Cooper: Is he mentioned in it? Cooper: Then I trust that there are pictures of me in it as well. Jewell: laughs You know, in the early years of my stand-up career, I crashed a UCP telethon to get television experience. Cooper: Never thought of crashing one of those things. Jewell: laughs Crashing a telethon definitely gets you exposure! Cerebral palsy telethon with John Ritter! I can do that.
I do stand-up comedy. Jewell: Blind jokes! No, I told him that I would tell cerebral palsy jokes. Jewell: He asked it in that order. I got to the gate and I said my name. I was all dressed up in a tuxedo, ready to perform, not answer phones. We have you on the list to answer phones. Oh, my god! Cooper: And the manager would be the driver? And why is that my problem? Would you mind taking some calls until that person arrives? How can I answer phones?
Can you please meet us halfway? Come on, this is supposed to be the cerebral palsy telethon. You are supposed to accentuate my strengths, not my weaknesses. Come on! I want to do stand-up comedy. I am putting my reputation on the line here. Then you will come up and do stand-up comedy. What is he doing? They were about ready to wring his neck.
They were about ready to kill me. Cooper: Do you remember your first joke? Just think of it as CP. I want to donate. I thought he was going to kill me, because I knew that I crossed the line. Cooper: Several times. He turned out to be David Milch, who executive produced the show. She said any actor, disabled or not, should remember that the road to success means pushing beyond comfort zones and believing in oneself.
But I was willing to give it shot. Artists with Cerebral Palsy, however, know that the most intricate brushstrokes are often not made by the hand or fine motor skills alone. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Any information you provide will only be used in accordance with our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Disclaimer. Do not provide confidential information.
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Show all 23 episodes. Show all 9 episodes. Rita Francis - Slumber Party Rita Francis. Officer Rebecca Scanlon. Geri Tyler. Show all 12 episodes. Hide Show Writer 2 credits. Hide Show Producer 1 credit. My Next Breath Documentary producer filming. Hide Show Soundtrack 1 credit. Hide Show Thanks 2 credits. Hide Show Self 37 credits. My Next Breath Documentary filming Self. Lowe filming Self. Studio One Forever Documentary filming Self. Nobody tells a cerebral palsy joke better than Geri Jewell.
Although millennials robbed of campy sitcom reruns have never heard of Jewell, she became a household name in the early s when she became the first person with cerebral palsy to appear in a recurring role. Jewell survived Hollywood sexism and fluctuating finances, while also having a disability and being a closeted lesbian.
She came out publicly in I am meeting with Jewel to learn how to deal with life. The Facts of Life chronicled the fictional lives of students who lived together at an all-girls boarding school as they learned about sex and other, well, facts of life. At any moment, the show's tone jumped from after school special to edgy comedy, giving it a campy vibe perfect for Jewell. On several episodes, Jewell played the lead character Blair's Cousin Geri, who, like Jewell, has cerebral palsy.
Throughout the series, Jewell made jokes about her disability. On her debut episode , Jewell wore a T-shirt that said, "I don't have cerebral palsy. I'm drunk. In person, Jewell reminds me more of a regal actress like Tilda Swinton than a politically incorrect stand-up comedian.
She says "thank you" constantly and wears a white collared shirt and an indian chakra necklace, which symbolizes "all the symbols of spirit and of heart and our mind and our body," according to Jewell. But I just stare at her middle finger. For several years, Jewell has painted a handicap sign on it, so she can make a stronger point when she flicks off assholes. Jewell has many reasons to give people the bird. In the 80s, audiences responded well to her performance as Cousin Geri on Facts of Life , but the spinoff options for her own series never materialized.
The show allowed her to discuss serious issues about disabilities through bawdy humor. Audiences loved her jokes--Norman Lear produced the program; he famously pointed a "humorous spotlight" on bigotry through Archie Bunker's racism on All in the Family-- but the network worried too much Cousin Geri would make seem like a series about disabilities. After Jewell's stint ended, she struggled to find more work. The Facts of Life gave her fame but failed to provide her with a stable income.
I would walk into a room, and it was like, 'Oh Blair's cousin with cerebral palsy is back. But instead of complaining, Jewel told more jokes. She supported herself through speaking arrangements, appeared on 21 Jump Street , and briefly married a man. He recognized her; she was one of his favorite comedians. She accepted. In , she followed up Deadwood with I'm Walking as Straight as I Can , a memoir detailing her coming out as a lesbian.
Jewell has experienced a unique life. But her jokes and fuck-you attitude are as universal as riot grrrl punk songs appealing to multiple groups or Rose McGowan calling out sexism in Hollywood, which operates within a larger sexist world. Over lunch Jewell tells me about her years in Hollywood, life as a lesbian with a disability, and how to tell a good cerebral palsy joke.
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