With the growth of Queer communities on social media, podcasting is a crucial tool for LGBTQIA+ comedians and entertainers wanting to build a following, now more than ever. And among those who’ve found great success online, Eric Williams is definitely among the top contenders with his That’s A Gay Ass Podcast. Now looking to take his story to the stage in front of live audiences, he is bringing to Seattle for the first time his one-man show Why All the Drama?, which blends comedy with his experiences finding self-acceptance as a Gay man.
Williams spoke the SGN about the show and his life story in preparation for his visit on March 5.
From Broadway to comedy
Similar to other successful comics, like Gianmarco Soresi, Williams first began pursuing a career in acting and theater before making the pivot to comedy and podcasting. He told the SGN that immediately after turning 18, he moved from St. Louis to New York City to attend NYU for an acting degree. In his 12 years there (where he also met his husband), he even landed a few gigs. But after playing the role of Buddy the Elf in the national tour of Elf, a lack of other work opportunities forced him to reconsider his career path. “Once I got back to New York and was unemployed for nine months, I realized that the theater dream was maybe not my entire story,” he admitted.
The idea to shift his career focus was born out of necessity during the pandemic, which found many creatives like himself out of work and struggling. But when he was just about convinced to quit the entertainment industry altogether, a job doing comedy for big corporations over Zoom in 2020 reignited his passion for the genre. A conversation with his therapist sparked his motivation: “I said to a therapist at the time, ‘My dream [is] to put out a podcast.’ And he asked me, ‘Well, what is stopping you from doing that?’”
By February 2021, That’s A Gay Ass Podcast was born. With a simple but entertaining premise of asking Queer guests, “Whose fault is it that you’re Gay?” and straight guests, “Why are you so obsessed with us?,” Williams has featured celebrities like Kathy Griffin, drag stars like Meatball and Ginger Minj, and other comedians, like Soresi, who was his “first ever straight guest” coincidentally enough. Now in its fifth year, his podcast has received two Queerty Award nominations for Best Podcast and was named “One of the Best Podcasts to Listen to” by Glamour Magazine in 2023.
“It has been very affirming to see that talking about embracing our queerness has resonated with so many people,” Williams said gratefully.
Going on tour
Williams has since relocated to Los Angeles with his husband. Although he has performed the show in LA and NYC before, he admitted that this tour will be his first time doing stand-up in Seattle and around the county. He explained that, just like his podcast, the live show is a blend of comedy and a thoughtful exploration of Queer experiences from his past. Most of the material has not been performed publicly before, and that is what makes it most exciting for him.
“I love to talk about my trauma,” he said, “but I want it to be entertainment first… I think that is why people connect — because it is making them laugh — but underneath that, [it makes] them feel seen in ways that they’re not used to.”
Williams also spoke to being fearful about how family and people from his childhood would react to his stories of being Gay. He explained that “[the fear] was in a way a representation of how I felt growing up. I was always afraid of being called out for being different… because I genuinely used to feel that I was different in a bad way.”
However, he found that the years of doing his podcast has not only helped him feel more comfortable sharing his experiences of queerness publicly but also helped him gain greater acceptance from his family.
Williams also shared what it was like coming out to his brother at 18 years old in high school: “I don’t want to be gay but I am, and I’m learning to be okay with that,” he told him. His brother’s response: “Well, if you don’t want to be Gay, then you’re not.”
Although Williams felt his family did not fully understand his coming out at first, since then, “they listened and they have grown so much. And now they’re my biggest supporters.”
One rule he still holds for his family is not allowing them to come see the show. When asked whether there were still any lingering fears, he replied there was still some vulnerability. But also, his decision had to do with not wanting them to hear some of the more racy tales, like a first pool party turned orgy.
Eric Williams will perform at Emerald City Comedy Club on March 5 at 7:30 p.m.
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