BETHLEHEM, Pa. — If you're looking for last-minute weekend plans, consider a comedy date with Leanne Morgan.
As part of her "Just Getting Started" tour, the hilarious Southern Belle is performing Saturday, March 18 at Wind Creek Event Center.
We spoke with Morgan about her first Netflix special (out April 11), and why she feels ageism in Hollywood may be a thing of the past.
- Comedian Leanne Morgan will perform Saturday, March 18 at Wind Creek Event Center
- Morgan will share stories of motherhood and marriage during the standup routine
- She also has a new Netflix special coming out April 11
Below are some takeaways from the chat with Morgan.
Q: Tell us about working with Netflix.
A: It's a dream for me. There's no way I thought that Netflix is going to want a 57-year-old grandmama from the south. I had this chip on my shoulder. I thought, 'I'm not one of the cool kids in the cafeteria.' It's how I have always looked at it. I've raised three children, been in Knoxville most of the time, and have been doing comedy for over 20 years, and not in Los Angeles and New York. I was shocked when they said they wanted to do a special with me. But it makes sense I know why they do. They don't have anyone like me, and that's a wonderful thing.
Q: How would you describe your audience?
I always thought it [was] going to be women in their 50s and 60s, but it's younger than you think it would be. I've got a wonderful demographic. Women and men that want to be entertained, nobody's speaking to them in Hollywood. Netflix told me they realized, we made a mistake of overlooking people in the middle of the country of a certain age. They catered to New York and Los Angeles, people of a certain age groups. But when you think about it — who's got money to pay for a ticket? It's my demographic.
I think that people enjoy the fact that I'm pretty clean and you can bring different generations to my show. Multi-generations come to my shows and they feel comfortable. It's not material that you'll feel embarrassed in front of [your] grandmama.Comedian Leanne Morgan
Q: You share a lot about family life?
A: I talk about being a mom and my kids. Anybody that has ridden in a car with a mom, or siblings — even if you haven't become a mother yet or you don't want children, you've been in a family. My stuff is family orientated. It's very relatable. I talk about how I feel in my pants. I wish I could lose some weight, all that kind of stuff. Now, I'm in menopause, but in the [Netflix] special I talk about perimenopause and when my kids were little. I think that people enjoy the fact that I'm pretty clean and you can bring different generations to my show. I'll see a lot of moms in their 70s and 80s, with a daughter that's my age in their 50s, with her daughter that's in her 20s. Multi-generations come to my shows and they feel comfortable. It's not material that you'll feel embarrassed in front of [your] grandmama.
