Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to LeeAnn Tooker. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

LeeAnn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

From as far back as I can remember, I wanted to be an entertainer. The outlet for that desire to perform has taken many shapes over the years. As a young girl, my primary focus was dance. There are photos somewhere of a 4-year-old little me with my Sesame Street umbrella, re-enacting “Singing in the Rain”. I danced through my childhood while adding in some cheerleading, some drama club, and a few singing lessons. I attended the Performing High School for dance and eventually got a BA in Theater from UT Dallas. By then I was ready to accept my role as movie star and I moved to Los Angeles to do just that; but once there, my outlet for creative expression would expand yet again to include stand up comedy. So, I have always known that I wanted a creative path, but what was once seen as a straight road has become a crazy 6-lane highway with detours and re-routes along the way.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have always loved stand-up comedy, I’d been told by various people along my journey that I should give it a try, and I even mentioned it in a private journal entry or two, but I had never taken action on the idea. It seemed like a lot of pressure. The idea of basically asserting that you will be funny (by just taking the stage) – ahead of actually making anyone laugh – seemed pretty risky. But at the coaxing of an acting teacher, I took a stand-up comedy class and was hooked the first time I got laughs.

Initially, stand-up comedy was just simply fun. I got to make people laugh, be my animated self, and get in front of a crowd. Now over a decade later, I can also say that it has been therapeutic for me. I feel like there is always some truth to a good joke and thus, I’ve looked at my life more honestly and have figured out some things about myself and my experiences along the way. I can sometimes be so focused on getting the laughs that I temporarily lose sight of the fact that stand-up can be therapeutic for the audience as well. Any obstacle is less daunting if we can laugh about it a little. So lately, I am being more mindful of the fact that comedy can be done in service of others. That is the best gift of this craft.

I’ve had some great adventures in comedy – there are many highlights to share. (I’m definitely more comfortable on stage, sharing my faults rather than sharing about my successes, but it’s important to recognize the wins too, and work on neutralizing the negative self-talk, and yada yada yada – you get where I’m going). That said, I performed in the largest touring stand-up comedy festival – the renowned Seattle International Comedy Competition and worked as audience warm-up for Adam Carolla´s The Car Show. I’ve performed with Lisa Sundstedt’s “Pretty Funny Women” and in Queen Aishah’s “Funny in Stilettos” – both great shows produced by very funny women. I had a fun 2-year role as on-air personality and assistant producer for Generation U Radio, a Hip-Hop based mixed format internet radio/television show.

I’ve had numerous comedic roles and I wrote and performed sketch comedy as a member of the sketch group, Basic Genius. Additionally, I was host & creator of LeeAnn Tooker is Not Crazy, a 50-episode podcast with comedian interviews. At the end of 2018, I put out my first comedy album, In the Room, which is available on iTunes, Amazon, and most major platforms. I co-authored & co-edited my first book, Madonna Fans Do It Better: a FANthology about the Queen of Pop, which was published in 2021 and is available on Amazon and Kindle.

This year, I had my Hollywood Fringe Festival debut, performing in Nina Child’s TV Land: The Live Immersive Show. The show was a great success, receiving a Producer’s Award with an extension of performance dates. The show’s producer is taking it to New York in 2024 and I am excited about it and looking forward to entertaining New York audiences.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the things that I initially found attractive about stand-up comedy is that it seemed like a solo endeavor. I have always been sort of hyper-independent after experiences that made me feel like I could depend on no one but myself. So, stand-up seemed ideal. And it is true that I am responsible for my performance – good or bad, but your performance is only part of the gig. In this industry, your relationships with others are equally as important. These are your co-workers and potentially future employers, in a sense. They can make your work harder or easier.. depending on your attitude. Haha. In comedy, I discovered a real community of people and friends that inspire me, lift me up, and keep me sane. It definitely takes more than just me.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

As much as my creative outlets have changed over the years, so has my drive behind them. A very young me was seeking stardom and at the core – validation. Now I look at life as more about collecting experiences rather than achieving some check list of accomplishments. My comedy and acting pursuits are a lot less about validation now and more about having cool, exciting, and moving experiences. We get one time on this roller coaster (in this body) and I think I should ride the hell out of it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://leeanntooker.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leeanntooker/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FunnyLeeAnnTooker
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeeAnnTooker
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/WestsideTooker
• Other: TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@leeanntooker ALBUM: https://leeanntooker.hearnow.com BOOK: https://tinyurl.com/Madonna-Fans-Do-It-Better