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You won't find many "good Christian girls" at comedy clubs like The Improv or The Comedy Store in Hollywood. But that's exactly why comedian Kerri Pomarolli feels led to perform her standup act in such places.
"There's an undeniable heaviness in these clubs," Kerri, 33, says. "I hear acts that are so disgusting I have to leave the room. But I know I'm called to shine a light in these places. I've had some amazing conversations about faith with secular comics, and I've gotten to pray with people in the audience after the shows."
At a recent gig, Kerri caught part of an act where the comic said, "You know what I hate? I hate Christian girls because they're such prudes." So when Kerri took the stage, she shot back, "Listen, buddy. Haven't you heard about The Passion? My people are in right now." The audience applauded, then laughed during her entire act, even the part that supports premarital abstinence, as in "lights, camera, no action." Much of Kerri's humor centers on her extended singleness (a journey she chronicled in her 2006 book If I'm Waiting On God, What Am I Doing in a Christian Chatroom?), her un-Hollywood ways, and her loud Italian family.
One of the funniest things about Kerri is how she actually wound up in comedy. She grew up in a Christian home in Michigan and Georgia, where she became a Christian at age 5 and planned on being a dancer until scoliosis ended that dream when she was 11. Kerri shifted gears and, armed with a degree in musical theater from the University of Michigan, moved to L.A. to pursue an acting career when she was 22. As she landed recurring minor roles on soap operas Port Charles and General Hospital, Kerri became caught up in the L.A. party scene. But despite success, Kerri was unfulfilled, a feeling that inspired her to dig deeper into her faith. In her mid-20s, Kerri recommitted her life to Christ and discovered, to her surprise, a new and unexpected career calling: standup comedy.
She studied improvisational comedy at Second City's esteemed two-year program, and soon found herself co-headlining shows with comedians who'd been in the business for 15 years and making appearances on Comedy Central, Lifetime, and Fox. Kerri also began speaking at churches, women's retreats, and singles events, often weaving her testimony into her act. In both secular and Christian venues, Kerri loves shattering stereotypes about "good Christian girls."
Kerri doesn't exactly fit the stereotype herself. She's portrayed Tonya Harding and Jenna Bush on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, harbors a not-so-secret addiction to reality TV (especially Amazing Race and The Biggest Loser), and had an Elvis impersonator and a Krispy Kreme cake at her wedding last year to Last Comic Standing 2 alum Ron McGehee. (Yes, some of her shtick has shifted to include amusing marriage realities.)
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