Dammmmn, Gina!
A legendary actress is entertaining audiences in a new way by embarking on her copious, cackle-causing comedy tour.
Tisha Campbell is hosting the aptly titled the “Damn Gina!” Comedy Tour alongside comedian Finesse Mitchell, marking her first foray into the world of stand-up, a move that has both longtime fans and new audiences eager to see her comedic talents in action.
The tour that kicked off March 2 in Brea California, is continuing and perfectly timed, considering that Martin is now streaming on Netflix, reintroducing the cult classic show to a fresh wave of fans.
“You know how when The Brady Bunch and I Love Lucy would air, and people still watched it? It feels like that,” she told BOSSIP. “We didn’t see that coming. None of us did, including Martin [Lawrence]. I remember me and Tichina [Arnold] and Martin having lunch together. And he said, ‘Can you believe they call us icons?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, can you believe that?’ That’s crazy, right? Because we don’t think of ourselves like that. At the time, we were just trying to make people laugh and feed our families. So we didn’t anticipate that the show was going to be so well-loved for so long.”
Despite her extensive experience in film and television, Tisha told BOSSIP she long avoided stand-up comedy—until fate intervened.
“Let me tell you, stand-up, I purposefully never tried to do, even though a bunch of stand-up comedians were encouraging me and pushing me to do it, but I was always too afraid. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but also one of the most fulfilling. And it was a mistake.”
According to Tisha, she was supporting her friend DJ D-Nice at his Kennedy Center residency during a comedy night and was asked to replace the host. She agreed but panicked when she was asked to do a 15-minute comedy set to keep the crowd entertained. Luckily for her, it all worked out.
“I was scared to death, but I did it,” she recalled. “And by the time I got off stage, I had an agent.”
Now, with tour stops planned across major cities, Campbell is fully embracing the challenge of stand-up, putting in the work to ensure her act is both personal and polished.
“I also was really nervous because stepping into this genre of entertainment, I wanted the people that I’ve worked with over the many years to know that I was taking it seriously. I don’t have a ghostwriter. I am doing this all myself. Finesse Mitchell, who has teamed up with me, is my mentor. He’s very hard on me. He makes me rewrite and rewrite and rewrite my material. He gives me suggestions, notes. And I wanted to do all of the people that I’ve worked with proud. Everybody has been so supportive. That’s the thing that I can’t believe [it]…Dave Chappelle, he was like, ‘Let’s go.’ David and Marlon Wayans offered to give me notes and do some writing with me. They’ve been so supportive.”
Though stand-up presents new challenges, Campbell is undeterred, embracing the process with the same fearless energy that made her a star.
“I knew that I was relentless before, and that I’m not afraid to fail. I’m not afraid to fail because you never know what’s gonna hit or what’s not gonna hit. You can have a good day, you can have a bad day. But I know what my ultimate goal is. And my ultimate goal is to help somebody heal through laughter. So I just concentrate on that. Even when something doesn’t work out well on stage, it doesn’t deter me. It just makes me want to get after it even harder.”
When asked to describe the Damn Gina! Comedy Tour in three words, Campbell had a characteristically unfiltered response:
“Funny, honest… a good f*****g time.”
Daaaamn, Gina! That’s “WZUP, WZUP, WZUP!”
For more info on the “Damn, Gina” comedy tour click HERE.
