We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amanda French. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amanda below.

Alright, Amanda thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I do sometimes wonder about the benefits of starting my standup career sooner. I first got on stage in 2020 and started a comedy class just as Covid shut everything down. That was a real challenge because I was so ready to get out there. I never had the experience of doing comedy pre-Covid. I was in my upper 40s when I started and sometimes wonder if that holds me back, but one benefit about being older is that I have a lot of life experience to draw from for my comedy. With that in mind, I try not to focus too much on what might have been if I started earlier.

Amanda , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a wife, dog mom, writer, Bible study teacher, anti-human trafficking advocate and comedian. I started my comedy journey as a way to help me be more comfortable in public speaking so that I could effectively do presentations about the evils of human trafficking. The first time that I got on stage to try some standup comedy, I was thoroughly hooked. It felt like home right away. I perform comedy in a variety of places such as clubs, churches, coffee bars and wineries. I think the world can be such a dark place that we need that comedy escape. I love doing comedy for a cause and I am proud to be able to be a part of helping do fundraising in a fun way. I get to support causes I believe in by being on stage and making people laugh.
I think what sets me apart from others is my life experiences. I think I can surprise people. No one in my life would expect me to be a standup comedian. Only people who really take time to know me, can see my sense of humor when I’m not on stage. My comedy is personal and drawn from my life.
I am proud that I have worked hard chasing my comedy dreams. There’s so much rejection and it’s so hard to not compare where I am to where my peers are and not get discouraged. I persevere even when I don’t always feel respected or seen.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

At the end of 2022, I broke my ankle. This was just two days before a big show that I was determined not to miss. I waited until after the show to go to any doctor who would tell me not to drive. It was my driving foot and that made it all the more painful. My husband was out of town and I lived pretty far away from the event so it was on me to drive myself there. I made it to the show and got through my set. I felt like I did a good job and was so happy I did not miss it. After the show, I did go to the doctors and I took a little time off to recover. But as soon I was able, I did my best to get back out on the circuit. Driving remained difficult, but I did not want to lose all my momentum on my comedy journey, so I persevered.
I broke my ankle again just a few months after the initial break and found out that I had a torn tendon. I spent all of 2023 working on recovery, but still continuing to pursue my comedy. Even now, I am not 100 percent, but my love of comedy pushes me through.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

One goal that drives my comedy journey is to always work to be better. I want to write better jokes and give better performances. I desire that connection with my audience and proving that I belong up on that stage.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://amandafrenchcomedy.net
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/amandafrenchcomedy
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/amandafrenchcomedy

Image Credits
Comedian Dani Bee Tyler Vornberg