Photograph by Nicole Sepulveda
On July 17, local audiences will get to see Heather Shaw’s topical and unapologetically gay stand-up performances at the Commonwealth Comedy Club. No stranger to the Queen City as a current Louisville resident, Shaw is ready to connect to Cincy audiences with some observational humor, JD Vance jokes, and her famously uncanny resemblance to Jim Carrey.
We sat down with Shaw before she arrives in town to discuss her process, and the current strange state of the comedy world. You can buy tickets to her Commonwealth shows here.
You currently live in Louisville. Do you come to the Cincinnati area at all?
Yeah, sometimes. I haven’t performed in Cincinnati a lot, so I’m excited to! I do like downtown Cincinnati, it’s very cute.
You don’t shy away from expressing the sometimes lewd but very honest realities of being a gay woman in the world. Where did the courage and inspiration for that come from?
It’s probably from growing up. I really loved Kathy Griffin growing up, and she has always kind of subscribed to that like, say what your thoughts are, but hide it in comedy, so that it’s a softer blow. I really like that. A lot of times when I do make jokes about things, people are like, “You’re saying what I’m thinking,” so that feels, that feels good and cool.
With the rise of more conservative male-centered standup comedy, have you found your niche with audiences as a refreshing alternative?
Yeah, I think so. Even with the content online and stuff that I do, I’m delivering what’s going on the news, but with a funny tilt to it. I think people are attracted to the bluntness, but also with really fun jokes behind it, and just saying “I can get away with saying things too, because I’m just a little woman,” you know what I mean? People are less alienated or threatened by what I’m joking about, because if they’re macho dudes, they’re just like, “Oh, she’s just a little lady, it’s fine,”
You have a special out currently [Alright, See Ya!]. Will the shows at Commonwealth pull from that or is it different material?
It’s all new stuff. There’re maybe a few old jokes from the special, just to pad the time but I’m trying out building up a new hour, which I love. Because once the special is out, it’s kind of hacky to say the jokes you did on stage. Nobody wants to hear your joke twice—it’s not like music. I’ll talk about Cincinnati up front, so that’ll be fun.
What’s usually your process of coming up with material?
Lately it’s been topical jokes, things that are are going on. I may be talking about how I think Caitlin Clark is a closeted lesbian who’s angry, and that’s why she’s so upset all the time. Then there’s like things that are happening in my actual life like getting married in Kentucky, what that was like, being sober, being vegan, all the real obnoxious things, but I like to, make fun of them and make them funny.
So obviously another part of your comedy is your resemblance to Jim Carrey. I assume that’s been there your whole life.
Ever since I was eight years old and watched Ace Ventura. I’ve heard it my whole life. Everyone thinks I’m annoyed by it, but it’s like being called gay—I do not care. I’m desensitized.
Photograph by Nicole Sepulveda
You also host a podcast [Heather Shaw is Kidding], make TikToks, and make other content. What does your week look like doing all of that?
I mean, it’s content every day, it’s the podcast—I have a Patreon where I do a bonus episode of the podcast—it’s writing, I’m into Twitch streaming now, and then when I’m on the road, I’m just doing shows and traveling, so I’m a busy lady. I love it though, it’s everything I love to do, so no complaints.
Have you noticed a difference in the enthusiasm of different queer audiences in the smaller cities and places you perform versus bigger ones?
Yeah, it is really cool when you go to rural areas. There’s a city called Tyler, Texas I performed in. It’w a lot cooler when a queer person comes up to do a show and it’s like, “Thank you for coming here. We never get gay people, or I never hear jokes about gay topics.” Because most of the comics coming through are just straight people, straight white dudes. I like that a lot. In bigger cities, it’s like, yeah, whatever, but when you go to the smaller areas, they’re like, holy shit, this is crazy, because they don’t usually see it.
What are some of your favorite places you’ve performed?
Sacramento has a crazy energy, a really fun energy. Wisconsin I love because they’re professional drunks, so they know how to be a fun drunk audience. They’re not annoying, they don’t cry, they don’t yell, they’re just there to have fun. I like the Pacific Northwest because I like to make fun of them, and they accept it. They know who they are. It’s very fun to roast them, and they, they’re cool with it. Even Tampa, Florida, is really fun. Most cities I go to are fun, honestly. The crowds I bring out are great. Thank God.
You mentioned Kathy Griffin. Are there any current working, maybe even up-and-coming comedians that you’re a fan of?
Well, I love Jessica Kirson. I haven’t met her yet. I would love to meet her. She’s been working forever, she’s not up-and-coming, but that’s why I love her. I remember seeing her on Comedy Central Half Hour Presents when I was a teenager, and she popped off online. I really like her. Jordan Jensen’s great, you know, Steph Tolev. I love Ms. Pat. Matt Lopes is really funny, he’s a New York City guy. Yeah, there’s so many, but those are probably my faves.
How did your popular TikTok channel get started?
I was doing stand-up for like four or five years before TikTok, and then it was COVID, so I was really bored, and I just need something to do, because I wasn’t doing shows. I wasn’t going to do comedy on Zoom, I’m not that sad. So I just got on TikTok, and it was fun, and I just got into creating content and doing things that make me laugh, and it kind of just took off from there. It’s been awesome.
What would you say to people who think that stand-up is now just a boys club?
It’s like music. There’re so many different genres and there’s a niche for everybody, so you just gotta find what kind of comedy you like, because not every comedian is Tony Hinchcliffe—thank God—or else there would be no comedy. I mean, the most loud and successful ones right now are coming from that world, but there’s so many good comics out there, it’s really not even that hard to find. I mean, they’re all over social media.
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