Fortune Feimster
Comic Fortune Feimster talks about her journalism days to sold out shows
RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
rich@dallasvoice.com
Fortune Feimster has a lot of grace and a lot of patience. Particularly when it comes to a reporter who’s behind schedule due to technical difficulties with Zoom. I was a quarter-hour late to this interview, but the comedian was “all good” with the delay.
She gets it.
“I was a journalist for seven years — an entertainment journalist,” she said over the call. “I can definitely appreciate what you’re doing.”
Whew.
The lesbian comic, writer and actor is on the road for her Live, Laugh, Love Tour which stops in Dallas for two nights at the Majestic Feb. 23-24. She spoke with the Dallas Voice about being back on the road again, her journalistic past and her ho-hum Valentine’s celebration with her wife.
Dallas Voice: Thank you so much for your patience. Fortune Feimster: Not at all. I appreciate you interviewing me to help promote these shows. Hey, it takes a village.
You used to be on this end of the conversation as a journalist. Have you ever thought about how it feels to be on the other side now? It’s interesting. Like you’re doing, all I ever did was interviews. But I think I have this appreciation for it from this side. There’s this copasetic relationship between the media and me.
That was certainly my day job while I was pursuing my improv and comedy and acting things at night. That all allowed me to be adjacent to it and learn about the industry.
Did you find those writing skills seep over into your comedy writing? It did. I was never in a writers room but when I went to write full time for Chelsea Lately, the job was helpful. I interviewed actors and comedians and talked about pop culture, so that helped me understand that world a lot better to write that into a comedy show that was about celebrities and pop culture.
There’s also your radio show on Sirius XM on Netflix’s What A Joke with Papa and Fortune radio show and your podcast Sincerely Fortune with your wife. It’s like you’re still a journalist. For seven years I talked to people on the phone like this right now. Now, I get to bring back those skills to interview people for my shows. It’s definitely a full-circle kinda thing.
We should probably talk about the tour. Is it similar to the Netflix special Good Fortune that came out in October? No. This whole tour is new material. There’s nothing from the Netflix special in this show. It looks at where I am in life. You know, when it came to Good Fortune and leading up to this tour, I learned that people respond to my storytelling or these longer jokes. I sat down with that and put this show together.
People clearly are responding because this tour has already been successful. It’s selling really well. The Friday night show in Dallas has already sold out. So people better get their tickets for Thursday fast.
Duly noted. Last question: How was your Valentine’s Day with your wife? Well, with seven-and-a-half years being together, it’s just like any other day. We’re low-key. I’m like “Should I buy a present?” As a married lesbian, we just share our feelings and talk a lot — maybe try to do dinner.
For tickets, visit Ticketmaster.com.
