THESCOPE
CULTURE
THESCOPE
CURATED BY MICHAEL WESTMAN
WATCH
JULIA SCOTTI: FUNNY THAT WAY
IN THE COMEDY BOOM OF THE1980’S RICK SCOTTI WAS A BUSY GUY - A HEADLINER IN CLUBS ACROSS THE COUNTRY - WHEN HE CAME TO THE DAWNING
THIS PAGE: IMAGES COURTESY OF JULIA SCOTTI
REALIZATION THAT NOTHING FELT RIGHT. At a time when the words gender
dysphoria and gender reassignment surgery were rarely heard, Rick’s true awakening at age 47 led to a year of hormonal treatments, surgery, and a new identity as Julia Scotti. And then everyone turned away - former wives, friends, family, comedy world buddies, and most painfully Julia was shut out from any contact with her children. She reinvented herself, spent a decade teaching, and then several years ago, stepped back on stage at an open mic and began her journey back to the world she loves. And just as she returned to comedy, her children reached out to her after 15 years of silence. As Julia says, her comedy always must be “fearless and honest,” and America can feel both in her performances. Since coming back to comedy in 2011, she has been named one of the Top Five Transgender Comedians
in the Country, and has performed at LGBTQ events across the US, and was one of the winners of the Laughlin Laugh Festival in Nevada. She introduced herself to a national audience on Season 11 of America’s Got Talent, where Simon Cowell said, “You genuinely made me laugh.” She was the first transgender comedian to appear on national television and was a quarter finalist on the show. Not content to sit on her laurels, Julia went on to record her first, best-selling comedy CD entitled, Hello Boys I’m Back! and is gearing up to record her second one. This year, she is being featured on the Showtime Television Network Special, More Funny Women of a Certain Age. Shot over a period of five years, Julia Scotti: Funny That Way tracks Julia’s triumphant comeback, the rough life on the road, and the complex process of reuniting with her children, as comedy becomes the shared language of identity, healing, and joy. Available June 1st on iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Xbox, Vudu, and DirectTV. METROSOURCE.COM
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