Lea DeLaria

Who is Lea DeLaria?

Lea DeLaria is an American comedian, actress, and jazz musician. The "famously controversial" DeLaria was "the first openly gay comic to break the late-night talk-show barrier" with her 1993 appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show.

DeLaria has performed stand-up comedy for over 25 years and is a prominent figure in the world of LGBT comedy. She began her career billing herself as "That Fucking Dyke"; she states "I called myself that because I would walk down the street and people would yell at me. But after two years of performing I would walk down the street and people would yell at me and I wouldn't know if they were a fan or not!"