Esther Povitsky

Esther Povitsky is simply a real one. The 32-year-old comedian recently dropped her new Comedy Central special Hot for My Name—a hybrid of a family-therapy style documentary featuring her parents and a traditional stand-up set. Povitsky delivers her set with a blend of dead-pan self-awareness accentuated by a jovial spirit that materializes as endearing, astute and relatable. Although she’s a fully grown woman, Povitsky still has that gentle-yet-clever aura of your best friend in middle school who only wrote in her journals with puff ball pens—in the best way possible. In her new comedy special, she broaches subjects like men’s fascination with the naiveté of teenage girls to social media addiction and the childhood loneliness and outsider-mentality that led her to a very successful career in stand up. Her Happy Madison aka Adam Sandler produced special is a must-watch for an uplifting-yet-dark (like the best comedy is) distraction from our distressing present. While you’re at it, check out her scripted semi-autobiographical show on navigating the weird world of Los Angeles called Alone Together on Hulu.

Esther Povitsky is a keen observer of culture, a creative wunderkind, and living proof that you can take all of your maladaptive coping strategies from childhood and use them to fuel your success—all of which and so much more make her so damn Dandy.

How old were you when you started doing stand up? Were you incredibly nervous in the beginning or were you always pretty comfortable being on stage?

I was 21 when I started doing stand up and was incredibly nervous for the first performance. I didn't fully understand or conceptualize how to tell a joke, but after the first one I kind of stopped being nervous and just enjoyed the ride and craziness of open mics.

As a self-proclaimed hypochondriac, have you had moments over the past few months where you thought you had Covid? Even in non-Covid times, are you big on trying to diagnose yourself?

I used to be obsessed with diagnosing myself. I would tell you all the diseases I thought I had in January of this year, but it's honestly offensive. I'm on Lexapro now because I have what my therapist calls "illness anxiety," which I guess normal people call “hypochondria,” but that term helps me more because it's like, okay this is an anxiety disorder and I do not need emergency appendicitis surgery at 3 am in Palm Springs. I think it's important to be in tune with your body, but also know that anxiety leads to a lot of symptoms that can seem really scary, like shortness of breath, weird body tingles, and many other things. Your scared brain is most likely the only sickness you're suffering from.

You're engaged! Mazel tov. Has being with your partner 24/7 been mostly good for you guys or have there been some low moments as well?

It's incredible to know that no one is going anywhere. There's a wonderful sense of security that I now have that I've been searching for my whole life. That said, I cannot stand him. That's mostly a joke but it's mostly true. In this 2020 situation, I would pretty much hate anyone if they were innocently sitting across from me. We started to play a game called “pick your poison” where I give him the choice of which insane, boring and nonsensical life update he wants from me, but the twist is I always tell him both options anyways.

Adam Sandler produced your recent special Hot For My Name. That’s major! How excited were you when you found out he was interested in doing that? What was it like to work with him?

The most excited ever! He is the best. Kind, generous, thoughtful, and caring. The best people in the world always make you feel like the star and you walk away like, ‘Wait no no no I am so not the star, they are! How did they trick me!?’

If you could have a dinner party and invite five public figures (dead or alive), who would they be and what would you guys eat?:

Just me because I don't like sharing or being watched while I'm eating.

When you were younger and starting out doing stand up, did you compare yourself to other female comedians? What was your inner monologue like then and how has it evolved?

Sadly it hasn't changed. When I started, I was obsessed with and admired Chelsea Peretti, Whitney Cummings, and Natasha Leggero. I got to watch them perform a ton while coming up on the LA comedy scene. Now I’m friends with all of them and still act like their annoying fan when we're together. Unfortunately, they’re all suffering through the challenge of filling the never ending hole in my heart left by growing up with a sister who wouldn't let me in her room.

We watched your recent video on tips for building self-esteem. For you as a comedian, your career is so intertwined with receiving external validation. When and how did you start to detach yourself from that need for approval and learn to give less fucks?

This is really hard and I don't have a specific formula for it, but clearly I must develop one. A llot of it comes from the inside that's always been there, but then you get really scared in show business or whatever your job or social circle is and for some reason you start walking on egg shells. I am finally able to circle back to being who I was before all of this because I'm not as scared of losing it all. You have to stop being afraid, experiment and try.

Do you miss doing stand up? Is making videos fulfilling that need to connect with people in the same way?

I do and I don't. I love that I'm putting those efforts into other ventures right now. Trying new things is exactly what I was searching for when I asked my fiancé to drive me to the emergency room for an appendectomy at 3 am in Palm Springs. (He declined.)

We literally want to die when people say the word horny. How do you feel about the word pussy?

It's a tricky one. I could definitely use an upgrade. Will the abbreviated WAP help us out? I just don't love the sound of it and it does feel offensive to Italian people.

Reading these days is so hard because our phones are just so damn addicting. What books have you recently half-read?

 I'll Be Gone in the Dark and the Jessica Simpson audio book.

We love to hear about a good skincare routine. What’s yours?

Gentle cleanser at night, physical exfoliation 1-2x a week or whenever your face is flaking the fuck out, combo of serums/oils/moisturizer. In the morning, I mix a tinted sunscreen with a moisturizer and then roam about the cabin.

What are your five essential beauty products?

Drunk Elephant F Balm, Tower 28 Cheek Tint, IT Cosmetics CC Cream,
Charlotte Tilbury Eye Pencil, and OSEA Body Oil.

You got your start at The Comedy Store, which is legendary and was probably kind of scary at times. Did you ever experience sexism from male comics or people just treating you like a "kid"?

I actually got the nickname Little Esther because everyone called me that my first year there! Little Esther or Baby Esther. “Little” felt better for Twitter than “Baby,” so that one stuck.

You dropped out of college to pursue comedy and then it seems you made your way and met the right people. When you and Benji wrote the pilot for Alone Together, what was that process like to actually get it made? Did you have to go to a ton of LA-style meetings?

I wish. Only one place accepted a meeting with us. Thankfully they said yes to partnering up on the project.

To prepare for your new special, how much were you practicing a day? 

I prepared on tour while on stage, but not really off stage. For me, memorizing stand up word-perfect kind of takes away the charm of it.

How has your relationship with your body evolved over time?

I’m in a much better place with that, but it's taken a lot of work and the culture shift has helped. I’m still really angry at what the anorexic celebrities of the early/mid 2000's did to me.

With depression and anxiety, it’s so insufferable until you learn how to get a handle on it and figure out what works for you. There's so much trial and error! What's been helpful for you?

5 mg of Lexapro. My grandma's on it, so it feels like a little bit of a genetic need. Also just the world and my career, too.

You feature your parents on your new special and it's kind of like watching a family therapy session. Your dad is hilarious and they both seem to be troopers. Were they initially hesitant to be featured in the special or were they down from the start?

Yes, they said no. Then I told them this wasn't a “yes” or “no” situation.

Do you think you'll always work in comedy or do you have a dream that you hope transpires later on in life? Like owning a farm or something.

Every career choice I make I always have to go back to "is this funny, can I make this funny, is this comedy to me in my heart?" So even if I move into a shed in my parents backyard and sell tie dye, that will be comedy to me in my heart.

In a past-life, you were probably a:

Omg past life stuff is so scary!!!!!!!!!

Your vices:

I don't drink or do drugs, so I'm confused by what counts as a vice for me. Oh!! All food!