Fast 5 with comedian Jessica Inserra

Jessica Inserra lesbian comedyWhich celebrity would render you totally star struck if you were to meet him/her?
Anyone who knows me knows I have been obsessed with Doris Day since I was a little girl. I used to write her fan letters every week during childhood. When I turned 18, I traveled to her hometown of Carmel California and spent an entire day waiting outside her grocery store in hopes of getting a glimpse of her. My lifelong dream of meeting her finally came true a few years ago when she made a surprise appearance at a benefit held in honor of her 90th birthday. When she walked in the room unexpectedly, the crowd (comprised of lifelong fans like me) erupted. I stood on my chair, screamed, hyperventilated, and tried not to pass out. You would think the cast of the L-Word had shown up, not a tiny, grey haired, elderly woman in need of a walker.

What would be your best piece of relationship advice?
My two favorite sentiments expressed about love are, “Love is the condition when someone else’s happiness is more important than your own.” And “In a good relationship, both people should feel like they got the better deal.” Those are my litmus tests for whether I’m with the right person. Luckily, I feel both are true for me and my partner.

If you could wake up tomorrow with one talent or skill you don’t presently have, what would you want that to be?
I’ve always wanted to finish my studies in French which I, regrettably, abandoned in college. This way, if comedy doesn’t work out in the states, I could move to France and become the lesbian Jerry Lewis.

Do you have any phobias? (please enumerate with embarrassing details)
The woman I’m dating was straight up until she met me. So, I’m a bit phobic about our strap-on. I want her to like it, but I don’t want her to like it TOO much. One time we were using it and she was getting really into it; Her dirty talk got so graphic that it actually made me paranoid. I stopped abruptly and was like, “You DO realize this isn’t a real penis right?!” After that, I couldn’t continue because I totally lost my erection.

Name five people, living or dead, who you would love to have at a dinner party.
That would have to be an eclectic group of my all-time favorite powerhouse female performers: Doris Day, Judy Garland, Sandra Bernhard, Emma Thompson, and my longtime teacher and mentor, Broadway legend Betty Buckley. The most important question is, what would I wear?!? I would need to find the right look that said, “I’m obsessed with you, but not a stalker.”

Jessica Inserra is an LA-based stand-up comedian whose irreverent humor explores, among other things, themes from her life as a gay woman growing up in a colorful New York Italian family. Jessica recently commemorated 25 years of being out, having burst through the closet doors at the tender age of 14. Now she can be seen performing her unique brand of brash, edgy comedy at The Comedy Store, as well as other venues in and around Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Seattle. Originally from New York City, Jessica is a classically trained actress and singer who began her creative education as a child in Manhattan’s Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre. She went on to attended Laguardia High School for Performing Arts, and continued her training at prestigious arts institutions such as Stella Adler, T. Schreiber Studio, and The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She is currently working on her own one hour stand-up special entitled, Jessica Inserra, Pretty Gay.

Jessica will be appearing live at The World Famous Comedy Store this coming Friday, March 8th at 7PM. For more information on Jessica’s future performances, follow her on Instagram @jessinserra

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