Judy Tenuta
Answers OUT Spoken’s questions

Comedian Judy Tenuta, a long time advocate for the LGBT community, is headlining at "One Night Only: COMEDY TONIGHT" A benefit for the Richmond Ermet AIDS Foundation (REAF), happening June 11th Theatre 39 at Pier 39.

She does so because she worships her Butt-Pirates and Lesbetarian fans.
Because I love my Gaydars and Gaygirls, because they support the Goddess since I first started when I was a toddler five years ago. And also they’re just a great enthusiastic audience, so they’re a lot of fun.

So, you bill yourself as the most famous person that has ever lived. And if I don't believe you, just ask?
I’m omnipresent. Everywhere I go I get stopped, and people ask me to pay their rent.

Tenuta has many offbeat personas, "The Love Goddess", "Empress of Elvis Impersonators", and my favorite "the Aphrodite of the Accordion".
I use it more, I use it more to terrorize the audience, too punish them. It was my mom’s IUD, so it’s kind of a childhood thing. I popped out wearing it. It didn’t work very well, she had nine kids… can you believe it?

My parents are Polish and Italian, so I’m always taking out a hit on myself. With that kind of genetic background, you don’t have a choice. It’s like you have to play the accordion. I don’t know, I just thought it was normal. Everybody played an accordion, I thought.

Well I am Judy, and my religion is Judyism with a “Y”. And In my religion, only I get to whine. People forget about their own problems by thinking of mine for a change.

Tell me what was it like starring in your own HBO, Showtime and Lifetime specials?
What was funning was all the stuff going on backstage. All these bodyguards come up to me and I go, “What are you guys doing?” And they go, “ We don’t want you to touch Prince!” I go, “What are you friggin’ talking about, I don’t even see Prince!” And a few feet down, is this like, he looked like a human key chain with a purple guitar. That’s how small he is. Like I was even semi-interested.

Recently she was a special correspondent for and "Entertainment Tonight," where she conducted interviews with such celebrated public figures as Reverend Jesse Jackson and Donald Trump
Oh, I loved doing that. Yeah, I interviewed Donald Trump. He was telling me that I reminded him of Madonna. And I said, “Well thank you, except with clothes on, you know!” We love her, but she likes to take her clothes off, here and there.

Have you ever played a lesbian in real life?
 [Laughing] You know the closest I ever got to that was uh. I was doing a show in Seattle and all of a sudden this beautiful blonde takes my face in her hand and kisses me. And I have to say, it was pretty hot you know.

You, you like men
Yes, I do like male attention, but you know, hey now I am thinking. If I had a hot woman too that might not be so bad.

You for gay marriage?
Oh my God, I am so thrilled! Even though I’ll never get to get into Crate & Barrel again. I don’t care, I am so happy for my Lesbetarians!

Who should come see you perform at "One Night Only: COMEDY TONIGHT"?  Oh well, definitely my Studsicles and Lesbetarians should be there for sure. And you know, who ever else wants to worship the Goddess and be blessed for it. richmondermet.org