Michigan’s Cruise Magazine January 9, 2001

JASON STUART: Back by Popular Demand!
As if one chance isn't enough, openly gay actor/comic Jason Stuart is scheduled for a return visit to Michigan in the very near future. For those of you who remember Stuart's comedy set at last years Affirmations Gay and Lesbian Comedy Fest, this star climbing funny man is not only appearing at Joey's Comedy Club in Dearborn but also can be seen in a guest starring role on the hit sitcom "My Wife & Kids" playing a gay shrink.

The show set to air on January 16 is starring Damon Wayans (In Living Color) and Tisha Cambell-Martin (Martin), who play Michael and Janet Kyle. His character "Dr. Steven Michael Thomas" is in a long-term relationship with an actor who works in musical theatre (surprise, surprise). Stuart remarks about his new role, "gay guy, playing gay guy on TV. Wow, something new and so cool." The rumor mill says that the reaction to his role was so positive that there is mucho talk of the part recurring this season.

While keeping pace with his TV appearances and touring show Stuart'.s new comedy CD, "Gay Comecly Without A Dress" has sold 10,000 copies. Stuart is thrilled at the CD's success. On stage he quips, "I always wanted to play doctor like the other kids, they always made me be the receptionist."

This comic has been touring the USA for the past 8 years after coming out on one of the daytime talkers. Breaking down stereotypes of "gay comics" by headlining mainstream comedy clubs and theatres to mostly sell out crowds. Stuart says "It's been a long road but fans make it worth it." This is what he calls "After Ellen," who Stuart credits making it all possible. Years before industry types would comment "Talented, but what do we do with him." What's it like for a gay performer up against all these odds selling all these CDs? Who will take notice that the public wants to see a gay man who's not drop dead gorgeous and break the glass ceiling for gay male performers. Can Hollywood change with the rest of the country? That is the question Stuart is waiting to see.

In terms of the industry Stuart has been cast in eight guest shots in the last two years including The Drew Carey Show, Charmed, Providence, Norm, Three Sisters; and Will & Grace. And three indie films Ghost Of A Chance with Scott Bakula, Dawg with Elizabeth Hurley and Dennis Leary. He's making his dramatic debut in film Southern Man, which is out on Vanguard home video. Always asked the question, are the characters gay? "My characters don't have enough time for a sexual preference".

Stuart wid be appearing at Joey's Comedy Castle for 6 performances from January 17-20 2002.
For tickets and more info caQ313-584-8885.
Photo: Stuart on the set of Will Grace with actor Sean Hayes.

San Diego’s Buzz Magazine November 15-28, 2001

Start spreading the news! Funnyman Jason Stuart is coming to town, and with his current show Comedy Without a Dress, he is sure to ‘drag’ the laughs out of you.

However, before he arrives, we had to dial up and talk to this gay comedian, actor, producer and Jewish native New Yorker about his career, his plans for the future and his views on gays in the media. Ever vigilant in promoting his talents, from the moment he came out on national TV on the Geraldo show in 1993, Jason has been staying in front of the cameras demonstrating that gay talent is out there and ready for any role.

Jason has appeared in top shows like Will and Grace, Providence, Drew Carey Show and Charmed. He is motivated to be the quintessential role model for gay talent and readily admits it is not easy.

“They always place a straight actor to play a gay character,” says Jason. The entertainment industry is scared to have a gay entertainer in charge.

With talent like Jason’s, media moguls should take note; he is quite adept at making his own opportunities. Case in point: Jason is now promoting his debut movie, 10 Attitudes, a realisitic romantic comedy performed by gay actors and without the usual Hollywood gay stereotypes. He is driven to create opportunities for gay talent that would otherwise be passed over by mainstream media.
But he is no stranger to Hollywood having appeared in films like Vegas Vacation with Chevy Chase, Kindergarten Cop with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and HBO’s movie Gia with Angelina Jolie.

With a never ending passion for his first love - stand up comedy - Jason takes no breaks in his career. He travels all around the nation giving audience after audience a glimpse into this gay man’s perspective of life. Never uttering apologies, Jason dishes and interacts with his audiences, often making them part of his jokes.

What exactly is so funny about Jason’s comedy? For one, he excels at discussing his own dysfunctional family as though every member of the audience was his best friend. How many of us can do that, especially in public?

Jason’s funny commentary has been captured in a CD, titled Gay Comedy Without a Dress. He takes punches at everything - Disney’s overly commercialized views of love, celebrity dish, porno awards, to exploiting dysfunctional gay families. The CD was recorded during a live show at Minnesota’s Acme Comedy Club.

As we approached this subject, Jason screamed out “you better mention my web page!” That’s because if you want the CD - and trust me you want it - you need to log on to www.jasonstuart.com, the only place you can get it. Proceeds from your purchase go directly to Jason Stuart Retirement Fund, he says.

After all the funny businesses, we got down to some serious questions. We asked Jason to define the significance of gay’s ‘coming out’ of the closet.

“When you come out you’re not only do it for yourself, you’re doing it for me and I’m doing it for you. We are all united.”
Jason also gave this impression about why gay people are important to society, “A gay in a family is a gift from God,” he says. “They teach family and friends to become better people... to step up to the plate.”

Jason strives to be a force for the gay community in the media. Jason feels that Hollywood has a long way to go before gay talent is accepted, valued, and promoted - particularly into leading roles. Nevertheless, activists like Jason are laying the groundwork for the up and coming out talent of the future.

With a never-ending work schedule, when does Jason have a chance for love or romance? He answered,“ Well, I’m looking for a smart, funny, sexy, out and good person.” He made it clear that one of the most important things at this stage of his life is falling in love. “It’s hard to find someone my age that is spiritual and mentally mature.” Need help with this translation? Strike while the fire is hot - never put off to tomorrow - Jason is available now.

All this talk about romance offered a suitable transition to ask if all of his dreams have been reached. (too cliché?). “Not yet,” he admits. “I want a wonderful role and the opportunity to have a creative connection with the director. I want to produce, act, love, be a good person, have fun and play.”

Scheduled to appear at La Jolla’s Comedy Store Nov. 16 and 17, we asked him about San Diego, and he happily replied, “It’s a great city, great place to vacation. I have great memories and feel just at home.”

So came the end of a great hour together. Before Jason went back to his busy life, he had one last thing to say: “Dont forget to mention my web page and my CD.” He laughs.

It was a wonderful hour with a very funny man who is never at a loss for words and clearly the master of his own destiny. I can’t think of a better tribute to the spirit of this gay activist and entrepeneur than to show up at the Comedy Store and let him put you center stage.

Instinct Magazine September 2001 issue

July 5, 2001

Stuart tests the comic waters in town

It’s only natural that Jason Stuart, the first openly gay comedian to headline in Las Vegas, would land a summer gig in Provincetown. A crazy, affable and sensitive New Yorker, now living in Los Angeles, this seasoned comic could very well be on the verge of a fulltime acting career to rival his 20 years of high energy in standup comedy.

'I saw Siegfried and Roy in Vegas,' quips Stuart. 'I spent $150 bucks to see their show and all I saw was these big white tigers and cod pieces ... I could walk down Commercial Street and see that for free!' This image is followed by Stuart’s revelation that 'There are 10 guys in Provincetown, and they have all the jobs. They’re like Sam Drucker in ‘Petticoat Junction’' (who ran the local general store and held about a dozen other jobs and public service positions).

Stuart has wasted no time developing Provincetown standup material around various trials he’s faced during his two short weeks in town. He relates incredulously about sharing a '$9,000 11-week rental closet with another performer,' and shares his compulsory experience with registering as a 'Solicitor' with Provincetown officials in order to legally distribute show flyers on Commercial Street. The outgoing, flirtatious and borderline crass Stuart admits he had apprehension around the 'Provincetown tradition' of hawking flyers by day to attract audiences by night. If my 30 minutes with Stuart on Commercial Street was any indication, he is well over any such anxiety as he shouts out to unsuspecting tourists in Whaler’s Wharf, 'Hey you, gay guys, take my flyer. See my show tonight.' Bewildered and taken aback, some tourists ignore Stuart entirely, while he ekes a smile and interest from others, and meets a few townies along the way.

On stage during his show, his delivery is not for the slow-paced or hypersensitive. He ridicules unsuspecting audience members, gay and straight, with a fiery speed only a native New Yorker could master. Sometimes mocking, sometimes scathing, Stuart strives to keep his audience laughing constantly throughout his hour-long show. A scrappy comedic survivor, he is quick and prone to self-deprecation if a line flops but nonetheless forgiving of himself, moving on to another one-liner or sharp, insightful commentary, drawing on his 38 years of wisdom. There is plenty of time for interaction by bolder audience members in an open Q&A session that rounds out Stuart’s nightly shtick. This improvisational and playful forum is a chance to challenge and banter with this quick-witted fast talker.

Stuart’s comedy runs the gay gamut from politics ('if they let us marry each other, we’ll stop marrying you') to sex ('I read in the paper the other that day one percent of the country is gay. If that’s true, I’ve slept with everyone!') to colorful family snapshots of his divorced parents, mom Gloria and father Lenny, who remarried a much younger woman ­ 'a 12-year-old'!

A self-described actor and comedian, Stuart has lately become one of the top openly gay performers leading him to some of the country’s best comedy clubs ­The Comedy Store and Improv to name just a couple. His colorful career has brought him acclaim through hard work and high-profile performances like Comedy Central's 'Out There in Hollywood.' As an actor he’s appeared in big studio comedies such as 'Vegas Vacation,' and 'Kindergarten Cop.' Last year he completed the Disney comedy 'Ghost of a Chance' opposite Scott Bakula, and the Indie film 'Dawg' with Dennis Leary and Elizabeth Hurley. His manic TV acting resume included a role in the HBO film 'Gia' with Angelina Jolie and guest roles (gay and straight) on 'The Drew Carey Show,' 'Norm,' 'Three Sisters,' 'Providence' and 'Will & Grace.'

This summer Stuart awaits the release of '10 Attitudes,' his first starring role directed by good friend and Emmy-winner Michael Gallant. The film, a romantic gay comedy about looking for love in the new millennium, features Stuart in the lead with many of his personal friends sharing the limelight ­ Alexandra Paul (Bay Watch), Judy Tenuta 'multi-media Bondage Goddess' and Jim J. Bullock (Monroe on 'Too Close for Comfort'). '10 Attitudes' was recently chosen to be part of the Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival July 10th and The Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival Sept. 4th. Stuart will steal away from his Jungle Cabaret show long enough to make appearances at both festivals to bookend his time in Provincetown.

A former 'Star Search' comedy category winner, Stuart chose to come out nationally just seven years ago on the 'Geraldo' show. Unlike some openly gay comics who trash closeted Hollywood celebrities, Stuart preaches understanding with a dash of sarcasm, versus the outright outing of his fellow actors. Undoubtedly, Stuart maintains this sensitivity and respect from the tribulations he experienced growing up gay, Jewish and closeted while struggling to break into the rough and tumble world of show biz comedy. As a budding comic, Stuart credits many familiar greats with inspiring his craft including Lucille Ball, Lily Tomlin, Joan Rivers, Totie Fields, Sandra Bernhard and Richard Pryor.

'My purpose, first and foremost, is to entertain,' says Stuart, 'and second, to educate if I can. There are all sorts of people who want to see their experiences, hopes and dreams portrayed on stage. Being ‘out’ is a community effort. Everyone needs to support each other.' Besides getting a laugh a minute from most audience members (gay, straight and lesbian), Stuart also uses his comedy to convey eye-opening, life-learned lessons about homosexuality. 'The minute I come on stage, it’s an educational experience for the audience, and me.'

Stuart speaks jokingly of an aborted attempt to come to Provincetown six years ago when another venue in town rejected him. Bravely, Stuart visited Provincetown over the past New Year holiday and fell in love with the town he likens to stepping out on to a Universal Studios lot. 'I knew I had to come,' says Stuart. And so he did, only six years later. With an aggressive agent and more notoriety and clout under his belt, Stuart drove cross-country from L.A. with his best friend, following in the footsteps of friend and colleague comedienne Georgia Ragsdale, who also worked at the Jungle Cabaret two seasons ago.

The show’s name is 'Gay Comedy Without a Dress?' Stuart christened both his Provincetown show and new comedy CD with the title because, he says, 'I’ve always been a fan of drag. ... Jackie Beat, Lipsynka, Varla Jean Merman. I also love my lesbian sisters like Suzanne Westenhoffer and Kate Clinton, but I have to admit I’m still a little afraid of Lea DeLaria.'

As for the summer in Provincetown, Stuart’s personal expectations are limited and reasonable. He just 'wants a guy who has a car … and doesn't live in it.'

May 2001, Issue #34

Jason Stuart talks about coming out,
his new movies and a trip to Austin

Feature by Steven Lindsey

Jason Stuart just might be the hardest-working gay man in show business–at least among those who are actually out of the closet. From constant tours at colleges and popular comedy clubs to guest-starring roles in some of the hottest TV shows and movies–and a column on Gaywired.com, to boot–I was amazed that.l was able to pin him down for an early morning chat.

Born and raised in the Bronx by his crazy, yet-lovable Jewish family, he has lots of experiences from which to mine some rare comedy gems. In his act he always puts a unique spin on conventional comedy topics, and breaks ground with stories most comedians wouldn’t dare touch. But daring and unconventional go hand in hand when describing Stuart.

"I came out on Geraldo in 1993. It was a show called ‘Unconventional Comedians,’" Stuart explains as he relives some of the emotions of that day "It was actually very scary I didn’t know what was really going to happen."

Of course, his family and friends already knew he was gay but this was his chance to come out professionally and carve his own niche in the world of comedy But even people he didn’t know weren’t that surprised.

"‘Oh, we knew you were gay’ they would say But that’s not the point," he stresses.'The truth shall set you free… and it did."

Ever since then, his act has incorporated many decidedly non-traditional gay topics that could make Margie Middle America quite uneasy But he does it with tactful humor that isn’t exclusive to any one group. And he’s never had any problems with crowds that often contain a straight majority.

"I think most people know that I’m gay when they come to see me. But the tour and the album are called Gay Comedy without a Dress, so I know they know.î

Wow. I’ve got to give this guy credit. He lasted an amazingly long (believe me) 10 minutes into the interview before he had a clean opportunity to plug his CD, which, by the waY is for sale on his web site, Jasonstuart.com.

Much of the material from that album is included during his current visit to the Bad Dog Comedy Club in Austin. But expect plenty of political humor to work its way into the routine, in honor of Austin’s former governor-in-residence.

"I’m not a big George (W.) Bush fan," he readily admits.

However, Ann Richards is another story

"I love Ann. She’s great," he says with a laugh.

She’s definitely more fun than Bush, but perhaps not as much fun as the Clintons.

"When Bill and Hillary left the White House, it was like they were leaving a hotel. They took everything that wasn’t nailed down. ‘Oh, that painting looks like a towel!"’ he laughs before focusing on his fondness for Austin.

"This is my second time to the Bad Dog. It’s a really gorgeous theater. Austin’s a very artsy and creative town and the people are very nice," he says.

And just in case you don’t catch him this weekend in his beloved Austin, he’ll be back in one form or another in September with his new film, 10 Attitudes, which will be a part of the Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival. The completely improvised film stars Stuart along with pals Alexandra Paul, Judy Tenuta, David Faustino, Sean Kanan and Jim J. Bullock.

"It’s about an average thirtysomething gay guy trying to find love in Los Angeles and

how difficult it is. It’s a romantic comedy," he explains.

It doesn’t sound too groundbreaking from that description, but if it has the same flair and wit as Stuart’s other work, expect an outrageously funny film.

As excited as he is about performing in Austin and bringing his film there in the fall, Stuart’s big gig, however, is this summer in Provincetown.

"And I know a lot of Texans like to go to P-Town for the summer," he says, hoping we’ll all come see him when we flock north.

"Provincetown is going to be really exciting. I’m going to be one of the only guys there . . . not wearing a dress, that is. PTown’s always filled with drag queens, lesbians and straight people in really bad thongs. I thought it would be cool to add a new element to what goes on in Provincetown."

So now can you see how he stays so busy? Between the CD, his appearance in Austin this weekend, his summer in P-Town and his triumphant return to the Lone Star State via digital video, there’s no missing Stuart. And in this case, too much of a good thing isn’t bad at all.

And speaking of getting more of Stuart, he’s looking for a boyfriend, too.

"I just want a guy who has a car. And doesn’t live in it," he specifies

Picky, picky.

Steven Lindsey writes about and reviews film, television and the ater for Qtexas. He may be reached by e-mail at Qtexeditor@aol.com

A Stand Up Kind of Guy

FOR COMIC AND ACTOR JASON STUART AIDS IS NO LAUGHING MATTER
by Michael Szymanski
A & U, May 2000

Jason Stuart is looking trimmed down these days. Walking in a brisk step along the streets blocked off by the Los Angeles Marathon in his Hollywood neighborhood, Stuart greets a Latino family, flirts with a fireman, and has a passel of African American girls follow him for a block after he talks to them. "It's nice to appeal to all kinds of people. I always try to do that in my act, appeal to everyone," says Stuart, who recently lost fifteen pounds with the help of an Overeaters Anonymous diet.

Stuart is an openly gay comic who plays to diverse crowds throughout the country, even in places where he knows the audience may get ugly. He's done a lot of television, such as Murder, She Wrote, the HBO movie Gia, and some features. He's hosted many hospice and AIDS events, such as Project Angel Food, APLA's Summer Festival at Universal, three times, Aid for AIDS, and L.A. Shanti–all while watching close friends die. Yet, he always tries to smile and stay funny.

Stuart first became a gay and AIDS activist in 1992. He had already done an RSVP Cruise, but still wasn't out of the closet. "Everybody knew that I was gay, but I never talked about it. I didn't have any gay material. I just had my old act as a goofball. I remember being scared to death. I'd let them write about me in the papers as a gay person. For the first time. Doing this AIDS benefit!"

A few months later, he came out in a big way on Geraldo. By then, Stuart had already lost an ex-boyfriend to the disease in 1985, when Barry Robbin, the Crown Prince in The King and I in the Broadway revival, died. He lost other friends, an acting coach, then more friends. Stuart now performs for the National Association of Campus Activities at colleges. Just as when he's in a straight club, Stuart often picks out one guy in the audience and flirts with him. "Some think that I'm actually flirting, but it's not for real, it's to show that it's the same way straight people kid around all the time." Handling hecklers is part of the business, but when Reverend Fred Phelps comes with his vitriolic antigay signs, it gets harder to handle. Stuart's been picketed twice in Kansas City, once at Disney World/Orlando, and once in Topeka, Phelps' hometown.

His Internet site also garners him fan mail. "I was headlining at the Funny Bone in St. Louis, and some woman came over to me and confessed, 'My son died of AIDS a year ago. This is the first time I've been out. Thank you for making me laugh.' What can you say? I wanted to break down and cry. I was only doing my goofy show. We forget sometimes the impact we can have. You might make some people uncomfortable, but you can't do anything about that."

Stuart knows about gay bashing and verbal harassment from his junior high and senior high experiences in Hollywood and West Hollywood, at a time before the 10% Program for gay and gay curious students was implemented. "I had no one to turn to, I just knew that I was bad. And that I'd better shut up about it. I was afraid." On his locker someone scraped 'Fag' and Stuart saw it every day. "It really changed me. To the stupid kid that did it, it meant nothing, but to me it made me want to kill myself."

He did find he was slowly killing himself with bulimia during his late teens and early twenties. He got help. "Food and being gay were the same thing to me. They were connected. I wanted to be an actor so bad. That was my drug. It saved me as a child." Recently, as an actor, he played a "rude trilogy": on Lost & Found as a rude jewelry salesman; on WB's Charmed as a rude restaurateur; and on The Drew Carey Show as a rude manager of an appliance department. Then, there's the way he deals with the difficulties of the AIDS joke. "I talk to straights during my act. I say, 'Look, take it from the gay guy. This is the nineties. Practice safe sex. Ladies, have yourselves laminated. It burns a little, but after a while, it's fabulous! I'm wearing a Star Trek condom right now. It's called a Klingon.' Then I'll point at a guy and say, 'I will take you where no man has ever taken you before."'

While he may make fun of the process of safe sex, he doesn't make fun of AIDS. "I was in Houston [at The Laugh Stop] and some guy who had like two teeth in his head, screamed out, 'AIDS! You all have AIDS!' Now, I knew this idiot didn't do it because he meant to be mean–he was just ignorant. So I said to the audience, 'This guy has really embarrassed himself. Let's not hate him. It's only because he has one tooth in his head. Let's take a moment and pray for him.' And we did. Then I said, 'Let's give him a round of applause because we don't want him to feel bad about how badly dressed he is!' See? They love that."

Michael Szymanski publishes in mainstream and gay publications alike, including Entertainment Weekly and Frontiers.

Coming out boosted comic's career
By Brad Harvey, Correspondent

"I dated a guy who was pierced everywhere. I chipped a tooth."

Now, that's a pretty hilarious joke coming from a female comic. But given that the lines belong to the very male and very openly gay comic/actor Jason Stuart, the context becomes either funnier or more offensive, depending on your sexual prejudices and/or preferences.

Being gay in a straight society is a dichotomy that Mr. Stuart has wrestled with for much of his professional and personal life. Or, as he humorously states in his act when accused of proselytizing for an alternative lifestyle, "What's the selling point? We have no rights and everyone hates us. Please, come along! Join us!"

Ironically, Mr. Stuart's career didn't take off until he publically acknowledged his homosexuality after 10 years of stand-up comedy. Tired of pretending to be heterosexual for the sake of his act, he outted himself at a comedy club and then on national television via "Geraldo" in 1993. Despite warnings that he was committing professional suicide, Mr. Stuart's career took off.

Enjoying a high profile with appearances on television shows such as "The Drew Carey Show," "Charmed," "Murder She Wrote," as well as roles in films like "National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation" and "Kindergarten Cop," Mr. Stuart would seem to be a poster boy for gay rights in the entertainment industry.

"I have no choice in that," he said in a recent interview. "That has nothing to do with me. That has to do with what you guys (the media) do. Everybody has a different perception. I want to be a really good comedian. I want to make people laugh. I want to hopefully enlighten the gay community and help tolerance in the straight community. And be the best person I can be.

"If all that comes to pass, that's fabulous," laughed Mr. Stuart adding, "and I don't use the 'F' word lightly!"

Asked which medium he prefers working in, television or films, Mr. Stuart said he would "love to do a TV series, though TV kind of white-washes everything. In films, they're a little more open and tend to have more of an edge."

One of Mr. Stuart's favorite film roles was his dramatic debut in "Southern Man," soon to be out on video. In it, Mr. Stuart plays a teacher who mentors a student and is murdered when the student's abusive father mistakenly assumes the two are having an affair.

Mr. Stuart also starred in the David Spade movie "Lost and Found." The two actors have been friends since Mr. Spade's own stand-up days.

"I loved working on that," enthused Mr. Stuart. "David didn't know I was doing the movie. When we rehearsed, he sort of changed his whole point of view for me. We tried it so many different ways, it was fun."

Mr. Stuart's most recent film is shooting in September. It's called "The Fluffer" and he described it as "kind of like a gay version of 'Boogie Nights.' It's about the gay porno industry. I play this once-famous photographer who has been in the business a long time and is cynical about the way things have ended up and who hates having to deal with the same things over and over again."

Mr. Stuart currently is developing a script with Emmy Award-winning producer/director Michael O. Gallant called "Going Straight" that concerns sexual conversion. He hopes to collaborate with a well-known Hollywood writer on the project.

"I don't think I'm the best person to write a screenplay," Mr. Stuart said about his scripting capabilities. "But I am the best person to act in it and help with ideas. I write good jokes and good dialogue, but I also believe you should get the best person for the job.

"I'm always looking for the role in a film that you become identified with," he added. "Getting people to believe in you is really hard. Everybody's afraid to take a risk. I find I know less and less every day.

"Show business is a strange business," Mr. Stuart said. "It's like high school with money."

Jason Stuart
by Blase DiStefano

Actor/comedian Jason Stuart seems to be one of the few openly gay comics who is deluged with work. He recently guest-starred on two sitcoms: "The Drew Carey Show" and "Charmed"; the latter stars Shannen Doherty, and there's a possibility his character (a restaurant boss) will become a recurring role. Then there's his role as a rude jewelry salesman in "Lost and Found," which is scheduled to open nationwide on Apr. 23. On that same date he'll be in Dallas for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Comedy Show, and the next day he'll travel to Houston for our HRC Comedy Show. And, finally, there's his dramatic film debut in the soon-to-be-released "Southern Man"; he plays a small-town teacher who is murdered because he is accused of being gay. Still, with his busy schedule, he took a few minutes to answer some questions by phone.

Blase DiStefano: So how are you doing today?
Jason Stuart: Just a little busy ... I was in acting class all morning, so now I've got all these things to do.

How often are your classes?
Once a week, when I'm home.

Where's home?
I live in Hollywood ... Los Angeles, California.

So the big news is that you're in the new movie Lost and Found. What part do you play?
I play the very rude jewelry salesman. I help David Spade find a stone in his engagement ring.

Is it a gay role?
Well, he has no sexuality ... there's no time.

[Laughs] You're openly gay, right?
Are you kidding?!

OK [laughs]. No, I'm not kidding.
I'm as gay as you can be. I'm so gay and so out, I could redecorate a room by looking at it.

[Laughs] All right. Is being openly gay a hindrance to get work? It doesn't seem to be for you ... your plate seems to be full. Well, you just never know. It's a double-edged sword. I certainly know there are some people who are prejudiced in that way. I think it's more that people think of me as limited. I don't think I am at all. One of the last scenes I did in acting class, I played a serial killer.

And this was not a comedic serial killer.
[Laughs] No.

So when and where were you born?
I was born in the Bronx in New York.

And what year?
Oh honey, I'm not telling you that.

Oh, you're one of those. Damn.
I'm thirtysomething.

I guess that'll have to do, won't it?
You have absolutely no choice in that matter, I'm telling you right now.

I went to your Web site, and I don't think your age was mentioned.
It's not "think," it didn't. It's not gonna happen.

OK, OK, I'm not gonna pursue it. I know it would be a total waste of time, anyway.
What else is going on with you?
I'm working on a film which I'm going to produce and star in.

Do you have a name for it yet?
It's called Going Straight. It's a romantic comedy about sexual conversion. It's in the midst of being written, the midst of being produced, the midst of...

Of getting people to come aboard.
Yeah.

You're keeping very busy.
I'm going to be in Dallas on the 23rd.

That's the day Lost and Found opens.
Fabulous.

And the next night, you'll be in Houston for the Human Rights Campaign Comedy Show.
I'm doing the show with Georgia Ragsdale.

Is there much preparation for a show like this?
I certainly try to be a little more hip as to what's going on.

Like with the impeachment trials?
Of course. I slept with him ... what's the big deal? I had to, I was in Washington, it was on the tour. Monica was there. I said, "Honey, get up, it's not going to happen."

[Laughs] But she was interested, wasn't she?
Definitely. Straight girls love us.

And why is that?
Gay men, straight girls. Same thing, girlfriend.

Is it true that gays recruit?
What's the selling point? We have no rights and everyone hates us. Please come along and join us!

[Laughs]
Madonna, have you seen her lately? She's 40. Honey, it is time to wash that hair. She's got a kid that's two, and that kid's gonna have to go through enough therapy because she had to breast-feed through a cone boob.

[Laughs] That's enough. So you're stranded on a desert island...
No, I'm not, I'm in my apartment...

Listen to me. You're stranded on a desert island, and you can only have one movie, what would it be?
Oh my God. That's a very difficult question because I'm a really big movie nut. I love movies. Ordinary People is one of my all-time favorites. Let me have two. Funny Girl. Ordinary People and Funny Girl. Or maybe The Way We Were.

OK, you can have three. On that same island, you could have one person with you.
Not a friend or a lover. Who would it be?
Does he get to be a lover eventually?

Eventually, yes.
Esai Morales.

That was a quick answer.
We all know our fantasies, don't we?

"One on One" by Bill Zwecker
Chicago Sun-Times

So long, straight man
Outing has perks for Stuart
LOS ANGELES - No doubt about it, Jason Stuart is a trip - a funny voyage of wit and poignant observation that starts the minute you meet him.

Stuart prides himself on being one of the first gay comedians who has crossed over - successfully appealing to a straight audience, as well as the gay one that enthusiastically cheered him on, after the comic "came out" several years ago.

"It is funny talking about 'crossing over,' "Stuart said. "Considering I had been working as a standup comedian for a long time before I ever came out... There sure were a lot of straight people who put bread on my table."

But the actor and comedian makes it clear that since he told the world of his sexual orientation, he hasn't soft-pedaled his gayness. That's not the way to snare the continuing approval of "breeders," as he puts it.

Even Aunt Gertrude from Duluth would have known if she had spied Stuart sauntering into the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel here - decked out in an outfit that could have come straight from the "Stereotypical Gay Guy" section of any Hollywood studio's wardrobe department.

With his combat boots, shorts and plaid shirt, Stuart did fit the image, but then, "So what?... These days you can't even tell who's gay or straight. Just look at how guys are dressing." said Stuart, slipping into a corner booth in the hotel's tranquil bar. "What's considered gay today will be worn to the Dodgers games by a bunch of construction workers within two years."

The secret to Stuart's comic appeal comes from his ability to make jokes about homosexuals as well as heterosexuals.

Chatting about his recent drive to lose weight and get in shape - a well-known fetish among many gay men - Stuart quipped, "You have to be in shape out there (in L.A.). That's why I've been pumping up. It's part of the culture. If you have more than 10 percent body fat, they put you in a cage and you cannot come out until you get there."

The comic's blend of jokes - "My humor is really about people, my family, the foibles of modern life" - gets its first mainstream Chicago outing when Stuart headlines at Zanies comedy club. 1548 N. Wells, Tuesday through August 16.

He's excited about the chance to work Zanies, as his only previous Chicago appearances "were at charity events and things like that."

While his stand-up routine continues to be the main focus of his career, Stuart is working to broaden his base. "I really hope to build a life as a character actor," he said, though he admits it's hard for him to be considered for anything buy foppish prissy roles.

"But that was true long before I ever came out. Those were the only parts I was considered for, so I thought, what's the difference? I might as well be true to myself."

The New York native, who was reared in Los Angeles, has long been toiling in the vineyards of Hollywood hopefuls. Though he has snared guest slots on such TV series as "The Drew Carey Show," "Murder, She Wrote," "Murder One" and "The John Larroquette Show." and parts in a dozen movies ("Kindergarten Cop," "Vegas Vacation"), Stuart is still waiting for the big break.
He's hopeful that his first dramatic big screen role - in the yet-to-be-released "Southern Man" - may make casting directors look at him a little differently. Stuart plays a gentle teacher who mentors a boy who is physically abused by his father.

Recently, Stuart completed filming Warner Bros. "Lost and Found," the latest vehicle for David Spade of "Saturday Night Live" and "Just Shoot Me" fame.

"I get to play a very rude jewelry salesman - I based him on Gale Gordon," he said. Gordon co-starred with Lucille Ball and later with Eve Arden on "Our Miss Brooks."

Stuart says his move into professional comedy wasn't something he ever had planned. "Being funny was something I developed as a kid - just like so many other comedians. Growing up I never thought of myself as funny. I just thought of myself as scared." The entertainer seems surprised when he is told he has a biting sense of humor.

"I guess that is true, though I don't think of it that way," he said.
"I say things that I guess can be taken as biting - that come out before I even realize it." said Stuart. "I went to a party at my friend Suzanne's house and met her sister, who had seen me a couple of times on TV.

"Before too long, I said, 'Oh, I have to go outside for some air. There are way too many heterosexuals in this room.' ...Of course, I was kidding, but her sister looked at me quite sincerely and said, 'Don't you like straight people?' "
Stuart probably was slipping into his act.

"Of course I like straight people! If it wasn't for them I wouldn't be here... plus they're half of my audience as well!"

Conversing with Jason Stuart is like jumping on a verbal roller coaster. Subjects fly by as quickly as they're raised. Within moments, the man jumped from a touching story about his grandmother Molly (who celebrates her 90th birthday on Aug. 18), to the joys of vegetable dim sum, to a rant on the evil of cigar smokers: "Look! Those jerks just stunk up this room and now they leave. Too bad it wasn't the reverse."

He looks to legendary comics for inspiration.
"The people I used to love were not the stand-up comics, but the sit-down ones... As a kid, I watched tons of talk shows, where someone like Buddy Hackett, Joan Rivers, Wally Cox, Lily Tomlin, Tracey Ullman or Teri Garr would come on a s guests and just talk and be funny.
"They had conversations not just with the hosts of those shows - like Johnny Carson - but through them with the audience. They were funny because they pointed out the simple foibles in everyone's life.

"Hey! That's true whether you're gay or straight or somewhere in-between." said Stuart with a knowing wink.

Article from the

Thursday, July 4, 1996
A Gay Performer's Upward Spiral
Resisting the Gay Niche
By Jon Matsumoto
Special to the Los Angeles Times

Jason Stuart just can't fathom the concept of valet parking.

"You give someone you've never met, who's wearing really bad clothes, your car," says a puzzled Stuart. "What do they give you back? A piece of cardboard that says, `If we lose your car it's not our fault.' Isn't this insane? We lock our cars; we have a Club, but the minute we see a valet we say, `Here, take it!' "

The 32-year-old has been trying to make sense of the nonsensical world since he began doing stand-up 13 years ago. Much of his time has been spent plying the sometimes grueling national club circuit, witty observations in tow.

But it wasn't until three years ago that Stuart felt complete as both a comedian and a person. That's when he mustered up the courage to come out as an openly gay performer. Since making that decision, he says, his career has picked up considerable momentum.

Support from the gay community had been particularly strong since the Los Angeles-based comedian appeared in Comedy Central's "Out There in Hollywood" special in October. Since 1993, the cable network has presented an annual program devoted to gay and lesbian stand-up talent.

"That [special] sort of changed everything for me," he says. "Gay people are dying to hear things about themselves. A lot of the [gay] bars around the country have video nights, and apparently my set has been playing everywhere. I did Milwaukee's gay pride [event], and people were mouthing word to things I did [in the televised routine], and they gave me a standing ovation. I was so amazed."

Still, Stuart refuses to be ghettoized. He continues to perform at mainstream comedy venues, where, he says, he attracts an almost equal blend of gay and straight fans. His gay profile has merely added another dimension to his stand-up routine. Stuart still gets plenty of mileage out of his experiences with his somewhat contentious Jewish family.

"My parents are divorced," he reveals. "My father married a really nice gal; she's 12. I have a sister who's an Orthodox Jew as of four years ago. She doesn't let me talk to her kid because she's afraid if I look at her kid he'll turn gay. We do have that power. I have an 87-year-old grandmother who I help take care of. She thinks everything should be free. I bought her some magazines the other day. She said, `Oh my God, did you pay for these?' I said, `No, I got them from the doctor's office. They're free.' "

Stuart's aim is to parlay his stand-up success into a high profile acting career. "I never thought about being a comic [while growing up]," he says. "I always wanted to be an actor. I thought I was going to be the next Robert DeNiro."

Stuart has made some strides. His TV credits include guest appearances on "Murder, She Wrote," "The John Larroquette Show" and "seaQuest DSV." He also landed a small role in the upcoming National Lampoon sequel "Vegas Vacation," starring Chevy Chase. Nevertheless, Stuart expresses frustration over the limitations he says Hollywood places on openly gay actors. He says some producers won't consider him to play straight characters, which can leave him scrambling for the few gay roles available.

But if Stuart falls short in his acting ambitions, it won't be because he's timid. Not long ago, a little chutzpah helped him procure a lead role in an independent film called "Gay TV: the Movie."

"I noticed in the Hollywood Reporter that they were doing this film," he explains. "I just sent them a press kit and said, `I can't believe you're doing this movie without me.' They called back and said, `We know you; we love you. Here's a script. Send us an acting tape.' I sent them a tape, and they called back and said, `Would you like to do this movie?' It was really bizarre. I mean, they never even met me."

Stuart plays a producer in this film about a gay man and his straight sister, who start the first gay cable network. He equates the movie with "Hollywood Shuffle," Robert Townsend's 1987 comedy about black stereotypes in Hollywood. Stuart says the movie's producers hope to get it shown in theaters at the end of the year.

Stuart might have been reluctant to take the role in "Gay TV: the Movie" when he was living in the closet. But there's little doubt that he's breathing a lot more freely and confidently these days.
"I went to a party recently where there were a lot of comics," he recalls, "I brought the guy I was dating. We were walking around, and at one point we held hands. I thought, `My God, isn't it neat that I can do this?' It felt so incredibly good to be just myself. It was great that I felt I had the same rights as everyone else in the room."

Friday, February 9, 1996
SPOTLIGHT: Comedy
Stuart comes out on top

An openly gay comic, Jason Stuart appeared in Comedy Central's "Out There in Hollywood."
On the proliferation of standup: "What's happening now is that all the cream is rising to the top, and you have to be able to sell tickets to headline in comedy clubs across the country. Since coming out (as a gay man), my shows have been selling out. The more that I tell the truth, the more successful I become. I came out three years ago, on a daytime talkshow, and saw an immediate change in sales, I think it's because people want to hear the truth; there's nothing funnier than the truth."

Issue #26, October 1995

"PEOPLE" Section
Stuart Big

A hit on the straight comedy club circuit since the 1980s, Jason Stuart may be the first person to come out with thoughts of improving his chances as an actor. "The people in Hollywood say they don't want to see you because you're gay, and then you get known because you're gay and they want to see you." says Stuart, who has appeared on Murder She Wrote, SeaQuest, and other TV shows since his 1993 coming out and is now developing a sitcom pilot with Paragon Entertainment. Stuart is one of seven gay and lesbian standups spotlighted in Comedy Central's Out There in Hollywood, debuting on the cable channel October 11. Along with host Scott Thompson, performers include Jackie Beat, Lea DeLaria, Robin Greenspan, Shelly Mars, Sabrina Matthews, and Rob Nash. An Angeleno, Stuart says, "There were people in the audience that I'd gone to school with. It amazes me all the time. I've never been this famous."

Wednesday, October 11, 1995
Television News & Views
For gays, out programming finds its way in

Comedy Central's Out There in Hollywood is the third annual all-gay stand-up special, this one hosted by The Kids in the Hall's Scott Thompson, who shines of sketches.

The routines are erratic but exuberant, with the standout a sardonic comic named Jason Stuart, who's especially adept at deflating homophobic fears about gays recruiting for their ranks: "What's the selling point? We have no rights and everyone hates us. Please come along, join us!"

He's joking. Sorta.

For Jason Stuart, His Sexual
Orientation’s a Full Time Job

By LAWRENCE CHRISTON
TIMES STAFF WRITER

Actor-comedian Jason Stuart isn't the first performer to come out of the closet and announce that he's gay. He's only one of the more recent. But even though the heavy weather of persecution for sexual orientation has lifted somewhat in the '90s, his restless anxiety, his eagerness to please mixed with a wariness of being ridiculed, his sense of fun and his sense of fear, all point to the experience of being gay as a full time vigil.

There's still the potential for culture clash that can erupt in a sudden glare. There's the tough double jeopardy of maintaining one's irreducible identity in a heterosexual world while living in a performer's skin, where self esteem is treacherously vulnerable to the approval of others.

"I perceive myself differently than other people perceive me," he says. "When I was a kid, everyone thought I was jovial, funny. But I was one of those suicidal kids who went to sleep wishing I wouldn't wake up. It's very, very tiring, being in the closet. It makes you feel bad about yourself. When I don't see myself represented in movies or TV, it makes me feel there's no place for me in this world."
Stuart, 35, has been making his place since 1993, when he first decided to tell all to an audience at Houston's Laff Stop, then to the nation on "Geraldo." Later, he did his act on Broadway for the Gay Games, in "OUTrageous Comedy" with Sandra Bernhard.

As an actor, he has done a number of TV spots within the past year, on such shows as "SeaQuest," 'The John Larroquette Show" and "Murder, She Wrote." On Tuesday, he brings his "I'm Out . . . Jealous?" act to the Ice House in Pasadena for National Coming Out Day.

"It's been a year and a half since I did 'Geraldo,'" Stuart muses. "The show was called 'Unconventional Comedians.' But what comedian is conventional? What are comedians but people who complain and get paid for it? I think this has made me a better person. And it may help some other kid who's thinking of killing himself. I'm not just out for me, I'm out for everyone."

Stuart has such an outré, Auntie Mame demeanor that it's hard to picture him as ever having been repressed.

"I've lied to myself so much that I literally can't remember what went, on in my life at times," he said, glancing out at the life moving along the busy street. "I guess it's part of being in denial.

“I’m easy, but I won't tell you everything. The family name is Greif. I was born in the Bronx, but my father moved us here to the Fairfax district when I was a year old. He's a self made man who started in the necktie business, a Russian immigrant without formal education who's gifted at creating something from nothing. He married my mother when they were both very young. She was blond and buxom and very beautiful, the kind of '50s woman who knew she had to get by on looks."

Stuart's parents were divorced when he was 17. He's on guardedly friendly terms with them and with his older brother, but not with his younger sister, whom he mentions in his Stand up act. She became an Orthodox Jew and had a baby I've never seen like if I hold him once he'll turn gay. I have the joke, 'What am I, Samantha on "Bewitched"?' I mean, what's the selling point? 'We have no rights and everyone hates you. Join us.'"

Being gay had no frame of reference in Stuart's early youth. "I never equated having romantic feelings for men with being a fag or queer." He paused over the anomaly of those words. "All I know is, I was this fat Jewish kid. In junior high school I was 5'9" and 250 pounds. I didn't fit in anywhere."
Hell, said Sartre, is other people. If Stuart didn't know what to make of his feelings, there were others to oblige him. "In junior high, someone scraped, very lightly, the word fag on my locker. I never told anyone, but I saw that word every day for three years."
Stuart had always felt secure acting which he began doing in junior high. But there too he was lost in the shadow of himself.
"I always wanted to be a really good actor. First I thought I was Robert De Niro; then I thought I was Richard Thomas. That's how off I was. I was like Marlo Thomas in 'That Girl.' I thought all I had to do was show up and everyone would fall down. But I was still this fat Jewish kid." He peered at the reporter's notebook. "Don't say 'fat.' I'm thin now. This is coming out in the paper. Who knows? I'm gay." He gave a small, wry, anything-is-possible shrug.

Stuart left home at 18 and tried to launch his acting career by sending his picture to every TV show he liked and by calling every agent in the Players Directory.

"My first agent was a woman named Tina Marie who had an office in back of a wig shop. She loved me, but she never sent me out on a job." It was just as well. Stuart knew he wasn't anywhere near ready when, as a panicked extra on the set of "One Day at a Time," he slammed the wrong door so hard that its molding fell off on camera.

Stuart took a variety of odd jobs to support himself. "I was the world's rudest waiter," he recalls. "People loved it. If it was late and someone wanted a cup of coffee, I'd tell them to get it themselves. Once I threw a tray on the floor."

In the meantime, he went to work studying under a number of prestigious acting coaches Laurence Parke, Roy London, Nina Foch, Allan Miller and Harvey Lembeck among them.

He began to find work. "The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts" was his first TV show, and "Kindergarten Cop" was his first movie. He saw in comedy a way to balance his career, and he went out on the road in '85. In time he realized that he was sending mixed signals by playing it straight but "acting and dressing like Prince or Liberace with spiked hair. I didn't like what I was becoming. I wasn't telling the truth."

A small breakthrough began when Stuart, discussing self-esteem with school kids under the aegis of a program for young artists, was heckled for being gay one day and shot back, "'I'm not gonna let you make me feel bad for being myself.' The teacher thanked me. I realized then that what I wanted out of life most was to be myself and to give back. I'm not the most talented or the most beautiful I'm Cher. I've discovered that the people who don't know gay people are the ones who don't like them."

• Stuart will appear with comedian Lynda Montgomery Tuesday at the Ice House, 24 N. Mentor St., Pasadena, (818) 577 1894. Show time, about 9 p.m. Cover charge, $7.50. He will also appear on a roster of gay and lesbian comics during a weeklong program for National Coming Out Day, Monday Saturday at the Laugh Factory, 8001 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, (213) 656 1336. Show time, 8 p.m. Cover charge, $8.

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