#304 Spiraling into Comedy with Leah Rudick

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Jeff Dwoskin 0:28

All right, Anna, thank you so much for that amazing introduction. You got this show going each and every week, and this week was no exception. Welcome, everybody to Episode 304 of classic conversations. As always, I am your host, Jeff Dwoskin. Great to have you back for what's sure to be the most viral episode today. That's right. With us today is comedian and viral sensation. Leah Rudick. We're talking comedy her new comedy special spiraling and so much more. And that's coming up in just a few seconds. And in these few seconds Dinah man off joined us last week. That's right, Pink Lady first person killed by Chucky and child's play. Oh, so many stories. Don't miss that. It's awesome. Oh, speaking of stories, past guests Kimia pornea is joining Abbott Elementary. An article in the direct quoted our conversation from Episode 210. As part of their article, our goal is that I know so cool. Well, you know what else is cool? My conversation with Lea rodyk. And that's coming up right now. excited to introduce my next guest, actor, writer, comedian, viral sensation, or latest sariling is now available on Apple TV, Amazon and more. I'm so excited to welcome to the show. Leah Rudick. Hello.

Leah Rudick 1:51

Hi. Thanks for having me.

Jeff Dwoskin 1:53

When your publicist reached out to me, I was like, Oh my God, I know her. I watch her tiktoks Oh,

Leah Rudick 1:58

that's so nice. I love that. I love to hear that. That's amazing.

Jeff Dwoskin 2:02

I'm so impressed and jealous to go. I'm sure everyone's jamming or you blew up on Tik Tok huge on Instagram.

Leah Rudick 2:11

I hate you so much to be jealous of I know. That's very funny. Yeah, I had I've had a pretty wild couple of years. With social media that has sort of catapulted my whole career. It's been it's been pretty awesome.

Jeff Dwoskin 2:27

It is amazing. Let's, let's go backwards in time. And then we'll kind of catch up to that moment. And then talk more about it. What is your origin story? What I know you're an actor and a comedian. Like when did this all start? What was your inspiration? When did these dreams begin? What started you on this path?

Leah Rudick 2:46

I started on the theater route. I think that's, that's what got me into performing. I started doing theater when I was quite young in Cincinnati, Ohio, just like local plays, school stuff. And I did theater through high school. And then I went to college. It was a Sarah Lawrence College in New York. I studied the theater there, you know, liberal arts degree, moved to New York spent years just auditioning and doing sketch comedy, which started as kind of an offshoot of a group from college was there for about a decade. I have a comedy writing partner, Katie Hartman, and we were a sketch duo. And so we were just performing for years in New York, traveling around doing doing a bunch of Fringe Festivals, stuff like that, and then moved to LA with my husband almost 10 years ago. And that's when I started doing stand up. And then during the pandemic I got on Tik Tok. And it kind of all all took off from there. That's the abbreviated version of the past two decades.

Jeff Dwoskin 3:56

So let's revisit some of it the what was what was the drive to want to be an actor, people in the family? Was there something you saw when you were young?

Leah Rudick 4:07

I was always so shy, I was painfully shy. For whatever reason, getting on stage was like the thing that brought me out of my shell. Like I could kind of jump into a different reality. And once you experienced that rush of, of being on stage that that adrenaline high, you're kind of chasing it forever. I have for me at least like I think that I yeah, I started I like I got on stage when I was probably in like third grade just doing like, like a little a little play and, and I just loved it. And yeah, it feels like it was it was sort of a coping mechanism for my for my shyness. I hear Yeah, but no one else like my parents weren't. My parents are not in the in that world. They're not there. My dad's an engineer. My parents have a small business together. So it was I don't know where it came from. I think

Jeff Dwoskin 5:00

a lot of comedians are kind of shy off stage and not the people that they are on stage. It's yeah. Alright, so you find it is a good way to kind of open up. Yeah, that's

Leah Rudick 5:11

what it was for me for sure.

Jeff Dwoskin 5:13

I understand that I understand that there's a certain freeness when you're on stage, and you're like, commanding the entire place. And yeah,

Leah Rudick 5:22

you're just drunk with power.

Jeff Dwoskin 5:28

And away, right. I mean, it is like, I always would say, like, comedies like audience manipulation, because you know, when someone's gone, you know how they're about to react.

Leah Rudick 5:36

Yeah, it is, I guess I've never really thought about it like that. But it is you are kind of like a, like a puppet master up there. And I think that I, like so often feel so out of control in my day to day life that like being able to be on stage and stand in that power and feel a sense of, I don't know if it's a sense of control, but just a sense of power. I yeah, I think that there's there's nothing like that. Oh,

Jeff Dwoskin 6:00

I know. It's like That's why no one quits. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I always explain to some folks it's like, when I say this one joke. I know. I'm gonna have enough time to take a drink. Yeah, so that's when I drink you know. So it's, it always kind of fascinated me just the way they don't they because they see it as something that's very spontaneous. They don't know you've done it a million times. Most people most people don't.

Leah Rudick 6:23

Yeah, they don't know that you're taking a sip knowing that you have a minute and also taking a look at your setlist.

Jeff Dwoskin 6:28

Right. They think they're hearing this for the first time. Right? Genius, you just

Leah Rudick 6:34

think it's fully improvised? Yeah.

Jeff Dwoskin 6:38

How did you make the shift from acting to comedy? Because it's to me, it's a little bit fundamentally different. And in some ways, very much the same acting, you're doing someone else's words. So you're kind of controlling the audience, but as someone else's, so you're a little detached, but it's not as personal. I mean, it is, I guess, in a way, because it's you delivering it, but we're doing comedy. Those are your words, right. This is fully you. So it's a little different. But how did you decide to make that shift?

Leah Rudick 7:09

Well, I didn't it wasn't an active. Yeah, I wouldn't. I don't think it's an active, it wasn't an active shift. Because I still, I still very much consider myself an actor and still am constantly working on projects and looking for projects and auditioning. The comedy kind of evolved as as an offshoot, it was it was kind of like, well, if, you know, I moved to New York, and I was like, waiting for auditions and waiting for that big break. And then it was just a way for me to have agency over my career while I was waiting for someone else to say yes to me. And then it just kind of became that became like a huge part of my life. And I think through that, I discovered that I actually really love the writing process. And I love being hands on with every single aspect of it, you know, being able to control the the joke writing and the performance and the delivery. I love I love acting like I love I love theater, I love TV and film. But But like you said, there is a certain aspect of like giving it up. Because it's it there's so many different moving parts that you can't control. Whereas with comedy, with the path that I've taken, I feel like I do have so much control over every aspect of it, which I think I like,

Jeff Dwoskin 8:25

do you see it as a huge advantage? I do that you're an actor. Also, because I did the comedians that I've worked with, from New York, who were also actors, there's a different vibe, right? And you you have that as well on stage. So it's like because you, you can act and you can do your material.

Leah Rudick 8:43

Yeah, for me, it's been a huge benefit. And I think my background in sketch comedy has been a huge benefit to my to my stand up career because when I started doing stand up, it was later it was over a decade into my into my career as a performer and a comedian. And by that point, I knew, you know, I knew how to stand on stage, I knew how to how to jump in and out of a character, I knew my own voice and how to like hold myself in a space. And I think that that is something that takes can take a really long time to learn. So you see new stand ups who don't have that background who are kind of just learning how to be a human on stage in front of people. And I feel like that was I was ahead of the curve with that which was great.

Jeff Dwoskin 9:29

The 10 years you were in New York, was it mostly sketch or did you like stand up like which clubs did you kind of? Yeah,

Leah Rudick 9:37

I didn't do any I didn't do any stand up in New York. It was it was all sketch and we performed we had a residency at the at the pit at the People's Improv Theater. We did a lot of Stand Up shows we would be like build on on like lineups with stand ups because it was just like a way to get stage time and the you know, it was just two of us. So we we found ways to Whoo to work sketches into spaces like that where we didn't need you know a ton of costumes and space but yeah I was I was mostly just doing sketch I was solely doing sketch and then acting in New York and then i I only started doing stand up when I came out to LA and my comedy partners stayed in New York and I didn't really know what to do with myself and I didn't want to like start over with sketch I didn't want to you know you get so we had such a good have such a good like creative partnership that the idea of like starting to do sketch again with with new people just didn't appeal to me at all.

Jeff Dwoskin 10:38

Yeah, the great name for your sketch duo Skinny Bitch Jesus meeting. Yes. I need to hear the origin of that.

Leah Rudick 10:48

It was an inside joke from from our college it was like I don't know I think it was I at some point I was having a conversation with a friend and another person walked up and was like, What is this The Skinny Bitch meeting? And we just thought it was very funny and then it was about and then we just added that word Jesus in there because we just we just thought it was funny. I don't know.

Jeff Dwoskin 11:14

No, that's great. I mean it definitely like it's it's

Leah Rudick 11:16

a wild name that people it was it's definitely a thing where it's like if if you see that name and you're like offended by it you don't want to see our comp I feel like it was a good just sort of like litmus test for you know, if you don't like that name you probably won't like won't like our comedy so good.

Jeff Dwoskin 11:35

Yeah, you don't want by a flyer with skinny rich Jesus meeting on it. And yeah, yeah, that doesn't. You don't keep walking you stop. You look at that.

Leah Rudick 11:42

No. Yeah, it's definitely an eye. It's definitely eye catching.

Jeff Dwoskin 11:45

Did you take improv classes? Were you did you train in improv at all?

Leah Rudick 11:49

No, I took I took a couple. I mean, I did. I took like comedy classes in college. We did a we did improv in college. And I think I took one. I think I took one improv class in New York. But I think that was even during college where I would just come into the city to take I took one UCB class didn't ever really didn't like, study it. I studied acting like I was taking acting classes. But the sketch comedy, we kind of just figured it out on our own. And I think that that was, I think that that was for the best because I think it allowed us to not be formulaic at all in what we were doing, and not follow a script. And so we were able to just be like wild and creative and just do the things that kind of like delighted us. And I think that we just we kind of just taught ourselves listed as one

Jeff Dwoskin 12:41

of the 25 Funny People that should have their own television show by Complex magazine.

Leah Rudick 12:49

Yes, they thought we should have a TV show and I still think we should.

Jeff Dwoskin 12:54

Made to Order. Yeah, that was our web series that

Leah Rudick 12:57

we made hilarious, by the way. Oh, thank you. Yeah, it's so good. I mean, if I do say so myself, I love I really love that I really love that project. We made it with our, with our friend, Adam Wirtz, who is just like a wildly talented, kind of like one man band, he shoots he direct seed edits, like, he is just like the most talented person that just does everything. And so that was like such a great collaboration. I feel very, very proud of that of that project.

Jeff Dwoskin 13:28

So what is Katy Hartman doing now that you left her in New York all by herself to go see a tick tock star.

Leah Rudick 13:35

She's she's crushing it. She's in New York. She's, um, she's she's acting also she does a bunch of character stuff. She she wrote an incredible musical comedy show with her husband, David Karl. She writes, she's a writer, she she's doing great. And we still are writing partners. Like we have a bunch of projects that we're working on and we still like we see each other all the time and it's still very much a an in process collaboration. Like I still she still is my like my writing and comedy partner, even though we're living on opposite coasts.

Jeff Dwoskin 14:11

Okay, so we can I hope for a skinny bitch. Jesus meeting. Reunion. Yeah, on the road. Yeah,

Leah Rudick 14:17

it will happen. It will happen.

Jeff Dwoskin 14:20

Such great news. All right. Yeah. Your brother is a comic also.

Leah Rudick 14:25

Yeah. My brother Andrew is a he's a stand up comedian. Also, we do a lot of shows together. We tour a lot, especially in the Midwest. We do a lot of CO headlining Yeah, he's great. He's one of my best friends and also my brother.

Jeff Dwoskin 14:40

You're not going to leave him like you did. Katie

Leah Rudick 14:45

wow, I must be some kind of monster

Jeff Dwoskin 14:50

wars you guys did a podcast together too. So yeah, yeah, bro. Yeah, let's talk about because we want make sure everyone goes and sees bye As downloads, whatever whatever the phrase is, thing, yeah, digital assets somehow. Anyway, rolling, spiraling Apple TV, your one hour comedy special. Tell me about preparing for this comedy special shooting this comedy smash off. Give me some of that background. Yeah,

Leah Rudick 15:21

it's so it's my it's my first our special it's I love it I'm thrilled with how it came out, I shot it back in April at this beautiful theater in North Hollywood called El Porto Hall. And the process for making it was really intense. I think it was like, I got word from my manager that I would be taping it, I think in like December, so it was kind of like a mad dash to just prep that hour i so i just like I hit the road really hard between January and April and just like got it to a place that I was really happy with it and then shot it shot it on. It was one show. So it was like, you know, it was there was like an extra layer of stress. Because it was like, often if you're shooting a special you do like a couple of nights. But this one was just like it was just like going to be one night one show. And luckily, it went great. It was like we sold out the theater. And it was like such a good show. I really am so thrilled with it. And it's my first hour. So it's like it's a lot of stuff that I've been working on for many years. And it's like it's very personal and, and also just fun and silly and absurd. And I'm really happy that it's out in the world. It's

Jeff Dwoskin 16:34

hilarious. You're so much. It's people love you on Tik Tok, which I'm sure they will and I'm sure that's part of a driver. Yeah, you translate well, between all the mediums your use.

Leah Rudick 16:48

Thank you. I guess you That's very nice of you to say I appreciate that.

Jeff Dwoskin 16:52

That's why I'm here. I do mean, when you're doing an hour, did you shoot an hour? Meaning like, is that as what we get when we download when we buys by rolling on Apple TV or Amazon? Everybody? Like, oh, did you shoot like an hour and 15 and I

Leah Rudick 17:09

shot an hour and maybe three minutes. So it's like you're getting the whole the whole thing? I think we cut down we just cut down like tiny, you know, bits of air because there wasn't there wasn't anything to cut down. It was like that was the hour. And that's what what I did on that stage is what is on the screen.

Jeff Dwoskin 17:28

I think that's great. I mean, is that isn't it? Like old school like to just do this is my show? I

Leah Rudick 17:34

think so. Yeah. It's like, this is the show that I wanted to write and perform. And, you know, here it is world,

Jeff Dwoskin 17:43

right. I mean, even if even if you flub a joke or something is like a dumb sad day, but like, I mean, there's Yeah, but I mean, that's a tight rope you're walking.

Leah Rudick 17:51

Exactly. It's yeah, it definitely is like, you know, yeah. And there was like, like you after the taping, you know, you have a moment where you can be like, is there anything you want to go back and take and the only thing that I did is I forgot one of my jokes. I forgot one of the jokes in the set. So I was like, Oh, shit, I gotta I gotta like, do this joke, because it tied into the lake closer. And I was like, I have to like, because

Jeff Dwoskin 18:15

I call it back three times. Yeah, I came

Leah Rudick 18:17

back out. And I did that joke. And it was like they edited it in seamlessly. So no one would know that I forgot.

Jeff Dwoskin 18:24

Yeah, I've talked to another comedian, who did you shot multiple shows. And then they were like, well, we don't really want to use the other show, because it's too expensive to edit them together. And that caused him stress. And I was at a live show once for a comedian who was doing a taping Comedy Central guy, he would like talk to the audience. He's like, Hey, Bill, or whatever. And I'm like, why are you doing that? That you know what? Bill's gonna be in the front row with the next show? You don't I mean, it's just it just you have to like there's a certain mentality I think that you have to kind of be flexible with the way you're doing your show and have fun, but not engage in certain ways that make it clear this is a different show. Yeah.

Leah Rudick 19:00

And like I do I do like a good amount of crowd work and my when I'm touring and when I'm on the road, but for this I was like, No, this is not this is not what this is. There's no there I won't be doing crowd work in this in this room. But you know, they say that with like, when people do tape, multiple shows for a recording. They usually like there's one show that like 98% of the footage. It's like that was the show, you know, that was the good show. That was the one that like is the small will do small cuts if you know if you did like mess up a line or something, but it makes sense. Next time, I think I'll do multiple shows just for just for peace of mind, even though I'm so happy with how this came out. I think it's just like, just for my own like anxiety leading up to it to be like, Okay, well, I can have a few options. I

Jeff Dwoskin 19:49

think it's cool that you did just one show kind of like this is because that's more realistic, too. Right? Yeah, we'll go to see you there seeing that you straight through it. Yeah, yeah. And so it's like, there's just something I think, a little more realistic. I don't know. seems more. I don't know.

Leah Rudick 20:08

I think I agree. I agree you're getting what you're getting. And it's not too edited or too overly polished.

Jeff Dwoskin 20:16

I think the only real draw redraw that's where I'm sorry, this is gritty. This is, I guess the only I mean, the problem would be like, they're like, Oh, God, the sound didn't work or something like that. That would be

Leah Rudick 20:28

yes, that would be that would be a living nightmare. Right? That would be like a one show issue. Yeah. Luckily, this sound worked.

Jeff Dwoskin 20:37

I get verify that I heard the sound. Yeah, it's there. It's there's definitely, if you guys get spirally. There, there will be sound. Yeah, that's the LEA guarantee. Because the Yeah.

Whether you like it or not, you can decide on that. But

Leah Rudick 21:01

whether you like it or not, because you're gonna love it, you will hear it. Yeah, you are gonna love it. And everyone's gonna love it.

Jeff Dwoskin 21:07

Sorry to interrupt, have to take a quick break. I do want to thank everyone for their support of the sponsors. When you support the sponsors, you're supporting us here at Classic conversations. And that's how we keep the lights on. And now back to my conversation with Leah Rudick. In terms of acting, because I know that's a big part of your life as well. So a lot of indie films and yeah, given that soccer, like what is that? You know, these folks, is it? Yeah,

Leah Rudick 21:36

I think it's, it's all just like, you know, you you come up with people who are everyone is, is sort of making making stuff. And, you know, you do your friends projects, and they do yours. And I think that's the great thing about coming up in a in a comedy community because you have so much access to so many talented people. And everyone is, is making their own projects and helping with your projects. Yeah. And then, like my husband and I made a feature together several years back that is that we shot in New York, and I feel like that's something that we both we both acted in it, he directed it that I think we're both like very proud of and sort of represents that world of of indie filmmaking and the name of that project is is sweet parents,

Jeff Dwoskin 22:21

sweet parents.

Leah Rudick 22:22

Yeah, it's about two struggling or to two artists in New York struggling you know, I play a sculptor, he plays a chef who get involved separately with older benefactors to help further their careers and kind of how that leads to the doll that how that wreaks havoc on their own relationship.

Jeff Dwoskin 22:40

So you play Gabby, yeah. Oh, wow. what's your what's your husband's first name? David. David. Okay, so David,

Leah Rudick 22:47

can you please Well, yeah, did you see it? Are you are you are you pulling it up on? IMDB?

Jeff Dwoskin 22:54

Well, am I supposed to give away my magic? No, no. I did pull it up. No, no, I know. I did a lot of research. I know. It's an hour. 48 minutes. I know. I know. I know. Wow. You really do your research. Yeah. I've everything.

Leah Rudick 23:13

It's all up here all in your head.

Jeff Dwoskin 23:15

So where can one watch sweet parents? You can watch it.

Leah Rudick 23:18

It's on? It's on Amazon. I think it's it's probably it may be on like Google Play and places like that. But it's it's definitely on Amazon. That would be the place to go for it. So

Jeff Dwoskin 23:30

that's cool. So you guys co wrote this. Yeah, there you co starred. Yeah. Does David know how you left Katie high and dried? And is he concerned that?

Leah Rudick 23:40

Well, Katie's in the movie too. She plays she plays Gabby's friend.

Jeff Dwoskin 23:46

Yeah, she's Christine. Yeah, look at that. Wow, when I added the pauses gonna sound like it's gonna be like, how did Jeff know on this?

Leah Rudick 23:55

It's gonna be really impressive. Really impressive.

Jeff Dwoskin 24:00

And I apologize in advance for the faux drama I have created with Katie. I don't know

Leah Rudick 24:06

Well, yeah. It's gonna cause you guys

Jeff Dwoskin 24:09

are hilarious. Together. You guys a problem.

Leah Rudick 24:12

Thank you. She's, she's the funniest person. I know. She is like, the funniest, most talented person I know.

Jeff Dwoskin 24:18

I'm sure she would say the same about you know, but like the main claps Are you did like a Mother's Day thing and like,

Leah Rudick 24:27

Oh my God. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And so yeah, we I mean, we have it's just like one of those things where like, we have such a such a like, special chemistry like I I think it is just like such a mutual love and respect for each other and a feeling of like, just loving each other's comedic brains that I feel very I feel very lucky that you know that I found her.

Jeff Dwoskin 24:52

You know, when you can find someone that you jive with. Yeah, like that. It's, yeah, you guys played off each other very well. And I'll do skits that I saw. Yeah. Thank you. You're welcome. So when you have an hour special out now and you tour to do the same material, are you conscious? Do you need? Like, I assume, yes. But like

Leah Rudick 25:17

some of the same material, but I'm really, I have a lot of new stuff. I feel like at this point, it's probably half new. Which is, which is cool. I, you know, it's interesting, because like, this first hour is a lot of the material is is recent, is stuff that I wrote in the past year. But a good portion of it is also stuff that like I have been working on for many years. So this is like, it's like an interesting time of like, how like the turnover is and you know, comics say this about after they do their first special, then it's like another year for the next special. And that's sort of the that's sort of the mentality that I'm in now where it's like, Can I can I have a new hour by, you know, April of 2024. I think I'm on track to get there. But right now it is it's like a lot of new stuff that I'm really excited about and then thrown in some of the some of the classics and some of the stuff that is that is also on the special.

Jeff Dwoskin 26:12

I was talking to another comedian, and we're talking about albums, she's like, well, really all you need is that one minute clip, right? So now you have both right? Like, you're like this, you're like a unicorn, you're like a comedy unicorn, I hate you. Now.

Leah Rudick 26:30

I just got listen, I can't sing. I can't dance. This is all I have.

Jeff Dwoskin 26:35

Now, I know you're amazing. I know what I mean, though, is so you have like the special now and you can do the clips from that. But you also have the viral illness behind you like your bio, you go viral all the time, right? Or you ever huge reach on Tiktok. And Instagram reels, I assume and all that kind of stuff. Right? Yeah. So in theory, now that you have this one hour, you could just go over the next 10 minutes and then break that up and push it out. Right? I mean, you could write I mean, you could just go crazy like that. Because you have you have that you are now the value of the machine to behind self.

Leah Rudick 27:10

I've got the I've got the algorithm in my hands. Yeah,

Jeff Dwoskin 27:13

you don't have to wait a year, I guess is what I'm saying. Like you could have a whole different approach to it.

Leah Rudick 27:19

You definitely could. And I think it's that's a really interesting point and perspective. But I think there's still something that is like a little bit, maybe old school about how I think about it, which is that like I want to have, I don't want everything I do to be in service of the Tick Tock Instagram algorithm, like I want to make work and make like, I want to perform an hour set an hour show. That is just what it is. And obviously, like the algorithm has served me very well. And these platforms have served me very well. But I see it as serving me to to then be able to do those larger things that I like care about as as an artist and a comedian, so that it's not just just for the purpose of a viral clip, even though that is really nice to have to have viral virality like it just it definitely feeds the ego.

Jeff Dwoskin 28:16

Look when I get my 230 likes, no matter Yeah.

Leah Rudick 28:23

It's addictive, right? Like when you when you're just like, oh, random people are seeing this.

Jeff Dwoskin 28:28

I know it's just funny. I I can spend seven seconds on that stupid Capcom or that you're in the boat and it just goes in. And I get our like editing something and I will still only got 236 likes.

Leah Rudick 28:45

Yeah, it can. It can. It can become maddening. I know. I know.

Jeff Dwoskin 28:49

You're a headliner, comedian. Were you headliner comedian, before Tik Tok blew up.

Leah Rudick 28:55

No, I mean, I was I was featuring. So I had like a solid 25 minutes. I also like I had that amount of time as a stand up. But I've been doing comedy for 1718 years. So the opportunity to then have a ton more stage time. I feel like the growth into that the like being able to sit into that and develop more time as I was able as I got access to these larger sets was not that hard, because it was like I was I was ready for it. It wasn't like I was three years in and had 25 minutes like I was able to fill to sit comfortably in that time pretty pretty quickly to my own surprise because I think it's always like there's always this element of like doubting yourself and being like, Well I I won't be able to do I'm I'm headlined. I won't be able to do an hour but like I was which was great.

Jeff Dwoskin 29:50

No, it's it sounds like it was amazing. Just timing as well. Just in terms of Yeah, where you were in your career and everything right because like you said, You know what happens? Some of these folks and like, you know, comedians will say this guy, he's big on tick tock, but but I don't mean you. I don't mean you. But like, because they were, they got hot on tick tock for five minutes with nothing behind them. Yeah. And

Leah Rudick 30:12

then they have like an hour. And they it's it's brutal because they don't know how to be on stage. They don't have like the background, and I definitely have felt that. I mean, no one has ever like said that to me explicitly, but like, I there is this kind of like, I you know, you go into a city and you meet some people and they're like, oh, tick tock. Yeah. Cool. And then like, they want you to do this show. And they're like, Oh, you actually are a comedian. Like, I feel like there's, there's this constant because tick tock was the platform that brought me an audience. There's always going to be this or right now there is just this thing of like, okay, well, you like prove it, but I do like I can. Because

Jeff Dwoskin 30:52

I have the receipts. Yeah. Right. And

Leah Rudick 30:56

I, you know, I've also seen I've also seen people who have exploded on on these platforms who, who don't have the background and I know I get it like I've, it's brutal to watch. So I so I understand where the sentiment comes from. But I feel very fortunate that the timing did line up the way it did. Like I was ready for it. When it happened. Yeah.

Jeff Dwoskin 31:17

On a multiple levels. That's, that's part of what's so exciting about it. So you know, because let's face it, everyone needs something to be, you know, to get noticed, we all need to get noticed somehow and insight. Yeah. You know, you just really leveraging your talent that you've cultivated for 10 plus years, so it's, yeah, well, it

Leah Rudick 31:37

was like kind of a thank you. But it wasn't, it wasn't even like such a conscious, like, it wasn't like, Oh, I'm gonna get on Tik Tok, and it's gonna, it's gonna be this platform. For me, it felt very, like, accidental in that I was, I was just doing it because it was fun. It was something to do while I wasn't getting stage time during the pandemic. And I think that that is kind of like the magic thing where it's just like, it's it's that thing that you just don't expect it to be and you're not in it. Because because you're thinking about what it's gonna get you you're just, you're just like doing this thing because it just like feeds you and it's fun and there's no expectations. I think that that is like the the impossible thing to replicate. But like truly for me why? Why it did happen the way it did.

Jeff Dwoskin 32:22

Is it add pressure, though, right? So in the beginning, you're just like your brother is like, right? Hey, gonna take Danny and curry. Yeah,

Leah Rudick 32:29

he was like get on Tik Tok. Yeah, you did your research.

Jeff Dwoskin 32:33

And so, you know, so you're doing it and you're just having fun, right? And so it's like, yeah, and then all of a sudden, it's like, holy crap, a bazillion views. And you do it again, bazillion views at some point. It's like, okay, now I'm being judged with the thing, right? My when I put out new material I'm being judged against was that as funny as the last one. Right? It's like, why did that have half?

Leah Rudick 32:57

Right? Why did that? Why did that one go crazy? And this one people are coming at me like, yeah, it definitely it definitely does add pressure but like, it's fine. I'm so happy to Blake. Like it is it is harder and scarier the more audience you get, but also like I so prefer this to not having to just like to the other side of just banging my head up against a wall being like, Why won't anybody see me?

Jeff Dwoskin 33:25

No, no? Yeah. Is it been tough? Have you had any problems with like, trolls? I mean, the problem with becoming popular, you know, is that people love to go after the popular people. Are they right? I mean, like, yeah, yeah,

Leah Rudick 33:38

I mean, it's, there's always gonna be trolls. I think that like, the platform of tick tock is like so much nicer than, say YouTube, because it's like the, the algorithm Taylor's Taylor's the videos to what people want. So like, my videos are really just going to people who like that kind of style, that kind of content, so it's overwhelmingly positive on Tik Tok. YouTube is a cesspool YouTube is just like, I post a video there and it's just like 10 comments are just like women aren't funny and it's like, okay, like that. It's not as the algorithm is clearly not as like attuned to to what people actually want to see so but you know, I that's just that just comes with the territory of of being out in the world and especially like being a being a woman who's putting themselves out in a in a public sphere. So I try to not put too much focus into the into that sometimes I'll go on a deep dive and just be like, Wow, I feel terrible about myself after this after this like, but I really I really tried to avoid that. I

Jeff Dwoskin 34:46

never understood the women aren't funny thing, though. My favorite comedians are women. Of course,

Leah Rudick 34:51

of course. It's absurd. It's like it's at this point. It's it's almost like what are your just like saying that to try to get attention like right What what like, what are you? What are you? What are you doing?

Jeff Dwoskin 35:02

What generic trope Can I bring up here? Right?

Leah Rudick 35:05

Exactly. Yeah.

Jeff Dwoskin 35:08

Too funny. All right. So that's cool. So, I mean, I have Katie's GoFundMe, getting. What's next.

Leah Rudick 35:19

I'm just touring. I'm still touring. So that's, that's sort of what's on the horizon. And it's just like getting getting that new hour.

Jeff Dwoskin 35:26

Awesome. Well, while everyone's waiting for the hour, again, spiraling can get that you can get off your web site is Leahrudick.com. RUDICK? That's right. Where can people keep up with you on the tiktoks and Instagram if they're already not if they are, but for the two people listening, that maybe aren't already following you? Yes,

Leah Rudick 35:49

I'm on Instagram at Leah Rudick just and then. No, I'm sorry. Instagram is at Leah underscore Rudick and then tick tock is at Leah Rudick one word. There you

Jeff Dwoskin 36:02

go. You guys want to laugh and have a good time? Definitely. Malia on all the socials. She is hilarious. Thank you for hanging out with me. Thank you.

Leah Rudick 36:11

This was so fun. Thanks for having me and for asking such nice insightful questions

Jeff Dwoskin 36:16

anytime I can talk to a tick tock superstar

Leah Rudick 36:22

a lot of what a dream

Jeff Dwoskin 36:24

bucket list pleats

Leah Rudick 36:31

provide thank you so much. All

Jeff Dwoskin 36:33

right, everyone, the amazing Lea redneck hilarious if you're not following her on Twitter make that a top priority right now. Go watch her comedy special spiralling all the links are in the show notes. That interview flew by can't believe it. That means the end of another episode has come upon us. Thank you once again to Leah for joining me. And thanks all of you for coming back week after week. It means the world to me, and I'll see you next time.

CTS Announcer 37:05

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Transcribed by https://otter.ai