Julie Kidd is CEO of Funny Mom Productions. She was crowned Hilarious Housewife on ABC’s The View and has had additional appearances. Julie is the host and producer of the Funniest Housewives comedy show – a sellout everywhere they perform, featuring some of the funniest female comics in the industry and on all TV platforms. Julie also produces the Funniest Husbands and the Single Mom The Musical TV credits include: Nickelodeon, The View, Extreme Gong, Wipe Out, NBC Life Moments, Iyanla Vanzant, Character Fantasy. Julie is also an award winning Tap Dance Choreographer and taught dance for over 25 years. This fall, you can see Julie on Season 2 of “I Can See Your Voice” as a secret voice aka the Palm Reader.
Tell us about the “Funniest Housewives” comedy show.
The Funniest Housewives started in 2009. How it began: After years of performing in (still) a very male-dominated industry, my stepsister and comedy partner decided to start an all-female comedy group. We reached out to some extremely funny women and our ideas quickly started coming to fruition. Soon we had a group of talented and hysterical women who were ready and eager to be a part of our dream. And in the interim, we hoped that bringing an all-female line-up to the stage would challenge the stereotypes about women in comedy and be empowering for women both in the industry and out of it.
After months of planning and searching for the perfect location to produce the show in Orange County, California, we decided on a small hotel across the street from Disneyland located in Anaheim, California: The Anaheim Plaza Hotel. Hotel Management allowed us to transform their restaurant into a comedy theater. We added a small stage, theater curtains, Funniest Housewives banner, a microphone and sound amp. Voila! We had ourselves show! The first night was packed!
That initial success didn’t last. Our next show, without family and friends present, dwindled down to less than ten people (if you count the comedians) in the audience. It was a bit hard on the ego. After a couple of months of performing at the Anaheim Plaza Hotel, we felt it was time to venture out. Although we were let down by occasional low audience numbers, we didn’t let that discourage us. We knew we had a great show but just needed to get the word out.
We took the Funniest Housewives show to various comedy clubs in the area. At that time, there was no social media to help advertise us; we literally walked the streets handing out flyers to promote the show and the comedians. Soon, we began building interest and our audience numbers increased. Although we endured some setbacks, we continued on, with even more drive.
As we branched out, so did more venue opportunities. We decided to offer shows to fundraise for organizations giving back to the community, particularly those that were women- based. Our first fundraiser, produced at the Irvine Improv – was for the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Health Institute. The fundraiser was featured on a local Orange County entertainment TV show AND some of the “Real Housewives of Orange County” from the Bravo TV show showed up in support. We were honored and happy to give back!
Not only did we sell out the show, but reviews about the show were glowing with positivity and as a result, we gained more momentum in the comedy world. As our show blossomed, we decided to give our audiences more talent. They definitely had their favorites, but we wanted to open the line-up to more hilarious female comedians. Our audience numbers were increasing, and we needed a bigger venue. We decided to take a daring leap and reached out to a legendary concert hall in San Juan Capistrano, CA – The Coach House, a home to many great musicians and performers.
We negotiated with the owners, Gary and Clyde, to bring the Funniest Housewives show to their stage. They said YES! We were nervous and excited, to say the least. Of course, they were adamant that we had to bring the audience and we had better deliver! And we did! The Coach House would become our “home club” for over a decade – and each time, we sold out, or at the very least, packed the room.
We were also delighted to see more men in our audience. We went from approximately 1% men in the audience to approximately 20% men in the audience. Typically, our show was dubbed as a “Ladies Night Out”. But eventually women began bringing their significant other to enjoy the shows making it a perfect date night.
Sadly, my stepsister passed away in 2016 due to cancer. My heart was broken. However, I decided to keep the show going. It keeps me close to her. In 2020, being locked down due to COVID, I wrote and published a book that is empowering, funny, tearful, and inspiring – titled “Funniest Housewives / When Laughter and Inspiration Collide”. It tells the full story of it started, what we were up against and how pushed forward and became successful. I felt my stepsister bossing me around during the entire process and I loved it.
Women really relate to the show. All of the female comics have very distinct personalities and have a title that reflects their persona, i.e. “Dysfunctional Housewife”, “Lazy Housewife”, “Manic Housewife”, “Step-Mom Housewife”, etc.
You’ve been the survivor of many childhood and adult events, how has this translated into your comedy?
Sadly, I grew up socially awkward, a loner, and a bit of a bully. As I came into my teens, I noticed my sarcastic joking attracted friendship. It was magical. I grew into kindness and gratitude and found that laughter was healing. Now, I can’t hurt a fly, an ant. I’m vegan and hope to one day save all of the animals! With that said, I understand that when people are bullied, they become a bully. Kindness is cool and this world needs more!
You were crowned Hilarious Housewife on ABC’s The View. How did you prepare for the show?
In 1999., I was on the View – and lost that title to another great comic. I was relatively unseasoned, but the opportunity was exciting and gave me a decent credit on my resume. Then, in 2012 The View announced another Hilarious Housewife competition! Of course, I submitted a to into the show and asked to reclaim what I had lost – and I won. I had been doing comedy for a long time. Even though it was about a three- minute set, I practiced and practiced. I was ready! I’m big believer practice makes perfect and hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. I was prepared. I sat next to Whoopi when we were getting our hair and makeup done and I was in dreamland! Then Barbara Walters in and I was just blown away. Sherri Shepherd was also a host and she was so encouraging and gracious. It was an experience I’ll always cherish.
Is comedy therapeutic for you?
Comedy is therapeutic. And it’s good for the brain. You have to be somewhat of a wordsmith. No repeating words in a joke, figuring out what words are funny, the creation of writing is challenging and takes discipline. But when a joke works and an audience laughs, it’s so rewarding! Comedy requires genuineness and allows us to be ourselves. That’s what sets a comic apart from another. But it takes time to figure that out. Often, before you hit the stage you hear a comic say – “have a great set, just be yourself”. In the beginning of my comedy career, I would think, “Just be myself? But who am I?” Eventually, you begin to dig deep. As you hone your craft, you tear away the layers and finally realize what that means. Our flaws, our struggles, our stories, our life – is hilarious, in a weird way, and people will relate. You hear the term, “there’s always some truth behind each joke” — and that’s true. In another perspective, I have a lot of struggle and sadness. I have a son that struggles hard with epilepsy and it breaks my heart to see him endure such pain. I wish I could take it from him. But I can’t. Being on stage, you forget your pain and troubles. Having a break can be relieving. It keeps you strong and keeps you going. Not to say I’m not blessed, because I am, and I understand we all have things we’re dealing with. That’s part of life. Comedy definitely helps, and when you do what you love, it’s very rewarding.
Your favorite comedy creation is a video series “Call With My Sis” which took you to social media viral success during the pandemic. Why is this resonating with audiences?
I filmed a “fake” call with my sis during COVID and it blew up. It was just a funny call that was about living with lockdown. But I had no expectation of the outcome. I was just filming something silly, without any expectation. It went viral and people were reaching out to me that I hadn’t talked to in years. People would DM me and say it made them laugh during such a sad time. So, I filmed another “Call With My Sis”. More people reached out, so it encouraged me to post more calls. Now I can’t stop! Knowing that people enjoyed them and looked forward to them, melts my heart. It’s kind of my comedy identity these days. I talk about my sister in my comedy set on stage, and sometimes take a “call” from her when I’m stage. Okay, I pretend to take a call.
Share a few lines from the “Funniest Housewives.”
In the book “Funniest Housewives / When Laughter and Inspiration Collide”, I tell the story of the Funniest Housewives and also feature 22 hilarious women that have hit the Funniest Housewives stage. They offer a few jokes and a piece of empowering inspiration. I can share some of my jokes:
- I’m too busy to cook when I call my kids dinner, they run to the car.
- I stopped going to the gym. All the pretty girls walk around like “you can look but don’t touch”. I’m at an age now where, “you can touch but don’t look.”
- I joined Jenny Craig and in just six weeks I lost… 79 dollars.
You are known as a song parody master which has attracted the attention of America’s Got Talent numerous times. Tell us more.
I’m obsessed with writing song lyrics/parodies. I’ve been asked to audition for so many various televised talent shows, including 4 times from producers of America’s Got Talent. But every time I audition (and have moved on to another audition), they say they may have legal ramifications regarding the music, and it ends there. I wish AGT would just give me a chance. Perhaps, one day. I love to tap dance (and taught tap for 25 years), play piano, and sing so – but since I couldn’t tour on Broadway, because I was a single mom raising 3 kids, I just created my own musical, hence “Single Mom The Musical” that features dance, comedy and 30 song parodies. I have a partner in the show, Janine Hayes who is hilarious and a talented singer, and a phenomenal piano player that accompanies us. So, with or without AGT, I’ll keep writing and performing my silly song parodies.
You also produce the “Funniest Husbands” and “Single Mom The Musical”. What can we expect for the upcoming shows?
Funniest Housewives got so popular, that male comics began reaching out to me asking if they could somehow be in the show. After years of receiving so much interest from men, I decided to produce the “Funniest Husbands”. The line-up consists of amazing and seasoned comics and they also take on the persona and title, just like the Funniest Housewives, i.e. The “Clueless Husband”, “Gayest Husband”, “Common Law Husband”, to name a few.
Regarding “Single Mom The Musical”, COVID shut that down, like all other shows. My partner and I stopped rehearsing due to social distancing requirements/mandates. However, I’m producing a documentary about the creation of “Single Mom the Musical”. It will feature a dream that comes true, along with interviews. I’ll also share show footage I’ve saved over the years featuring the music and comedy. I’m really excited to present this and I hope it encourages others to go for their dream. My son is a filmmaker and together we are collaborating and hope to have it ready for the public by mid-2022.
This Fall, you will be on Season 2 of “I Can See Your Voice.” What excites you the most?
I’ve done a lot of fun and not so fun television shows in the past, but I have to say, filming “I Can See Your Voice” was one of the best experiences of my LIFE! From the rehearsals to the staff – all so wonderful. I am one of the “Secret Voices” and it was extremely challenging! The practice, the rehearsing, the entire journey was absolutely amazing. I love being scared and challenging myself to be the best I can be and this experience definitely brought that out in me. I’ve been on stages for decades in my comedy career, but this took on a different type of focus, commitment and belief in myself. When you watch it on TV it looks easy, but actually participating, turned out to be something I’ve never experienced. WOW! I cant’s say much more about it since it hasn’t aired yet, but I hope it’s a life changing outcome. Ken Jong is hilarious and gracious as the host and the others, Cheryl Hines, Joel McHale and Adrienne Bailon-Houghton were funny, honest and intimidating. They kept us on our toes so-to-speak, but they were great and they make the show awesome!
What’s next for you?
I believe the best is yet to come! I’ve put in the work over the decades and the Universe knows I’m ready. Currently, I’m back to performing and producing comedy shows. I’m also an author and I help and assist first-time authors with editing and launching their books. Palm Reading has increased, and I hope after “I Can See Your Voice” airs, I’ll be busier than ever!
I believe living my life with gratitude and love is powerful, but living it with humor is magical.
Website:
FunnyMomProductions.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/julie.kidd.75/
https://www.facebook.com/FunniestHousewivesOfficialPage
https://www.facebook.com/FunniestHusbandsOfficalPage
https://www.facebook.com/SingleMomTheMusical
@JulieKiddComedian
@PalmReadingComedian
@FunniestHousewives
@FunniestHusbands
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/thefunnymoms
Tik Tok:
@JulieKiddComedian
Email: