Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Hale.
Samantha, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I come from a family of actors and always thought thats what I was supposed to do. I pursued acting for years until one day a friend of mine invited me to the Laugh Factory to go see “The Women of Chelsea Lately.” It was Natasha Leggero, Sarah Colonna, Jen Kirkman and all of the awesome women who were regulars on that show. I remember watching them and being so impressed. They had opinions. They were empowered. They knew who they were. I wanted that.
Soon after that, I found out about Pretty, Funny Women from Natasha. Its a stand-up comedy class for women. I signed up, and have been doing stand up ever since. Lisa Sundstedt, the creator of PFW changed my life. I still work with her eight years later, and now have the privilege of teaching some of her classes for her.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I am a big believer that comedy is tragedy plus time. As a writer, I like to tackle dark subjects and try to find the funny in it, so that I can heal. So when it comes to writing my set, I write about what upsets me. I mean I write about pop culture, and funny dating stories as well, but that’s not what defines me as an artist. I have just recently started giving that quite a bit of thought.
What do I want to say? What really matters enough to talk about? Well, I just recently lost my mom to cancer, and I still tear up just writing that. Seeing those words. Mom. Cancer. Lost. But I started writing about it.
At first, it was because I just needed to get it out, and writing jokes or making fun of the situation seemed easier than actually talking about it. My mom was funny up until her last day in the hospital, so I started writing down what she would say. I told her I was gonna use it. She always loved being part of my set. The more I got onstage and talked about her, even after she passed, the more I was able to accept it was real. It made me happy to honor her memory, and talk about how amazing she was to a room full of people who now get to know who she was.
There was one night I was particularly emotional because right before going to my show, my aunt dropped off my mom’s jewelry box to me. I didn’t realize how affected I was by it until I got on stage. I was in the middle of a joke about Gilligan’s Island, and I started thinking about family. Then I thought about her. Then I had a bit of a meltdown. On stage. In a room full of people. But I told them the truth. And they could not have been more supportive.
I felt so safe, and a woman came up to me after the show and said she lost her mother to cancer as well, and that hearing my set was so helpful to her. She called me brave, and I thought “I guess I am.” It was that night that I realized my story might be able to help people. She inspired me to get real and get honest in my work. I mean as fun as it is to make fun of Kim Kardashian, I just realized I can do better.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I was born and raised in Los Angeles, following in the comedic footsteps of my grandfather, Alan Hale Jr., best known as The Skipper from Gilligan’s Island.
I like to push boundaries with my material, and was recently listed on BuzzFeed.com as a “Comedian To Follow.” I host and produce a weekly show “Ruthless People” in West Hollywood was featured on “Laughs” on FOX and Hulu and I’m the Co-Host of “The Pandora Boxx Show” on iHeart Radio.
I have also become a fixture in the drag community, working with many of the girls from RuPaul’s Drag Race, opening for such performers as Chad Michaels and Mayhem Miller. I am a writer for Latrice Royale and Vanessa Vanjie Mateo on The “Hater’s Roast Tour,” and recently toured Australia with BenDeLaCreme.
I have been featured at The Laughing Skull Festival in Atlanta, and I’m a regular on The Laugh Factory’s “Rainbow Pop.”
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Being at a party at my grandpa’s house in Hollywood when I was May 5 or 6. I remember running around the pool and having the best time and running into this 6 foot, looming beast of a man. And he said, “Hey no running around the pool little girl.” He was terrifying. He was also Bea Arthur.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.samanthahale.com
- Instagram: @thesamanthahale
- Twitter: @thesamanthahale
Image Credit:
Brett Saari and Toby
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