way, who's there not me. I'm going
to bed, like you know,And I would just hide at the office
because I just I wanted like myspace, And then going even going to
(32:55):
the cafeteria for lunch was like likeI always felt a net. I'm like,
there's eyes on me right now,like what is happening right now?
And if people didn't know I wasit some people. It's a huge company,
so not everyone knows everyone, sosome people might have just seen me.
And that's like seeing Jim Gaffigan gettingcoffee. You're like, what's what
what what's she doing here? Likeit was just a very confusing experience for
(33:15):
all of us. But well,it sounds like you have goals that you
want to reach and but the fame, because those are a lot of people
they don't want to be famous,they just want to reach goals, and
then the fame comes along with it. And you have those people that are
like, oh wait a minute,wait a minute, Yeah, being famous
is not a goal. It's nota goal. It's it's not like on
(33:37):
my vision board, like it's alwaysjust to do stand up like so I
but yeah, like I even whenI started, it was just do you
have a good set, write agood joke, be proud of yourself,
like it was never to be famous, And I every day forget that's part
of it. You have to be. It's used to be a successful comic.
It's part of the package. Iknow so well. Why your launching
(34:00):
pad? You never told me,Like how did you get started? I
started in LA and I had awhole past life of all these like day
office jobs and entertainment, and Ifelt like I wasn't myself at these jobs,
like I kind of felt like acaged butterfly. But at one of
the jobs, I worked for acomedy producer and it was kind of my
(34:22):
job to like scout stand ups whocould potentially write movies for us and shows
for us and maybe act and stuff. So I would go to comedy clubs
every night in LA as part ofmy job. And it like they technically
didn't like ask for Like it wasmore of like a I'm gonna be a
good assistant and volunteer and scout talent. So every night I went to the
(34:44):
comedy clubs and I saw like thebest shows in LA and I loved it.
And I was up all night justhopping around going to clubs and knowing.
And I remember seeing like Taylor Tomlinsonwho when like she was early on
in her career and like trying towarn my boss about her, like you
better watch this girl. She's gonnablow out. Like I just I loved
(35:05):
my taste, like I thought,I like saw good comics. And then
one night I went to a graduationcomedy show where it was beginner stand ups
who were doing stand up for thefirst time, and it was a the
first time I ever saw bad standup and that was an epiphany. Like
I was very offended. I wasI was sitting it was like I was
(35:30):
sitting in the crowd and I waslike shaking. I was like, who
allowed this? Like this is anopen night to night or technically not it
was. And it was like they'renot meant to be good. It was
beginner, Like you're beginner, You'renot meant to be you know. Like
so so I was just so spoiledwith good stand up that the first time
I saw it not being done properly, I was filled with rage and so
(35:55):
angry and I and that's what inspiredme. Like I saw I was like,
oh, if they're doing it,what like And I and at the
same time, I was in mylate twenties and I'm like becoming a woman,
Like I'm still like barely getting confidentas a human woman. So I
started like being confident with like thefriends I was making and my personality,
(36:17):
and a lot of my friends atthat period of my life were telling me
that I should do stand up.Like I was always like, you know,
like you and your friends have likea crazy weekend and then you want
to tell someone the story. Iwas always as signed to tell the story,
like we'd be like, oh mygod, Leslie, Leslie, tell
the story about you know, howJessica fell in the pool and well whatever.
(36:37):
So then I would always tell thestory, and then I would retell
the story to someone knew who didn'thear it, and I realized, oh,
I have the story memorized, likeliterally beat by beat memorized, and
I'm also adding stuff each time Itell it, making it funnier and bigger,
to the point where my friends werelike, Okay, Leslie, that
part didn't happen, like you're makinglike yeah, yeah, yeah. I
was like, but it's getting alaugh, shut up, it's getting a
(36:58):
laugh. So then I I feltlike Okay, like they're not. It's
not a bad suggestion. My friendsare telling me to do stand up because
I feel like the way that Italk to them, I feel like I'm
having like a rehearsed story. It'sa little like stand up. So after
I saw the bad stand up showthat gave me all the fuel in the
(37:19):
world, I was like, ifanyone's going to do it, I'm doing
it. Like come on. SoI signed up for a writing class,
which was super helpful. Like itwas like ten beginner comics meeting twice a
week, and we would all bringjokes to the meeting and we would all
do a set and then we wouldall give each other feedback and pitches and
advice and like how to make ajoke bigger and better and true and all
(37:40):
this stuff. So that I lovedcoming from the corporate world, Like I
loved having deadlines. I loved havingthe meeting st which I know why because
it's you're dreading it. You havean assignment and there's something dow. But
if I didn't have that like redthing on my calendar, then I wouldn't
really And I also like still hadthe day job, so I had need
(38:02):
something to like push me to likereally have the deadline. So every Wednesday
I had ten jokes that were dueno matter what, and if I didn't
bring them, then I was wastingeveryone's time and wasting my money. So
it's like it's like a workout class. You know, you gotta like commit
and show up and sweat and youknow it, but it works and it's
great. So like that that helpedme. And that was like almost eight
(38:23):
years ago in LA and then Ijust physically couldn't stop. So you're very
organized, Yeah, even with youryour comedy how you write. Yes,
there, I'm trying to make abetter system. But I do have an
Excel sheet of categories. So there'sa category of being an auntie. There's
(38:44):
a category of being a straight woman. There's a category of being in my
late thirties, and then premises andit's all color coded. Wow, you
did work in the HR world.Yes, And it makes me and it
makes me feel calm, Like Ican see all my jokes, I can
visualize them all. They're color codedby like what stage they are, if
(39:05):
they're working or not, if they'reif I've graduated them to the comedy works
yet, or if they're so newI need to work on them first,
Like it's yeah, I need tosee the colors and the Excel sheets.
Every comic has their own way andthere's no one way to do it.
But like it makes me feel calm. Now, who is your dream to
work with as another a comedian?I mean I would I would love to
(39:30):
do something with Ali Wong, Likeit just feels like that would be so
dreamy, like to even be inthe same like room as her. So
you've never met her. I've nevermet her. No, Alie, she
listens to my show all the time, so of course she does come on.
(39:52):
But uh, and there's just somany like, uh, I don't
know if I come off this way, but like Bill Burr's a huge influence,
and I do some of my comedyis pretty angry, like there's a
hostility to it, which I knowhe has that I love. But like,
there's so many people in LA thatI would to this day. I
(40:15):
like, I finally met Pete Holmesat a show, and I sometimes I
end up in these green rooms whereI'm like, someone should escort me out
of this room, Like why amI in this room with this person?
It's really bizarre. Real, No, you've been on the Tonight show.
You're tour, you are Leslie,but you've made it. But I mean
(40:37):
I realize I thank you. Butyou know, we all have this thing
of like when I look in themirror, I just see this little corporate
lady, you know, like sometimesand you know, I have fun at
the shows, but sometimes I'm likein these rooms with comics and I'm still
a fan. That's the trick inmy brain, Like I'm a fan of
these people. So it's I'm likelying to myself by being like, what
up, Pete. Yeah, youknow, it's like it's a weird life.
(41:00):
It's great, though. What didyour mom and dad say when you
said, Okay, I'm gonna quitNetflix my corporate job and I am going
to be a full time stand up. Luckily by the time I quit,
all they want, all of ourbeautiful parents, They just want us to
be safe and happy and healthy andbe able to take care of ourselves.
So they just wanted me to havea stable job. So when I finally
(41:22):
quit Netflix and I could prove tothem that I could have a stable job
as a comic, then they werepsyched. When I literally I had We
were very organized, I like explainedto them, like this is what I
can make doing this versus the dayjob whatever, and they were like,
go fly away, baby, likethey were like they were so happy.
And when they finally saw me doingstuff like Tonight Show and Netflix, they
(41:46):
have friends from other countries texting themlike your daughter, I saw your daughter
on the tonight I saw your yourthis YouTube video of your daughter and there,
And it didn't hit them until otherpeople were telling them how big I
was getting. They were like,oh, you're good at this, okay,
and like their YouTube on their YouTubehome page, they get fed my
(42:08):
stand up clip. Oh cool,But they don't watch them. What are
you talking? They don't watch They'relike we know her, Like yeah,
we don't. We we know herwell enough, like she's she's fine,
aren't They like interested in what you'regonna say on stage, Like what if
it's about them? They they areinterested. I do have a joke about
them that I had them approve basicallyabout like they've been married for forever,
(42:30):
like yeah, like half a decade, and they told me their secret to
marriage is my dad likes to pretendto be asleep around the house so that
my mom won't bother him like thatis genuinely the first thing I said.
I was like, Dad, whydid you guys do this? Like what
a beautiful marriage? You know whatI mean, like fifty years. He's
(42:51):
like, here's a trick, pretendyou're not awake. I go, that's
love, Like what is that?Because it's like they're together all the time,
so like he just has to havea break from her sometimes, so
he just like fake snores and I'mlike, Okay, that's not very helpful,
dad, But that's so yeah.I have a joke about them.
But like and with you, itwouldn't be a joke because you're it wouldn't
(43:12):
be a prette because you're so tiredactually asleep. Yeah, there's no pretending,
no, like for real asleep.You are so fun. I'm so
happy that you stop by and Ihave a chance to meet you in person.
I can't wait to see you atcomedy works again. You can get
tickets seven thirty nine forty five showtonight or Saturday seven thirty nine forty five
show tomorrow night. And it's LaramerSquare Comedy Works downtown, so there's two
(43:38):
different comedy works. Make sure yougo to the one downtown. Go to
Comedyworks dot com. I'm always ontour for the rest of my life.
So go to my website. Andif you have friends in the cities I'm
in and you like me, tella friend you don't have them come out
and have a fun time. Iwat's what I suggest. I you know,
I'll probably end up going with myhusband, but I want a big
(44:00):
girls' night and to go out withyou and go see you. You could
do both. I have two morenights. You could do both, one
girl's night one husband night, andtell me which one you had more fun
at. Okay, so that soundsgood to do a science experiment. Last
question, you mentioned this at thevery beginning. Are you going to have
kids? Oh? What a question? This is so not an icebreaker question.
(44:22):
You're like one last question, doyou love yourself? An icebreaker?
Okay, okay, I is it? Do I want to have kids?
I'm a strong maybe And unfortunately I'veI've pulled many mothers and they have said,
you have to really want it.Yeah, that's you know, like
you can't you know what I mean, you gotta you can't be like I'm
(44:45):
kind of down. It's not likea restaurant that you're kind of down to
go to so you have to beso I will continue out my shows.
I do ask the crowd and theparents, like, be real with me,
should I do it? I geta lot of notes yeah, and
then once in a while I geta very earnest yes, and those are
(45:06):
very beautiful moments. But I thinkyou have to really want it. I
have two boys and they're in theirtwenties now, so thank god, hello,
yah age. It gets better,right, they get older, they
get more independent. They do getmore independent. I can go home and
sleep when I want, do whatI want. They're different problems. I
mean, there are different problems.They're going through stuff no matter what.
(45:29):
But they're in their twenties. They'realways going to need you in some way.
Yes, and my mom. Youknow, I'm thirty seven, but
my mom always sees me as ababy. So I don't know if you
still have that with your kids.It doesn't matter how old they get.
You're like your babies. And Ihave to like, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, but you're abadass auntie. So I have that so,
which is awesome and a stellar careerand awesome scam. I cannot wait.
(45:55):
I'm still stuck back on that.So thank you so much for coming
in and I'm really appreciated. Ican't wait to see it Comedy Worses again,
I'll see you there. You shouldalso do voice work literally, if
you have any like Rex or jobopenings and anyone listening, I will do
anything. Pixar, what the hellare you? Yes, I'm so down.
I mean they have to want me, but yeah, I'm down.
(46:16):
This is a hard yes to Pixar, hard yes to Pixar. Yes, please
Boba Do Do Do Do Do doo. Hey, y'all, it's Denise's podcast.
Happy Happy Friday TG. Let's giveit a golf clap, everybody.
We made it to the weekend,and I am kicking off today's show with
a comedian who's at Comedy Works downtownin Laramer Square. She's really funny.
Leslie Leau, a female comedian thathas performed on Jimmy Fallon And How's the
(00:26):
best skin Ever? I get herSkin Secrets, ladies. She's funny,
but I am obsessed with how sheis wrinkled free, and I'm totally into
that right now. So we're goingto talk about that. But first let's
hit Denise's dirt. And I dowant to mention please follow my podcast,
Denise's Podcast. I just started itup again. You can download it on
(00:47):
the iHeartRadio app or listen to itwherever you get your podcasts, but make
sure you follow and like it,and that way you'll get alerted every time
there's a new podcast. I tryand post Tuesday and Thursday, but then
sometimes I have other interviews that comealong, like Leslie, and I want
to get them on before it's toolate, all right, So please give
(01:07):
me a fair, give me alie, give me a follow. So
Denise's dirt Ryan Reynolds. Yep.There's been a ton of speculation about who
will be playing Lady Deadpool. Nobodyknows. The rumors have ranged from Ryan
reynolds wife's Blake Lively, to TaylorSwift to Reynolds himself in a wig.
(01:29):
But now it seems we finally know. At least according to IMDb, Lady
Deadpool is Blake Lively. I amdbcast revealed also who else will appear in
the movie For those who can't waitto find out. Henry Caville will pop
up as a Wolverine variant, andI am still keeping my fingers crossed that
(01:49):
Taylor Swift makes a surprise appearance becausethey are best friends. As a matter
of fact, she did a poston her Instagram which I love the way
she wrote it. She put,over the past few years, I've watched
one of my best friends on thisplanet for every bit of his heart,
soul, sweat, time, energy, jokes, paying joy, rebellion,
darkness, and magic into this film. Shout out to Wade Wilson aka my
(02:12):
Godkids sperm donor, she joked.So she's encouraging everybody to go see that
movie. And I'm gonna watch itthis weekend for sure. Definitely. The
Olympics started today and just a quickreminder, iHeartRadio is your exclusive audio partner
to the NBC Olympics, So downloadthe iHeartRadio app. You can take us
with you twenty four seven wherever yougo. Don't miss a thing. But
(02:35):
Gwen Stefani, Ryan Tetter, andAnderson Pack have teamed up for a brand
new song called Hello World, andit was made in partnership with the Coca
Cola Company and the International Olympic Committee. Take a listen. Welcome up in
the middle of the night, liketo the telephone rang, I don't need
to tell you, I don't needto do it, sir it Hello?
Will we showIn up with changin theGuy? Since we're speaking of new music.
(02:59):
Riba mac tire Woo. She couldbe downright fiery when she wants to
be, but she's showing more ofa restrained rage in the video. I
Can't I Can't made its debut onthe Voice and also she performed it at
the ACMs. But take a listener, Flame Gun now a play. I'm
so excited for Tiger Lily Gold.These girls are the nicest girls in the
(03:23):
world. Their sisters, and theyare so talented. Hindra and Christa just
dropped their debut full length album,Blonde. One of the most impressive things
about the project is they wrote allthe songs together. They know each other
so well, so long. They'regonna be on the Bobby Bone Show.
(03:45):
I think it's Monday morning, solisten to one oh six seven the Bowl
And at this point we should justall throw out our country music bingo cards
because I had no idea Jelly Rollwould be blowing the doors off with Machine
Gun Kelly. Their new collaboration isLonely Road and it kind of riffs off
of John Denver's Take Me Home CountryRoad. Lonely Road in the video,
(04:10):
Megan Fox and Jelly's wife Bunny XO. They appear in the video as their
partner significant others. Also new musicby Halsey. She teased it last week
and she just dropped her latest song, Lucky. I'm so happy. Thomas
c C, Maddie and Tay havejoined Andy Grammer on the new song I
(04:33):
Do that's going to be drop inAugust. Second. They make a pretty
awesome trio Thomas Rhett. If you'vebeen following along his competition with his wife
Lauren, his upcoming album is Abouta Woman, which is about his beautiful
wife Lauren. But they released twodifferent album covers. One is a Georgia
Red addition and the other is aTennessee Orange version. You still have a
(04:56):
month left to order your favorite coveralbum and cash your vote. Do you
want Thomas to win or do youwant Lauren Lauren Lauren to win? Also,
since we're talking about new music,Casey Musgraves will release an expanded version
of her most recent album, DeeperWell. The revised collection features seven new
songs, and that drops August seventh. You can pre order now. Get
Irish Goodbye to Night to Night,you can get that. Justin Timberlake's lawyer
(05:23):
said today in court he was notdrunk when a Long Island cop pulled him
over and charged him with DWI ina brief court hearing, he did it
today this morning. Justin was onhis tour in Europe, so he didn't
appear for the hearing, but hisattorney, Edward Burke, he pretty much
told reporters that authorities made a numberof very significant errors in connection with the
(05:44):
case. He said, sometimes thepolice, just like everyone else, makes
mistakes, and that's the case inthis very incident. I will say that
justin respects law enforcement, I willsay that he recognizes the very important job
they do, and he cooperated withpolice officers from the second he was ordered
out of his car to the secondhe was discharged. Justin Timberlake was cuffed
(06:05):
after driving erratically when leaving a hotelbar this summer, but he declined to
take a breathalyzer test. He insistedhe only had one drink before getting behind
the wheel. J Lo There's stillmay be hope with her love and her
marriage to Ben Alfleck. She stillhas a wedding photo displayed at her home
in the Hamptons. However, hewasn't at her birthday party. But I'm
(06:27):
keeping my fingers crossed for the twobecause I think they're adorable and finally,
this is awesome. Snoop Dogg hasnamed three rappers who could compete in the
rap Olympics if there was one.He said em and M was the first
pick. He said, I woulddefinitely take Rakim old School, and then
you gotta grab a female. He'dgo with Queen Latifah. There you go,
quick look at Denise's dirt. Nowlet's get to the interview with comedian
(06:49):
Leslie Leoo. Leslie Leao, Igot you in studio, which I'm so
excited about because normally I always getto talk to comedians over the phone.
The girl. You're at Comedy Works, which is a legendary comedy place.
I know it's one of the bestin the country. Yeah, you performed
there last night last night for thefirst time, and now I get it
(07:10):
because everyone told me in the comedyworld, like, oh, You're going
to Comedy Works, and I'm like, I've never been. I was like,
well, what's so special about youknow, like I've never been,
And last night I had my firstshow there and I was like more excited
than nervous, but like everyone justtold me how amazing it is, and
I'm like, I don't want tobe let down like everyone said it's amazing.
I was like, is it them? Is it me? Is at
the club? I think it's likeeverything like they the opening comics were great.
(07:36):
The crowd is so pure. They'relike, I just want to have
fun, like I have nothing.They literally they walk through the doors and
they're like, I have no othergoal but to have fun, no expectations
except you on stage making us laugh. Yeah, and they laugh like the
second you walk out, like it'slike they're like, welcome Leslie, and
they're like cracking up already. I'mlike, what is going on? Am
(07:57):
I being pranked? Like They're soperfect? It was, Yeah, unbelievable
Leslie Leo. If you don't knowabout Leslie, she had a corporate job,
which is insane to think about.And it was at Netflix. I
mean, it makes me laugh still. Yeah. Most comedians don't have like
corporate jobs. They have like sidehustles. Yes, but you had a
(08:20):
full eight to five kind of jobthat you were hustling on the side too.
Yeah, it's not the normal routecomedians take is to like have a
corporate job their entire adult life.I just had like a past life,
Like I I didn't grow up aroundcomedy, so my parents weren't in the
comedy seat like at all. Theywere just like grow up and go to
school and get a job. Job. So I always did that, but
(08:41):
it was in entertainment and then Istarted stand up the same year I started
at Netflix. In my corporate hrtype of job you're an HR person,
It wasn't it. Yeah, itwas, Oh my god, I wasn't.
I wasn't like technically like the HRlady. It's just my job happened
to be within HR. But stillit was like HR where like I'm expected
(09:01):
to like be a certain person ata corporate job in HR. And I
had coworkers that called me Hannah Montana. And I'm a little old for that
reference, honestly, Like I didn'twatch it, but Hannah Montana is like
the Miley Cyrus Show, where like, oh, yeah, I know who
she is. You know, likein the in the day, she's just
a middle school student whatever, butthen at night she's a rock star.
(09:24):
She's Hannah Montana. Oh I getit. So she has the double life.
And that's what people called me whenthey found out I did stand up
at night. And I didn't wanteveryone to know. I really didn't why,
I mean, especially working at Netflix. Get your own special, I
mean, okay, imagine imagine likeyour coworkers know you do stand up,
and they're like, wow, youdo stand Like be funny for me,
(09:46):
make me laugh, make me laugh. I'm like I can't. I gotta
save it for the show tonight,like I don't have energy, like and
I had to switch my brain everyday to be like daytime professional, corporate
normal, and then at night,like the second I left the office,
switch it to like okay comedy comedymode. Like it was exhausting. Plus
it's like it's just not that easy. It's like if someone expects you to
(10:09):
be funny NonStop when they find outyou're a comedian, Like my husband,
he's like, why can't you talkto me like you sound on the radio.
And I'm like, oh, I'msorry, you're like that. You
can you know what? You canlisten to the radio. Then if he
wants to hear you on the radio, is he tuning in right now?
Hello? Here? And also it'slike this is your job, you know
(10:30):
what I mean? Like he shouldpay you to talk like you talk on
the radio, that's right. Likemy I have a boyfriend. He's lovely,
but like I feel terrible because Iput all my energy into being entertaining
and smart and poignant and funny forthe stage. So when it's him and
I, I got nothing left.I have nothing interesting to say to him
because I just used it all atthe shows. But that's good because honestly,
(10:54):
you want you don't want to beon all the time because we can't.
No, it's not even that Idon't want you. I can.
I can we No is he inentertainment. He works in advertising and he's
like a writer director, But he'snot like in comedy, which I love.
I don't know that I could dateanother comic with everything we both would
go through, but no, he'she's adjacent, which is perfect for me.
(11:15):
Yeah, and talk about how youget some of your stand up material.
I would imagine, especially working inthe HR world before and at Netflix
with all the people that are like, oh he looked at me wrong,
or she said this to me,Oh my god, she's eating meat and
I'm a vegetarian. Yeah, there'sa lot of drama in HR. But
where I get my material from isjust like I will sit down and just
(11:39):
journal about like what am I actuallygoing through. I'm a straight woman,
I'm a millennial, I'm Asian,I have a deep voice. I'm attracted
to straight men for some reason.Well, of course these are things I
journal. If you were attracted toa gay man, we would have probably
(12:00):
different Yeah, but like, yeah, for some like I I write down,
like what am I going through now? I'm sleepy. I don't have
kids, do I want kids?I'm an auntie. You know, those
are like bare bones. So that'smostly what my my show is about.
It's just like what I'm dealing withwhen I'm observing what I'm going through,
so it's less it's less observational stuffabout like the world. Like I don't
(12:24):
have a lot to add to currentevents, like I I than any other
comedians, So stay away from politics. I mean, I got I got
nothing to add. I seriously likeI have like I can't make it funny,
like that's just my thing. SoI love I love the comics that
can do it. I'm like that'simpressive. But like I love Nate Bargatzi,
Like I just to just the simplesmall moments in your life and like
(12:48):
how that is funny. And I'mjust a sleepy woman trying to get by.
Well. I think once you hitpast like your twenties or twenty one,
it's like you don't have more energy. I'm constantly sleepy and I'm constantly
having hot flashes, which I don'tget your sleep schedule, Like how you
(13:09):
make that? Like I don't gethow you're awake and working right now.
Well that's because you work really lightat night. I do. Yeah,
what time do you go to bedon a show night? Honestly like two
am? Oh? Because well,I mean this is also in my show.
We have a bedtime routine, likeI have a a like I have
ten jars of creams waiting for meevery night. You know, I don't
(13:31):
just go I don't go home andgo all right time for bed, like
I spaz out about what I didthat day and did I do a good
job? And then while I'm rubbingmy creams on my face and taking everything
like that, whole process is sixtyminutes, like door to door, like
teeth, face, hair, youknow, like everything. I'm obsessed really
quick because your skin is flalling andI am going through this thing like deep
(13:56):
down, this is so stupid.I'm kind of embarrassed to admit it.
But I want to be a makeupinfluencer. Oh I love but your skin,
thank you, lawless, thank you. Because I did not sleep a
full night of sleep last night.I only have mild makeup on, like
confeeler ish here and there. Honestly, it looks natural. You don't look
like okay, thank you pick makeupon or anything. I mean it comes
(14:18):
at a cost literally of my moneyand time. Like every night, I
do not skip the step. Whatdo you do? I mean, you
gotta stick to the basics, doublecleanse because the makeup, you gotta really
take that off. So like acleansing bomb or the myceellar water like something
to just take off the makeup.The what water? My cellar water?
I don't know that it's everywhere.It's not like Target. There's like it's
(14:41):
a special water where you take acotton round and it will wipe off your
makeup and you can feel your poresbeing like thank you, like it opens
up. And then you wash yourface with the cleanser. That's a separate
thing to like and really take yourtime and like massage your face. You
deserve it. Yeah, you hada long day, right we all you
(15:03):
know, so massage your face.And then there is the toner. I
am so into this. This isso selfish. Right now, I'm supposed
to be talking about your comedy.Comedy. It's fine, everyone comes see
my comedy. Blah blah blahs.Face thank you. I am so honored
because I really I do this everynight, like on the road every night,
(15:26):
and it doesn't matter if it's oneam, I will not skip it.
And then the toner helps, likeyou know when after you wash your
face with a cleanser, your skinfeels kind of tight. The toner will
add the balance something about pH balance. I don't really know what that means.
It'll it'll bring the moisture back andthen preps your face for the other
steps, which is the serum.So serums have a very specific role.
(15:48):
It's either is it your skin isdry, you have acne, you have
a discoloration, like everyone has athing. So whatever you're going through that
week, use the serum for yourspecific thing, okay, and then you
do the moisturizer, which is veryimportant. Which one are you using?
So honestly, just go Korean orgo home. When it comes to skincare,
Koreans, for whatever reason, theyknow what is they know, so
(16:12):
like there's really affordable Korean brands onAmazon. I don't think you have to
spend a million dollars on this stuff. So there's like one that is so
after you use this cream, yourskin looks like you just dipped it in
basiline. It's like my boyfriend makesfun of me. He like, does
he can't kiss my face after Ido my routine. He's like, your
skin is so shiny, like Idon't even like He like laughs at it.
(16:34):
It looks like saran wrap like onmine. I want it, Yes,
I want it. And you knowI am using Korean skincare the gen
sing. Yes, I'm using that. I have a gensy toe. Do
you like it? Is it atoner? I'm using it as a moisturizer.
It comes in all forms. Youcan't go wrong. You almost can't
go wrong with the Korean anything.And it's always after. It's like a
(16:56):
plum, a pair, a ginthing and whatever, a rice. I
don't care. And but you know, as much as I tout the skincare,
nothing beats a night, a fullnight of sober sleep. But how
much of us are getting eight hoursof sober sleep every night? I know
it's unrealistic. Okay, I willbe honest. I have had botox and
(17:17):
I've had filler in the past,Like I'm almost a walking piece of plastic.
So I so, have you everhad botox? So I haven't.
I don't know if I I thinkI should need to start because it's no,
you don't. But it's preventative,right, yeah, but it don't.
It's pre maintenance. And I'm thirtyseven. I gotta I gotta go
seven. And you have no elevens. You have no which was eleven the
(17:38):
eyebrows between the look at this.I also have no eyebrows, by the
way, I have to draw themon every day. No, no,
these I have to like that,so that takes a lot of my time.
But if I go like this,well, yeah, but how I
mean, you're really pushing it hard. Naturally you don't have those lines,
but it's a lot of it's somuch cream. I am getting your before
(18:00):
I'll send it to Yeah, yeah, please please please, I mean,
you look fabulous. You should doa stand up about that. And have
you tried those masks where I putit on the other night and they're white
when you put them on, butwhen you wake up, you look the
terminator. My husband said, Ilook like that guy that cut off skin
of other people and put it onlike a serial killer. Yeah, but
that's what it takes. Yeah,they don't know what it takes. It's
(18:22):
not we don't just wake up likethis like this is not fully natural.
Like it takes a lot of likeresearch because I love watching those tutorial me
too. I love it. Ithelps me, Like I I you know,
those are the real essential workers,real essential workers. I mean in
COVID, they helped me through hardtimes. These tutorial ladies, like they
(18:42):
helped me. Yeah, they're amazing. There's one girl you need to follow.
Her name is Mikaela and she's fromBoston and she's on tik twalk and
she's just hilarious and she's a makeuptutorial. Deep down I want to be
her, I really do. Solet's talk about I mean, in comedy,
let's go back to what we're supposedto be talking, yeah out here
instead of my selfish. You've workedwith the biggest comedians and you were selected
(19:07):
to be the new face of comedyat Montreal's prestigious Just for Laugh Comedy Festival
in twenty twenty three. You've appearedon Jimmy fallon The Tonight Show. How
cool was that with Jimmy? Thatwas like the best day of my life.
Like, this was while I wasworking at Netflix that I filmed The
Tonight Show. I had to takea long weekend from my day job and
(19:29):
I casually mentioned to my boss.I'm like, hey, I'm just I'm
gonna go to New York so I'llbe back on Tuesday, like, and
she's like, oh cool, likeanything fun plan. I was like,
yeah, I'm just gonna do theTonight show real quick, snow, big
deal. And she was like,what is going on? Leslie? Like
what she's like? And I wasso busy last year when I did the
Tonight Show that, like, theJimmy Fallon Show was just another thing on
my calendar. What I like,that's how busy you were busy? Yeah?
(19:53):
That it was. I was sonumb to everything that was coming to
me and it was just another show. That's how I I think, you
know, I think my brain wastrying to go in self defense mode of
don't blow up, how huge thisis? Just it's just another show.
So that's how I felt. Nice. That's the difference between us. I
would have walked up to that HLlady and would have been, Okay,
get ready to write this down.I'm gonna get written up because I'm gonna
(20:17):
say, come on, Jimmy Fallen. Yeah, like I went and self
to like my body shut down andjust said it's not a big deal.
Just go to New York and doa set. It's just a set.
Which it was not just a set, it was a Tonight show. So
like, I planned my outfit whatever, and I I go to New York
and I I've never been married,but I imagine like it's it's like your
(20:38):
wedding day. There's you. Itjust happened so fast, you know,
so that someone swoops me up andtakes me to Rockefeller Center and I'm like,
oh cool, Rockefeller Center. Likeit's becoming real as the day,
you know what I mean. It'syou put your dress on, and you
know, you see your family andyour friends looking beautiful, and you see
you see everything. You're like,oh, this is happening today. Oh
(21:00):
oh oh no, you know,like so then everyone backstage is like so
happy and cool, and then youmeet Jimmy backstage and he's like so lovely.
And then I had friends there,which was great, and it didn't
dawn on me until they put mein the hallway right before you go backstage,
and you see all these photos oflike past Tonight's show hosts and like
(21:22):
legendary guests, and I'm and youknow, it's like your wedding day.
You're always with people, right,Like you might even have a girlfriend sleep
over the night before, Like you'realways with someone, Like you're never alone
that day. I think, right, that's so monumental that you're comparing it
to your wedding day. I meanthat just shows you may have compartmentalized that
day and thinking to yourself, Okay, I can do this. It's not
a big deal. It's not abig deal, but that just shows how
(21:45):
huge it was for you. Yeah, because I didn't have not had that
day, and I'm gonna be likean intense bride if that ever happens,
but like people are always around you. And then like the first time I
was alone that day, when Iwas in the hallway and I didn't have
people buzzing around me, I waslike, oh God. I was like,
oh, I have to do thetonight show. And then I went
backstage right before you go on andthe moment where the sound guy hands me
(22:11):
the mic and it like touches myhand, I felt like I was thor
and I was handed like the hammerLike that's truly. I know I'm sounding
dramatic, but for real, itwas like electric. I was like,
oh, I'm gonna do this likeyou know, and then I got excited.
And then The Roots is his band, and they were playing in between
you know, commercial breaks whatever,and I was like I was making eye
(22:34):
contact with like quest Love. Iwas like, what is happening? And
I've never had The Roots play standup play music for me before I did
stand up, so I was like, this is cool. And it just
so the second I walked on stageand this is I think this is on
the tape, but I never amthis happy when I do stand up,
Like but you can see me likeskipping and smiling and like running to the
(22:57):
stage because I was like so excitedlike I did it. Yeah, Like
that's when it dawned on me oflike oh I'm gonna do okay, like
I'm gonna do this, like evenwith the rehearsal and being there, like
it just didn't hit me until Idid it. It was like the bet
I'm so happy with the whole day. Did you meet Jimmy before that night?
Yeah? So he does the wholelike oh not before the night,
(23:18):
just right before okay, because hedoes the whole like I meet all the
guests whatever. So that was likemeeting Santa Claus kinda yeah, you know,
it's like you're real like this isand he used to do stand up,
so he he gets it. Yeah, he was on SNL. So
have you ever thought about, like, was there a dream when you were
younger watching SNL? I'm going tobe on that and then I'm going to
be a comedian one hundred percent watchingI watched SNL like hardcore as a kid,
(23:44):
so I but the thing is,like I love I loved SNL.
I loved stand up as a kid. I loved Conan O'Brien, like I
love that. But I never thoughtI could as a kid. I never
thought that was a thing because Iit was just like it was like watching
a cartoon, like I saw Mediansand I never thought like, oh,
I'll do that one day. LikeI just thought I was going to be
a corporate lady, which is likekind of you know, have I was
(24:07):
going to have a briefcase in apower suit and be drinking coffee and traffic
and yelling at people like That's whatI thought. You know, I just
didn't assume I could or would dothat until way later in my life.
Men are dominant in the comedy world, right, and you don't I mean,
there are more and more female standups, which is amazing. But
growing up, did you have anyfemale comedians that you aspired to be,
(24:32):
Like I loved Tig Nataro and SarahSilverman, Like I love them, but
I never thought I could do it, Like yeah, like they were like
gods to me. They were likemythical Greek gods, and they seemed so
far from me. So I justso I yeah, I watched them and
thought like, oh, they're amazing, but like they they were like Disney
princesses, just like a myth.And then in La, in La,
(24:57):
like I end up on shows withlike just the best comics, Like I
just end up luckily on these lineups. And one show I did with Sarah
Silverman and we all had like shortsets and like we're in the green room
together, and it's annoying to bea comic because you always have to just
be cool, even if you can'tbe like excited that you're hanging around her.
(25:19):
Yeah, it's it's an unwritten rulethat I think I've picked up on.
But it's like I can't act likea fan in front of comics who
I worship, So in La,it's so annoying. I have to just
be like, yeah, like,what's what's up, Sarah? She when
inside I'm literally crying. Yeah.So it's like if you don't think,
like if someone came to you andthey're like, Leslie, oh my gosh,
(25:42):
I'm so excited to see you.I know we're I'm a comedian too,
but I have watched you forever.You would how would you take that?
I think personally would you take thatas like this is cool? Or
would you be like, oh,you're annoying. That's actually happened to me
now that I think about it.I do have like really funny female comics
who like open for me on theroad, like locally in the cities i'm
(26:04):
in, and they're great. They'rejust like they I think they do two
things. They go like hey,like nice to meet you, whatever,
and then like later on in thenight they'll kind of whisper by the way,
I'm like a huge fan, thisis amazing, that's cool. Yeah,
they'll be like this is amazing forme, and I'll go, Okay,
that's cool. Like and I don't. I don't think that I have
that impact on them, but likeit's it's it's it's nice. I think
(26:25):
you do. And I think you'reso down to earth. Just meeting you
and talking to you, I thinkyou're down to earth, and uh yeah,
you're relatable, which is probably anotherfun I haven't seen you live.
I've seen a lot of YouTube,and I've watched a lot of your your
comedy on TV. But to meetyou in person, you're down to earth.
I think I'm honestly, I thinkI'm just very sleepy right now.
(26:48):
Honestly, in the morning, I'mdown to earth. Evening Leslie is a
little more yeah, like yeah,burn it up right, Yeah, I'm
like, I'm a star is goingfrom six pm to midnight? I'm I'm
a star other hours, I'm let'slet's say down to earth. Just throw
money, people, just throw money. So Thursday, last night, she
performed at Comedy Works Tonight seven thirtynine forty five Saturday seven thirty nine forty
(27:14):
five. You can get tickets Comedyworksdot com or at the door, but
I would say go to Comedyworks dotCom ahead of time because it's gonna sell
out. You're also an actress anda writer. I'm trying trying. Yeah,
So talk about I mean, areyou going through auditions for movies,
for sitcoms. I am, yes, I am in La. This is
the trick about being a stand upis everyone sees you as a stand up
(27:38):
as automatically they're an actor and awriter. And I kind of forgot that
because I when I started stand up, that was my only goal is just
to stand up. I didn't becauseobviously it's like so many of our favorite
stand ups like have these booming moviecareers and acting careers and write and direct.
But I forgot so when I startedstand up, like people just see
you as that is such a realskill, Like it's a real skill that
(28:03):
people assume stand ups can just do. So I'm like, I'm semi natural
at it, but have a lotto learn, honestly. And like,
so I do all these auditions likein La, and I feel so silly
doing them. But and a lotof them you do on like you do
a self tape, Like you justtape yourself like reading lines and stuff.
(28:25):
And like I I'm like, Iwonder if my neighbors can hear me,
Like it sounds like I'm just talkingto myself. But it's it's hard.
Are they all comedies or have yougone for any dramatic roles mostly mostly comedies,
some dramatic things where it feels likeit's a little off to what I
would be doing, but sometimes it'sAnd every comic has funny stories like this,
Like sometimes it's like a middle agedlike Japanese teacher and I'm like,
(28:51):
I'm not Japanese, nor am Imiddle aged? Like I'm like why,
Or it's like a very like angry, tired Asian lady. I'm like,
all right, that's okay, that'smore on branch for me. Like,
so it's just funny to see likewhat people see you as like it's very
humbling sometimes or confusing. I don'tthink your middle age. I don't know
how old you are. To behonest, I'm thirty seven, see I
(29:12):
mean honestly, I'm thirty age.I'm like, what age aged? Is
that? That forty five? Iwould think? I don't know, but
I just forty five. I dowant to age like j Lo, So
that's my goal, Like I don't. I want to be like a goddess
like you cannot tell? Well,she I heard crushing it rubs like avocado
one. I'm sure sure there's aLet's Care her brand too. She's probably
(29:33):
using Korean skincare. I'm sure.So your Netflix multi comic stand up series,
verified stand up Let's talk about thata little bit. How weird was
it going from working at Netflix andthen you're like, yeah, here,
I am hello. I mean Iso I did film a short set,
a stand up set for Netflix.And I also was still working at Netflix
(29:57):
at the time I filmed to that, So that was I. I was
so cross eyed during that whole timebecause I remember I was at the office
working when my manager called me andwas like, Hey, cool, cool,
little opportunity for you. Netflix wantsyou to film this like ten minute
(30:18):
set. And I had to cometo terms with like, oh, it's
going to be on Netflix. Theywere like yes, it films very soon
in New York. So again Ihad to take off vacation time from my
day job what to film the method. But you're helping out Netflix, you
think they'd be like in more waysthan one. I was like, God,
like, you know. So Iagain told my boss, who is
(30:38):
lovely, she's like kind of myage and a fan and she's awesome.
And when I told her, shewas like, Okay, as a person,
I'm psyched for you. This isawesome. As your boss, I
kind of feel like we should runthis by HR, like what because we
were like what do we do?Am I allowed to do this? Like
I'm an employee right like so thatwas the whole thing that obviously let me
(31:00):
do it. But and I wentto go film the thing and there was
a lot of Netflix people there onset who they were technically my coworkers,
like they were Netflix employees, butthey all did a great job of like,
Leslie's a comic. She's not aNetflix HR. She's a comic.
We're going to treat her like therest of the nine comics. And that
was like it all happened so fast. That was very like I want to
(31:25):
say, that was right before thetonight show. So ah, it was
boom boom boom with the opportunities.Last year was boom boom boom. I'm
so sleepy like boom boom boom,so I was. I never slept all
of twenty three. I did notsleep basically, And you're on tour now,
so this is just one stop inyour crazy schedule. Yeah, I
(31:45):
think I'm on tour for the restof my life, is what I understand.
Like, I because my friends arelike, so, when is a
tour done? I was like,it's not every comic tour for the rest
of their life. Yeah, soI just am gonna do this. I
mean it's a good gig, thoughthe hours are hard on me. I
kind of liked nine to five tobe honest, like, yeah, it's
consistent, well, and you're thereto be with your boyfriend. It's like
(32:07):
a normal life instead of saying sorry, honey, I'm used to go into
bed at two or three in themorning. I know. And it's hard,
and like comics, it's a hardlife because it's like we don't get
to do dinner dates. We don'tdo I don't do dinner dates. Like
when do we have Like we're notgoing to restaurants, Like we're always at
the shows and at the clubs andtraveling and stuff. But but it's a
yeah. Film filming, the Netflixthing was it was dreamy, but as
(32:32):
an employee, it was like myhandah Montana nightmare because then more coworkers found
out because they they advertised the contentand coworkers did double takes and then they
wanted to come and say go ahead, tell me Joe correct and you're like
not not, like oh, way, who's there not me. I'm going
to bed, like you know,And I would just hide at the office
because I just I wanted like myspace, And then going even going to
(32:55):
the cafeteria for lunch was like likeI always felt a net. I'm like,
there's eyes on me right now,like what is happening right now?
And if people didn't know I wasit some people. It's a huge company,
so not everyone knows everyone, sosome people might have just seen me.
And that's like seeing Jim Gaffigan gettingcoffee. You're like, what's what
what what's she doing here? Likeit was just a very confusing experience for
(33:15):
all of us. But well,it sounds like you have goals that you
want to reach and but the fame, because those are a lot of people
they don't want to be famous,they just want to reach goals, and
then the fame comes along with it. And you have those people that are
like, oh wait a minute,wait a minute, Yeah, being famous
is not a goal. It's nota goal. It's it's not like on
(33:37):
my vision board, like it's alwaysjust to do stand up like so I
but yeah, like I even whenI started, it was just do you
have a good set, write agood joke, be proud of yourself,
like it was never to be famous, And I every day forget that's part
of it. You have to be. It's used to be a successful comic.
It's part of the package. Iknow so well. Why your launching
(34:00):
pad? You never told me,Like how did you get started? I
started in LA and I had awhole past life of all these like day
office jobs and entertainment, and Ifelt like I wasn't myself at these jobs,
like I kind of felt like acaged butterfly. But at one of
the jobs, I worked for acomedy producer and it was kind of my
(34:22):
job to like scout stand ups whocould potentially write movies for us and shows
for us and maybe act and stuff. So I would go to comedy clubs
every night in LA as part ofmy job. And it like they technically
didn't like ask for Like it wasmore of like a I'm gonna be a
good assistant and volunteer and scout talent. So every night I went to the
(34:44):
comedy clubs and I saw like thebest shows in LA and I loved it.
And I was up all night justhopping around going to clubs and knowing.
And I remember seeing like Taylor Tomlinsonwho when like she was early on
in her career and like trying towarn my boss about her, like you
better watch this girl. She's gonnablow out. Like I just I loved
(35:05):
my taste, like I thought,I like saw good comics. And then
one night I went to a graduationcomedy show where it was beginner stand ups
who were doing stand up for thefirst time, and it was a the
first time I ever saw bad standup and that was an epiphany. Like
I was very offended. I wasI was sitting it was like I was
(35:30):
sitting in the crowd and I waslike shaking. I was like, who
allowed this? Like this is anopen night to night or technically not it
was. And it was like they'renot meant to be good. It was
beginner, Like you're beginner, You'renot meant to be you know. Like
so so I was just so spoiledwith good stand up that the first time
I saw it not being done properly, I was filled with rage and so
(35:55):
angry and I and that's what inspiredme. Like I saw I was like,
oh, if they're doing it,what like And I and at the
same time, I was in mylate twenties and I'm like becoming a woman,
Like I'm still like barely getting confidentas a human woman. So I
started like being confident with like thefriends I was making and my personality,
(36:17):
and a lot of my friends atthat period of my life were telling me
that I should do stand up.Like I was always like, you know,
like you and your friends have likea crazy weekend and then you want
to tell someone the story. Iwas always as signed to tell the story,
like we'd be like, oh mygod, Leslie, Leslie, tell
the story about you know, howJessica fell in the pool and well whatever.
(36:37):
So then I would always tell thestory, and then I would retell
the story to someone knew who didn'thear it, and I realized, oh,
I have the story memorized, likeliterally beat by beat memorized, and
I'm also adding stuff each time Itell it, making it funnier and bigger,
to the point where my friends werelike, Okay, Leslie, that
part didn't happen, like you're makinglike yeah, yeah, yeah. I
was like, but it's getting alaugh, shut up, it's getting a
(36:58):
laugh. So then I I feltlike Okay, like they're not. It's
not a bad suggestion. My friendsare telling me to do stand up because
I feel like the way that Italk to them, I feel like I'm
having like a rehearsed story. It'sa little like stand up. So after
I saw the bad stand up showthat gave me all the fuel in the
(37:19):
world, I was like, ifanyone's going to do it, I'm doing
it. Like come on. SoI signed up for a writing class,
which was super helpful. Like itwas like ten beginner comics meeting twice a
week, and we would all bringjokes to the meeting and we would all
do a set and then we wouldall give each other feedback and pitches and
advice and like how to make ajoke bigger and better and true and all
(37:40):
this stuff. So that I lovedcoming from the corporate world, Like I
loved having deadlines. I loved havingthe meeting st which I know why because
it's you're dreading it. You havean assignment and there's something dow. But
if I didn't have that like redthing on my calendar, then I wouldn't
really And I also like still hadthe day job, so I had need
(38:02):
something to like push me to likereally have the deadline. So every Wednesday
I had ten jokes that were dueno matter what, and if I didn't
bring them, then I was wastingeveryone's time and wasting my money. So
it's like it's like a workout class. You know, you gotta like commit
and show up and sweat and youknow it, but it works and it's
great. So like that that helpedme. And that was like almost eight
(38:23):
years ago in LA and then Ijust physically couldn't stop. So you're very
organized, Yeah, even with youryour comedy how you write. Yes,
there, I'm trying to make abetter system. But I do have an
Excel sheet of categories. So there'sa category of being an auntie. There's
(38:44):
a category of being a straight woman. There's a category of being in my
late thirties, and then premises andit's all color coded. Wow, you
did work in the HR world.Yes, And it makes me and it
makes me feel calm, Like Ican see all my jokes, I can
visualize them all. They're color codedby like what stage they are, if
(39:05):
they're working or not, if they'reif I've graduated them to the comedy works
yet, or if they're so newI need to work on them first,
Like it's yeah, I need tosee the colors and the Excel sheets.
Every comic has their own way andthere's no one way to do it.
But like it makes me feel calm. Now, who is your dream to
work with as another a comedian?I mean I would I would love to
(39:30):
do something with Ali Wong, Likeit just feels like that would be so
dreamy, like to even be inthe same like room as her. So
you've never met her. I've nevermet her. No, Alie, she
listens to my show all the time, so of course she does come on.
(39:52):
But uh, and there's just somany like, uh, I don't
know if I come off this way, but like Bill Burr's a huge influence,
and I do some of my comedyis pretty angry, like there's a
hostility to it, which I knowhe has that I love. But like,
there's so many people in LA thatI would to this day. I
(40:15):
like, I finally met Pete Holmesat a show, and I sometimes I
end up in these green rooms whereI'm like, someone should escort me out
of this room, Like why amI in this room with this person?
It's really bizarre. Real, No, you've been on the Tonight show.
You're tour, you are Leslie,but you've made it. But I mean
(40:37):
I realize I thank you. Butyou know, we all have this thing
of like when I look in themirror, I just see this little corporate
lady, you know, like sometimesand you know, I have fun at
the shows, but sometimes I'm likein these rooms with comics and I'm still
a fan. That's the trick inmy brain, Like I'm a fan of
these people. So it's I'm likelying to myself by being like, what
up, Pete. Yeah, youknow, it's like it's a weird life.
(41:00):
It's great, though. What didyour mom and dad say when you
said, Okay, I'm gonna quitNetflix my corporate job and I am going
to be a full time stand up. Luckily by the time I quit,
all they want, all of ourbeautiful parents, They just want us to
be safe and happy and healthy andbe able to take care of ourselves.
So they just wanted me to havea stable job. So when I finally
(41:22):
quit Netflix and I could prove tothem that I could have a stable job
as a comic, then they werepsyched. When I literally I had We
were very organized, I like explainedto them, like this is what I
can make doing this versus the dayjob whatever, and they were like,
go fly away, baby, likethey were like they were so happy.
And when they finally saw me doingstuff like Tonight Show and Netflix, they
(41:46):
have friends from other countries texting themlike your daughter, I saw your daughter
on the tonight I saw your yourthis YouTube video of your daughter and there,
And it didn't hit them until otherpeople were telling them how big I
was getting. They were like,oh, you're good at this, okay,
and like their YouTube on their YouTubehome page, they get fed my
(42:08):
stand up clip. Oh cool,But they don't watch them. What are
you talking? They don't watch They'relike we know her, Like yeah,
we don't. We we know herwell enough, like she's she's fine,
aren't They like interested in what you'regonna say on stage, Like what if
it's about them? They they areinterested. I do have a joke about
them that I had them approve basicallyabout like they've been married for forever,
(42:30):
like yeah, like half a decade, and they told me their secret to
marriage is my dad likes to pretendto be asleep around the house so that
my mom won't bother him like thatis genuinely the first thing I said.
I was like, Dad, whydid you guys do this? Like what
a beautiful marriage? You know whatI mean, like fifty years. He's
(42:51):
like, here's a trick, pretendyou're not awake. I go, that's
love, Like what is that?Because it's like they're together all the time,
so like he just has to havea break from her sometimes, so
he just like fake snores and I'mlike, Okay, that's not very helpful,
dad, But that's so yeah.I have a joke about them.
But like and with you, itwouldn't be a joke because you're it wouldn't
(43:12):
be a prette because you're so tiredactually asleep. Yeah, there's no pretending,
no, like for real asleep.You are so fun. I'm so
happy that you stop by and Ihave a chance to meet you in person.
I can't wait to see you atcomedy works again. You can get
tickets seven thirty nine forty five showtonight or Saturday seven thirty nine forty five
show tomorrow night. And it's LaramerSquare Comedy Works downtown, so there's two
(43:38):
different comedy works. Make sure yougo to the one downtown. Go to
Comedyworks dot com. I'm always ontour for the rest of my life.
So go to my website. Andif you have friends in the cities I'm
in and you like me, tella friend you don't have them come out
and have a fun time. Iwat's what I suggest. I you know,
I'll probably end up going with myhusband, but I want a big
(44:00):
girls' night and to go out withyou and go see you. You could
do both. I have two morenights. You could do both, one
girl's night one husband night, andtell me which one you had more fun
at. Okay, so that soundsgood to do a science experiment. Last
question, you mentioned this at thevery beginning. Are you going to have
kids? Oh? What a question? This is so not an icebreaker question.
(44:22):
You're like one last question, doyou love yourself? An icebreaker?
Okay, okay, I is it? Do I want to have kids?
I'm a strong maybe And unfortunately I'veI've pulled many mothers and they have said,
you have to really want it.Yeah, that's you know, like
you can't you know what I mean, you gotta you can't be like I'm
(44:45):
kind of down. It's not likea restaurant that you're kind of down to
go to so you have to beso I will continue out my shows.
I do ask the crowd and theparents, like, be real with me,
should I do it? I geta lot of notes yeah, and
then once in a while I geta very earnest yes, and those are
(45:06):
very beautiful moments. But I thinkyou have to really want it. I
have two boys and they're in theirtwenties now, so thank god, hello,
yah age. It gets better,right, they get older, they
get more independent. They do getmore independent. I can go home and
sleep when I want, do whatI want. They're different problems. I
mean, there are different problems.They're going through stuff no matter what.
(45:29):
But they're in their twenties. They'realways going to need you in some way.
Yes, and my mom. Youknow, I'm thirty seven, but
my mom always sees me as ababy. So I don't know if you
still have that with your kids.It doesn't matter how old they get.
You're like your babies. And Ihave to like, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, but you're abadass auntie. So I have that so,
which is awesome and a stellar careerand awesome scam. I cannot wait.
(45:55):
I'm still stuck back on that.So thank you so much for coming
in and I'm really appreciated. Ican't wait to see it Comedy Worses again,
I'll see you there. You shouldalso do voice work literally, if
you have any like Rex or jobopenings and anyone listening, I will do
anything. Pixar, what the hellare you? Yes, I'm so down.
I mean they have to want me, but yeah, I'm down.
(46:16):
This is a hard yes to Pixar, hard yes to Pixar. Yes, please
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