Why you think women aren’t funny | Jodie Mitchell / John Travulva | TEDxLondon
When stand-up comedian Jodie Mitchell noticed audiences reacting differently to their Drag King persona, John Travulva, they realised just how gendered our perceptions of who is and isn’t funny are. As John they had the trust of the audience straight away, but as Jodie they would have to work harder to get laughs for the same material. This came to a head after a stand-up gig, where a menacing interaction with an audience member brought to life the frequent discrimination women, non-binary and trans-masculine comedians face.
Jodie Mitchell, aka John Travulva, is a stand-up comedian, writer and Drag King. They’ve appeared on Comedy Central Live, Channel 4’s Jokes Only a Lesbian Can Tell, and award-winning BBC Radio 4 sketch show Time of The Week, which they were also a writer for. They were featured in The New York Times for their work on trans representation in Netflix’s Sex Education. Their debut stand-up show, Becoming John Travulva, sold out at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and they’ve co-created numerous hit shows with their Off Broadway Award winning Drag King troupe “Pecs”.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
