(car whooshes by) - [Lea'h] I can't believe you're in Austin now!

(applause drowns out announcer speaking) - She gonna be on Netflix or whatever.

Catch her now before she's $200 a ticket to see.

Make some noise.

Go crazy for Lea'h Sampson!

(audience applauds) (audience cheers) - They're right here.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Is it for me?

That's for me?

Hi, everybody!

How's it going?

Cool.

Give it up for the two other Black people in Austin.

(audience cheers) Yeah, there's four of us total.

I saw them two fools, I was like, (bleep), another hurricane?

(audience laughs) (bleep) Learn how to swim.

(audience laughs) No, I'm doing- you laugh too hard, racist.

I'm doing great.

I'm getting older, I am, which is just what people in their twenties say when they start using condoms.

(audience laughs) I am getting older and you know, like I said, I'm taking more advice from people that are older than me to survive.

(pensive music) When I started comedy, I had just moved here to Austin from Houston.

I had broken up with my first real boyfriend at like, 21 years old.

And Houston is just like big and it's multicultural, and I call it like, the New York of the South.

I came here and it was just like, small town with big city energy.

And I just really didn't feel like I fit in at all.

(car whooshes by) I've always been funny, I've always been like the class clown, that kind of thing.

Being funny has always just like, come naturally to me.

I was working at this bar and I was just always like, just make jokes with the regulars there.

And then one day they were like, "You're really funny."

Like, "You should," like "No, you're like, comedically funny."

Like, "You sound like you write jokes."

And so for like, a week, the same people kept coming in every day and they're like, "Are you doing that open mic?

Are you doing that open mic?"

And I was like, "No."

And then one day they're like, "It starts at nine o'clock."

And everybody at the bar was like, "You're going, you're going, you're going?"

And they're like, "Yo, let's (bleep) go."

And I'm like, "(bleep) it."

I went to the mic, I did the jokes and they worked.

(pensive music continues) So I just started just watching comedy.

Like, just seeing what that really is, you know?

'Cause I'm like, I'm funny, but what's standup funny?

(pensive music continues) Then I started meeting the comics.

That was like, when I started feeling like, okay, I think I found like, my people, you know, like, where I belong.

- [Alexxis] Let's see, okay, this is from wedding day.

This is teenage years in Houston.

Quality is just so great.

It was really a sink or swim moment for her.

And it wasn't a pretty time.

It's hard to make that move away from like, your family or like, your lifelong friends when you kind of have like, that safety net and then go to a different city.

Being a comedian is like, a hard path to go down.

It's not concrete, it's not steady pay.

It's, you know, you're really hustling.

As someone who loves her very dearly, like, I know that like, in our early twenties, I questioned it a lot.

Why chase a dream that might not be able to give you the stability that you need to survive?

(birds chirping in background) - [Lea'h] I'm looking for foundation, but they never have my color.

So that's the issue of trying to get foundation and foundation is the base, okay?

Without foundation, there's no success.

That's where it stops.

(chuckles) I cease to exist.

(chuckles) This is their darkest color.

So a Suburban Puerto Rican.

I'll do this one.

There's just not a lot of Black people in Austin.

Like, everybody knows that.

There's definitely times I feel unseen, unheard, misunderstood.

My experience in this city and just in comedy general is very different.

Up, up, up.

Walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk.

(chuckles) Good job, high five.

Boom.

All right.

Go be a dog.

No mas.

There's already the stereotypes of being a comedian just in general, whether you're a man or a woman.

And then it's like that added with the stereotype of being a Black person and the stereotype of being a woman, I'm getting all that.

I'm getting that smoke every day.

Every single day.

When I, you know, write my jokes.

I have to think like, is this smart enough?

Is it too smart?

Is this too this?

Is this too that?

Are they gonna relate to this?

Are they, you know?

It makes me wanna work harder.

So, you know.

And I do.

As a Black woman, I have to work 14.7 times harder than any other comedian just to even be respected as much as somebody that's like, you know what I mean?

Like, that's just my reality.

Why don't you wanna move?

Come on.

When I'm running errands, I'm like, no makeup, no hair, no nothing, just like, Little Bill in the streets taking care of business.

(dog growling) I like the excitement of becoming, like a character.

When I'm on stage, like, that's me.

But it's like a different side of me.

And that's the side of like, the hair and the wigs and the makeup and the, like, I like that.

I like looking like (bleep) all day long and then 8:00 PM, it gets real, you know?

(audience laughing background) (indistinct background chattering) (phone camera snaps) - There we go.

- You're doing pretty good, dude, you can come and see me.

- [Comedian] Very rowdy, just so you know.

- [Lea'h] Yeah?

Uh-oh.

- [Comedian] Very talkative.

I would say maybe don't address and talk 'cause all, they're all talk.

- [Lea'h] Alright, got it.

- [Comedian] Just power through, - [Comedian] I have fun with 'em.

- I think you'll do fine.

- [Lea'h] Cool.

- [Lea'h] (bleep) yeah, thank you.

- [Comedian] Yeah, no problem.

- [Announcer] This next comedian is very funny, very good friend of mine.

Please give it up for Lea'h Sampson!

(audience cheers) - [Lea'h] All right, yes, you got it right.

I used to be a stripper, correct.

The problem is I got fired, of course, same day because I have too many (bleep) opinions is what the boss said.

And I was like, "That's wild.

I thought the strip club was supposed to be a fantasy world, not the real one."

But what's wild is people say that girls that strip have daddy issues and I feel like fathers are a little bit like herpes.

They both have to be present to be a problem.

You know what I'm saying?

(audience laughs) All right, Valtrex crowd, love that.

Talked about porno earlier, I (bleep) hate porno.

It's not realistic, I don't like it.

I watch a little weird kind of porn.

I like the porn that's like man opens door for a woman.

That's my kind of (bleep).

(audience laughs) Thank you guys so much.

I've been Lea'h Samson.

Have a good night.

(audience cheers) (audience applauds) - [Announcer] Lea'h Sampson, give it up for her everybody.

- [Lea'h] Jeez.

That crowd was rowdy.

That was, I feel like I just left the strip club for real.

My back.

- That amount of (bleep).

- Damn, like, you gotta just steamroll through that kind of crowd.

Like you said, you gotta either do just crowd work.

When they're that chatty, you gotta just do crowd work or just make 'em your bitch.

(group cheers) - [Rebecca] The Austin comedy scene, like, people are hungry for comedy here.

- [Brett] And because the scene is growing, you can do shows seven nights a week.

There's always something going on all over town.

- [Comedian] I like the Austin scene a lot.

This whole crowd right now is all comics, yeah.

(group member laughs) (bleep) Yeah.

I moved to, from LA to here 'cause of like, the economics of it.

- I wrote a joke about my (bleep) today and it took me four hours and I hope it works.

And if it does work, it doesn't make me a hero.

- Please don't cancel us.

- [Rebecca] There are more standup comedians here than there were five years ago, without question.

You're gonna expect probably about 80% of them to be white guys.

- Our next comedian coming up to the stage, very funny guy.

- Numbers-wise, you're gonna expect about 100% of them to talk about their (bleep).

I don't know what to tell you.

- One of my favorite things to do was to measure my penis.

- Have you ever tried the (bleep) pills?

- [Jasmine] We don't think about it as a culture, but white men are just kind of the default in comedy.

You see a white- if a white man tells you they're a standup comedian, you go, "Okay, that clicks."

When I tell people I'm a standup comedian, they're like, "Really?

You?"

It's this tight rope you have to walk, and either way there's sharks on both sides because if you kill it being dirty, then people say, "Oh well, of course that's what you do.

It's only thing you can do.

You're only a dirty comic."

And if you do really well not being dirty, they're like, yell back, and you can't win.

- (bleep) yes or no, by the way.

- I (bleep) fast.

- And she said, "Oh yeah.

Oh yeah, that's why you're here.

This is why."

(audience laughs) - [Jasmine] So many people who are not Black women can talk about sex, you know, and be raunchy and be dirty, and I think it's because it's not expected of them.

- [Brett] And I'd much rather see comedy where it's like someone being vulnerable and being like, this is what I actually believe.

(swanky music fades) (traffic humming in background) - [Lea'h] I was never allowed to talk about anything growing up.

If I did, I was grounded or kicked out the room or left at home.

My parents were very straight, like, they didn't talk about anything.

They didn't talk about anatomy, sex, nothing.

So I didn't know- I didn't even know- I didn't know that you could pee and still keep a tampon in.

I didn't know that.

Some chick at my job had to tell me that.

She's like, "You have two holes."

I was like, "Hold on."

I was like, "No, call the press, like, there's no way."

I mean it's just interesting the things that we all do and the things that we're all supposed to do are also things we're not supposed to talk about.

And I don't like that.

(upbeat club music playing in background) - [Announcer] Welcome to Libations.

This is a sensual show, uplifting Afro-Latin culture of various artists, queer gender expressions.

We're here to give thanks to our ancestors, all the people who lived before us and fought for our rights.

We uplift our art and, you know, our generational courage.

Please give it up for one of my biggest idols, Lea'h Sampson!

(audience cheers) (audience applauds) Okay, I leave it to you.

- [Lea'h] Thank you so much.

I almost wore the exact same thing, I did.

I did, but I have allergies and it's cold.

I dated this younger guy.

I was 25 at the time, he was 24, ugh.

But what's interesting, he actually taught me a lot.

You know like, he taught me about like, drinking water and- (audience laughs) and like, self-care, you know, 'cause he knew both of his parents.

(audience laughs) And I taught him things like, you know, the right hole.

(audience laughs) (Lea'h chuckles) Okay, this side has lived a life.

(audience laughs) The (bleep) is going on over here?

You think you're too good for these (bleep) up jokes?

(audience laughs) I showered for this, I recycled this Amazon wig to be here.

And y'all are too good to (bleep) laugh at some joke about (bleep) and (bleep)?

(bleep) and (bleep) is the (bleep) existence of queer (bleep), am I wrong?

And sequins.

(audience chuckles) You.

How dare you be sparkling and not laugh?

That's so disrespectful.

I've been Lea'h Sampson, guys.

Loosen up them buttholes.

Thank you so much, have a good night.

(audience cheers) (audience applauds) - [Announcer] Thank you, Lea'h.

(mellow music) - [Rebecca] Comedy is one of the most humbling art forms that exist.

You hear all the time about like, a comic will be like, "Oh, I just opened for Louis CK at Madison Square Garden yesterday and then today I bombed in front of four people at a hostel."

Like, it knocks you back down, you know, every time.

- [Carlton] The audience is rarely wrong, right?

Meaning that like, they're your biggest ally.

Tell you what's good and what's not good.

What's uncomfortable, what's not uncomfortable.

Lea'h's voice is, it can be a politicized presence of what's going on plus the sexual bravado, but the actual absurdness of it all.

And she definitely makes it funny.

(laughs) - [Lea'h] Just, you know, the more ridiculous, the better.

And surprising, somebody probably will think that this is real.

There we go, yeah.

(laughing) That's so ridiculous.

That's art.

It's manifestation for a BBL.

You know, all this work you'll do, people will still message you and be like, "So do you have a show coming up?"

And it's like, "Yeah, it's the thing I've been posting literally for five days in a row."

Link in bio for tickets.

And that's it.

And now we just hope for the best.

(chuckles) Do women orgasm?

If so, how do you know?

I'm just gonna mix them up and just ask whoever is on stage these questions and they're just gonna answer it the best way they know how to.

Ummm... Do men cry?

Do men cry or is it pee?

- [Audience Member] I got it.

Here, here.

Do men cry or is it pee?

(audience laughs) - [Lea'h] Thank you, thank you.

You can keep that, you can keep that.

- [Other Comedian] Listen, as a medical professional, I can't like, spread untruthful information.

- [Lea'h] Okay, brown brag.

- [Other Comedian] It is pee.

(audience laughs) - [Lea'h] Right, 'cause of the smell.

- [Other Comedian] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- [Lea'h] It's when they cry, it's like I don't- - [Other Comedian] It's like a litter box, yeah.

- [Lea'h] Yes!

Very unattractive.

- [Jasmine] I'm not an outdoor person.

I'm not an animal person.

Ooh, that's always a divider.

Actually, there's not that many white people, I'll just say it.

I don't like dogs!

(audience laughs) Brave.

Brave for Austin, very brave.

I used to say, "Oh, I'm afraid of dogs," but I just don't like 'em.

I told a little Black lie.

I'm not sure if y'all are familiar with it.

It's just like a little white lie except you use your heritage to make it work.

(audience laughs) - [Lea'h] I dunno what she's doing.

- [Jasmine] For the most part, there's almost never more than one Black woman on a show most of the country because the assumption is we're gonna be just like each other.

Like, Lea'h and I instantly clicked, but we also, we could feel a little bit of like, like, not us being competitive with each other, but other people treating us like we were interchangeable.

Like, it was like either Jasmine could be on something or Lea'h could be on something, but never on the same thing.

And it's kind of like Black performers would joke about this because like, we wouldn't see each other for months 'cause we were never on the same shows, 'cause everybody wanted to have one Black performer but never two.

So like, there'd be like three dudes named Andrew on the same show, but you couldn't have more than one Black person on.

- [Jasmine] Are they cute.

(indistinct) I would die.

I feel like everybody knows a hilarious Black woman, but us being like, recognized and paid to be hilarious is the new part.

- [Carlton] Nah man, that's what they wanna see.

(laughs) (audience laughs) - [Jasmine] Simply put, all Black people are allergic to dogs because of racism.

(audience laughs) Nobody's journey can be compared to anyone else's.

I'm on my own journey, Lea'h is on her own journey.

- [Friend] You did good.

- [Lea'h] It was a good show, but the whole thing though?

- [Friend] You did so good.

- [Lea'h] I love you.

- [Friend] I love you.

- [Lea'h] Thank you.

- [Jasmine] And sometimes just the right opportunity can just shoot through like a lightning bolt and change everything in an instant, and it's just gonna be what it is.

- [Lea'h] And (bleep) I'm saying you go to comedy shows all over the city, you know- - [Jasmine] Not giving a (bleep) is very freeing.

I think being friends with Lea'h has helped me give less (bleep), honestly.

She's a whole person and not ashamed of anything.

(soft pensive music) - [Lea'h] I think me being vulnerable makes my comedy better.

And I think comedy makes me be more vulnerable.

'Cause it's like, if I can go on stage to a bunch of strangers, and you know, talk about jokes that essentially come from me and my past and things like that, and ultimately I'm doing that to make these people leave feeling happy, feeling, you know, laughing and things like that, (pensive music continues) why can't I try to bring that same happiness to myself, which is a part of me being vulnerable and healing.

And I feel like just learning that has made me a better comedian.

Because I think just for me, the more authentic I am, the more honest with myself I am, then that's where the real good (bleep), you know, comes out, and I've noticed that lately with like, my joke writing and things.

I am going through like, this new phase in my life where I am feeling, like, actually feeling things.

(pensive music continues) And it's weird because like, growing up, I wasn't allowed to feel anything.

I wasn't allowed to, you know, express anything.

I feel like I'm going through puberty basically.

You know what I mean?

I'm just like, what are these emotions?

What are these feelings, you know?

So I'm calling my friends, I'm like, "Is this normal?"

You know, like, yeah, you're not dead inside, you know, anymore, so.

- [Friend] I'm good.

- [Lea'h] That's been like, I guess, the biggest thing for me in the past few years.

- It's giving Lupita.

- I definitely have had a lot of help from my friends.

(pensive music continues) Like, many comics we have some very, very, very dark days and these people have definitely uplifted me and that's all I try to do with them as well.

You know, I'm always here for anyone that needs me.

I know what that's like to feel alone or not feel understood or hurt or feel like you're too much, you're too much.

That's why my comedy show was called "Too Much" 'cause I'm like, that's what I've been told my whole life.

I'm too much, I'm too much.

(bleep) it, I'll be that, I'll be too much.

- Drama, yes, okay.

- [Carlton] Keep that going for the very funny Lea'h Sampson!

(audience cheers) (audience applauds) - [Lea'h] Yeah!

Aw, how sweet.

What's up (bleep)?

(audience cheers) You feel cool now?

'Cause I said that to you?

Cool, I just had to switch up words.

I had to stop saying the F-word, you know what I'm saying?

Florida.

(audience laughs) (Lea'h chuckles) No, but like, you know, I've been reflecting on my dating habits.

Like, I remember I dated this super-dorky white dude in college.

I did 'cause he worked at Chick-fil-A.

You know, the rest.

(audience laughs) And, you know, it'd be funny.

He'd be like, "Oh my gosh, you're so hot".

White people, that's my oppressor voice.

He's like, "Oh my god, you're so hot.

When people see me with you, they think I have a big (bleep)."

(Lea'h laughs) Right?

He said that (bleep) in my face, you know?

I was like, "Okay, that's what's up, Trevor."

(audience laughs) I was like, "Honestly, I love that for you 'cause when people see me with you, they think I have a big heart."

(audience laughs) (Lea'h laughs) You know, it's even crazy, I said that (bleep) to his face too.

(audience laughs) (Lea'h laughs) But it really wasn't a difference, like, dating Black men and dating white men, honestly.

Except for like, I don't know, like if I took my wig off in front of them for the first time.

Okay, let me educate you guys.

So let's say, you know, I go out with a Black dude.

Oh my gosh, we have a great time, you know.

We're dancing and all that.

I bring him back to my place, I have a nice little cup of Hennessy waiting for him.

That's a little drink.

It's a liquor, not a dog, okay?

Let's get it together.

And then, you know, I take off my wig and I shake out, you know, I shake it, you know?

I get out the smells of like, you know, Swisher Sweets and oppression and- (audience laughs) And then the Black dude, you know, he'll look at me and he'll be like, "Yo!

Yo!

Okay.

(audience laughs) I see you, Little Bill."

You know, and then we (bleep), it's a good time.

There's no questions asked, you know what I'm saying?

He even puts the wig on for a little fore-cosplay.

You know?

It's a good time, very enjoyable.

White guy a little different, you know?

We go out for the night, we have a good time.

We leave the club early 'cause he can't dance, whatever.

(audience laughs) And I bring him back to my place.

I have a nice little cup of milk- (audience laughs) waiting for him.

2% 'cause his stomach.

(audience laughs) And then, you know... And then I take off my wig as well and I shake it and shake out the smells of like, I don't know, Keystone and privilege and then- (audience laughs) put the wig on top of a mannequin.

I call her Ashley.

(laughs) So he's comfortable.

(audience laughs) And then he looks at me and he's like, "Oh my god."

(audience laughs) (Lea'h snorts) "Oh my god."

And I'm like, "What?

It's a wig, boo!"

You know, like, what are you talking about?

And he's like, "Sh-sh-sh.

You don't have to explain anything to me.

Queen."

(audience laughs) He's like, "You don't have to explain anything to me.

But you could've told me."

(audience laughs) He's like, "You could have told me you have cancer."

(audience laughs) Yeah, it's (bleep) up.

(Lea'h laughs) And it's (bleep) I pretend to have cancer for free Chick-fil-A.

Thank you guys so much, I've been Lea'h Sampson.

Have a wonderful night!

Give it up for your host, Carlton!

(audience cheers) (country music) - [Carlton] Keep that going for Lea'h, everybody!

Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on!

(audience cheers) (audience applauds) Couple more comics (speech fades) (country music continues) (music continues) (music fades to silence)