the way I ended up on this path was from a very tragic event I was uh
a very tragic event I was uh
a very tragic event I was uh I may be 19 and my girlfriend at the
I may be 19 and my girlfriend at the
I may be 19 and my girlfriend at the time was killed in a car accident and I
time was killed in a car accident and I
time was killed in a car accident and I passed the accident and I didn’t know it
passed the accident and I didn’t know it
passed the accident and I didn’t know it was her and I kept going and I found out
was her and I kept going and I found out
was her and I kept going and I found out shortly after that I was hurt and I was
shortly after that I was hurt and I was
shortly after that I was hurt and I was living in a basement apartment I had no
living in a basement apartment I had no
living in a basement apartment I had no money I had no heat nowhere I had a
money I had no heat nowhere I had a
money I had no heat nowhere I had a mattress on the floor and the apartment
mattress on the floor and the apartment
mattress on the floor and the apartment was infested with fleas and I was soul
was infested with fleas and I was soul
was infested with fleas and I was soul searching I was like why is she suddenly
searching I was like why is she suddenly
searching I was like why is she suddenly gone and there are fleas here I don’t
gone and there are fleas here I don’t
gone and there are fleas here I don’t understand there must be a purpose and
understand there must be a purpose and
understand there must be a purpose and wouldn’t it be so convenient if we could
wouldn’t it be so convenient if we could
wouldn’t it be so convenient if we could just pick up the phone and call God and
just pick up the phone and call God and
just pick up the phone and call God and ask these questions and I started
ask these questions and I started
ask these questions and I started writing and what poured out of me was an
writing and what poured out of me was an
writing and what poured out of me was an imaginary conversation with God which
imaginary conversation with God which
imaginary conversation with God which was one-sided and I finished writing it
was one-sided and I finished writing it
was one-sided and I finished writing it and I looked at it and I said to myself
and I looked at it and I said to myself
and I looked at it and I said to myself and I hadn’t even been doing stand-up
and I hadn’t even been doing stand-up
and I hadn’t even been doing stand-up ever there was no Club in town I said
ever there was no Club in town I said
ever there was no Club in town I said I’m gonna do this on The Tonight Show
I’m gonna do this on The Tonight Show
I’m gonna do this on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson at the time he was
with Johnny Carson at the time he was
with Johnny Carson at the time he was the king and I’m gonna be the first
the king and I’m gonna be the first
the king and I’m gonna be the first woman in the history of the show to be
woman in the history of the show to be
woman in the history of the show to be called over to sit down and several
called over to sit down and several
called over to sit down and several years later I was the first woman in the
years later I was the first woman in the
years later I was the first woman in the history of the show and only woman has
history of the show and only woman has
history of the show and only woman has really showed to sit down because of
really showed to sit down because of
really showed to sit down because of that phone conversation with God that I
that phone conversation with God that I
that phone conversation with God that I wrote
wrote
wrote I started this path of stand-up and it
I started this path of stand-up and it
I started this path of stand-up and it was successful and it was great but it
was successful and it was great but it
was successful and it was great but it was hard because I was trying to please
was hard because I was trying to please
was hard because I was trying to please everybody and I had this secret that I
everybody and I had this secret that I
everybody and I had this secret that I was keeping that I was gay and I thought
was keeping that I was gay and I thought
was keeping that I was gay and I thought if people found out they wouldn’t like
if people found out they wouldn’t like
if people found out they wouldn’t like me they wouldn’t laugh at me
me they wouldn’t laugh at me
me they wouldn’t laugh at me then my career turned into I got my own
then my career turned into I got my own
then my career turned into I got my own sitcom and that was very successful
sitcom and that was very successful
sitcom and that was very successful another level of success and I thought
another level of success and I thought
another level of success and I thought what if they find out I’m gay then
what if they find out I’m gay then
what if they find out I’m gay then they’ll never watch and I finally
they’ll never watch and I finally
they’ll never watch and I finally decided that I was living with so much
decided that I was living with so much
decided that I was living with so much shame and so much fear that I just
shame and so much fear that I just
shame and so much fear that I just couldn’t live that way anymore and I
couldn’t live that way anymore and I
couldn’t live that way anymore and I decided to come out and make it creative
decided to come out and make it creative
decided to come out and make it creative and my character would come out at the
and my character would come out at the
and my character would come out at the same time and it wasn’t to make a
same time and it wasn’t to make a
same time and it wasn’t to make a political statement it wasn’t to do
political statement it wasn’t to do
political statement it wasn’t to do anything other than to free myself up
anything other than to free myself up
anything other than to free myself up from this heaviness that I was carrying
from this heaviness that I was carrying
from this heaviness that I was carrying around I just wanted to be honest and I
around I just wanted to be honest and I
around I just wanted to be honest and I thought what’s the worst that can happen
thought what’s the worst that can happen
thought what’s the worst that can happen I can lose my career I did I lost my
I can lose my career I did I lost my
I can lose my career I did I lost my career I got the show was cancelled
career I got the show was cancelled
career I got the show was cancelled after six years without even telling me
after six years without even telling me
after six years without even telling me I read in the paper
the phone didn’t ring for three years I
the phone didn’t ring for three years I had no offers nobody wanted to touch me
had no offers nobody wanted to touch me
had no offers nobody wanted to touch me at all and yet I was getting letters
at all and yet I was getting letters
at all and yet I was getting letters from kids that almost committed suicide
from kids that almost committed suicide
from kids that almost committed suicide but didn’t because of what I did and I
but didn’t because of what I did and I
but didn’t because of what I did and I realized that I had a purpose and it
realized that I had a purpose and it
realized that I had a purpose and it wasn’t just about me and it wasn’t about
wasn’t just about me and it wasn’t about
wasn’t just about me and it wasn’t about celebrity but I felt like I was being
celebrity but I felt like I was being
celebrity but I felt like I was being punished and it was a bad time I was
punished and it was a bad time I was
punished and it was a bad time I was angry I was sad and then I was offered a
angry I was sad and then I was offered a
angry I was sad and then I was offered a talk show and the people that offered me
talk show and the people that offered me
talk show and the people that offered me the talk show tried to sell it and most
the talk show tried to sell it and most
the talk show tried to sell it and most stations didn’t want to pick it up most
stations didn’t want to pick it up most
stations didn’t want to pick it up most people didn’t want to buy it because
people didn’t want to buy it because
people didn’t want to buy it because they thought nobody would watch me and
really when I look back on it I wouldn’t
really when I look back on it I wouldn’t change a thing I mean it was so
change a thing I mean it was so
change a thing I mean it was so importantly for me to lose everything
importantly for me to lose everything
importantly for me to lose everything because I found out what what the most
because I found out what what the most
because I found out what what the most important thing is is to be true to
important thing is is to be true to
important thing is is to be true to yourself and ultimately that’s that’s
yourself and ultimately that’s that’s
yourself and ultimately that’s that’s what’s gotten me to this place I don’t
what’s gotten me to this place I don’t
what’s gotten me to this place I don’t live in fear I’m free I have no secrets
live in fear I’m free I have no secrets
live in fear I’m free I have no secrets and I know I’ll always be okay because
and I know I’ll always be okay because
and I know I’ll always be okay because no matter what I Know Who I am so in
no matter what I Know Who I am so in
no matter what I Know Who I am so in conclusion when I was younger I thought
conclusion when I was younger I thought
conclusion when I was younger I thought success was something different I
success was something different I
success was something different I thought when I grow up I want to be
thought when I grow up I want to be
thought when I grow up I want to be famous but my idea success is different
famous but my idea success is different
famous but my idea success is different today and as you grow you’ll realize
today and as you grow you’ll realize
today and as you grow you’ll realize definition of success changes for me the
definition of success changes for me the
definition of success changes for me the most important thing in your life is to
most important thing in your life is to
most important thing in your life is to live your life with integrity and not to
live your life with integrity and not to
live your life with integrity and not to give in to peer pressure to try to be
give in to peer pressure to try to be
give in to peer pressure to try to be something that you’re not to live your
something that you’re not to live your
something that you’re not to live your life as an honest and compassionate
life as an honest and compassionate
life as an honest and compassionate person to contribute in some way
person to contribute in some way
person to contribute in some way follow your passion stay true to
follow your passion stay true to
follow your passion stay true to yourself never follow someone else’s
yourself never follow someone else’s
yourself never follow someone else’s path unless you’re in the woods and your
path unless you’re in the woods and your
path unless you’re in the woods and your loss and you see a path and by all means
loss and you see a path and by all means
loss and you see a path and by all means you should follow that
you should follow that
you should follow that you
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