Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristi McHugh.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Just a small town girl …..livin’ in a lonely wo-orld. She took her ’73 duster to go ANYWHERE.
Well, that was pretty much true. Midwest girl seeks entertainment and excitement.
I was born in a midwest town of 400. Nine of which were my family. I was the youngest of seven, yes it took them seven times to get it right. My dad was a farmer and broke horses. The day I was born, he told my mom to “hold it” as he needed to finish baling hay before the rain. I blame him for my constant tardiness in life. My mom worked as a nurse’s aide at the hospital, so when I was born, with a slap on my bottom and a cry I got my first applause break as Dr. Kelly announced “Ann McHugh just had a baby girl” over the hospital’s intercom. How poetic …. a comedian’s pain gets the claps. My dad died when I was six, so my mom went to work full time, which left me to the hands of my siblings for much of my upbringing. Awesome.
When I was little, I ran away with a pack of oreos and two oranges. I thought my poor family suffered enough so I finally came back a day later with a big entrance – “Fine – I’m home!” They looked up and said – “we thought you were in the basement” Which would have been viable, but we had a crawl space…… Every child for his own at my house. It was a scramble to get that last piece of chicken at the dinner table, your own bed, and something to wear that wasn’t a hand-me-down from your brothers closet that mom bedazzled it to make it look girly. I was misunderstood and the mishaps that occurred were just me being the “spirited child” that I was. Ahem!
I was grounded in the third grade for making Suzy walk home from a slumber party. What? Simon says “Suzy walk home!” I was Simon. When I was a freshman I was suspended twice; once for spraying Pew Spray (fart spray) in Jimmy’s locker and once for misunderstanding what beverages were acceptable to consume before the Snoball dance. One night I pried my bedroom window with a butter knife and escaped to see my friend Debbie at Mankato State for the weekend. My mom was not amused and led to the sequel “Grounding Part Deux”. I was an accomplice to a school bus hijacking. Actually, we just drove it around the Burger King parking lot but the town cop/basketball coach/history teacher, Mr. Gruben let it slide. It’s amazing what ten bucks and a milkshake can do.
I moved to Omaha after high school and was slinging drinks at a hotel where the cast and crew of this guy “Alexander Payne” were staying. He was cool. I went to his table way too many unnecessary times to hear of the stories of this magical place called Hollywood. He liked that I was inspired to find new adventures beyond Mayberry and his accountant let me sublet from him in Hollywood. I was golden! I had 600 bucks in my pocket and I was off to LaLaLand! I quickly found a waitressing job when I learned I had to buy water. WTF LA?? I was guaranteed stardom in a week by some guy I met at a hotel on Sunset. I had to pay him 20 bucks and he would “be in contact”. I never heard from him again and his phone was disconnected, but I still have the receipt. I was determined to find my way and make things happen. I never let my mom know of my struggles. I had to move but had no rent money so I lived in my car. I remember it raining and there was a leak in the roof of my car. The water was dripping on my head and my mom called my cell asking how things were. I said “Great! we are finally getting rain!”
I was asked to do a 3-minute spot at the Icehouse with a friend from my acting class and thats how I got the bug. George Wallace and Richard Jeni saw my act and were very complimentary and told me to stick with it. I began waitressing there and was so fortunate to be around so much talent. I did a showcase before David Brenner went on stage. Whatever I had to show at that time should not have been put in any sort of case. But David was incredibly kind, gave me notes, was humble and what a fantastic act. He inspired me and encouraged me. I decided I had to do what every comedian did – pay the dues. I did horrible road gigs. Drove hours and hours for very little pay. I brought a tent to stay in on my night off because I couldn’t afford a hotel. Well, I did not realize how hard it was to put up a tent so I paid three boys in beer to put it up for me, then the park ranger came by to tell me the campground was on Bear Watch. Lovely. I hitchhiked up the Oregon coast to get to a gig once. The guy who picked me up looked like Santa Claus so I assumed it would be safe. hmmmm….. possibly die or get to the gig? I loved the stage, loved writing, loved immersing myself in new places and hearing peoples’ stories from all over and bringing them laughter. It was and is a thing of such passion for me.
I returned to LA and bought an amp and a microphone. I started my own show, branded “The Kristi Mc U Laff Show”. I brought it to a Philly Cheesteak joint, Venice bars where the homeless would heckle the comics, churches, hospitals, AA meetings…..wherever there was a stage – if you bring the jokes – they will come. I met rockstars, crashed my car, had my moral meter challenged more than once, acquired a fantastic eating disorder as a right of passage here in LA, was ruphied and nearly met my demise. I never did drugs – well except for the time I downed and entire bottle of those yummy orange flavored baby aspirin and my dad’s heart medicine when I was 2. I asked my mom if that was true – she said “There was seven of you! I couldn’t keep track of everything!”
I began doing more shows in LA, wrote a PSA for an AIDS foundation, was hired to do punch up on tv and movie scripts and continued to make some laughs around the country. Recently, I traveled to Europe to perform in London and Amsterdam and will be performing in NYC next month as well as my beloved Iowa.
I am also writing my own show for TV based on my act. I am co-producing a movie to be shot next fall in LA and am in the midst of writing a children’s book for adults – stay tuned!
Has it been a smooth road?
I was once told “You can have everything, just not all at once” Ain’t that the truth!
It is difficult to maintain any relationship when you travel so much. Doing what I love requires travel in my career. It weighs on interpersonal relationships and there are a lot of missed life events. Missed birthdays, holidays, and just regular life. It has been very difficult for someone to stick around.
There is the whole Freudian thing that a girl looks for in a mate what she saw in her father – well as I previously stated – my dad left……so I think I’ve met the one! #deardiary
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
What sets me apart from others and I think sets anyone apart from the pack is that no one has my story. No one has YOUR story. That uniqueness and the sum of your experiences brought to the stage no one else has. I am most proud of the tour I did with Rich Little. What a legend. What stories. What a moment of gratitude for “sticking with it”. That was one I called home about.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I live in Venice…. a very eclectic beach community part of LA. I love all the flavor, the I-can-be-whoever-I-want-be attitude. I love that I am 1/2 block from the ocean, that my dry cleaners know me by name, that this small community bans together for issues of importance and are actually heard and can and have made a difference in how we live over here. i.e. Snapchat has left the building ladies and gentlemen! I love that I can be in the mountains in 30 minutes and that each little area has its subculture.
I least like the guy who charged me 20 bucks in Hollywood and guaranteed my stardom when I was 22. I guess I should have specified a timeline on that.
Contact Info:
- Website: Kristimchugh.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @kristimchugh
- Facebook: KristiMcHugh
- Twitter: @Kristi_McHugh
- Yelp: funnyfunnygirlie
Image Credit:
Photo Credit Dan Peterson
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
