Kat Timpf on battling trolls, embracing pregnancy and writing a book about being written off for her views
Commentator, comedian, podcaster and author Kat Timpf isn’t here for your preconceived notions. Whether she’s bringing her vibrant personality to a stage or sharing her libertarian perspectives on “Gutfeld!†via Fox News, one can always count on her to make light of heavy topics with a witty and unapologetic approach.
Originally from Detroit but launching her comedy career in Los Angeles, Timpf graduated magna cum laude from Hillsdale College. Over the years, she has remained incredibly active, seamlessly balancing her comedy career with her influence in the political space. She recently announced her first pregnancy, and her second book, “I Used to Like You Until… (How Binary Thinking Divides Us),†was published Sept. 10 by Simon & Schuster and follows up her New York Times bestseller, “You Can’t Joke About That: Why Everything Is Funny, Nothing Is Sacred, and We’re All in This Together.â€
Crediting humor for helping her navigate both the highs and lows, Kat Timpf’s popularity comes from a relatable blend of hard laughs and genuine emotion, with context playing a crucial role. On Sept. 14, Timpf is bringing all of that (plus cool merch) to Thousand Oaks on her “I Used to Like You Tour†at the Scherr Forum Theatre, where she’ll be showing off her comedy chops, all while inadvertently squashing those “you can’t have it all†naysayers.
It’s so crazy how well “Gutfeld!†is doing. I mean, not crazy, I was a huge “Red Eye†fan. I always found it random that it was on Fox News. It was interesting trying to tell certain people why the show was so great.
Kat Timpf: Yeah, I was a huge fan of “Red Eye†before I ever was on it. I didn’t tell Greg that until a year after I got hired, though. And I still have to explain to people about Fox because people have ideas about it, that everybody there is about the same thing, and it’s just not accurate. It’s totally possible to have a friendship with people that you don’t agree with on political issues, which is beyond frustrating to the point of me having to write this book.
Choosing sides seems to be the thing people demand, but it’s rarely black-and-white.
Right, and people will say that you’re a “fence sitter†because you don’t firmly sit on one side or the other because you have different independent views. I’m not sitting on a fence, I’m actually very firm in my own views. It actually would be a lot easier for me to go all in on one side or the other because then I’d have this whole team of people backing me up, no matter what I said or did. It’s easier to have a team of allies.
I have to imagine that people you know, and don’t know, also have been free and loose with the baby advice?
I have no idea what to expect, obviously, and I’ve definitely been given advice from people online, which bothers me less than people just being so mean and hateful. I’m 35, so they call it a “geriatric pregnancy.†So, for years I was getting these hate comments like, “You don’t understand anything about the world because you don’t have any kids. Your eggs are scrambled and drying up, and you’ll regret this soon. You’re so selfish.†Then I got pregnant, and you would have thought that this is what these people wanted, right? I mean, I didn’t do it for them, but now people are saying, “Can you just shut up about being pregnant already?†Some of them are the same people! Some people are just gonna be haters no matter what. I just hate the whole, “Oh, you’re not the first person in the world to be pregnant.†I know that! But it’s the first time I’ve been pregnant! Life can be so monotonous and there are so few things that inspire a sense of genuine wonderment and amazement about life and being alive. I’ve been so dead inside that sometimes I’m just like, let me have this! You’re mad that I’m happy and excited about having a baby? So, if people want to give me actual useful advice because you mean well, I’m good with you.
The most bizarre thing about social media is that you’ll never make a stranger happy. And truly, why is it even important?
Right? I’ve never seen someone else being excited about something in their life, whether it’s them getting married, having a baby, getting a new job or coming out with a book, and just being like, urghhh no thanks. Life can be really depressing, and life can be really boring, so if you’re excited and happy about something, that’s amazing and I’m happy for you.
I do love that you clap back when needed. And not to be cheesy, but you do bare it all in your new book. I found it strong and vulnerable.
I’ve definitely always been like this, but I’m a sensitive person too. I write a lot about that in the new book. There have been times where people have said mean things to me and I’ve direct messaged them and said something like, “That really hurt my feelings.†Nine times out of 10 the person will say, “I’m sorry.†Now, one time out of 10 they’ll be even more mean, and that makes me feel really bad. That’s actually the concept of the cover of the book — I’m naked and I’m covered in hate mail. It’s just vulnerability in the face of overwhelming hatred. And I think that being vulnerable about your own stuff in your life can help people when they now see that you’re human. For me, it also goes back to intention, and you have to be able to stand up for yourself when people are coming for you with bad intentions. If we could just all see each other as humans rather than this team or that team, we could find a lot more to agree on than we think.
It really is wild that people will see you for your job but not as the human working a job to pay for your life. It’s like, we are not them.
That’s what it is, and this book is for anyone who has ever felt like someone’s written them off for just one single aspect of themselves. A single difference in viewpoint, or association, or an assumption should not be enough to write off another person entirely. We lose so much when we do that. And I know this book is coming out during a very contentious and very polarized time, and I didn’t write this book because of that, I wrote it in spite of that. I really think this is an important book, and it’s also a fun book to read.
Do you ever trip out thinking about what life was like when you came out to L.A. versus you coming to L.A. now?
Yes! I wrote about being in L.A. a little in my first book, but when I came to Los Angeles out of college, I was struggling. I worked at Boston Market waiting tables and I lived in a really crappy apartment, and then I couldn’t afford that apartment, so I had to move in with this bartender I was kind of sort of seeing. I was really struggling trying to do what I am doing now. I had done stand-up one time before, so I started doing comedy in L.A. because I was going through so much rough stuff. I found that it was really helpful to get onstage and make fun of the things making me feel powerless. It gave me a sense of power over it. I kept doing it when I moved to D.C. for a job, and then I quit three times, but then I got back onstage and it’s like, I love this!
I’m sure Scherr Forum Theatre in Thousand Oaks adding a second show because you sold out the first one feels pretty great too?
It really does! I’m very, very excited. Those shows are the opening two shows for the tour, so I’m very grateful. There is no place for me quite like the Los Angeles area because of the effect that it has on me. Thinking about how much I struggled here, hoping for that sliver of a chance that I’d be able to do what I’m doing now — it’s so awesome. I have a lot of new material, and I could not be more excited about it. I’ve never played this venue either, and honestly, it’s still overwhelming to me that I get to do this. I’m just very grateful for every single person that comes out. I think that opening this tour in this area is the best way to do it. Every time I get out of the airport and I’m driving through L.A., I still get emotional. I’m very grateful and I hope I never stop being astounded by all of this.
Comedy is such a complex thing because you’re watching a somewhat insecure mind that absolutely shines in a spotlight.
I have a whole line of “Are You Mad at Me?†merch so, spot on. I’m insufferable, really, but at least I’m self-aware!
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