‘Chelsea Lately’ comedians doing stand-up at Suncoast

“Chelsea Lately” isn’t necessarily bigger than the other late-night talk shows, but Jen Kirkman gets to be on it more often.

“It brought me a regular audience,” the comedian says. Chelsea Handler’s TV panel “gives us a regular crowd on TV at least a few times a month. Do that for a few years and you end up with a little dedicated following.”

Kirkman is able to team up with other panelists to play venues larger than a comedy club, as she will do Saturday and Sunday at the Suncoast with Chris Franjola, Brad Wollack and Fortune Feimster.

Another nice serendipity: “The ‘Chelsea Lately’ fans want to know everything about you,” Kirkman says. No problem. As a stand-up, she has never been bashful when it comes to routines about masturbation or her weight issues.

“I find that that’s where you’re going to get a fan for life,” she says. “If you’re just talking about whatever’s going on in the world, there’s plenty of people doing that. If you’re talking about yourself and the people you’re talking to can relate, you can keep going until you’re 80.”

Kirkman’s latest revelations come April 16 with a book called “I Can Take Care of Myself: Tales From a Happy Life Without Kids.”

“It’s such a weird thing that makes people really upset,” she says of the choice to not reproduce. Still.

“I felt the same way: Aren’t we over this yet?”

But she discovered on the stand-up circuit — “even in Los Angeles where all the weird people are” — that people have strong reactions when she reveals this life choice. “Everybody would say the same 10 things, like everybody had a secret meeting.”

The four stand-ups will do their separate sets, but in some cities come out at the end for some banter and questions from the audience. But don’t expect a live version of the “Chelsea Lately” forum.

“I think that would be a little too much work,” she says with a laugh. “We all love doing stand-up. We write the show during the week, so to come up with a live version based on (current) events might be a lot of work.”

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@
reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.