Leslie Jones pulled out all the stops for her Oct. 7 performance of her “I’m Hot Tour” at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park. The comedian, actress, author, and HGTV show host covered everything from her career trajectory to traveling to voting — and her funny stories received nonstop laughter from the audience every time.
At one point, Jones recalled a visit to a museum in Italy, where she was excited to see the marble sculpture of “David” by Michelangelo. Instead, the former Saturday Night Live (SNL) performer called the artist Michael D’Angelo.
Half the audience got it, but that was more than enough. As the museum tour continued, Jones had a lot of comments for the tour guide about David’s anatomy.
“I’m not getting paid enough for this,” Jones was sure the tour guide was thinking. But Jones felt, “I’m into this.”
Throughout the show, Jones would go to the edge of the stage where the American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters were signing and ask them questions like: “How do you say,” usually asking for them to interpret a curse word, always making the audience crack up.
She also had a bit about menopause, taking a different approach than many comediennes.
Jones yelled about every aspect of her menopause journey. Plus, she kept wiping the sweat off her face with a towel, before hilariously removing her false eyelashes.
The amusing atmosphere reached the peak when Jones said: “My hair feels like a possum is on top of my head,” causing the audience to erupt in booming laughter.
Finally Getting Noticed
On and off stage, Jones, who has admitted she got a late start in her career, has been on a roll.
“I was like, finally,” Jones said in an interview with The Washington Informer, “I always knew I was talented. It was just a matter of when and who was gonna finally see it.”
Before SNL happened, Jones worried she might be one of those for whom it would never happen. Jones resolved that would be ok, because she was still a comedian. But when SNL did happen for Jones at age 47, it was a different feeling than expected.
“I thought that it was going to be like I imagined when I was young, you know, on TV every week and getting the good gigs,” Jones said.
Jones is still on the road with her “I’m Hot Tour,” which continues through Jan. 31. In addition, the HGTV show “Roast My Rental,” where Jones and renovation expert Jasmine Roth find the worst short-term rentals, then try to flip them in 72 hours, has been renewed for a second season.
“People are appreciating me for what I do,” Jones told The Informer, “and all the hard work is paying off.
