Suzanne Westenhoefer: Totally Inappropriate

Suzanne Westenhoefer is the first openly gay comedian ever to appear on television and arguably the funniest. New adventures are what keep her young and active though, including a hot marital partner (ah, c’mon, let’s call Jennifer Houston “Lover”), a new column in Curve Magazine and a very funny role in the hit online show We Have to Stop Now.

Hahn: You’re working with producer/actors Jill Bennett and Cathy De Buono in We Have to Stop Now, the online romantic comedy now in its second season. You play Susan, their long-term therapist. How’d you get involved in that?

Westenhoefer: It’s awesome! I’ve been trying to be an actor for a very long time. I did end up pigeon-holing myself early on because I was out right at the beginning as a comic in 1990. That didn’t work very well. I had two Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG) roles and both were playing straight Jewish women. They came to me and said “We want you.” A lot was written with me in mind so it could have more comedy.

Hahn: They are selling the show by subscription for Season 2 I noticed, but what seems a very reasonable fee. Why subscription?

Westenhoefer: The first season, everyone worked for free, but some things can’t be free – like film and lights, and renting things. In order for us to do it without Cathy and everyone going into debt, they needed to have subscriptions.

I think they’re asking $24 per year which pays bills and nothing more.

We have Meredith Baxter appearing this year and hopefully next year. Other celesbians are hoping to be in it in the future. The writer Ann Noble is just a really good writer and everything stands on that writing.

Hahn: You’ll be at The Dinah at the beginning of April hosting the comedy night and Rosie O’Donnell will be coming back. Will you be involved in that?

Westenhoefer: I’m hosting the comedy night on Thursday night but I believe Rosie will be appearing on Friday night. I might try to sneak in though and maybe introduce her or something, but I’d have to wrestle Mariah Hanson (Club Skirts owner) for it.

Every year I show up and get yanked around by a string to go here or go there. Last year I was up singing with the Indigo Girls one night and the next night crushed up against the stage listening to Lady GaGa!

Hahn: Great scenery too.

Westenhoefer: Lots of gals, just lots of gals there to have fun. It’s enough to just sit by the pool.

Hahn: Will you be doing the National Women’s Music Festival this year?

Westenhoefer: It’s in Madison now and I think I’m there July 3^rd. I think. (Ed note: the entire festival runs Jul 1-4.) But, I try to only memorize things coming up in the next 4-6 weeks. My sister, who is gay and phenomenal, is also my biggest fan and best friend. She’ll call me up and say, “Oh, you’re doing Atlantic City in September and we’re going to have so much fun!” And, I’m saying, “I’m doing Atlantic City?” It’s just too far away to think about. She knows more about my schedule than I do.

Hahn: Our Big Gayborhood has a project that’s roped in Tret Fure. Tret is narrating a podcast about two lesbian cowgirls called The Starr Ann Chronicles.

Westenhoefer: Tret is so great. You tell Tret that she should be doing a podcast teaching people how to cook. That girl can cook like nobody’s business. When she was with her ex-partner, I was at their house several times. She’d whipped up something for me in her home and it was better than a restaurant.

Hahn: More ammunition for her to put out that second volume to her cookbook!

Hahn: Last time we talked we discussed that Jennifer calls you her “wife.” [Suzanne laughs] Did you ever come up with a solution for the term you use to describe your relationship?

Westenhoefer: No, and now she has taken to calling me her “wifey.” And, I’m like, “Oh, Lord, God” and just try to focus on the love that’s coming out of it. I would always use “Lover,” which Jennifer doesn’t think says it all, but I do, I think it says everything. But, every comic and activist I know has been trying to be the one who comes up with the word. I hope it’s me that discovers the word which is going to say it.

Hahn: You did Sweet Travel inaugural cruise, right? Their goal is a zero carbon footprint vacation. How was the trip?

Westenhoefer: Yes! What Sweet offers is the chance to do the right thing (through volunteerism) while being on vacation. They were teaching and showing us instead of us having to say, “I don’t know what to do. How am I going to help clean up a beach?” They guide you.

Everyone came back on the ship faces glowing, filthy, excited, high, adrenalin off the charts. They were all talking about the amazing things they got to do.

Hahn: On the nights you aren’t on the road, where would we find you and Jennifer on a typical evening?

Westenhoefer: Making us something to eat and catching up on shows we missed like Grey’s Anatomy. We’ll put our feet up and she’ll have the dog and I’ll have the cat and every once in a while I realize I have the dog and she has the cat. And I notice and think, “Huh, what’s going on here? This seems wrong.”

Hahn: What were some of your highlights in 2009?

Westenhoefer: We Have to Stop Now and the Sweet Cruise – they were huge – new, different, fun.

Meeting Meredith (Baxter) and being a part of her coming out was really awesome. Turns out I adore her. Turns out we are buddies. Turns out we are very much the same person.

It was funny, I had met her a couple of times and every single time we giggle and laugh and totally mock each other and act silly. But then, when I talked to her for Curve she told me she was shy. She just isn’t apparently shy with me.

Hahn: Suzanne, I look forward to seeing you here in Sacramento next month. Thanks for speaking to us again!

Westenhoefer will be appearing at the Center for Spiritual Awareness in West Sacramento, CA on March 19th.

Tags: Cathy DeBuono, Jill Bennett, Meredith Baxter, National Women's Music Festival, Starr Ann Chronicles, Suzanne Westenhoefer, Sweet Travel, Tret Fure