Jeanette Rizzi On Turning Tragedy Into Stand Up, Interview of a Comedienne
Send us Fan Mail Jeanette Rizzi didn’t take the “safe” path into stand-up comedy. She talked her way into moving for law school, then immediately started chasing stage time and never looked back. That tension between stability and the pull of the mic runs through everything we talk about, especially what it’s like to come up in the Los Angeles comedy scene where crowds can feel tougher, more jaded, and harder to impress. We also get into the kind of material you can’t fake. Jeanette shares the story behind her one-woman show Blindsided, including growing up with a mother who was a nun and a father who was a Franciscan monk, and how real grief shaped her voice. We talk about why bombing is part of the job, how repetition sharpens timing, and how comedians learn to turn pain into something an audience can hold. Her work doesn’t stop at laughs either: she’s helped raise over $150,000 for mental health, proving comedy can be both cathartic and practical. Then we go full craft mode: comedy competitions, festivals, what “taboo” words do to a room, and what she learned from icons like Bob Saget and Sinbad. We also talk about rewriting life onstage after marriage, motherhood, and raising biracial twins, plus her annual fundraiser for the Children’s Tumor Foundation connected to neurofibromatosis NF1. Stick around to hear a sample of Jeanette’s stand-up at the end. Subscribe for more interviews and sets, share this with a friend who loves stand-up, and leave a review. What’s the hardest room you’ve ever tried to win? Hosted by: R. Scott Edwards Offer to those listeners interested in standup comedy to get a FREE book I wrote to help people get started. Support the show www.StandupComedyPodcastNetwork.com Website....check it out, podcast, jokes, blogs, and More! "NEW" Video Podcast: Tag Team Talent Podcast on Spotify & YouTube Interested in Standup Comedy? Check out my books on Amazon and the "BookBaby" Book Store for Discounted copies! "20 Questions Answered about Being a Standup Comic" "Be a Standup Comic...or just look like one"
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