Comedian Jessica Kirson is Coming Into Her Own

Jessica Kirson is having a moment. The comedian, who has been doing stand-up since 1999, released her first special on Comedy Central, “Talking to Myself,” in December, produced by comedian Bill Burr. She worked alongside Robert De Niro in the 2016 movie “The Comedian,” and now she’s producing a documentary on female comedians for FX. 

The Journal caught up with Kirson to talk about her upbringing, her career milestones and why she loves performing for Jewish audiences. 

Jewish Journal: You’ve been quoted as saying it was your grandmother who got you into stand-up. Is that correct?

Jessica Kirson: Yes. My grandmother was a very big fan of Borscht Belt comedy. She went to a lot of comedy shows and loved Jewish comedy. One day she pulled me aside and told me I should be a comedian. 

JJ: So what did you do from there?

JK: I was looking in the Village Voice and in the back of it was a class for stand-up. I ended up calling and taking the class. I was very panicked. The class was a six-week thing where you went every week and tried out material in front of eight people. It made me feel more comfortable doing it.

JJ: What was it like making your television special? 

JK: It was amazing. It’s a lot of pressure put on these two shows I did for the special. Of course, a ton of my friends, comics and Comedy Central people were there so it was nerve-wracking. 

JJ: How did you connect with Bill Burr?

JK: He hadn’t seen me in a really long time and then he saw me at the Patrice O’Neal [Comedy] Benefit [in New York] and he flipped out and said, “When did you get so funny?” I said, “You haven’t seen me in 15 years.” I’ve always worked really hard, and I had one of the best sets of my life that night. He called me six months later and asked if he could produce my special. 

JJ: Are you happy with how it turned out?

JK: I’m very happy. I’m not so happy that it’s on once and then you have to go onto the Comedy Central app to watch it again, so that’s a little tough. I just found out we have the rights to my album, which is amazing. Bill’s company is going to produce it and that way my stuff can be out on SiriusXM and Spotify. 

It’s so interesting because it really shows you what goes on in this business. I just asked my manager to look into it and they said I have the rights. People don’t even ask those questions a lot of times. That’s why I always say it’s not just about being funny; it’s about being a businessperson too. I happen to be a pretty good businessperson because of my family.

JJ: What did your parents do? 

JK: My father owned a company that made nail polish, and my mom was a therapist. She always did seminars and ran a big business. She still sees a lot of clients. [My parents are] hard workers.

“I do a lot of shows for Jewish people. They’re by far my favorite audiences. I’d rather perform every night for Jewish people. It’s such a different vibe. I feel like it’s so much easier to laugh at yourself than other people.”

JJ: I heard that your mother always had clients coming over to your house. What are some stories that stand out?

JK: I was my mom’s secretary and she would always give me instructions on what to say to the clients, and it would drive me crazy. One time she told me an organizer was coming and kept telling me all the stuff for the organizer to do. The woman came to the house and I told her what to do in the closet. So there were all these “Curb Your Enthusiasm” moments where no one knew what was going on. 

JJ: Have you ever worked with your stepbrother Zach Braff?

JK: I think we’ll definitely work on shows and movies together. That’s always been the goal. He came on stage with me at the Comedy Cellar. If we both lived in the same city it’d be easier. 

JJ: How was it working with Robert De Niro in “The Comedian?”

JK: I was at the Cellar and De Niro and the director of the movie, Taylor Hackford, saw me. Then, I was in Florida at my dad’s apartment. I was doing a Jewish development gig that night for 55 and older, mostly Jewish people, and I got a call saying, “Bob wants to meet you on Wednesday.” I said, “Bob who?” He said “Bob De Niro.” I was in shock. 

I ended up meeting with him about the movie and it was incredible. We connected a lot. We really got along. I wasn’t star-struck at all, until I saw him on Fallon and Kimmel saying my name. I was his side person throughout the whole movie and I got an associate producer credit. It was great and I realized I love producing. 

JJ: Did you grow up practicing Judaism?

JK: Yes, I was bat mitzvah. It’s always been very important to me. I haven’t been religious but I’m very spiritual and pray a lot. I pray before every show. I just went to Israel two years ago with Comedy for Koby (an annual stand-up tour in Israel to raise money for the Koby Mandell Foundation), and it was incredible. I do a lot of shows for Jewish people. They’re by far my favorite audiences. I’d rather perform every night for Jewish people. It’s such a different vibe. I feel like it’s so much easier to laugh at yourself than other people. I love performing for the young Jewish crowd. It’s such a treat. I was just in Cincinnati and there were a lot of Jewish people who came out. I felt like I wasn’t alone.  

JJ: What are your goals? 

JK: I want to produce and create and get my following to a point where I can fill theaters doing stand-up. I want to grow my podcast “Relatively Sane” and possibly have a talk show at some point.