Jessica Kirson Brings Her Outrageous Comedy Back to Westhampton Beach

After selling out WHBPAC in 2025, the comedian returns to Westhampton Beach on Nov. 7 with her fiercely funny show of standup, characters and crowd work. Here, Kirson talks to SPARK about her wildest audience encounters, devoted fans, her love of pranks and what’s ahead in her booming career.

Jessica Kirson is one funny force of nature. And that may be an understatement.

Just ask the millions of fans who gravitate to her wild characters, physical comedy, rapid-fire crowd work and willingness to make herself the butt of the joke.

After two decades of going up on stage, social media has helped turn Kirson into a viral comedy sensation with 1.2 million subscribers on YouTube alone and millions more across major platforms. Now in her 27th year of doing live stand-up, Kirson regularly sells out theaters across the country.

On Saturday, Nov. 7, Kirson returns to Westhampton Beach to headline at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center. (She sold out there when she played the theater in June 2025.) She says she’s looking forward to playing out East again.

“I love the Hamptons,” Kirson told SPARK. “I’ve been going there my whole life. I love the energy there, I love the people there, and it’s kind of more laid back, which is nice.”

Her life seems anything but laid back these days.

Kirson’s career and fan base have exploded. Her live touring schedule is grueling, and she’s juggling a boatload of creative projects (read our SPARK Q&A below), not to mention parenting four kids with two baby mamas, as she likes to joke.

When she’s not onstage, she’s often not far from a microphone, hosting the wildly popular The Jessica Kirson Show podcast.

And then there are the critically acclaimed hits, like her breakout 2019 Comedy Central special Talking to Myself, executive produced by Bill Burr, and her latest special on Hulu titled Jessica Kirson: I’m the Man.

She also loves a good prank and has been regularly producing and starring in prank calls for The Howard Stern Show. Kirson also executive produced Hysterical, a documentary about women in stand-up comedy.

But the chance to see Kirson live is an experience to behold. She inevitably manages to turn a roomful of strangers into friends. Those who know, know. They wait for it. Those who are new to her show are quickly converted to fans.

Her rapport with the audience is legendary — she is at once silly, searing, brutally truthful and, yes, vulnerable. There’s no shortage of material or observations.

Kirson doesn’t just crack jokes; she exposes all the cracks in life — the ones she sees in her audience and the ones she readily offers up in herself. It’s all part of her relatable, cathartic appeal.

Spark Hamptons caught up with Kirson (it wasn’t easy — she’s busy!) ahead of her return to Westhampton Beach to talk about comedy, her connection with audiences, the changing business of entertainment and what she’s working on next.

Jessica Kirson: The Spark Hamptons Q&A

Spark Hamptons: Your comedy can be outrageous. Sometimes you really go after people in the audience, but you’re also incredibly endearing. Do you ever feel like you intimidate them?

Jessica Kirson: I don’t really think I scare people because at this point they’re fans, so they want to sit up front. They want me to bust on them. I think maybe a long time ago I did, because they didn’t know me yet. But they know I’m coming from a loving place — my fans really know that. They feel like they’re friends with me. And I feel like they are my friends. It’s mutual.

You’ve had some pretty wild experiences onstage, especially with your audience interactions. What are some of the craziest things that have happened?

The other night in Florida, a gay porn star came up to the stage. Um, and he was like, “You’ve inspired me.” And I’m like, “Oh, that’s so nice.” This was in a huge theater. I’m like, “What did I do to inspire you to do?” He’s like, “You really inspired me to get into gay porn, because I was afraid.” It was hysterical. Like, okay, I’m glad I inspired you.

I’ve had all kinds of situations where people have had medical things, they’ve gotten into arguments in the crowd with each other. I’ve had people also tell me very emotional things about how my comedy has helped them, and they’ll start crying.

How does that feel — to know your comedy has helped people?

It’s great. I mean, it’s why I do it, you know? It really makes me feel good.

What do you think people gravitate to most about you? What do they connect with?

I’ve consciously made an effort to connect with them. I also get serious in my act, and talk about how I know people struggle. I think they just feel so seen and heard and like they’re not alone.

I got to a point where I couldn’t just do comedy anymore to get laughs. I feel as connected to them — my fans — as they are to me. I don’t know how common that is. I feel like they’re friends, and I feel comfortable with them and seen, and not judged. There’s a lot that goes on with me about my fans. I really love them.

What are some of the struggles you feel resonate most with people?

I think it’s mostly about anxiety, depression, you know, trying to have hope, family stuff, upbringing, trauma — a lot of family trauma, childhood trauma — how hard life is.

Jessica Kirson "Best of Crowdwork" YouTube

essica Kirson "Best of Crowdwork"YouTube

Your career has grown enormously, especially through social media. How has that changed things for you?

The fans and social media have changed my career, so it’s not really about TV anymore. I’m meeting with people in LA soon, but I don’t depend on it. And none of my friends do. So I really have gotten bigger and gotten much more of a fan base because of my fans and them watching it and sharing it and being so supportive.

You’ve talked about being more open about your sexuality. When did you feel that shift?

I don’t know. I mean, I decided once I had children that I wasn’t going to not talk about it anymore.

I don’t know how long it’s been, but it’s fine now which is crazy because for years I was afraid to be open. I wouldn’t even say I was gay and Jewish. I always would say when I was starting out and doing shows in the South and in these, like, bum fuck places in the United States, “I love dick and ham” because I wanted to live. You know?

I love your material about being a liar.

Well, sometimes you have to lie to yourself so that you don’t really know how bad what you’re doing is. I lie to myself about food a lot. I’ll be like, I just had six pieces of bread, but they’re wheat bread. It’s wheat bread, so it’s okay. It doesn’t matter — because it’s wheat.

You’ve lost weight, but you’ve also been very open about the struggle.

I did, but you know, I struggle with it every day. I’ve gained a little back, it is what it is. But I’m very open about it, and I think people just appreciate that I’m really personal about it, and about my struggles.

Your prank calls are so much fun.

Yeah. I have a new podcast called The Jessica Kirson Show and I do prank calls on there. I just put one out last week with Rachel Feinstein, they’re hysterical. I love doing that kind of stuff.

What are some of your favorite pranks?

Mitchell (Fain) and I pranked a Catholic bookstore and pretended like we were parents of a child that might be gay. Hysterical. And we pranked a hotel as two old Jewish women saying we left stuff in the hotel and he spoke to people in the lost and found.

I love pranking random people. I loved doing the Christian bookstore because it was like a way to make fun of how very religious people use religion, and are homophobic — and not accepting. So I like that kind of stuff — just being able to get back at people that piss me off.

What’s one of the biggest things happening now that you’re excited about?

I’m touring, I have a live gay dating game, which I’m doing in LA soon, so that’ll be fun. I’ve done four of them in the city. I’m pitching TV shows. I’m writing a book. There’s a lot of great stuff going on, and I’ve taken it more into my hands. I’m not depending on the networks. I do it all on my YouTube.

When you look ahead 10 or 20 years, what do you see yourself doing?

Well, I absolutely cannot be on the road in 10-20 years from now the way I am now. There’s no way.

I always wanted to do stand up, but I always wanted a talk show, which is what I’m doing with The Jessica Kirson Show. And I just want to create. I want to be in stuff, but I also want to produce things. I’ve produced before and I like that part of it too. I like being on that side, creating shows, and sketches, whether I’m in them or not.

What can the audience expect when you return to Westhampton Beach?

I think people should know that I am very different as a comic. I don’t just talk to the crowd. I do a lot of characters. It’s high energy. People don’t have to think a lot, which I focus on, on purpose — I like having it be a show, as people’s attention spans are so crazy right now. I just keep them entertained. And it’s very personal.

Humor is the only solace.

Jessica Kirson: It’s the only answer. There’s nothing else to do. It really is. How do you change what’s going on? You can either be miserable and/or you try to make light of it at some point.

IF YOU GO

Jessica Kirson

Saturday, Nov. 7, 8 p.m.

Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center

76 Main St., Westhampton Beach

Tickets: https://secure.whbpac.org/3666

Follow Jessica Kirson

Website: https://www.jessicakirson.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JessicaKirsonComedy

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessykirson/

Angela LaGreca

Editor, Co-Founder/Publisher

Angela LaGreca, Editor-in-chief and co-Founder/Publisher of Spark Hamptons, is a four-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, producer, writer and comedian/host. Her TV credits include NBC’s “Today,” ABC’s “The View,” and, most recently, the primetime cable news program “Cuomo” on NewsNation. On the East End, she was the Creative Director at LTV, VP Features/Events/Photo Editor at Dan’s Papers, and has performed at Guild Hall, Bay Street Theater and the WHBPAC. Her publishing career began at Modern Photography, where she was managing editor. LaGreca lives in Manhattan and East Hampton and can be reached at angelatvmedia@gmail.com and angela@sparkhamptons.com .