“Jessica Kirson: I’m the Man” is a fast-paced and sharp-tongued special that showcases Kirson’s searing perspective on everything from TikTok girls to her bizarre time at a trauma center.
Hulu's new stand-up brand, Hularious, features a new comedian every month. The stand-up specials will be available domestically on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers. The specials will stream on Disney+ internationally.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-unplugged-totally-uncut--994165/support.
Hulu's new stand-up brand, Hularious, features a new comedian every month. The stand-up specials will be available domestically on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers. The specials will stream on Disney+ internationally.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-unplugged-totally-uncut--994165/support.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, and good morning, Jessica. How are you doing good?
How are you absolutely fantastic? I got to tell you
right from the start, you are so damn funny. You
are so so funny. I sit there and I go,
how did she perfect her voice to be able to
speak to us and not at us? And that, to
me is a fine art.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
I love what you just said because I really pride
myself on that, and I'm very conscious of that. I
feel like there's two different kinds of comedians. There's like
givers and takers, right, so I feel like the takers
it's kind of like all about them.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
They're they're preaching to people.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
It's not like their comedy isn't as vulnerable, it's not
as honest and real.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
And I really just want.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
To give on stage and make people laugh and make
them happy.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
It's just.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
I'm just as I have many issues as everyone in
the audience, and I'm very open and honest about it.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
I love the way that Hulu has really, you know,
backed you up on this entire thing, because I mean,
the trailer itself is spot on. Just just quality is
so amazingly high, and they, in fact, as far as
I'm concerned, they created a new word called hilarius.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Yes, yes, I Hulu has been incredible. It's their first
time doing comedy specials. They're putting out one a month.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
I think mine is the sixth. I'm almost positive.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
And the lineup I'm with, I mean, the other comics
are just incredible, and they also like they's such a
variety of comedians that are on it. I'm honored when
you do it for another streaming network. Sometimes it's like
fifty specials in a year. Yeah, this is really Yeah, it's great.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Yeah, because they're putting the quality into it, which gives
you the opportunity as a comedian to breathe, so you
can have the time to really share the story and
not have it cut up on the editing floor.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
That's right, that's right.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
And I was very involved in the editing of the special,
and so is Hulu, which is so helpful. Like I've
done it for Comedy Central, and I have so many
friends who've done them for Netflix and other places, and
it's like they were so hands on and their their
comments and their ideas and their feedback was incredibly helpful.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
How did you carve out the time to craft these
these stories? I don't want to say jokes because sometimes
people tak you know, they go on both sides of
the you know, a joke as a joke, as a joke. No,
it's not you. You have things here that are very relatable, funny.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
It takes a lot of work. I mean people how
would they know how much? But like you get on
stage two, three, four times a night. You know, I
would go up anywhere and everywhere to try out the jokes,
try out material. Some things work really like quickly, which
is a dream. And then most things you have to
keep working on. It's structuring the joke, adding a pause,
(02:44):
you know, adding a word. It's really an art and
it's it's very interesting.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Do you defrag everything because I mean in the way
of saving everything, And this is how the story started,
this is how it's grown, this is how I'd like
to change it. In other words, you leave breadcrumbs for
your your creative side.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
Yeah, yes you do.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
It's it's really like it takes a long time, and
you also have to figure out, like what's the related
I do because some people just try to like hit
their target audience, you know, like a certain age group,
a certain group of people. But I really try to
appeal to everybody. I've always done that my whole career,
(03:22):
and of course it works better because if you go
to my show, it's just like every kind of person,
every kind of age group.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
It's great.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
See the thing about that this kind of reminds me
of when Eddie Eddie Murphy did Delirious. It inspired so
many people to get into comedy, and this is this
is the kind of comedy show that is going to
inspire young women. Take the chance, get into that open
mic night and take the chance.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
That's such a huge compliment. I have tried to help
so many female comedians. I taught for many years and
I used to do all female classes and then just
classes with everybody. But it's so scary, you know, and
it so scary for men and women, but especially women,
(04:04):
because the minute a woman goes on stage, it is
it's really what a lot of people think in the
audience is like this is not going to be funny,
this is going to be horrible. Like they already have
that preconceived opinion, and you have to fight harder in
the beginning, you know. I say to women all the time,
like even when you're waiting to go on stage, you
gotta look confident, like they.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Smell your fear. Literally, the audience smells your fear.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
And if you're not on stage looking or seeming confident
and feel like you have to take over the room
and have them in the palm of your hand or
it's not going to go well.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
There is more with Jessica Curson coming up next. Don't move, Hey,
thanks for coming back to my conversation with Jessica Kerson.
One of my favorite things to do, and it's only
because I mean I'm a journalist, is being in the
green room with the comedian before they go on show,
go on the stage, because there's such a spiritual moment
of transition at that.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Green room, it really is.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
And everyone has their own thing, you know, they have
their own like kind of thing that they do.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
I always drink coffee a lot of it because I.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Abuse myself and I have horrible anxiety, so I but
I also like it's I need to be rested as
much as I can be. I need to not have
a ton of people around me, like I get overwhelmed.
I need to breathe and just I literally I'm not religious,
but I'll say to whatever's out there, like please help
me get out of myself and just give people the
(05:32):
gift I was given.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
See, And what what I've always been inspired with with
with your Guys's Journey is the fact that in radio,
if I screw up on a break a fourteen second intro,
who cares, We're going three songs in a row. Listeners
aren't gonna remember it. But if something happens to you
on that stage, holy crap.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Well yeah, I mean in the beginning, if it didn't
go well, I was devastated, or when I got heckled,
I was out of my mind.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
I mean it was horrible.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
But now I just it's like funny to me. People
are just staring at me. Actually, the hardest comics laugh
at each other is when someone's having.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
A hard time on stage.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Like you'll have comics in the back just hysterically laughing
watching it. But if it's not going well, I really
always pointed out and say this is going horrible, And
you know, I say things to break the ice, Like
I'll look at a guy in the audience and be like, sir,
please laugh at me. I have issues with my father,
and then everyone cracks up and the energy changes.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
See.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
But a lot of comics will just keep doing it,
just keep going so anyway, and it's like no one's laughing,
not one person is even smiling, and you're just going
on and on with your material.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
See.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
I like that because you're recognizing them. And I believe
that people really get into a conversation when you recognize
them first.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
That is such a good point. It's when people say
you're brilliant at crowd work. I love your crowd work videos.
I'm like, I call them crowd conversations, like they're I'm
conversating with people and they want to feel like it's
they're a part of the show. And when I taught,
I said to comics like, it's basically like you're having
(07:10):
a dinner in your living room and no one knows
each other, right, so you have to get everyone comfortable
and feel like they're all in it together.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
How does it feel to be a part of that
generation of female comedians in the way that I've been
with Nicki Glazer, I've been with Chelsea Handler, and now
I can say I've been with you.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Oh well, First of all, I love Niki and Chelsea.
Nicki's a very close friend of mine, and they have
worked so hard at this, yes, like that's why they
are where they are. It's not because of any other reason.
But getting on stage thousands of times, I'm at the
point that I know I deserve it and I'm ready
(07:48):
for it, and I don't even think like five years
ago I would have been this ready, but like, I know,
I deserve this.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
I'm in La right now, and.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Across from my hotel is this huge billboard of me.
It's insane and it comes up every sixty seconds and.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
I'm like looking out the window. I'm like, what is
going on?
Speaker 2 (08:07):
But it's emotional for me because I feel like I'm
I should be I should be on that billboard.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
I've worked hard for it.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
I love it. Outside of Hulu, where can people find
out more about you and give you some love?
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Oh well, I am very big on TikTok and I
have a huge YouTube channel called Jessica Curson Comedy and
a huge Instagram channel. But the great thing with YouTube
is is that I have long CrowdWork specials on there
which people don't know a lot. I have an hour
CrowdWork special. I have a bunch of twenty minute CrowdWork
(08:43):
specials and there's no material on them. I also have
my Comedy Central special cut up into videos which people
can watch because you can't see it on Comedy Central anymore.
So it's great. It's social media is where I've gotten
all my fans at this point. And then I have
a website Jessicacurson dot com, which has all my upcoming
(09:06):
dates and they can purchase tickets on my website.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Wow, I love it. Please come back to this show
anytime in the future. The door is always going to
be open for you. Jessica.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
Thank you. You are so sweet.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
And I love that you know comedy and that you're
a comedy fan because that's not always the case with interviews.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
So it's really nice to talk to you.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Oh it's fun to get, you know, to get into
your creative system of thought. I mean because and you know,
we can learn things as a fan of comedy from
people like yourself when you're as truthful as you are.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
Oh, thank you. That means a lot. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Will you'd be brilliant today. Okay, yes, you too.
Hello, and good morning, Jessica. How are you doing good?
How are you absolutely fantastic? I got to tell you
right from the start, you are so damn funny. You
are so so funny. I sit there and I go,
how did she perfect her voice to be able to
speak to us and not at us? And that, to
me is a fine art.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
I love what you just said because I really pride
myself on that, and I'm very conscious of that. I
feel like there's two different kinds of comedians. There's like
givers and takers, right, so I feel like the takers
it's kind of like all about them.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
They're they're preaching to people.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
It's not like their comedy isn't as vulnerable, it's not
as honest and real.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
And I really just want.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
To give on stage and make people laugh and make
them happy.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
It's just.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
I'm just as I have many issues as everyone in
the audience, and I'm very open and honest about it.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
I love the way that Hulu has really, you know,
backed you up on this entire thing, because I mean,
the trailer itself is spot on. Just just quality is
so amazingly high, and they, in fact, as far as
I'm concerned, they created a new word called hilarius.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Yes, yes, I Hulu has been incredible. It's their first
time doing comedy specials. They're putting out one a month.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
I think mine is the sixth. I'm almost positive.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
And the lineup I'm with, I mean, the other comics
are just incredible, and they also like they's such a
variety of comedians that are on it. I'm honored when
you do it for another streaming network. Sometimes it's like
fifty specials in a year. Yeah, this is really Yeah, it's great.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Yeah, because they're putting the quality into it, which gives
you the opportunity as a comedian to breathe, so you
can have the time to really share the story and
not have it cut up on the editing floor.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
That's right, that's right.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
And I was very involved in the editing of the special,
and so is Hulu, which is so helpful. Like I've
done it for Comedy Central, and I have so many
friends who've done them for Netflix and other places, and
it's like they were so hands on and their their
comments and their ideas and their feedback was incredibly helpful.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
How did you carve out the time to craft these
these stories? I don't want to say jokes because sometimes
people tak you know, they go on both sides of
the you know, a joke as a joke, as a joke. No,
it's not you. You have things here that are very relatable, funny.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
It takes a lot of work. I mean people how
would they know how much? But like you get on
stage two, three, four times a night. You know, I
would go up anywhere and everywhere to try out the jokes,
try out material. Some things work really like quickly, which
is a dream. And then most things you have to
keep working on. It's structuring the joke, adding a pause,
(02:44):
you know, adding a word. It's really an art and
it's it's very interesting.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Do you defrag everything because I mean in the way
of saving everything, And this is how the story started,
this is how it's grown, this is how I'd like
to change it. In other words, you leave breadcrumbs for
your your creative side.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
Yeah, yes you do.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
It's it's really like it takes a long time, and
you also have to figure out, like what's the related
I do because some people just try to like hit
their target audience, you know, like a certain age group,
a certain group of people. But I really try to
appeal to everybody. I've always done that my whole career,
(03:22):
and of course it works better because if you go
to my show, it's just like every kind of person,
every kind of age group.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
It's great.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
See the thing about that this kind of reminds me
of when Eddie Eddie Murphy did Delirious. It inspired so
many people to get into comedy, and this is this
is the kind of comedy show that is going to
inspire young women. Take the chance, get into that open
mic night and take the chance.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
That's such a huge compliment. I have tried to help
so many female comedians. I taught for many years and
I used to do all female classes and then just
classes with everybody. But it's so scary, you know, and
it so scary for men and women, but especially women,
(04:04):
because the minute a woman goes on stage, it is
it's really what a lot of people think in the
audience is like this is not going to be funny,
this is going to be horrible. Like they already have
that preconceived opinion, and you have to fight harder in
the beginning, you know. I say to women all the time,
like even when you're waiting to go on stage, you
gotta look confident, like they.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Smell your fear. Literally, the audience smells your fear.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
And if you're not on stage looking or seeming confident
and feel like you have to take over the room
and have them in the palm of your hand or
it's not going to go well.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
There is more with Jessica Curson coming up next. Don't move, Hey,
thanks for coming back to my conversation with Jessica Kerson.
One of my favorite things to do, and it's only
because I mean I'm a journalist, is being in the
green room with the comedian before they go on show,
go on the stage, because there's such a spiritual moment
of transition at that.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Green room, it really is.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
And everyone has their own thing, you know, they have
their own like kind of thing that they do.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
I always drink coffee a lot of it because I.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Abuse myself and I have horrible anxiety, so I but
I also like it's I need to be rested as
much as I can be. I need to not have
a ton of people around me, like I get overwhelmed.
I need to breathe and just I literally I'm not religious,
but I'll say to whatever's out there, like please help
me get out of myself and just give people the
(05:32):
gift I was given.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
See, And what what I've always been inspired with with
with your Guys's Journey is the fact that in radio,
if I screw up on a break a fourteen second intro,
who cares, We're going three songs in a row. Listeners
aren't gonna remember it. But if something happens to you
on that stage, holy crap.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Well yeah, I mean in the beginning, if it didn't
go well, I was devastated, or when I got heckled,
I was out of my mind.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
I mean it was horrible.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
But now I just it's like funny to me. People
are just staring at me. Actually, the hardest comics laugh
at each other is when someone's having.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
A hard time on stage.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Like you'll have comics in the back just hysterically laughing
watching it. But if it's not going well, I really
always pointed out and say this is going horrible, And
you know, I say things to break the ice, Like
I'll look at a guy in the audience and be like, sir,
please laugh at me. I have issues with my father,
and then everyone cracks up and the energy changes.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
See.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
But a lot of comics will just keep doing it,
just keep going so anyway, and it's like no one's laughing,
not one person is even smiling, and you're just going
on and on with your material.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
See.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
I like that because you're recognizing them. And I believe
that people really get into a conversation when you recognize
them first.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
That is such a good point. It's when people say
you're brilliant at crowd work. I love your crowd work videos.
I'm like, I call them crowd conversations, like they're I'm
conversating with people and they want to feel like it's
they're a part of the show. And when I taught,
I said to comics like, it's basically like you're having
(07:10):
a dinner in your living room and no one knows
each other, right, so you have to get everyone comfortable
and feel like they're all in it together.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
How does it feel to be a part of that
generation of female comedians in the way that I've been
with Nicki Glazer, I've been with Chelsea Handler, and now
I can say I've been with you.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Oh well, First of all, I love Niki and Chelsea.
Nicki's a very close friend of mine, and they have
worked so hard at this, yes, like that's why they
are where they are. It's not because of any other reason.
But getting on stage thousands of times, I'm at the
point that I know I deserve it and I'm ready
(07:48):
for it, and I don't even think like five years
ago I would have been this ready, but like, I know,
I deserve this.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
I'm in La right now, and.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Across from my hotel is this huge billboard of me.
It's insane and it comes up every sixty seconds and.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
I'm like looking out the window. I'm like, what is
going on?
Speaker 2 (08:07):
But it's emotional for me because I feel like I'm
I should be I should be on that billboard.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
I've worked hard for it.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
I love it. Outside of Hulu, where can people find
out more about you and give you some love?
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Oh well, I am very big on TikTok and I
have a huge YouTube channel called Jessica Curson Comedy and
a huge Instagram channel. But the great thing with YouTube
is is that I have long CrowdWork specials on there
which people don't know a lot. I have an hour
CrowdWork special. I have a bunch of twenty minute CrowdWork
(08:43):
specials and there's no material on them. I also have
my Comedy Central special cut up into videos which people
can watch because you can't see it on Comedy Central anymore.
So it's great. It's social media is where I've gotten
all my fans at this point. And then I have
a website Jessicacurson dot com, which has all my upcoming
(09:06):
dates and they can purchase tickets on my website.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Wow, I love it. Please come back to this show
anytime in the future. The door is always going to
be open for you. Jessica.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
Thank you. You are so sweet.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
And I love that you know comedy and that you're
a comedy fan because that's not always the case with interviews.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
So it's really nice to talk to you.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Oh it's fun to get, you know, to get into
your creative system of thought. I mean because and you know,
we can learn things as a fan of comedy from
people like yourself when you're as truthful as you are.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
Oh, thank you. That means a lot. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Will you'd be brilliant today. Okay, yes, you too.
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