Not Skinny But Not Fat - Fortune Feimster on Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Mindy Project, and Coming Out at 25

Episode Date: July 18, 2023

Sat down with the hilarious Fortune Feimster to discuss her new role alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in FUBAR, coming out at 25, her hilarious proposal story to her cutest wife, touring red states and more!This interview was recorded on June 7th, 2023, before the SAG-AFTRA strike.Produced by Dear MediaThis episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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reality TV, celebrities, everything happening and pop culture. I also talk to some of our favorite celebs and reality TV stars. We talk about what's going on. Tune in every Tuesday and just feel like you're talking a shit with your best friends in your living room. Oh, my, it does? Yeah. Oh, my gosh. You type in Fortune. Yeah.

You come up and then Fortune 500. Suck it. Fortune 500. So, Feimster. Feemster. What a name. Yeah, I know. It's a wild one.

Yeah. Fortune's an old family name. Like someone was named that. A last name. Oh, a last name. Yeah, it's my great grandmother's maiden name. So they gave it to you. Yeah, well, technically that's my middle name.

So what's your first name? Emily. Emily? Do I look like it, Emily? To me, that's, like, such a dainty little girl name, like, which is what my mom wanted. When I was, like, 23 or 24. Really? Yeah.

And now I'm 26. Two years ago, you guys, two years ago. Yeah. Oh, my God, Emily. I know. Does anyone call you that now? Like, my family and stuff. But my grandmother really, really wanted my mom to name me Fortune.

She just loved the name And this was before I was born And my mom said I'd have to be Miss America To live up to a name like that And so when I got older They told me that story And I was like, hey I am Miss America

Yeah, I can't believe that she didn't think I had that in me But it was some therapy over there Right Since before I was born You didn't believe in me Yeah, but my mom always wanted a girl Like she had two boys already And it was like her dream to have a little girl

she bought like all kinds of dresses again before I was born and Emily I think represents that quintessential little girl she always wanted and I never it's not like I hated the name Emily it was just I never it never quite resonated when I was young everyone called me fiendster or feme or femur no one called me Emily oh and then and no one called you fortune no one called me fortune because I just never talked about my middle name and then when I started I moved to L.A. And I kind of thought in the back of my head, like if I ever do any sort of acting,

I was going to go by Fortune as a kind of a nod to my grandmother because she passed. Yeah. And she instilled, you know, confidence in me. She's kind of the reason I have any guts to even try acting or improv or anything. And so I did it as kind of a nod to her thinking I would be Emily and Life and Fortune on stage

and it just doesn't quite work like that. Right. You need to, like, come at. Yeah, and I think Fortune is fit. everybody was just like you're a fortune yeah and that's like manifesting at its finest it's like yeah give me all the fortune well i also feel like my grandmother it's so wild because she she wanted that before i was even born but it was like this is the like i don't know sort of hippie-dippy in me it just feels like she kind of knew who i was before i did oh that's so cute had this like

so when did she best did she get to see you like no no she died when i was 18 oh i'm sorry No, you know, it just... I didn't get a grandma, so at least you had, like, 18 years. Let's just tell our sad stories to each other. No, but I mean, you got 18 years. Yeah, I mean, listen, I was really lucky. She died the day after I moved to college. So it was, that was a very sort of symbolic thing to me as well,

which is another thing that I just wanted to sort of honor her in that way. So even though she never got to see me perform, never even, I was never even out before. You know, she died. There's so much of me, she didn't know. She missed. So this fortune name is kind of my way of keeping her with me. I know to her. What was her name?

Evelyn. No, I need to, like, I need to, like, feel her in the room. I call her Nana, though. Nana. She's actually right here. Love you. Nana. You're from North Carolina, hence the little draw.

Yep. So how is it, like, growing up there with, because you were saying before, like, you weren't into the dresses. were you really you remember you were never into them never well my mom you know when you're pre five years old you don't get to don't get a choice yeah so I was in a dress every day I have those Olin Mills you have those the it was like basically pictures at the mall where no I grew up here so we don't have the malls that yeah the I would be in a bonnet and like you know holding a flower yeah staring at the flower yeah and Olin Mills was big in the south I guess

where it was basically like the professional photographers would take these pictures so I have a lot of those and then at five years old I discovered soccer and that I was like never put me in a dress again

really do you still love it do you watch? Yeah I play yeah I mean I grew up playing three sports a year so I was very sporty oh she's an athlete it's in my DNA I know do you know that it's actually in my DNA

I took it 23 in me and it said that I have elite athlete jeans what i know i don't but i play sports i do no my mom was like your mom yeah except i went with it you know like i but i look back and my sisters who played soccer softball yeah and i look back at myself and i'm like how did you just decide to put me and dan right like what did you see so i don't even know maybe i would have been you're a killer you're over on the sidelines that your sibling soccer practice smoking a cigarette.

This was probably not an athlete. But in the jeans, I was meant to be you guys. So you said you had two brothers. Did they influence you to be into sports and stuff? They were big into sports. My oldest brother in particular,

anything he did, I wanted to do. So he played tennis. I wanted to play tennis. My middle brother swam and I tell a story in my special sweet and salty about how that went. I basically was a terrible swimmer and had to run across the swimming pool, pretending to swim, thinking I was fooling everybody.

I mean, if you were tall enough, maybe you could fool everybody. It was the butterfly, that was so hard. So I ran and I did this. Oh, my God. I did my arms flailing through the air like I was doing the butterfly. Well, you know that now when you're talking about having a brother, I cannot picture your brother on the Mindy Project. Oh, I know. Garrett played my brother.

I know. Yeah, everyone's still tough. Because that show's now on Netflix. Oh, so good. If you guys haven't been to the Mindy Project, so good. You're in it. You play Collette. Mm-hmm.

And what's your brother's name on the show? Jody. Right. Yeah. It's like a woman's name. And it's so good. And your relationship, brother and sister, like kind of too close. Yeah, they wrote so many funny things for us that he would, like, curl my hair every morning.

Just like, while every episode, we would get the script and be like, there would be some new nugget of random thing that our mom would be in a rocking chair in the attic every day. You were just like, what? When you were both, you had like the Southern thing to, oh my God, I love that show so much. Everyone go watch it on Netflix if you haven't. Okay, so grew up in North Carolina, two brothers, thin like the dresses, got into sports, went to college.

Went to college, a women's college. What's it about Pate? Peace College. Peace College. That also sounds hippie, but it was the last name of the founder. Oh, okay. Yeah. A women's college.

Is that where you kind of like explored? No, it was. Still, you were like, nope. Of all the times in my life, that would have been the time to be gay. No, I can't believe that I was not out still. But it's like five minutes away from NC State, which is a huge engineering school, which tends to be more male-dominated, a male-dominated field.

So NC States full of dudes, and they would, like, love coming to our school to try to meet girls. So there weren't a lot of... Oh, so it didn't feel like... Because you had kind of the two colleges. Nobody was, like, massaging each other. Except me.

I was the one putting lotion on my friend's arms. Wait, so you went for what? For journalism? I went and studied communication techniques. you know at these smaller liberal arts yeah same no i did the same thing paid a hundred thousand dollars whatever like you have four things you can choose from and you're like well i don't like science i don't like i can communicate yeah so you're like i'll talk yeah kitch is the freaking most adorable shop ever i just love i love kitch i love kitch whatever your

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You were in entertainment journalism for seven years. Yeah, I fell into it. I moved to L.A. and I met this lovely woman who wrote for the L.A. Daily News and a bunch of other places. And she was like, I heard you can write. What do you mean? Where'd she hear it? She knew someone that had seen me speak at my graduation. Oh, you were? I was the commencement speaker. Oh, my God. Yeah. What? You made it funny.

Yeah. And it was before I, like, knew that I could do comedy or that, I, I just, like, liked making people laugh. And I wrote this speech, and it resonated with people. And it kind of, in my small circle of that time of my life, people heard about that speech. Yeah. It kind of kept going around. And this was pre- YouTube. So.

Wait, you moved to L.A. though, right after college? Mm-hmm. To do what? To, like, I worked as a personal assistant. for a little bit, kind of the, like, odd jobs. What was the goal, like in the back of your mind? I really don't know if I had a goal. I don't know.

I think I secretly wanted to pursue, you know, the entertainment business, but being from a town of 9,000 people, I didn't know how that would even be possible. So I got an opportunity to work in L.A. as a PA and was terrible at that. And luckily met that journalist who gave me a part-time job. and I started covering premieres and then that led to this other company who just did everything. They would do a lot of interviews on the phone

they would do like the Emmys, the Oscars, the press junkets and it was a bit more all-encompassing. So did you care about like movies and celebrities and entertainment? Like that was of interest too. I mean, I found that world fascinating because again, being from a small town

of North Carolina, suddenly I'm interviewing Julie Andrews or Tom Hanks. Yeah. To me, that blew my mind. Yeah. So even though I wasn't in the business, I was adjacent to it. And that felt like I was still learning a lot.

Did it feel like I should be on the other side of the phone call? I mean, I think I definitely was like, I hoped to one day, especially when I would visit sets. Yeah. I would be like, oh, man, this would be so cool to get to do this. And I was pursuing, I started taking improv classes at the groundling. So it was becoming more of a. passion as I as I kept doing those classes and you have to like get into the ground lanes right yeah

well you start with like you start with the fun classes then you have to audition so I started with the fun classes and then kept moving my way up the ladder but so many big like comedians went there like will feral Melissa McCarthy Kristen Whigig Lisa Kudra I mean was anyone with you in your class my class was like Gillian Bell from workaholics Terran Killam who was on SNL, Nassim Padraud was right ahead of me. Yeah, they flew me out two summers in a row to test on the

stage, that whole, you know, Lauren. The Lauren in the corner with that light. You know that old school Broadway thing where you just see a dark corner. Oh, and then the light. Really? It felt like that. Yeah. Was it nerve-wracking? Oh, my God. Yeah, because you think

that's the end all. Like, if this doesn't happen, I'm going to pack it up go home you know that that's the path to success and i grown up loving it watching it i used to record it and and do those like learn the sketches and as we call them skits in the south and perform them for like my tennessee or softball team and and then to be on that stage it was like oh my god this is it this is my big break baby well now you're like on your own i mean you did the sweet and Salty, which is also on Netflix.

Yeah. Was nominated for a critic's choice. Yeah. That had a good fortune. So that was nice. That's so cool. Yeah. Well, stand-up ultimately is where I think I found my voice, you know.

Back when I tested for us, no, I didn't even do stand-up in the audition, which to me now seems wild. What did you do? I did characters and impressions. And stand-up is what I think I'm best had. It's funny to me that I didn't even put my... my best for. But I do think things happen for a reason, you know, and you're meant to kind of do certain things. And for whatever reason, that wasn't meant to be. And I ended up six

months after my second audition, that's when I got Chelsea lately. You wrote for it. I started as a writer. I submitted a package, which in hindsight is hilarious because I was writing jokes Chelsea would never say in a million years. Like what? I think I did like a Harry Potter joke. I'm like, you know what I mean? And knowing her now, I'm just like, but did you not know her then? I mean, I watched the show, but I don't know. You're like, she might love Harry Potter. But I would do like jokes about food and like, she's not eating, she's drinking. You got it. I got it. I think because she saw something. She saw something. And I think she saw the opportunity to dress me up

in tiny outfits. And I think that is why I got the job because she just envisioned me in a tiny outfit. But she met you. She met me at the biggest. She saw the package. Yeah, the whole package. She wanted the whole package. Oh, my God. What year was that?

That would have been 2011. Wow. At January, I interviewed the late 2010. It really was one of those mental be things I feel like because I was broke I was I had been a journalist for seven years but the newspaper business was you know not not thriving yeah and they had to to lay me off because there just wasn't enough income and so I I took that year I was like I'm gonna put everything into

to this business and try to make it and was broke broke I mean I did not know how I was going to pay my rent in January and I kind of had this come to Jesus moment on New Year's with friends where I said I just laid it all out like I'm broke I've been at this for so long everyone keeps telling me no I keep getting close to these big opportunities it's not happening and I just need something I just need something to happen and my friends kind of to break the ice because I'm probably being a bummer on New Year's Eve my friend goes well you're going to go to Australia you know that whole Oprah thing like you're going to go to Australia and you're going go Australia. Yeah. And we all started like cheering and clapping. We're like, yeah, we're

going to go Australia. I got a call at the beginning of January that they were giving me the job. I'd interviewed two months before and, you know, just thought it was not happening. They said, we want you to have a final interview with Chelsea, got the job the next day. My first day at work, this is, you know, a couple weeks after New Year's. They were like, you know, how was your first day? This is amazing. And they go, oh, by the way. in May we're going to go film in Australia for a week and you're going to come and I was like I am going on like yeah

oh my god it was a real like pinch me kind of moment yeah that's the thing I love saying those things out loud because like people see you on the show and they're like oh yeah she got this thing how cool like so funny they don't always know how long people have been in it it's a long road it's a long road even now people are discovering me. I've been lucky enough to be working steady since Chelsea since 2011,

but you know, you find, you get new people that discover you. And they go, oh my God, isn't it cool that you just got this? And you're like, yeah, 20 years into it. You blew up on TikTok overnight. You're a TikTok sensation. I know. Well, the thing is now things do happen like that. They do a lot more. Because of social media. Yeah. But it was, it was a different time. So you got the Mindy Project post Chelsea lately Until 2015 Yeah

So Chelsea ended in 2014 I actually left the show As a writer that year Before the show ended To pursue acting I did a pilot With Tina Faye That was so funny

But it was supposed to get picked up Did it And then I While I was in that Experience pitched a show Of my own She produced it We filmed it for ABC

that it was like so amazing so cool Annie Potts played my mom I played a version of myself but it didn't get picked up and I was so bummed yeah but a writer for the Mindy project one of Mindy's very good friends Lang who does a show with Mindy the college girls yeah yeah they do that or yeah or no do they do never say that never never never have they do never have ever a Lang Fisher and she recommended me to Mindy she was like I just did punch up on this pilot this this girl's really funny yeah and it was supposed to be a three episode guest star you stuck around and i stuck around i cannot tell you how important good diapers and good baby wipes are you know when you have a bad one you know and then to find the best one you go through a bunch

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article.com slash not skinny for $50 off your first purchase of $100. $100 or more. Was it so fun to be on it? Oh, that was the greatest show. I didn't know, because it was my first big acting gig. Yeah. I didn't know how great.

I mean, I appreciated the moment. We had an awesome time, but I'm like, that job is one of the top-tier jobs I've had. I miss it. Yeah, and she's so talented. Did you have to audition, like, after she recommended you? No, they just, they gave it to me. They gave it to you.

Yeah. Damn. They were like, you know, Mindy trusted Lang's opinion and maybe she went back and watched some Chelsea episodes I'm not sure but she called me and was like super cool and I knew I was in great hands

because I mean Mindy's such a amazing writer and the writer's room is so important to her that I knew Did you do any writing on it? I did it. No because that writer's room was solid They did not need me like hey do you guys need nope and they were already three seasons in

Yeah. I came in season four. Yeah. See, though, how like every opportunity or like missed. Because that's another thing about the biz people don't get. You know how when people post their like deadline articles. Right. Or like variety.

Like new show, pick, by. So those don't always happen. Like you were saying, like you did two pilots, you know. Yeah, didn't go. And it didn't end up happening. But it led to this. There's a lot of that in my life. A lot of those that have been like very heartbreaking.

at the time have led me to some other thing that wouldn't have happened otherwise. Right. There's a lot of pivots that I have done work. But where I can look back and be like, oh, now I see why that happened and why that happened. Yeah. It's very interesting.

It is. Life is so crazy. You guys. Life is crazy. You guys, life is so crazy. If you take anything away from this podcast. If you take anything away. And currently, life is so crazy. because obviously you're a comic. You're a comic?

And you were just in like an action currently airing with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Right? The man. Uh-huh. Uvar. You said it stands for. It stands for fucked up beyond all recognition.

It's an old military term. Oh, my God. Like, oh, like your body? Like you were so blown up in the war? Well, it could be anything. It could be, like, any thing that's gone awry. Okay. Oh, okay.

You're just like, you know, out. That tank went, yeah, I don't feel like every, we're totally a foobar. Like, it's like out of our hands, out of control, things like, there's mayhem. It's that. So if you know that context of the name going into the show, you know that the show is going to be over the top, crazy, wild, things are going to go. And you play this, like, genius CIA agent. Genius is like, well, like, mathematics. Yeah.

I know it in that way. Anyone that can, like, know how to tip without a tip calculator, I'm like, you're a genius. You are so smart, yeah. Yeah, so any math skill, you're a genius. I'm not a math person in real life, so it's fun to pretend. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, they offered me this gig,

and I honestly thought I would be the person in the van, giving coordinates, drinking a slurpee, just being like, that's what's up, guys. Good luck. And they're like, no, you're, you're, You're going to be a CIA agent. I'm in the action. I'm in the action, which once I like realized that they were wanting that, I was like, oh, my God, I want that.

Yeah. And so the action part was my favorite. But that's crazy because they probably saw something in you. They wanted you for a reason. Yeah. For it to be a little bit funny. Yeah, they, I was definitely assigned the comedic part. Yeah.

The like levity and the one-liners. I had a lot of that. And then they let me, because our creator, Santora had watched my work. He was like, I know you're a writer and I know what you do. So I want you to take what we've written and run with it and just add lived a lot.

Yeah. That's so cool. Was it fun working with Arnold? It was really cool. I had never met him before. I didn't know what to expect. I mean, he's been... How old is he 100?

No. How old is he? Early 70s? Oh, really? Yeah. Damn. I want to tell you... He's got giant.

guns still the photo of you too like he lights up for you oh we have a fun rapport like i don't think anyone's ever seen him smile so big really yeah everyone go check out the selfie i'll post it when this episode comes out he is grinning from ear to ear did you make him laugh i make him laugh a lot i think that's what helps you kind of just like you you you sort of take away all those pretenses and just laugh together i think immediately you know when we met he knew i was a stand-up and And he just sort of, we cut the formalities, you know. We just started joking with each other. And he was telling me stories about Milton Burrell.

And then I would like every day try to make him laugh. I would do his one-liners to him. I'd be like, Arnold, let's go. Get to the chop block. Come on. What are you doing? And he'd shake his head. Did you ever in your wildest Emily dreams?

Thank you would be working with Arnold Schwarzenegger. never in a million years because he was the physical fitness ambassador literally not to date myself yeah but back for whatever president back in the day and so they would roll out those big old TVs into the like gym and put in a video and he'd be like hey I'm on a sports and I got kids it's very important to work out you're going to have to eat your vegetables we're going to work out get ready let's go and so I was like 10 years old Like doing jazzercise with Arnold and then now here I am. Oh my God.

It's crazy. But that's my whole life in L.A. has been that way. Yeah. No one, you know, no one in my small hometown growing up thought that. Wait, so what does your mom think now? I mean, she loves it. Yeah. Well, you know, I talk a lot about her in standoff and my current tour, especially.

I'm doing a lot of jokes about her and she loves being the. And the live, laugh, love, love tour. She loves me in the center of attention. Oh, she has like, me? She has a false sense of humility. A little old me? Okay, if you want to talk about me, that's great. I have more stories if you want me to get up there and talk.

I'm like, she loves the limelight. Yeah. Is she interested in hearing stories from you about like Hollywood and stuff? Yeah, I mean, she finds a whole thing fascinating too. Yeah, she's a big supporter. Both of my parents are, so they just think is great. I mean, you know, there was that worry. when I first moved to L.A.,

because I was very academic, and she was like, are you sure you don't want to go to grad school? I'm like, to study what? Yeah. You know, women study? I'm doing that. I'm studying women now.

Yeah. I don't want to go into debt. And because now I know what I want to do that seems like wasteful to go to get my master's. But, you know, every parent, I think just worries, well, how are you going to make a living? How are you going to pay your bills?

And she certainly had reason to worry for a long time. but then once you you know quote unquote make it right everybody's like I knew all along so glad I kept believing in you and didn't tell you to give up I'm like you didn't even want to name me fortune no it's so so good

everybody go watch Fubar it's so great it's out on Netflix yes it's doing great it was number one all over the world for like two weeks oh wow as of today it had like almost 180 million hours watched. Not that you're keeping track or... I mean, they give you these stats, you know?

You're just like the first two weeks, like they track it every week, how many people watch. Oh my God, that's so exciting. But you know... So we don't even need you, you guys, don't watch. Yeah, guys, we don't need you. We're fine. We're ready, like, topping the charts. Well, it's cool because, you know, Arnold's so beloved internationally and here as well.

So, you know, people are definitely going to tune in for him, but we have such a strong cast that everyone's really loving the ensemble. No, that's so cool. He also hasn't done anything in so many years. Yeah, I mean, he's, because once he was a governor, he was, like, really on that path of, like, doing those kind of things, you know? I know, everyone forgets he was a governor for a year.

You're like, here to tell his, like, life story. He started as a fitness professor. He's got a documentary out on that place right now. Why promote me when I can promote someone who's hugely famous? Okay. Let's get back to you. Okay. Everybody go watch Fubar.

If you don't want to, it's fine. It's fine. You can watch Good Fortune or Sweet and Salty on Netflix. Yes. Oh, she's a Netflix girl. Yeah, I get around. I'm also on Is It Cake? Season 1.

I don't know. I know what? Is it cake? You've never watched that show? No. Here, I'm going to blow your mind. You have to decide of something. Is cake?

Or if it's like fake cake? Yeah, people make things like that look like a bowling ball. Yeah. But is it cake? So were you a judge? Yeah, season one. And who? I'm here to plug.

Is it cake season two? I'm not on that. Wait, so are you the judge that knows the answer? Do you not know the answer? We don't know the answer. Oh, so you have to know. Or whoever, there's three judges or whatever. There's.

I can't believe you've never heard of it. It was like last summer's hit. Okay. I didn't. I'm sorry. Let me get the stats out for how many people watch. No, that actually sounds better than food bar.

Kids loved it. Yeah. That was a big hit with kids for the summer. Do you eat it? Oh, yeah. You didn't taste it too. Not usually as great taste-wise. Right.

Yeah, yeah. But yet, there's like a table of things like tacos. Sometimes it's real tacos. Oh. Sometimes it's cake that looks like tacos. I love. Were you a judge in the whole? No, literally one episode.

Oh, which episode? The very first one. Oh, amazing. Everyone thought it was my show. So they kept watching for you. Because they put my big old face on the Netflix thing. I'm looking at cake like, like, I love cake. Okay, so sold on that.

So sold. If there any other project for anyone else, I should like. Netflix in general. Yeah, I have bopped around a lot of Netflix things. Okay. Let's get back to you. Okay. Okay.

I've been in like 13 Netflix thing, but I don't want to plug myself. I can't believe it. I literally cannot believe it's the end of July. I cannot believe it. I mean, I can believe it because it's freaking gross out. But I can't believe that the first day of school is around the corner. And if you're bugging, you feel like it's last minute. You're like, oh my God, I didn't get anything.

I got you. Macy's got you. Macy's has everything you need for back to. school. Outfits from Levi's Free People and more. Picture Day outfits. Of course, backpacks. Kipling is really cool again, by the way. Sneakers. You got to get those Nikes. Okay. Are you going to college? Are you a parent and your kid is going to college? Dorm room essentials like bedding, beauty blenders for the makeup peoples. Okay. Fitbits. If you don't want to go to like the gym and you just want to walk around and know how many steps you got in.

literally Macy's has everything. Oh my God, back to school. By the way, gives me goosebumps, gives me flashbacks. I can't believe it was like a thousand years ago when I went to college and my mom had to prepare me and buy me everything for a dorm room. Drop me off in the middle of upstate New York with a roommate I didn't know and be like a bye. So at least you know that you go to Macy's.com slash back to school and there is everything that you need there to go back to school. okay so check it out macy's dot com slash back to school and get everything you need in one spot don't got to go all over just one spot macy's dot com slash back to school you're touring right now like we said yeah and you're also touring some red states i perform it everywhere wow yeah i mean i'm southern so yeah that's not like that's not crazy

people were like you're a gay going to the cell okay like that's why i'm asking because it It did make the news. It did. Everybody, there's a gay coming to perform. Otherwise, I wouldn't have thought about it, but like it's in the, like it's made headline. Yeah, someone decided that was like big time. It's like you went to Oklahoma.

There's a gay coming to Tulsa and she was okay. So it's not crazy. No, I mean, I think that's the beauty of comedy. It sort of is that weird. There's not many bridges that get people together anymore. She is high. I am. But if you make people laugh, they will sometimes, they don't think about the other things.

They're just like, oh, this person makes me laugh. Yeah. So I have found, especially on this tour and my last tour, you know, a lot more people want to see me that I would have never expected. I would, like, we have different belief systems, you know. They're like, I'm not sure how I feel about you gays, but you're funny. So it's, you know And so that's been an interesting thing And you talk a lot about it though

On the show too Well, I'm just telling stories about my life You know I'm just telling stories about my relationship My marriage I'm talking a lot Like I said about my mom Stories that people can relate to

Of all different backgrounds And so it's sort of bridging that gap In a way that I had never expected But I'm just touring Like I'm not like Specifically picking certain places You're not making a statement. Yeah, well, I'm just going all over the country,

but I love being that they're a place that I'm going to where they don't have representation. They don't have someone telling their stories. Do people come up to you and... Yeah, a lot. And so I guess the story is I don't shy away from those places. Right, that's the story.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that also you do really well in them. Yeah, love you there. A lot of the shows sell out and people come because, you know, it's a place where they can see themselves in my story. And they're looking around in a room full of people who are like them or allies or, you know, it just feels good to have a room full of people that are laughing and accepting and maybe they

don't get that on a regular basis in those certain, you know, wherever they live. Where were you that you posted something really funny? Was it Kentucky that you rolled down the window? Oh, yeah. Oh, my God. I literally. So tell the story. So I was doing a show in Lexington, Kentucky,

and I was driving through some smaller town beside Lexington, and there were two lesbians in the parking lot that were saying goodbye to each other, so they kissed to say goodbye. And I was so pumped to see two lesbians in the South kissing that I rolled down my window, and I went, Lesbians! Like, but in my mind of like, go lesbians.

But in the South, you forget that that can't be a hate crime. And so they like ducked. And I went, oh, they didn't duck. They ducked for real. Yeah. And I was like, no, no, no, no. That was a gay lesbians. Oh, my God.

You're in trouble. Yeah. So I went on stage that night and I told everybody what happened. And they were like, what is wrong? They were laughing so hard. I was like, I just was trying to support lesbians in Kentucky. Oh, that literally cracked me up. Speaking of a lesbian.

There are two in this room. Your wife's here. There are two. Unless anyone else has anything. Anybody? Do anyone want to confess anything? So adorable. Right? This was before we started, but she, like, fixes your shirt.

Fluffs your hair. She fluffs me. Oh. She's like a jam. She just takes really good care of me. I was saying she was a kindergarten teacher for 13 years. She has her master. She's very smart, very accomplished.

And she's like, I'm over here fluffing you. What's happening? But that's love. It's true. That's love. Love, you know. So how did you meet? We met at Chicago Pride.

What? Like a parade? Yeah. Well, the day before the parade where the lesbians are all. What do they do? They're in a parking lot because lesbians aren't allowed to have bars anymore, apparently. So once a year, lesbians descend on the parking lot. We're allowed to have one space.

And people were like, are y'all here to valet cars or are you having a party? And it was a party in the parking lot For Chicago Pride And I was watching I was there to introduce some people Oh you were kind of working Ish, yeah And I was watching the bands

And she and her friend walked up And I was like, who's this gal? Was this when you were famous already? I don't mean it was like post Chelsea lately Yeah So people Did you know who she was, Jack? That's right, it's what's up

But her friend But her friend wanted a picture And was too nervous just to ask because I was, you know, kind of a big deal. And Jack was like, who cares? I'll ask. Yeah. She's like, whatever. She's on Chelsea. She's like, who cares? No, she keeps me humble. But, yeah, I thought they were together. Oh, yeah, yeah. So I, I just was very polite. Like, I, you know, took a picture and was, like, happy to do it. But I was like, clocked that. Did you take a picture with her, too? Or do you not care? That's funny when, like, only the one friend wants to take a picture and her like, do you want one, too? Oh, no. They're like, I'm good.

And you're like, okay, well, some people, a lot of people like to take pictures. Wait, so how did it progress? So then they went away and I just kind of clocked like, oh, that girl is really pretty, but didn't think anything about it. And she went and looked at the picture and she was like, no, this picture is horrible. She hated the picture and basically was like, you can't post that. And the girl was like, but that was a whole point. And they came back.

And I thought, so then I know. never had a lot of confidence when it came to talking to women. Like, I was always assuming they were looking at the person behind me. But it gave me, like, a false sense of confidence. I thought she was coming back because she liked me. I don't know. I might have had a drink or two. Yeah.

And so we took another picture. She was like, the picture was bad. I go, sure it was, you know. Oh, it's like you left, you accidentally left me my place vibe. And then we kind of, like, our arms lingered after the picture. Yeah. And then we just kept running into each other all night. But I was like, oh, she likes me because she came back for that picture. Yeah. And like later, she's like, no, that picture was terrible. I really wasn't coming as I did on you. So yeah, we just kind of ended up hanging out all weekend. Oh, my God. And then she left and we just kept talking. And she went to Italy with her mom for like three weeks. And we kept. Were you both in L.A. at that time, though? No, she lived in Chicago. Oh.

And I lived in L.A. So how did, how did you do it? Long distance. For a while? Yeah. Well, she, after she got back from Italy, we just both were like, I guess I'll come out. And I'm like, you should come out to L.A. for like five days. But we realized we barely knew each other.

Yeah. So I was on the way to the airport where I was like, what am I doing? And it was her flying to L.A. going, what am I doing? Yeah. And we met at the airport kind of like two strangers. Like, hi. Yeah. Because when you're in long distance and someone visit someone, you're like together.

Yeah. You like stay together. Yeah. You stay. I'm like, we're about to spend five days together. What if we hate each other? Like this could be a disaster. And she was like, what am I doing?

We both were just like, this is nuts. Yeah. And so it was like awkward where the first couple hours we kind of didn't look at each other. She was like this. And then we just found that like space that we had. when we were hanging out that weekend where it was fun and comfortable and we were never never felt like strangers after that

so how long until she moved to LA a year oh wow yeah we know we those like super hardcore lesbians he took a year but she was teaching so part of it yeah but we were so exhausted I was on tour she was meeting me in a lot of cities but she was also teaching full time so she would like leave her classroom at

you know 3 o'clock on her Friday 4 o'clock fly to whatever city we'd spend the weekend together she'd fly back have to go right into teaching i was flying to visit her she was flying to visit me we were both so tired so at so at the end of the year we she had to decide before the new school year she didn't want to leave a class halfway through the year and we kind of had to be like are we doing this or we're basically like we're either going to you're either going to move cross country or we're going to break up and i'm very lucky she moved and you got married in the pandemic 2020 2020.

Congratulations. One of these. Ooh. It's a wedding ring. Yeah, we did it. Did you do a joint proposal? A joint proposal? That, there's nothing I love more than a joint proposal.

I've seen a joint proposal before. Have you not? No. Where I ask and then like, it's your turn now. No, like both of you at the same time. No, I haven't seen that. Okay, maybe I haven't either. Is that a new trend?

Oh, it is? Wait, right? I'm not making it up. Oh, let's see. Oh, they do. Yeah, it can't be a surprise, obviously, if you're doing joint. Yeah, because what if one proposes, you know, I was like, this is not my plan that I didn't want to get married. So what did you, what did you guys do?

I took her up to, I was going to go to one place that, but the wildfires shut that hotel down. And it was a place we'd gone to early on in our relationship. So it was very special. So I had to pivot very quickly. Yeah. Damn it. I talk about it, my special good fortune. It all went wrong.

It was this very fancy place. But, like, I paid all this money to get the ocean view. I mean, this lady up charged me so hard for. She's like, you're proposing, you need to get the ocean one. You're going to get the cheap one, the cheap, the cabin in the woods. But the cheap cabin in the woods is, like, very updated. She's like, no, you're going to need this old-ass cabin that looks at the ocean. We got there, and it was fog.

There was fog for three days. You could not see your hand in front of your face. She never knew that there was an ocean outside of our cabin. So it was like all this money for an ocean view that we never saw. It was just like one of those things where everything was kind of a hair off. Yeah, yeah. And I probably should have aborted the mission that weekend and found another way. But I was just like in my zone.

Yeah. This is happening. Yeah, we were too in it already. Yeah. And we had a very fun waiter who was very excited to be part of the evening. but like two into it he's you know I'm like they're doing stuff to the room can you like give me a signal at the end of dinner like do you mind checking to see if the room's ready because I was having them do like rose petals all the bachelor stuff basically you know the strawberries

of chocolate all that stuff and you know he was like sneaking over behind her and giving a big thumbs up like it's ready and making it super obvious yeah it was like like so funny to me all out of love he was lovely yeah but i i kind of like i i take creative license with him in good fortune to make him even more ridiculous yeah yeah but that was all in in fun jest and then we go to the room and it's so it was weird it was like the room was weirdly lit like in a way that wasn't romantic more of just like did someone leave the bathroom light on and so it had this like we're like adjusting our eyes and then we're looking around the room

there's rose petals everywhere but like dead white rose petals it looked like a funeral home and just dumped a much no no red roses no heart shape it looked like a leaf blower had they brought a leaf flower

and just like and just like there's your rose petals so she was like what this can't be a proposal like she wasn't even thinking it was coming because it seemed insane the chocolate cover strawberries

they placed right in front of the fireplace they did start a fireplace the fire which was nice but they put them literally right in front of it they were like soup and the champagne was on ice that all was melted and I'm just standing there

like this is it this is what I got and you know I was so in my head of like this is not what I had in mind but I had to you know we're in it

I got to go. I'm going down on one knee. So, for sure, the least romantic proposal. I feel like you wouldn't think that. Or do you agree? No, she agrees. Well, at least, I feel like in what you do, you're like, but it'll make a good.

Well, at the time I was kind of embarrassed. I was like, oh, this is embarrassing because everyone's going to ask her about how I propose. Yeah. I at first was kind of shining away from the story of like, well, let's just chalk that to, like, a story we don't talk about and then of course one day we're hiking and she's like if you want that proposal story is probably pretty funny if you want to mind that people are going to die at

that story oh my god I love it I think especially guys related with that right yeah yeah often have that pressure of having to figure it out and shows like the bachelor have not held you watch the bachelor I used to but now who has a time yeah they're two hours long They're three hours long. They are now. Without commercials, it's three. Yeah, that's true. I don't do it anymore either.

I used to, though. When did you stop? A couple years ago. Like, who was the last one? Clayton. Colton might have been the last one. Oh, okay. He came out.

Yeah. Happy Pride month. Listen, I love one former bachelors. Okay. A few questions. Okay. Before I let you go. Oh, no.

Don't let it in. Are we best friends now? Are we? Sure. Okay. Do you like long distance friendship? I do. All I need is like Instagram comments.

All right. I'll check in. Okay. So you're meeting a lot of celebs in this world. Yeah. Is there anyone that you're starstruck by, like that you would be? Well, this is so funny because it's of the times right now. I mean, clearly I'm watching Vanderpump Rules like everybody.

Whoa. And it's, by the way, you guys, we're filming this on a Wednesday. It's tonight's the big reunion. are you watching? Yeah. Are you watching live? Well, actually, well, Jacks doesn't watch it, so we'll see. She's like, I just fix your hair. Do I have to watch ban on the rules? How haven't you gotten into it? How haven't you pulled her into it? I don't know. I've been watching it on the road by myself. Wait, did you start from the beginning or did you start after Scanda? So I started at Scanaval, one of those people. You're one of those people. So the scandal was so big that I was like, okay, well, now I'm fascinated. So I was like, I can't, I don't have the time to go back to season one. There's too many. I went back to season. I went back to season five. But it was kind of cool watching five and the current one simultaneously. Yeah. Because there was a lot of going back in the current season, a lot of going back to those times. Yeah. And I was, so I was like up to date with it. Oh, wow. Good for you. I'm at like seven, but still watching the current one. But I saw La La La Cint

last night. Where did you see her? Carbone. Like randomly? Yeah, randomly. I never met her. She's friends with people that I know so I went and said hi she was lovely yeah she is and I said thank you for entertaining me in these days in these days cannibal crazy yeah so that was a big star struck moment so yeah that was a fun yeah that is a good story so that was my vander pump vander pump run in but I've met some I mean really amazing I've gotten to work with some amazing I know you really have I like worked with recently Jennifer Garner yeah that was cool to like first day they're you're like you're going to drive her in an ambulance. I was like, no pressure there.

So that was for this cute movie yesterday. I got to drive Jennifer Aniston in an Uber for officers. Why are you driving so much? I think I just have skills. I filmed a movie a couple months ago where I'm driving a boat. No stop. Yeah. Damn.

I'm a handy, a handy, yeah. You are. I also have a question. I heard another comedian talk about this recently in an interview that like people always assume the comedians are funny all the time and like the funniest person in the room and like if you invite them to a party they're going to be like the vibe yeah not always yeah what are certainly comedians like that yeah but it's too much sometimes it's too much you're like can you let's not do bits now yeah i'm i'm personally in the middle yeah i can turn it on i go to a party i can be the life of

the party grab the mic at karaoke and i'm like let's go you know i'm like everyone's drinking in the Quad, that person. Oh, you're in college. Okay. Yes. Okay. Or I can be the weirdo in the corner eating cheese. We really don't know what we're going to get. Yeah.

But I don't have that, like, incessant need to be on all the time. Yeah. So I, you know. Somewhere in the middle. Yeah. I can be that chill person that's just, we're on a couch, like, you know, getting deep all of a sudden. It's like, tell me about your childhood. I can be that person, too.

So, so many things going on, like we talked about, taking over Netflix, pool bar, specials, touring. What's your next dream? What's the next thing? My next dream, because I've been lucky with TV. I've gotten to do a lot of cool TV projects. I would really love to be a lead in a movie. I would love to spearhead some sort of big fun, even if an action comedy, even in that world. Driving something.

Driving something. Speed four. Yeah. Speed four. That's hilarious. That is funny. Come on. Everybody.

Yeah. I did a cruise ship one. Let's some other motive. I know. Bus and a cruise ship. Maybe a plane. Yeah. Let's do it.

Lighters. So stop the strike. Yeah, once the strike's over. But yeah, I would love to, like I've, I've done really funny bit parts in movies where I come in and I'm the ridiculous person. Yeah. But I would love to do that for a whole movie. Yeah. And I write a lot.

I've developed a lot of stuff. I'd like to make one of my own that I've written. That would be cool to be on the creative end of it and get to put that producer hat on as well. So that's my next stream. I love that. Movies. Yeah.

But, you know, I'm always touring. I'm on the road right now everywhere, all over the U.S. Do you have any New York dates? We're going to announce New York. We're putting the challenge for a theater and we're waiting to see if it clears. So hopefully. Well, Joseph, you better let me know about those New York dates.

That's right. Early, it'll be early next year, though. Oh, cool. Yeah. And for the meantime, I'm going to date in Ohio. You want to come there? Australia, New Zealand. I'm doing a little international situation.

Listen, you're amazing. Fortune. You're so much fun. You're so much fun. Thank you. The podcast is awesome. I appreciate you having me on it. Oh, my God.

I appreciate you being here. You have a radio. show. I do a radio show. Plug it. Plug it. What a joke with Papa and Fortune. I'm like, what is the name of my radio show? Serious, right? No, yeah. It's on Sirius X-M for Netflix. Again, Fortune, you're a gem. I hope to come on here again. Really? And maybe I'll be not skinny, but not fat. Oh, okay. I thought you were serious. What's that? So you want to come on here again. I do want to come on. Okay. But right now, I'm just fat. I know. It's a dumb name you guys. I want to be not skinny but not fat. No, it's great because I always hear it and it sticks in your

It is. Because it's like, what is that fucking stupid name? Yeah, that is. See marketing people. You're smart. Get with it. Okay. Thanks, guys. Thank you guys so much for listening to this episode of Not Skinny but Not Fat. Follow me on Instagram at Not Skinny but Not Fat. Subscribe to the podcast. We don't miss any episodes. Rate the podcast that you love so much on Apple Podcast and write a little review. If you tell me you did, I'll give you a big virtual smoochero. Thank you guys so much for listening. you next Tuesday.