There's nothing better than doing a show & seeing 10 guys dressed as you
November 12, 2022 11:39 AM Subscribe
Judy Tenuta was the first comic to win "Best Female Comedian" at the American Comedy Awards. Her albums Attention Butt-Pirates and Lesbetarians! and In Goddess We Trust received Grammy nominations.
She was a comedian, actress, and an accordion player (her mom loved Lawrence Welk), though when she appeared in Weird Al's videos for White & Nerdy and Headline News she wasn't playing accordion. Her television debut was on David Letterman in 1986.
Opening up her shows with the greeting "Hi pigs" she created her own religion she called Judy-ism, saying "In my religion, I’m the only one that gets to complain. The really nice thing about my religion is you can forget all about your problems and think about mine for a while." In her first solo performance, Tenuta dressed as the Virgin Mary and that character evolved into the "Love Goddess," one of her many stage personas.
"I came from a large family of almost all brothers, who were sport jock guys always watching Bears games...I had to find my strength, so they couldn't boss me around. With all this socialization, I had to become a fighter, standing up for women and gay men."
She had a YouTube channel that she kept current including the fun video Kicking Cancer's Ass. She died from ovarian cancer in October, 2022.
She was a comedian, actress, and an accordion player (her mom loved Lawrence Welk), though when she appeared in Weird Al's videos for White & Nerdy and Headline News she wasn't playing accordion. Her television debut was on David Letterman in 1986.
Opening up her shows with the greeting "Hi pigs" she created her own religion she called Judy-ism, saying "In my religion, I’m the only one that gets to complain. The really nice thing about my religion is you can forget all about your problems and think about mine for a while." In her first solo performance, Tenuta dressed as the Virgin Mary and that character evolved into the "Love Goddess," one of her many stage personas.
"I came from a large family of almost all brothers, who were sport jock guys always watching Bears games...I had to find my strength, so they couldn't boss me around. With all this socialization, I had to become a fighter, standing up for women and gay men."
She had a YouTube channel that she kept current including the fun video Kicking Cancer's Ass. She died from ovarian cancer in October, 2022.
I hadn't thought of her in 20+ years. But, just the name was like, "oh yeah, I remember her."
Trying to think of other female standups who were quite so bold about being sexual as she was. Am not a comedy historian, but it seems like a lot of female comics have followed in her footsteps.
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posted by Windopaene at 12:15 PM on November 12, 2022
Trying to think of other female standups who were quite so bold about being sexual as she was. Am not a comedy historian, but it seems like a lot of female comics have followed in her footsteps.
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posted by Windopaene at 12:15 PM on November 12, 2022
Judy Tenuta - Showtime Comedy Special "Worship Me, Pigs!" (5/18/91), YT ~27 minutes.
posted by cenoxo at 12:26 PM on November 12, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by cenoxo at 12:26 PM on November 12, 2022 [4 favorites]
[:]/\/\/\[:] .
posted by cenoxo at 12:29 PM on November 12, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by cenoxo at 12:29 PM on November 12, 2022 [6 favorites]
Ex-hubby Emo Phillips on Twitter:
'My favorite Judy Tenuta story: after a show, the comic who opened for her is driving her to their next gig; as they’re passing cornfields at 2 AM he asks, “So what did you think of my act” & she replies, “Ask me again when we get a bit closer to town”
'I am so, so sad she’s gone'
[||| . |||] <- a dot inside an accordion (edit: cenoxo's accordion above is better)
posted by zaixfeep at 12:29 PM on November 12, 2022 [13 favorites]
'My favorite Judy Tenuta story: after a show, the comic who opened for her is driving her to their next gig; as they’re passing cornfields at 2 AM he asks, “So what did you think of my act” & she replies, “Ask me again when we get a bit closer to town”
'I am so, so sad she’s gone'
[||| . |||] <- a dot inside an accordion (edit: cenoxo's accordion above is better)
posted by zaixfeep at 12:29 PM on November 12, 2022 [13 favorites]
I've found myself saying "It could happen!" quite a bit in life since I first saw Judy Tenuta on the old gritty NBC Letterman show all those years ago.
posted by jabah at 1:15 PM on November 12, 2022 [9 favorites]
posted by jabah at 1:15 PM on November 12, 2022 [9 favorites]
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posted by JustSayNoDawg at 1:24 PM on November 12, 2022
posted by JustSayNoDawg at 1:24 PM on November 12, 2022
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posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 1:26 PM on November 12, 2022
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 1:26 PM on November 12, 2022
Come closer! Come closer to the goddess!
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posted by Melismata at 2:15 PM on November 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
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posted by Melismata at 2:15 PM on November 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
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posted by DiscourseMarker at 2:32 PM on November 12, 2022
posted by DiscourseMarker at 2:32 PM on November 12, 2022
Judy-Judy!!
posted by bartleby at 4:19 PM on November 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by bartleby at 4:19 PM on November 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
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posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 5:50 PM on November 12, 2022
posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 5:50 PM on November 12, 2022
Fuck cancer, man. Just, fuck. Cancer.
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posted by Frayed Knot at 5:54 PM on November 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
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posted by Frayed Knot at 5:54 PM on November 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
cenoxo's accordion above is better
Having briefly taken lessons (without enthusiasm) as a boy, I'm not sure that "better" is a word that can be applied to accordions. However, some incredible musicians are out there.
posted by cenoxo at 6:05 PM on November 12, 2022
Having briefly taken lessons (without enthusiasm) as a boy, I'm not sure that "better" is a word that can be applied to accordions. However, some incredible musicians are out there.
posted by cenoxo at 6:05 PM on November 12, 2022
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posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 7:11 PM on November 12, 2022
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 7:11 PM on November 12, 2022
We were all her love slaves. Bow to Juuuuuuudy! DO IT PIGS!
posted by not_on_display at 9:17 PM on November 12, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by not_on_display at 9:17 PM on November 12, 2022 [6 favorites]
Aw, crap. She was a great influence for younger me. We loved her at our house. This fucking disease…
posted by kitten kaboodle at 2:02 AM on November 13, 2022
posted by kitten kaboodle at 2:02 AM on November 13, 2022
She was a very funny comedian. She gave us laughs from the belly. She will be missed.
posted by DJZouke at 5:05 AM on November 13, 2022
posted by DJZouke at 5:05 AM on November 13, 2022
I only discovered her when a friend posted that she had died. I mourn for every day that I didn't know of her. She was truly spectacular.
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posted by TheCoug at 7:06 AM on November 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
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posted by TheCoug at 7:06 AM on November 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
I was so saddened to learn of her death - and a bit shocked to learn her age. She seemed so ageless! If you’re reading this and unfamiliar with her work, I’d recommend her segment from the HBO special Women of the Night (the whole special was amazing) - some of the jokes don’t stand the test of time, but overall she’s just so funny.
posted by Mchelly at 7:19 AM on November 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by Mchelly at 7:19 AM on November 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
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posted by agatha_magatha at 9:05 AM on November 13, 2022
posted by agatha_magatha at 9:05 AM on November 13, 2022
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posted by jim in austin at 12:24 PM on November 13, 2022
posted by jim in austin at 12:24 PM on November 13, 2022
The way she'd growl about being a delicate flower. I think she's the reason I'm turned on by Dr. Mrs. The Monarch.
Srsly tho, she was a one-oif-a-kind, full-throttle weirdo. I see a bit of her energy in Sarah "Squirm" Sherman.
posted by whuppy at 1:55 PM on November 13, 2022 [5 favorites]
Srsly tho, she was a one-oif-a-kind, full-throttle weirdo. I see a bit of her energy in Sarah "Squirm" Sherman.
posted by whuppy at 1:55 PM on November 13, 2022 [5 favorites]
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Her HBO special is a thing of beauty in my heart. I grew up with this amazing performer in the background of my life and I think it has made me a better person. Snarkier, but always loving to see female comedians take bigger swings and usually out do comedy bros. Praise Judy!
posted by Ignorantsavage at 3:29 PM on November 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
Her HBO special is a thing of beauty in my heart. I grew up with this amazing performer in the background of my life and I think it has made me a better person. Snarkier, but always loving to see female comedians take bigger swings and usually out do comedy bros. Praise Judy!
posted by Ignorantsavage at 3:29 PM on November 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
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