ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Comedian and actress Caroline Rhea says if she had to pick only one thing to do professionally, she’d always choose stand-up comedy, though, first and foremost, she’d be her daughter Ava’s mother.
Ahead of her Oct. 25 performance at Del Lago Resort & Casino, Rhea reflected on how her comedy has evolved over the years, how motherhood has shaped her material, and what fans can expect from her latest projects: including a new CBS drama.
The draw of stand-up
“I actually, genuinely love people,” Rhea said. “I love checking in… I like hearing about people’s lives.”
She describes stand-up as a reminder of shared humanity. “Nothing makes me happier than thinking, ‘Here’s a group full of strangers, and in an hour, they’re going to feel better than they did before they got here.’”
Rhea laughed that she’s “so codependent that when my friends laugh really hard, I pee in their pants,” but said connection keeps her coming back to the stage after 36 years in comedy.
Comedy through motherhood
Now the mother of a teenager, Rhea jokes that raising a teen feels like “the heckler followed me home from the club.” Her daughter’s unfiltered honesty, often asking, “What is wrong with you?, fuels much of her material.
Rhea remains beloved for her roles in Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and Phineas and Ferb, and says fans of those shows often come see her live. “I love that people who watched Sabrina come to my shows,” she said. “I have such a place in my heart for these kids who are now grownups with their own children.”
She also revealed she’s writing and performing an original song for Phineas and Ferb, calling it both exciting and “completely terrifying.”
A dramatic turn in Sheriff Country
Rhea is also taking on a new role in the CBS spin-off Sheriff Country, premiering this fall. She plays Gina, who runs the sheriff’s office in the small Northern California town of Edgewater — a community connected to the hit series Fire Country.
“The pilot alone is so riveting, it’s like they’re making a movie every week,” she said. “It’s very exciting to watch.”
Although she was initially hesitant to commit because her daughter is a high school senior, Rhea said the schedule worked out, and the chance to return to dramatic acting was too good to pass up.
Returning to the stage
As for her upcoming Finger Lakes performance, Rhea promises an hour of laughter and relatability.
“Come with your mother, mother and daughters are my absolute favorite audience members,” she said. “You’re going to feel, in an hour, better than you did when you got here. I can guarantee that.”
Rhea’s latest stand-up special, I Identify as a Witch, touches on aging, parenting, relationships, and the quirks of everyday life.
Tickets for Caroline Rhea’s Oct. 25 show at Del Lago Resort & Casino are available now through the venue’s website. News 8’s Gio Battaglia’s full interview with Caroline Rhea airs Friday at 9 p.m. on the RochesterFirst streaming app.
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