Queen of Standup Comedy: Franqi French

In January, NBC crowned comedians Franqi French and Rene Vaca as the winners of the 16th annual comedy StandUp NBC competition, the network’s nationwide search for comedians of diverse backgrounds.

Marking the first time ever where two winners were chosen, both French and Vaca were awarded a talent-holding deal with NBC Universal and headlined the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) annual convention, where they performed for nationwide talent bookers. They will also split the responsibility of headlining the regional semifinalist showcases in five cities across the country at next year’s StandUP NBC.

OUT FRONT had the opportunity to chat more with French about the competition, winning, and her passion for comedy. An award-winning talent, she regularly performs coast-to-coast and has shared the stage with the likes of Donnell Rawlings, Fortune Feimster, Todd Glass, D.L. Hughley, and Nicole Byer. French has made guest appearances on WeTV, TVOne’s The Roland Martins’ Show, and she has headlined the Bentzen Ball as well as the Black Women in Comedy Festival.

Tell us everything. What was the competition like, your experience, etc.?
The competition was amazing. I auditioned in 2014, 15, 16, and 17, and didn’t pass through, obviously [laughs]. I didn’t show up in 2018, and then 2019 came around, and I just so happened to be in the area for something else. A friend of mine was planning to audition, and she asked me to come with her.

Another close friend of mine back in D.C. had passed away, and my plan was to go up to New York, attend that funeral, and go back the next day to deal with her family. I said ‘OK, well, I’ll just go with you if you want me to go, and I’ll go up, do my audition, and I can just take the bus back afterwards because I doubt I’ll go through, so let’s just do it.’

Then I passed, and I was like, ‘Oh, wow.’ So, I did the second round and passed again, and oh, wow. Then I did the semi-finals, and I was like, OK, wait a minute; this might be a thing. Then, a few weeks later, I found out that I was in the finals. Oh my God, this is a real thing!

Everyone associated with the program is absolutely amazing and so welcoming. They do everything to set you up for maximum success, which was very exciting for me because the first time really being around the industry is very nerve-wracking. You work so for it, a whole career. Then, when it happens, it’s like, oh my God, this is important. I don’t want to screw it up. Your nerves are on edge, and I don’t audition well because I get so nervous. But, for whatever reason, I had an angel on my shoulder that helped me. It’s been amazing.

And how does it feel to share the winning status with Rene Vaca?
Fantastic! And you know, based on that very last performance, I kind of knew it was down to the two of us just from audience response. We performed basically at the same level, and I didn’t know what was going to happen. It’s been great, and I don’t mind sharing the spotlight. I’m not a spotlight whore. She’s wonderful and deserves all the accolades. If I was a judge looking at everything, I wouldn’t have been able to decide.

You mentioned auditioning for this competition several years in a row. Why were you so determined to compete?
So, this might sound a bit weird, but the first time I heard about the competition, I just had this feeling that it was for me, and it was going to help me. Not like they created it for me, but at some point, that was going to be the avenue that I would be able to go down. So, I just persisted with it.

Where did your passion for comedy come from, and how did it all begin?
I loved comedy ever since I was a kid. When I was a little, little kid, I would be left home alone a lot, and my grandmother would have old Richard Pryor records, George Carlin records, Eddie Murphy records. I would put them on and listen to them in my headphones and just giggle my butt off. Like, how are they saying these things? This is amazing!

Fast forward to me being an adult, I was a singer for a long time, and then I had to quit that because I had my daughter, and my sister called me up one day and she’s like, ‘Hey, I’m doing these acting classes, and they want me to spread my wings and do stand up.’ I was like, ‘OK, weird, but sure. You’re not funny, but OK.’

She wanted me to take this comedy class with her, and I was like sure; why not? I’m not doing anything creative, and I would love to start doing something creative again. So, sure, and $250 later, she does not sign up. Now, I’m stuck in these classes, but the first time I hit the stage, I exploded the audience. That feeling, I couldn’t let it go. I just went back and back and back and back.

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Can you tell us more about your aesthetic? What kind of comedy do you tend to gravitate towards?
I like comedy that speaks to who I am as a human, how that interacts with the world, and I try to send out messages that I feel like people can relate to. I try to find some levity and solace in their personal misery or kind of, like, elevate the joy that’s in someone’s life. I think the best way I can describe my comedy is, I’m more of a storyteller.

I do some punch, punch, bang jokes, but I prefer stories that have a little bit of myself in them. Something that’s obviously funny and then also have something that you can take away and think about later. I talk a little bit about race and talk a lot about family and being a mom, and just kind of different observations that I have seen in the world.

Being a bisexual woman of color, have you encountered any challenges within this field of work?
Not specifically related to my sexuality, but definitely being a black woman in the world. I feel like in any industry, women are kind of pushed to the side, and then as you add different issues, that separation becomes greater. I’m a woman, so I’m over here. I’m black, so I’m scooched over a little more, and I’m a queer woman, so then I’m, like, pushed over a little bit more.

In a lot of ways, I ignore it. Not in the sense of allowing people to be offensive or do negative things as it relates to those issues, but when some people say you can’t do that because you’re black, or you’re a women, or you’re this, that’s when I’m like, ‘Well, why don’t you take a seat and just watch for a minute, and I bet that I can do it.’ My grandmother always said that I am so headstrong that it’s ridiculous. That’s just always been the kind of person I am.

Do you believe there are some topics that should never be joked about?
No, I don’t. I think that, especially my life experience, my mom passed away from AIDS years ago. She was a survivor of incest and sexual assault. My backstory is bananas. We really sat down and dug into it, and it’s absolutely crazy. If I wasn’t allowed to talk about those things, that’s limiting me telling my story, and I don’t think anyone has the right to do that to anyone else.

If that’s a part of you, and you have a perspective that isn’t with the intent of hurting other people, then you should be able to. There are a lot of people that experience and go through those types of things, but they don’t talk about it. They don’t share it with people, and then they harbor that and hold on to it. Their souls and spirits are beaten down because they can’t let that out and release it.

So, being able to tell those stories and talk about those topics, even if they are considered taboo, definitely helps. It’s going to help somebody. You’re going to be like, ‘Thank God somebody said that. I can come out of this depression and get the power and motivation to maybe go talk to someone and get help. Let me share this with them, and maybe that will open the door to help them.’ So, no, I don’t think any topic should be off limits. Make sure it’s funny, and then make sure it’s appropriate.

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Do you think some entertainers and comedians are too afraid to talk about taboo subjects because of today’s PC culture?
Absolutely. A lot of comics are scared. I wouldn’t count myself in that number; I kind of say what I feel needs to be said, or what’s on my mind, or what’s on my heart. You know, what moves me and inspires me. But yes, absolutely, a lot of comedians and entertainers just in general, they won’t take a stance, which is sad because they have these large platforms but won’t say something because they are afraid of damaging their reputation. In my opinion, in reality, getting this information out and reaching a multitude of people is more important than your personal thing.

What’s next? Are there any other upcoming projects we should be on the lookout for?
Yes! I had my first general meeting with the network, and they have a lot of ideas and plans for me that I really can’t talk about just yet, but I think you’ll definitely see me on TV in the next 12 months or sooner. My personal goals, I would love to have my own standup special, and I would love to do late-night, but my ultimate goal, I would love to create and produce my own TV show.

Photos by Nicholas Karlin