How ‘Queen of mean’ comedian Lisa Lampanelli transformed from insulter to inspirer

Actress/comedian Lisa Lampanelli went through a massive life transformation several years ago.

The former insult comic officially retired from stand-up in 2018 and became a life coach.

“I had been doing stand-up for 31 years, basically as an insult comic, which I think is fantastic,” Lampanelli told the Register during a recent phone interview. “I loved it. I was really getting a lot out of it, but then I just started not feeling like it was enough, like it (didn't have) enough joy in it anymore. I wasn't looking forward to it, but I wasn't hating it. I always say, ‘It's best to get out of something before you hate it so the audience doesn't feel cheated.’”

What Lampanelli was looking for was to do was a show with a message, a show dealing with weight-loss issues.

Lampanelli, 57, has struggled with “emotional eating” her entire life and decided to undergo gastric sleeve surgery in 2012. She’s since kept off the weight.

Recently, Lampanelli completed a rigorous yearlong life-coaching certification program and earned the title of life coach.

From insulter to inspirer, Lampanelli will be bringing her new show, “Losin’ It,” to the Temple Theater in Des Moines on Feb. 4-23.

“The show is basically four people; me, two other women and a gentleman telling stories about different weight-related, body acceptance food stories,” she explained. “(It’s) us talking about all the issues that go into food and body image in this country and being able to laugh at ourselves, have the audience laugh with us.”

At the end of the scheduled 90-minute show, Lampanelli holds an unstructured and impromptu Q&A for any lingering audience members.

“I want them to feel like there's some hope in their journey and I’ll stay there as long as it takes and coach some people, answer any questions they have about any issues including my weight-loss journey,” she said.

Although there wasn’t one single episode or situation in Lampanelli’s life that made her have the stomach surgery, she’s glad she did.

“It's been a lifelong battle and it still is,” she admitted. “Just keeping the weight off and being the best person I can be. I think the decisions we make kind of are accumulative and add up over a lifetime and there were a lot of exciting incidents. So, telling all these stories of mine and the other people telling their stories on stage with me, we can kind of see the journey of somebody who goes to an extreme like weight loss surgery to actually help them along this road.”

The message of “Losin’ It” — to laugh about these issues and grow as a person — is what keeps Lampanelli energized each night of the show.

“I love the message,” she said. “The laughs are great, but also then when we hear people asking those great questions about, ‘I can't keep my weight off, what should I do?’ Or ‘How did you lose your weight?’ Just any advice for them. I like being able to reach out a hand a little to people (and think), all this therapy and life coaching crap, it's finally paying off. It's a double edge with me; performance and then that little helpfulness, too.”

With “Losin’ It” getting high marks from fans and critics alike, Lampanelli wants to keep the show on the road.

“I see it getting booked all over the country,” she said. “I got a ton of shows coming up with it. I'd like to keep it going because I really love the combination of the sweet spot of humor plus heart — which was never a part of my life, it was always just humor. And now that it's both, I want to keep this going.”

If you go

What: Lisa Lampanelli’s "Losin’ It"

When: Feb. 4-23

Where: Temple Theater, 10th and Locust, Des Moines

Ticket information: $20-$45