An Orthodox Female Comedian | In Conversation with Leah Forster

Note: my apologies for the poor video quality. This was filmed on Monday after the terrible massacre, and we did our best under the circumstances.

For my channel members - an extended version of this interview here: https://youtu.be/92nDFiyfVU8

Leah Forster spent many years delighting Orthodox female audiences with her comedy. It is hard to overstate her success: she produced CDs, musicals, a ton of live acts, and was a household name among all Hasidic women. She was not only very funny and booked for major women's events, she was also an English teacher in Bais Yaakov for ears. In the last few years, Leah has been on a different path, as she was outed as gay and her place in the community fell apart. In this video, I ask her about her experience as a comedienne, and we talk about the many audiences that she has made laugh.

0:00 An overview of Leah's Hasidic and post-Hasidic comedy
4:58 How did you become a comedian?
11:36 Where did you grow up?
18:15 What was your comedy like for Orthodox women?
20:45 Why is it so hard to find your old comedy online?
27:44 Can you give examples of jokes you'd make when performing for frum audiences?
37:05 Are orthodox people offended by your imitations of Orthodox characters?

For Leah's work, check out her instagram or tiktok:
https://www.instagram.com/leahforster/
https://www.tiktok.com/@hellowhellowleah