This week, we’re highlighting 22 talented writers and performers for Vulture’s annual list “Comedians You Should and Will Know.†Our goal is to introduce a wider audience to the talent that has the comedy community and industry buzzing. (You can read more about our methodology at the link above.) We asked the comedians on the list to answer a series of questions about their work, comedy during the pandemic, and more. Next up is Grace Kuhlenschmidt.
When did you feel that you were funny enough to make a legitimate go at comedy?
In college, my genius friend Julia Martin wrote a sketch where I played a woman named Derb. It was the first real character I ever played and I think the first time I ever realized I could kind of act. Also definitely the first time I got a performance high — yeah that’s right, you can smoke this shit!!!!!
Describe your comedy in five words.
Silly goofy hot sexy tight.
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What of your work do you think you’re best known for, and what of your work are you most proud of?
I’m probably best known for making videos online, and I am really proud of that. It’s the only reason I’m on this list. What I’m most proud of, though, is that I’m going to be on my favorite TV show. It doesn’t come out until 2022 though, so they still have time to edit me out.
If there were a ’90s-style sitcom built around you and your material, in which you had to have a different job than comedian, what would be the title and logline?
It’d be me with a husband and kids, and I’d obviously be a lesbian but we’d never talk about it. The title would be Husband and Wife, and the logline would be, “Does anyone seriously buy this?â€
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What have you done for comedy during COVID that you thought you would never do?
I don’t know what this question means. I really tried to read it as many times as possible but I ultimately do not know what this question means and I figure it is better for me to be honest about that than try to answer it, be wrong, and lose millions of dollars in sponsorships overnight.
Who are some of your favorite comedians right now? Who is putting out work that excites and inspires you?
Patti Harrison, John Early, Kate Berlant, Sydnee Washington, Cole Escola. They are my favorite comedians. There are also so many more, but these are the people that will always come to mind when I think of who inspires me.
What is the best comedy advice, and then the worst comedy advice, you’ve ever received, either when you were starting out or more recently?
The idea of “taking up as much space as possible†on a stage has always stuck with me and has helped direct a lot of characters that I do. I don’t know if I’ve ever had awful comedy advice. But in college I took an American Studies course about comedy and I got a C. So maybe my advice to that teacher is to chill.
Tell us one story from your childhood that is a good representation of your life.
I used to get worms all the time because I grew up in L.A. and my vagina was always in the sand.
What’s an embarrassingly earnest goal you have?
An embarrassingly earnest goal of mine is probably just to be in a movie. I think that would be really cool and I actually think I would be really, reallllly good at it. Everyone says that about me all the time, too.
If you had the power to remove anything from the comedy world right now, from trends with material to how the industry operates, what would it be?
Less ugly guy with hot girl. It isn’t funny!!!! It’s honestly disgusting!!!!!!!
More From This Series
- Jeff Wright Is Always Going to Shoot His Shot
- Not to Humblebrag, But Robin Tran Knows She’s a Genius
- Jes Tom: Twitter’s Favorite (Unintentional) Public-Facing Pervert
- Sam Taggart Just Wants a Casual Hang With Steve Martin