FORTUNE FEIMSTER – Comedian | Actor | Writer
THERE’S FUNNY, THEN THERE’S FUNNY AF. FORTUNE FEIMSTER IS THE LATTER. WITH HER NONCHALANT STYLE AND HER WELL-CRAFTED STORYTELLING, HER COMEDY IS ACCESSIBLE TO ALL AUDIENCES – LGBTQ AND BEYOND. As a lesbian, she just merely tells it like it is and doesn’t anchor her routines on her sexuality, it’s merely part of the whole story.
She might have made her television debut on NBC’s Last Coming Standing, but her real introduction to the world was being presented to society at the Gastonia Debutante Ball in North Carolina as a teen. Many of her stand-up stories talk about her North Carolina upbringing, her mother, and her growing pains as a kid who did not quite fit the norms around her. Destined to become an audience favorite, she was elected student body president and was the student speaker at her commencement at Peace College, an all-women university at the time. Another speaker at that commencement was actress Emily Procter, whom Fortune moved to Los Angeles to work for as a personal assistant. After meeting one of Emily’s neighbors who was in the journalism industry, Fortune started a seven-year stint as an entertainment journalist. During that time she started studying at The Groundlings, it was that first year with The Groundlings that she came out. And the rest is herstory.
Photo by Kathy Hutchins
Honing her career for over two decades, where hasn’t she popped up? Her down-to-earth atti-tude and support of others in the industry have seen her guest anywhere from smaller podcasts to A-list movies. She first hit widespread popularity with her writing and panelist time for E!’s Chelsea Lately, holding her own against the biting humor of Chelsea herself. From there, her television appearances have run the gamut on shows that include The Mindy Project, Glee, Nora from Queens, 2 Broke Girls, RuPaul’s Drag Race, The L Word: Generation Q, Tales of the City, Life in Pieces, and even The Simpsons. This season she appears alongside an impressive list of actors for HBO Max’s Velma, based on the Scooby-Doo franchise and produced by Mindy Kaling. In film, she’s appeared in Pixar’s Soul, Office Christ-mas Party, and of course, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar. Sometimes her sexuality plays a part in her characters, sometimes they don’t. She’s collabo-rated with Tina Fey, struck deals with Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment, and even Arnold Schwarzenegger – look for their upcoming action, yes action, film.
Are you a successful comedian if you don’t have a comedy special on TV? Her first Netflix special, Sweet & Salty, was nominated for a Critics Choice Award. Her follow-up special Good Fortune is equally hilarious and where the first show covered her Southern life, her latest show deals with her love life and marriage proposal, her level of “butchness,” and being judged by her looks. Again, presented without the pomp and circumstance of an activist’s platform, but still getting her message across and representing our community with flair.
Her wedding to kindergarten teacher Jax was covered exclusively for People magazine. Their wedding was down to earth, just like Fortune, and she optimistically told the magazine, “hopefully marriage equality is here to stay.”
Even though extremely busy, she never forgets her roots of stand up and her tours around the nation continue to sell out. She somehow finds the time to cohost Sirius XM’s and Netflix’ What A Joke with Papa and Fortune radio show with Tom Papa and a weekly podcast with her wife called Sincerely Fortune.
Well, we sincerely love Fortune. Thanks for the laughs, and thanks for the positive representation.
Last modified: February 8, 2023
