Kate Kennedy

Parker

Welcome to a sex workers Guide to the Galaxy where the answer to life the universe and everything is sex workers. I'm your host Parker Westwood. Today, I am really excited to bring to you a super fun interview, I had the absolute privilege of speaking with Kate Kennedy, who some of you may know some of you may not but she is a laugh riot she's a stand-up comedian and porn star and is just such a cool person. Really had a fun time with this interview. They also have their own podcasts, the Cam Girl Chronicles, and another podcast that they are co-host of Two Girls One Mic: The Porncast. Both of those will be linked in the show notes along with so many other things that we talk about, so, check those out. In this episode, we go through a day in the life of Kate Kennedy, we get to talk about coping with isolation as she tends to film a lot of clips on her own, she works alone oftenso dealing with the isolation not only that, that provides at work but in in life in general. Talking about sex work community and mutual aid, definitely taking some time to talk about stand-up comedy, and then we talk about OnlyFans and how OnlyFans has kind of shifted how the adult industry works. Now, this was recorded before the whole OnlyFans debacle so keep that in mind. For those of you that don't know OnlyFans decided they were going to ban sexually explicit content on their site and then recently rescinded that decision because of all the push back. And there are some actions both in person and virtual that are occurring today when this episode drops on September 1. Because the reason OnlyFans made this decision was due to banks and their decision not to process payments that have anything to do with the sex industry and they're doing the banks are doing this because of anti-porn lobbyists and anti-sex work lobbyists that are pushing them to do this for fear of legal action. So, there is going to be a link in the show notes to sign on to this letter supporting sex workers and asking the banks to change their upcoming policies that are supposed to be launched on October 15. Please, if you support sex workers, which I'm assuming you do, if you listen to this show, sign that letter, the information to that letter of support for sex workers is going to be linked in the show notes right there up at the top. So, it's the first thing you see but you can also access it via sex work sign on.com Again, that's sex work, sign on.com and add your signature. You don't have to be a sex worker to sign you can be just a supporter, an ally, a friend, a family member, any and all support helps in this arena. Sex workers are trying to fight for their rights, for our identity as workers. This is a worker’s rights movement and it's hard for us to gain any workers rights when we're also constantly fighting for the right to survive and the right to be recognized as human beings. So, any, any support y'all can give is really valued. So thank you. Okay, now we can jump back into the podcast-ey stuff. I'm just gonna take a minute here to say thank you to all of the Patreon supporters. You can support this show on Patreon at patreon.com/sexy Galaxy pod you can follow us on Twitter at sexy Galaxy pod. You can follow me on instagram I post about the podcast at Parker dot Westwood. And this show is brought to you by Companion Tax, a tax service for companions and people in the sex work industry. So, you can check them out at companion tax.com. Okay, so now that we've got all of that out of the way, let's dive into the interview with Kate Kennedy. Kate Kennedy, thank you so much for joining me today.

Kate Kennedy

Oh, thank you so much for having me.

Parker

Absolutely. The way I normally start this show is to have the guests introduce themselves the way they prefer to be introduced with name, pronouns, location if you care to share it, and what kind of sex work you do or have done.

Kate Kennedy

Awesome. Yeah, so my name is Kate Kennedy. My pronouns are she/her, but I will also answer to hey you I care very much about respecting everyone's pronouns I am not at all picky about mine. I use male pronouns for my pussy for some strange reason. Never worked out why? He's a him, like he definitely is, and I live in Hollywood in Los Angeles, and currently, I just do online sex work I do OnlyFans I've kind of been transitioning away from so much of the in person. I've in the past, I've worked as an escort, I was a porn star for a while, I've done lots of different kinds of content, and I've kind of started to move towards I now do stand-up comedy, and I'm a writer so hanging up the heels a little bit. Oh, I also feature dance. I still do that, that's so fun.

Parker

Fantastic. I love that. As a former stripper I'm like, yes, you can never not be a stripper after you start.

Kate Kennedy

You can take the girl out of the strip club; you can never take the strip club out of the girl.

Parker

Exactly.

Kate Kennedy

It's in you forever. Yeah,

Parker

Yes. And how did you get started in sex work?

Kate Kennedy

So, I was a year out of college, and I could not find a job to save my life. I majored in advertising and in art history and so, I, there's not a lot of jobs in either of those fields, no one told me that it was a really bad idea to go spend a bunch of money on a degree in historical architecture.

Parker

Go figure.

Kate Kennedy

Go figure. Yeah, I was like where are all the jobs and they’re like that's not a job, you just like going to museums. And, uh, yeah, so I bounced around a little bit and then I was doing lifestyle BDSM at the time, so I was pretty involved. I volunteered at a dungeon in Denver, I had started traveling a little bit and doing different kinds of like educational classes on like, both BDSM and like polyamory and ethical nonmonogamy. So, I was already at a point where I was kind of traveling around the country and doing that, and I wasn't getting paid for it, which was starting to become a bit of an issue. And then I was up in Portland to do kink fest and I randomly met these wonderful people that owned their own BDSM porn site up there and a few months later, they emailed me and said, hey, we need a new marketing person, would you ever want a job in the adult industry? Um.

Parker

awesome.

Kate Kennedy

So, I leapt at it. I went up and I worked on a set for one weekend. It was so much fun. I came home Monday quit my job packed up my car and moved to Portland and I was a PA for hardcore BDSM in bondage porn for like a year.

Parker

Amazing.

Kate Kennedy

Yeah, it was, I mean, it was the funnest job. I was just out in the woods in Oregon, like wearing cargo pants and Doc Martens and a black baseball cap building these crazy rigs to like lock these hot girls into and it was so fun. I got to meet a ton of people that were in the porn industry in LA because we flew them up obviously to shoot so then I went to AVN and kind of got some interest from some agents and made a trip down and started shooting more mainstream porn. And then ended up moving to LA the next year and I performed pretty much consistently up until the pandemic, I was working as a porn star.

Parker

Oh, that's so fantastic. I love that. I also love that you were just like, and I'm done with this vanilla shit like, let's go.

Kate Kennedy

I was, I literally was llike this is more money. I was working at one of those like, car accident, auto injury clinics where they basically just like scam people's insurance into saying that they need like tens of thousands of dollars of chiropractic. um, so it was like, and I was doing like records, it was like the most boring shit, all I did was like fill out and like fax things to Social Security. It was like, my boss was a horrible bitch, I was like, I hate this so much, it was like the best day when I got to quit.

Parker

Yeah, that sounds like a relief to get the hell out of there.

Kate Kennedy

Oh, yeah.

Parker

Um, so one of the things I'm really excited to hear about that you had requested was taking us through a day in the life of, of Kate Kennedy. So why don't you take us through a day in the life of Kate Kennedy.

Kate Kennedy

So, I just woke up about thirty minutes ago.

Parker

Oh we're here, we're in it.

Kate Kennedy

We're in it. Um, yeah, there's no video with this podcast but I have no makeup on. I'm doing the rocking the oiled face trying to keep my skincare up and slugging my coffee. I'm a comedian now, so I keep very odd hours. I feel like I have to defend this to people all of the time but it's like, even with I mean, one of the great things about doing sex work, especially online sex work if you're trying to pursue something like in Hollywood and entertainment, where it's really hard to have a day job and try to pursue this because if you're up until you know three o'clock in the morning working these clubs, you're not going to want to get up at 8am. So, I love that I can structure my sex work anytime I need to shoot for OnlyFans or whatever, like, I can always fit it in around everything else that I'm doing and it fits into my life. Especially just because you know, most people that get to even pursue the kind of stuff I'm doing, like a lot of them have trust funds, they don't have to have jobs at all

Parker

Right, exactly.

Kate Kennedy

So that's my long tangent of how OnlyFans is basically my trust fund, it functions the same way. But yeah, I get up later, I like to sleep in, I'm a night owl. But I usually wake up I have my coffee, I read the news and I'm a big news junkie and I take it really easy when I first wake up, I really like to, my mom calls it hatching, and I usually like to greet the day, it takes a couple of hours. Um, but then I'll you know, especially if I have to run, I have a limited amount of time when the stores are open, where I can run my errands, and I'm awake. So, I get all my life stuff out of the way first, I take care of my dog, if I have to run to the grocery store, or the bank or whatever, I get all that done first, and then I usually, I think this is like the best part of being a sex worker and getting to do this, like OnlyFans online content is like, my job starts when I like take my bath. I'm like, I'm gonna take a nice, relaxing bubble bath, I'm gonna, like have a glass of wine and I'm doing this like four o'clock in the afternoon, I'm gonna smoke a joint just totally like feel myself. You know, like, feel really pretty, spend the time, do my hair, do my makeup, lay out my outfits. Um, and then I'll kind of bop around to music and shoot any customs that I might have any content that I need for the week I keep track of, you know how much I need to be putting out every week. But yeah, I really will just kind of bop around until it's time to make dinner and then I'll chill with my dog. If I have a show that night, I'll go do my comedy show and try to in between, you know, squeeze in where I can write and stuff. I'm kind of at a point where I really only shoot one day a week, which is very nice.

Parker

Nice, yes.

Kate Kennedy

Yeah. Because trying to do it too much is is really difficult and if you're efficient, you can get all your content done in a day.

Parker

Yeah. And then you don't have to you know, put on lashes more than one day a week and all of that.

Kate Kennedy

Or shave more than that, I was getting terrible ingrown hairs. I was like this is, I cannot do this my poor, sensitive pubic area this is terrible.

Parker

Our poor, our poor pores, really.

Kate Kennedy

Seriously, yeah. I've gotten very into skincare through this pandemic so I'm really trying to like take,

Parker

You are glowing, you are indeed. No one can see it but listeners, Kate is glowing.

Kate Kennedy

I recently got into like oils. So, I'm like trying all these different, like moisturizing grapeseed and rose hip and.

Parker

It's, it's the jam.

Kate Kennedy

I'm feeling very pampered.

Parker

Well, so you spend quite a lot of your day alone, which I imagine, since you're a comedian, and we've talked a little bit you are hilarious, spending time alone is something that you have a lot of fun with. But do you find yourself feeling isolated or lonely? And how do you how do you cope with that if you do?

Kate Kennedy

Yeah, I mean, it's been really hard, especially the last year. I live alone with my dog. I'm not a roommates person, I'm a bad roommate, I own that, I'm a terrible roommate. I'm really, really picky. Like I just oh yeah, I don't like other people's noise, when people touch my things, I like oh, I freak out so I know that about myself, I need to live alone. It's okay.

Parker

Self-awareness is good.

Kate Kennedy

Yeah, I'm like, I'm one of those like dogs at the shelter where they're like, this is a single dog household, yeah, this dog, don’t. And it's been hard, I mean, I'm, I'm lucky in the sense that I, I live in this big, beautiful building in Hollywood and almost everyone that lives here is youngish. They're all kind of in their late 20s to early 40s so everyone's kind of in my age range. And a lot of artists and writers and creative people so a lot of them are home so I have a lot of friends that live right next door, which is great. Yeah, it's like the perfect blend of like adult apartment, but kind of college dorm where I can just like run around and go back to my own home. So that's been really helpful. I mean, I'm glad I have like a good group of friends out in LA that I can you know, every week, there's always someone, let's go to the beach, let's go to the desert, let's go, you know, because I think we all kind of recognize that about ourselves. So, I'm lucky that I'm around a lot of other people that have that same struggle, even if they're not sex workers, especially through the last year, but it is it's hard and it can be really hard to motivate yourself, it can be hard when you're not feeling sexy.

Parker

Yes.

Kate Kennedy

And you're like I have to get this done, it's not like writing like a report for your boss, where you can just do it in sweat pants and it doesn't matter like it's I you know, if you're having anything going on with your skin or your body that does kind of impact your confidence or whatever. You know, it's really hard to motivate yourself and also like, because you are working for yourself, so I often joke that I'm like the worst boss I've ever had and the worst employee I've ever had to manage. I'm terrible. I don't like dealing with myself on either side of that. Sometimes I wake up and I'm like, you know what, you know who's gonna yell at me if I don't take these nudes today, fucking no one, I'm going to sit on my couch and eat chips with my dog and play video games all day. Like, like a grown adult child. But I do try to stay motivated, it helps to have like other people, like, I have like my PR person or like an editor who will you know, because I'm very good about if someone asks me to deliver something, boom, I'm on it. I value other people, value and respect other people's time, way more than I do my own.

Parker

Right, oh, such a bitch. Yeah, I feel that accountability structures are important in order to motivate.

Kate Kennedy

Yeah, they’re so, but I'm like working on it. I'm honestly working with my mom right now. Um.

Parker

Oh, yeah.

Kate Kennedy

It's been really cool. You know, obviously, when I first got into sex work, my parents were not thrilled. Um.

Parker

Like they do. Yep.

Kate Kennedy

Like they do. We had, you know, a lot of spats, we didn't talk for a while, but they've really both made a huge effort to, I mean, we've gone to therapy all together, my mom and I just started going to therapy, the two of us together once a month.

Parker

That's amazing.

Kate Kennedy

It's awesome. I mean, they kind of they really didn't have very bad ADHD, we talked about this earlier, they didn't understand that, and it's been really cool. My mom really was, came out and was like, you know, I want to know how your brain works because clearly didn't understand it when you were little and I want to help you now and I want to like repair that relationship, which is so cool. So, I've been texting my mom and I'll be like, hey, today's not a great day and she'll be like what do you think you can accomplish today? I'm like, Okay, awesome, like accountability partner, very nice.

Parker

I love that. Yeah, that is so great. When just to touch on the family a little bit when, when you came out to them how long ago was that?

Kate Kennedy

I was outed so I didn't get the chance.

Parker

Oh shit, okay.

Kate Kennedy

By my cousin who's an asshole. Mitch if you're listening to this, you're a fucking asshole, I still don't like you, I didn't like you when we were kids, either. Um, so I'm still not happy about that but um, it was I had probably lived in LA, I think like six months maybe.

Parker

Okay,

Kate Kennedy

So, I had been in the stuff I was doing before was like the BDSM and even when I was living in Oregon working there, like it's such niche content, that when I dipped my toe into sex work, I didn't like dive in. I was like wading into a really cold pool.

Parker

Yes.

Kate Kennedy

I'm gonna get down on this stuff and this, because there really wasn't a ton of risk in that, like in terms of, oh, someone's gonna see this. Like, this is not front page of Pornhub this is really like, you would have to go look for it.

Parker

Right.

Kate Kennedy

Um, so I was doing that for a while and then when I started doing like, more mainstream stuff and was working for like, I was like, in a Pornhub banner ad like, I'm not surprised that people saw it. So, I was braced for that, and I mean, it was not a fun thing to go through, um with my family, I know, it caused them a lot of pain as well. Um, and not that that's necessarily my fault but I still take responsibility in terms of like, I was a bit of a coward of not saying it to them, I should have. We all make mistakes. They've acknowledged theirs; I've acknowledged mine and, you know, we've moved on, it's been a few years. So that's good.

Parker

I love that. Yeah, I think it's, it's hard because there's, there's stigma, and when it's a bomb that is dropped, that is a really, really hard thing to recover from.

Kate Kennedy

Yeah, it really does and well and it's hard for them to understand too, I think, because it's you and I, because they have that stigma and they're older, and that's kind of their generation. Like, I can see where they're coming from in terms of like, why the fuck are you doing this?

Parker

Right.

Kate Kennedy

You went to college, you know, I'm like, I'm doing this because I and I had this conversation with them just recently, I'm like, you know, I enjoy doing it, right? Like, I really like what I do, I think there's value in what I do and what I've done, like, I don't regret even as I've moved away from mainstream porn, and, you know, now I very much do sex work to support myself while I'm pursuing these other dreams, which I think is totally valid. Um, there's a ton of reasons why people do sex work. Um, but uh, you know, it's like, you understand that I enjoyed it, right? Like, it's a really fun job. Like, at no point was I like, oh, man, I wish I worked at McDonald's.

Parker

Right.

Kate Kennedy

Like yeah, no, I was having, I was like, you understand I was having great fucking time. Right. Like, I was getting fly all over and travel and meet these interesting people and get my hair done and my makeup my nails was like, you know, I was like, this was super fun. I loved it, I mean, I think porn is a really fun way to spend your 20s

Parker

Yeah, sounds amazing.

Kate Kennedy

It was awesome. I was like, this is so cool. You know, and it was just an experience that I never would have had and also it opened up so many other doors for me that wouldn't have been opened. Um, you know, I definitely never would have made it to Hollywood, I probably would have never made it out of my like small town. So yeah.

Parker

Yeah, it really, and here you are. I love it. Have you been able to find, like sex worker community nearby?

Kate Kennedy

Yes and no, I definitely still have a few good friends from porn that I talk to regularly, one of my best friends still. I didn't jive with everybody, I don't jive with everybody. I, you know, I have a small-ish social circle but I definitely have, and like online as well. I mean, there are sex workers who I love and admire, like their content and their activism and stuff and it's so cool to get to have these friends. Like I have a friend in England, and friends in New York and like people all over the, you know, you get to interact with on Twitter and whatever. Um, yeah, and it's nice. I do, I also try to like, I've always been someone where, you know, my DMs are always open to like new sex workers, if there's ever people that have like, questions. I tried to like, I just cleaned out all of my, like four years worth of bra and panty and lingerie sets.

Parker

Oh my god.

Kate Kennedy

I mean, it was taking up an entire dresser in my room, I was like, this is sick, Kate, you don't fucking need this. Like, I love being a grown ass woman with a dress up closet, like I never want to not. But um, this was out of hand. So, I really tried because I mean, a lot of that stuff is super nice. I work for a photoshoot, and you can't, especially in porn, you really can't wear something twice. Right? Because they've already seen you in it. They've taken pictures, people get confused. So, I try to go through, and I mean, I bag everything up, everything is clean, and in great condition and I usually do like a giveaway on Twitter, where I'll just say like, hey, if you know, a sex worker that's just starting out or struggling, really needs this kind of stuff, like, let them know, and I'll pass along. I've done that with lights and cameras, and you know, anything that I have that still, I love that kind of mutual aid among sex workers so I always try to support that.

Parker

oh, that's so cool. It's such a, it's a good thing to do, just because there are times where people just need the equipment to like advance a little bit, and you can just boost their, their stuff with that. That's great, I love that you do that.

Kate Kennedy

And this, I mean, it's not like it, there's so many different ways to do it. It's not super high overhead to get into this industry, there's not like a ton of like access barrier, which is, I think part of what makes sex work so powerful.

Parker

Absolutely.

Kate Kennedy

Because it's really a way for like, especially women to really change their financial status without those high barriers, but um, but I mean, it does add up over the years. I mean, and I'm lucky that I have a great fans that will send me free gifts all the time. Like I really don't have to buy as much but I know that there's a lot of people that I love and like really are great, wonderful people that don't have that privilege. So, I try to like to pass it on whenever because you know, it adds up. I mean, you go from like one ring light in the corner of your room to all of a sudden, you're like, do I need to rent studio space? I need more closet. I live in an apartment with three walk in closets, like, and they're all important.

Parker

Oh my god.

Kate Kennedy

It's part of why I chose this apartment. They were like, I was like, someone came into like who would need three walk in closets, it's like this bitch.

Parker

Amazing. Yeah, having, having that many like costumes and dress up like things to get dressed up in it was always a dream. It's so.

Kate Kennedy

It's so fun, I love it. Like all the sparkles, the crazy shoes, because you were a stripper too, right?

Parker

Oh, yeah.

Kate Kennedy

Oh my god. I love like, it's just so much fun. I remember when I was a little kid, I really wanted light up sneakers.

Parker

Oh my god me too.

Kate Kennedy

Like I wanted them so bad, and my mom was very anti light up sneakers did not let me have them. I would look at them at Payless every time we'd go back to school, I wanted them so bad and then I became a stripper and I bought clear plastic light up stripper heels.

Parker

Yes.

Kate Kennedy

And I wore them oh my god, I was so happy. They broke immediately like they were.

Parker

of course.

Kate Kennedy

I mean, I understand what she was talking about now where she was like, these aren't gonna last. You know, this is not a smart purchase but I'm so glad I bought them.

Parker

That's amazing. Um, so I'm going to pivot a little bit into stand-up comedy. How did you get started in stand-up comedy?

Kate Kennedy

So, my first anal scene got canceled. Ummm.

Parker

Interesting start. I love this.

Kate Kennedy

The short version. So, I had done, so I was living in LA, and I'd started doing a lot of podcasts because I mean, there's, everyone has podcasts, I'm pretty sure if you live here longer than a year and you don't have one, they kick you out. Um, but uh, I'd started doing just like various adult industry ones and I had done one for this guy and I was doing improv at Second City here in Hollywood. So, I was already I was I always knew I wanted to do comedy, I was like, I wanted to be a writer, I wanted to get into that as much as I could. And I kind of started hanging out with more of those people and I did this one podcast for this guy we finished, he's like, hey, you know you're really funny and I know you want to try stand-up, if you can write five minutes you can open my show at The Comedy Store in Hollywood. I was like, yes, I would love to do that, that sounds amazing. Um, so, I'm really excited, and then not even like a week later, I get a call from my agent that they had just sold my first anal scene, which we had been working on for months like it, we sold it because you try to, if you're established enough, it's really hard to sell any kind of first for a premium anymore, there's just so many, it's a super competitive industry. It's just flooded with people, there's tons of talent, so it's hard to do, and we'd been working on it for months, I've done BOCES, and taken pictures, and we wanted to sell it to this one company that's like a little higher end and so, they get the call, they finally they bought it. Awesome. It's the day after the comedy show.

Parker

Oh my god.

Kate Kennedy

Like, okay, I can't be up until two, three o'clock in the morning, drinking and telling jokes to people, and then go do an anal scene, like that's irresponsible. So, I had to call him, and I was like, hey, man, I'm so sorry, I'd love to do another time, but this, obviously this came up and it's a lot of money. So, and he was very understanding. So cut to the scene was supposed to be on a Sunday and the show was Saturday night, it was a Thursday, and I got a call from my agent who told me that the director had called him and said that there was a mistake, that he didn't think I was pretty enough to be on his website. He didn't like my face.

Parker

Rude.

Kate Kennedy

Yeah. Which like, also, my face was maybe like, not the focal point of that.

Parker

Right.

Kate Kennedy

I don't know, I have a really nice butt hole, um and he didn't even see that. So I mean, I'm freaking out. Right? Because it's like, the end of the month, I just lost $2,500, um, which was my rent. And I mean, I'm just, you know, and I think to my credit, like this is very much the kind of person I am where when something really bad happens to me, like, I will kick and scream about it for about 10-15 minutes, and then I'll instantly jump into okay, where do we go from here?

Parker

Yep.

Kate Kennedy

How do we? And typically, I found that when really bad things happen to me in my life, like not getting a job after college or having my first anal scene canceled, it tends to open up some door that I haven't seen before. And this ends up being one of the best things that happens in my life do I called my buddy back and I was like, hey, can I still do your show? On Saturday night? And he's like, yeah, of course. So, at that point, I had 24 hours to learn how to write stand-up comedy.

Parker

Oh my god.

Kate Kennedy

Go write a five minute set and go open for Jamie Kennedy at the Comedy Store on a Saturday night.

Parker

Oh my god, that's amazing.

Kate Kennedy

It was the craziest 24 hours. I mean, I drank a bottle of wine, I cried, I called my mom, like took a shower, like made coffee, I brewed this like coffee in like a thermos, I have my, I have it still so I found it the other day, I typed my entire set out like paragraph form, which you never do.

Parker

no

Kate Kennedy

I typed the whole thing out like a fucking essay and like had it in the back of my Uber coming from the valley. And I'm like shaking, like trying to drink this coffee and I ran my set by my Uber driver, like five times.

Parker

Oh my god.

Kate Kennedy

rted to happen, I was already: 2020

Parker

That's amazing.

Kate Kennedy

Yeah. It's just always those times where you're like, you feel like everything is lost and then all of a sudden, things really turn around.

Parker

Yeah, and taking a risk. Like you didn't have to call him back to be like, hey, can I be on your show? But you did.

Kate Kennedy

Oh, I wanted to so bad. I was like, this is such a great, and also, if there's anything I've learned about like living in LA especially, is it, like, opportunities don't usually happen twice.

Parker

Right.

Kate Kennedy

Like if someone gives you something you want, you got to jump on it, you got to take it.

Parker

Absolutely.

Kate Kennedy

And even if it doesn't work out, at least you don't feel like you missed it. You know?

Parker

Yes.

Kate Kennedy

Like, yeah, like, you'd be like, oh, I'll go humiliate myself on a Saturday night and I'll never have to talk to anyone again.

Parker

Right.

Kate Kennedy

Like it doesn't, it doesn't you know, I think especially as you get older, it's up to you. You just realize you're like, oh, there's not ,I'm gonna feel so much worse if I wonder what would have happened rather than just try it or maybe that's just who I am as a person. I obviously jump into everything.

Parker

Totally. I mean, I relate to that too, though. And it's like I, I know I will remember it if I totally bombed but pretty much everyone else in that room will forget about it within a day or two.

Kate Kennedy

That’s something I tell myself all of the time, where it's like nobody, it's such a true statement in like, stand-up especially that, like no one is thinking about you as much as you're thinking about you.

Parker

Exactly. Because we're all a little narcissistic in that way, like, we're all thinking about ourselves.

Kate Kennedy

Yeah, it's no one's gonna remember and like, and also when you do well, it's like, oh, it's such a good feeling.

Parker

Yeah, fuck yeah.

Kate Kennedy

Yeah, it's the best feeling in the world. So, it's like, you know, you and also there's times too like, cause I mean, I've definitely had shows that didn't go the way I wanted them to but I also don't really remember those parts. Even if I have a really bad show, I'll remember the one or two laughs that I got.

Parker

Right.

Kate Kennedy

Like those stick in your brain because there's still so much, the good so far outweighs the bad, and that's what you remember and hold on to and then you just go and try again the next night.

Parker

Yeah, yeah. I love that, it's all information.

Kate Kennedy

Yes, yeah. Oh,

Parker

Oh, what's that? Go ahead.

Kate Kennedy

Oh, it's all learning.

Parker

It's all learning, absolutely. Who who's your biggest inspiration when it comes to comedy? Like who's someone you model after or look up to?

Kate Kennedy

I try not to model after anyone, especially because and that's like, a very big pitfall for new comics is if you really like certain people's style, and you watch a lot of their stuff, you end up doing just like a bad impression of them.

Parker

Yes.

Kate Kennedy

And also, like, I mean, a lot of my material is about sex work, and it's about my experiences. So, it is like a little bit more unique than just you know, someone else's. But I mean, it's cool getting to be here and especially like the Comedy Store, which is my favorite place is that if you're a comedian there, and they know you, you can go for free any night that you want.

Parker

Really.

Kate Kennedy

Yeah. So, I mean, I go right now I still go, but when I first started, I would go every single fucking night. And I would just sit in the back and you're just watching like Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Dave Chappelle, like, every fucking night you're gonna watch people work through stuff and you're learning so much, you're like, oh, cause you're watching them develop their own material. That's where they go to devleop.

Parker

Yeah.

Kate Kennedy

So, like, I remember watching like one of my favorite jokes that like taught me a lot about how to write jokes, was watching Neal Brennan, who was one of the writers for Chappelle Show. He's a really funny guy, he has a bunch of great specials. But um, I was watching him do this joke, and it was over like, a couple of months, I saw him do this joke, like once a week, and like, from the first time he started it to the last time he did it, you would see him change one or two things each week, and it would get better and better and better. And you're like, oh, I see what he's, you're watching the process. And to me, that is so much, was so valuable, because like watching just a special that someone does, like that's, you know, they say your first special is 10 years of work. It's the accumulation of 10 years of doing stand-up.

Parker

Wow.

Kate Kennedy

So, you know, and so you're watching like the perfect, polished, finished product, which is beautiful and great but you can't really learn from that. That's like looking at like a Kia Sorento and trying to figure out how an engine works.

Parker

Exactly.

Kate Kennedy

Like you, I want to see them put it together. Um, so that's been so great. So, I guess like just everyone who's involved in that place, and it's been such a great like, kind of home away from home for me, coming here, and you know, being in a big city by yourself. And just I mean, it's where I've met most of my friends to this day and it's been a really supportive, wonderful place for, for me, it's the only place that I love so much that I also have reoccurring nightmares about.

Parker

That makes a lot of sense. I love that it's a focus on the process like that place can be a focus on the process rather than the product. As I'm, I've been working on a zine, and I'm just really seeing myself get caught up in the product, so I love hearing the like, being able to witness someone else's process as an inspiration is really cool.

Kate Kennedy

It's really cool. I mean, that's the whole kind of ethos of that place. It does kind of feel like being in like grad school.

Parker

Cool.

Kate Kennedy

Where you're just there and you're just working and you're learning. And that's what it's for, as opposed to just you know, and like obviously there's crowds, there's tourists, it's a famous place, a lot of people love to come there. Which is wonderful. But yeah, I mean, the, the idea is that it's really a place where you can go to learn because there's nothing else like that. There's just big clubs and shows and it's trial by fire, you learn they throw you in the pool, and you drown or you swim. So, it's nice to have a place like that.

Parker

Yeah. Oh, that's so cool. Um, one of the things that, you one of your pieces I suppose it could be called, is the, the Kennedy Assassination. Would you would you tell our listeners a bit about the genesis of the Kennedy Assassination and just like your experience with it.

Kate Kennedy

So, the Kennedy Assassination was my first time doing my own podcast, um, I learned a lot, I did it last summer. I was in lockdown with everybody, that's my Inside by Bo Burnham it is not nearly as good but that's what I accomplished. I was doing a bunch of other stuff, I was like regularly on certain podcasts at that point, I was like, alright, I really gotta go figure out how to do my own and I have always been fascinated, I read all of the comments on everything I ever do. I don't know if this is like narcissism, or just, I'm just genuinely interested,

Parker

I do the same thing.

Kate Kennedy

Some, people are so black and white on this. It's a very polarizing thing, because there are certain people that are like, never look at the comments, never read them never even look, I'm like, don't you want to know, in the middle of the night, and I don't you just I wonder what they think.

Parker

I think it's a little masochistic.

Kate Kennedy

Just Oh.

Parker

It is just yeah.

Kate Kennedy

Very masochistic. And, um, and I yeah, I'm a huge masochist. I think that's like my tagline on like, a couple of my different yeah. But um, yeah, professional masochist, I think is my Instagram bio. I mean, I just would look at the comments that I would get on my porn, and then on other stuff I was doing, like, podcasts and stuff and like, I don't get a lot of hate, I really am lucky, I don't I really don't get a lot of super mean DMS or anything like that, but I get weird ones. People, people are very critical of like, certain things that I have, would never have thought to be critical of myself. And I was like, going through these comments and like one was just like, she's like Ted Bundy with great tits.

Parker

What.

Kate Kennedy

First of all, that's hilarious, um, that's a great line.

Parker

Thatcould be Y=your Instagram tagline.

Kate Kennedy

I think it was for a while cause I was like it's so funny. And I would just get those, sure I did Dr. Drew, and then there was a short period of time where a lot of people on the internet were convinced, I was like a sociopath, which was really interesting.

Parker

Oh my god.

Kate Kennedy

Um, but I was just getting all these super weird comments. And I was like, okay, I want to talk to these people and also even like the mean ones, I'm like, I'm fascinated by the psychology of like, what would bring you to do that to someone on the internet? Why would you say that? Why do you think like, I'm just really interested in it. So, and obviously, my name is Kate Kennedy, so the Kennedy Assassination?

Parker

Yes.

Kate Kennedy

Great fucking name for a podcast, very easy imagery. I bought a Jackie O costume. I was like, this is great,I'm super. I'm actually repurposing it into a stripper outfit right now. Um.

Parker

Hell yeah.

Kate Kennedy

But um, yeah, I just, I mean, it got really crazy, because it was a few weeks last summer where I was just emailing or trying to figure out a way to contact every single person that had ever left a mean comment about me on like, on PornHub I'm, like, sliding into all of these DMS, like will you be on my podcast, will you be on my podcast. Um, it worked out really well, it turns out that's a great thing to say to a troll.

Parker

Oh, yeah. Will, you will you please speak more about this? Yeah.

Kate Kennedy

Like you're a fat bitch and you're dumb, and you're ugly blah blah, and like will you be on my podcast and discuss this with me? They don't like it, so I did get a few takers and I would just record with them. Um, a couple of them were really funny, I had to learn everything about that, and I did not have this studio setup at the time. So, I really had to go figure out like, how to set, like how to book these people, and how to edit the audio and how to publish, it turned out to be a lot of work

Parker

It's so much work.

Kate Kennedy

It's so much work and we, and it was just me doing it alone, and I was like, okay, this is a ton, and also eventually, I think they caught on to what I was doing and then nobody wanted to be on my podcast. And I started getting a lot of messages from dudes where they're like, I'll pretend to be mean to you and I’m like that's not the point. You're,

Parker

Damn it.

Kate Kennedy

Missing the fundamental reason behind this. So, but it was a great experience. I do two other podcasts now. But just doing that one by myself, I learned a ton, it was really fun. If there's ever a chance to like bring it back someday, in some way, I would like to do it. But it was a great little project, it's still up everywhere if anyone wants to go listen to it, it's on like iTunes and Spotify and everything and it's just the Kennedy Assassination.

Parker

Amazing. It will be linked in the show notes for sure. Yeah, I love that the psychology of stuff like that is really fascinating. I'm a little bummed you didn't get to continue and like explore that more, but I hope you get to later.

Kate Kennedy

Thank you, I hope so too. If you guys are going to go listen, I recommend the episode dick pic dentist, I think that's my favorite one. It's rather short, but it's this guy and he is a dentist and was sending me dick pics from his office. I was like do you understand why you shouldn't do that? He's like, well I just think you're really pretty, you, and it's just me, like you can hear me like bashing my head against the desk.

Parker

Oh my god that's amazing.

Kate Kennedy

Yeah so, I love that one.

Parker

I will definitely be going to listen to that one. And speaking of your other two podcasts, let us please talk about those, I know you are a co-host of Camgirl Chronicles.

Kate Kennedy

[garbled]

Parker

Got it and the co-host of Two Girls One Mic: The Porncast, which the title of that is impeccable.

Kate Kennedy

It's so great. It's my friend Alice's show. She started, she had another co-host and I guested it, on it several times. Um, and then for personal reasons her other co-hosts had to bow out last year, I believe, early this year, and so she hit me up and was like, hey, do you want to do this with me? And I was like, yes. Also because Alice is like, we're very good friends, she's one of my best friends. She's we're very, very different, she's super type A, like, if you have a business idea and you tell it to her, she will come back in a week with like a color-coded binder of everything you need to do.

Parker

Oh my god, yeah.

Kate Kennedy

And is like super into patent law.

Parker

[garbled]

Kate Kennedy

We need people like that, like us creative people. We need people like that. Um, so her and I work wonderfully together, and we yeah, we so we interview different people from the adult industry different porn performers. We also do have on like comics and academics, we've had lawyers, we have an episode coming up where we're interviewing a furry from that subculture. So usually when we have comedians on the show, and it's pretty split between, she books, all the guests also so I really just have to show up and be charming and that's my ideal job. But she yeah, so, you, normally we watch porno parodies for the plot. So, we skip all of the sex parts and we just watch, like we've done Kill Bill, we did the Big Bang Theory.

Parker

Oh my god. Yeah.

Kate Kennedy

Harry Potter. So, it's super funny, we like go in and we just watch all of the acting and then we compare it to whatever it's parodying. We, you know like the Kill Bill one was like a lovely little homage to Quentin Tarantino like it was it was good. I was like invested, like it’s different than regular Kill Bill, oh, but I was like, I want to know what happens to these characters like this is, this is good. So yeah, they're really, it's a, it's a really fun show to do. I love getting to do it with her.

Parker

Oh, that's so cool.

Kate Kennedy

And then I, Camgirl Chronicles is one that they, and I actually got through Alice as well, but I work for a studio in New York. It's for I'm live, which is a really cool cam website and I interview camgirls from all over the world about their jobs and their lives and what sex work is like, especially in other countries, super cool. Like the two most like emerging markets right now are Romania and Colombia.

Parker

Oh, really?

Kate Kennedy

So yeah. So, I talked to a lot of girls from Romania, I've talked to a lot from Colombia, some from the US, but it's super fascinating. I mean, I think even as a sex worker, as an American sex worker, we sort of do have like a bit of a Western perspective on it. And I think it's amazing how much stigma even I still had that I kind of had to check about, especially Eastern European sex workers. Um, there is such a stereotype of like, these women must be trafficked. Like, I'm embarrassed to say that I thought that, but I did. I was, you know, and I joke too, like there's always one Russian girl at a strip at the strip club and she's not the girl you want to cross. She's always super hot, she's like six feet tall, blonde, her name is usually Svetlana, and she will fuck you up. But, I mean, it's fascinating, it's super interesting how especially in these like former like Eastern Bloc countries, like their attitude towards sex work is so different because a lot of these girls, like they, women I should say like, they support their families like their parents. You know, it lets them make a really good living on a very flexible schedule, I mean, the same things that appeal to us about sex work. Um, and it's so cool, I mean, they work out at these gorgeous studios in like, Bucharest, where there have they like, they're on a soundstage. They have like handlers that have all of the AV equipment and these it looks like a Vegas hotel. I mean, it looks like your [garbled] or the Cosmo. It's gorgeous. And like they have like a commissary and a nail tech and a makeup lady.

Parker

Oh my gosh, oh my god.

Kate Kennedy

They like go to work. Like they drive to work, and they go to work and it's just it's so different than the way it is in the US and it's super fasci-. I'm like dying to go visit now we just we wrapped up the first season we're hopefully gonna get started on the second coming up here soon. And I'm, we said for the third season, we really want to go over to Romania and go meet these girls in person because,

Parker

Oh yes.

Kate Kennedy

And they're so funny. Like, they're, I mean, some of the stories we've heard have just been absolutely hilarious. Like, they're so sweet, like, they're just I'm like, oh my god, like, I want to be friends with all of you and of course, they're all fucking gorgeous.

Parker

Oh yeah.

Kate Kennedy

So anyway yeah. And because of the time difference, I usually have to be up at like 5am to do that show.

Parker

Wow.

Kate Kennedy

I'm, talking to this like absolutely stunning, like 22 year old on the other side of the world and I’m like [ sleepy voice] Good morning, and I'm Kate Kennedy and welcome to Camgirl Chronicles.

Parker

Amazing. I also I love that you acknowledge the like, even though we are sex workers, we still have some internalized stigma and assumptions and all these things. I think that, that that's something really important to acknowledge in the fight for sex workers rights, is that lik, we all carry this internalized stigma and that can come out in certain generalizations or assumptions made about other sex workers. and about ourselves, honestly.

Kate Kennedy

Oh, totally. I mean, the whorearchy is very real. And I had I had a great like, sociology professor tell me this one time, that I think is so true about everything is that you know, we all have internal bias but bias is really just the lens through which you view the world and that lens is manipulated by your own experiences. And it's fine to have those because it's part of your perspective, it's part of how you see but you have to be aware that the lens that you're viewing the world from is not the way everyone else is viewing the world and it's not necessarily correct. And so, it's just very interesting to get to like broaden your horizon that way and like, it's been just such a cool project to work on, like the I don't think that was the intent of them wanting to do a podcast because they really came to this production studio, the guys that own I'm live and wanted to, you know, a lot of cam studios and OnlyFans and stuff are trying to branch out more into safe for work like lifestyle content as well.

Parker

Yes.

Kate Kennedy

And kind of blurring the lines, which I actually think is a great thing. And, but they really want, they're like you know let's do like a safe for work comedy podcast and I’m like this is breaking down stigma. But I also get to write a bunch of like, super fun jokes for it and it's been really cool because I've really gotten to work with like, these professional producers that like make radio, um, and learn how to like structure, a season arc, and how to structure like an episode and you know, they send me like the outline of, it's this interview and this and that and then I write in all of like these bridge jokes and punch lines and different segments. And I've gotten to like, come up, we did one where we're announcing, like the top girls on their site, because they're, you know, they rank in terms like the number one earner, whatever and I did it like a horse jockey announcer.

Parker

Oh my god yes.

Kate Kennedy

I was like watching, I watched like hours of like vintage like old school, like horse jockey announcer races in comes into the turn, is Nicole pulling up ahead by a mile and it was so much fun to do. So we've gotten to do like all sorts of stuff like that, which is just play games, and there's contests and it's just been really cool to like, learn all of I feel like I've learned so much from doing that which has been awesome

Parker

Oh, that's so dreamy. I love that so much.

Kate Kennedy

Very worth getting up at 5am. I grumble about it my producer all the time, because she's always on the calls with me. She's like, how are you doing Kate? I'm like I got my coffee. Okay.

Parker

5am is early. But that does that sounds wonderful. Um, there, speaking of OnlyFans, kind of changing the way we do, like the adult industry has, has been working. You got featured in Men's Health, talking about your, your ideas around OnlyFans and how it's changed the adult business. Would you share a little bit about that, like what you shared with Men's Health? And just hear your thoughts on that?

Kate Kennedy

tten in, I joined OnlyFans in: 2017

Parker

Oh, yeah.

Kate Kennedy

It was already this push towards, we want to own our content, we want to make our own money, we want to shoot what we want to do. And so from day one, when I got into the adult industry, everyone was pushing me like, gotta shoot your own content, if you're not on set that day, you know, go shoot your own stuff. So, and I remember the first couple of years that I was on OnlyFans, I mean, a good month, I would make like $300 or $400,

Parker

Right.

Kate Kennedy

So, I was not making a lot of money. I mean, it was paying, like my car payment, it would, you know, pay for a couple of things, but, um a bill, obviously, I make a lot more than that now. Um, but it's the ability, it's really put that power for us to be able to make our own money, on our own schedule, shooting what we want, with who we want, um in the hands of the performers, which is really cool. I mean, even people that have gone back to shooting professional porn, especially post pandemic are very open about saying, I don't really care about the check I'm getting today. This is promo,if people see me on browsers or on naughty America, they're gonna want to go subscribe to my OnlyFans.

Parker

Yep.

Kate Kennedy

Because they're gonna think I'm hot, so, this is really just a way to get my name out there. Um, which is fascinating, because then you're not, you don't have an industry full of people that are so dependent on booking this work, they can just go make their own product. And I think both mainstream and adult have really gotten into that between like Patreon and OnlyFans and everything. I mean, everybody is monetizing their own stuff now, which is really cool. Um, it is, I mean, it's, it's different, like, it's I joked, especially the beginning of pandemic too, because, and I still get people that say this once in a while, um, where they're like, oh, you do, and it's usually like other comics, people that are just like a little jealous but they're like, oh, you just all you have to do is take nudes, like, all you have to do is like, your job is so easy. It's like.

Parker

I can't, I can't.

Kate Kennedy

I'm like, okay, like, no, I mean, there are definite pros to it but I'm like you like we basically got thrown into the position of like, when I was doing professional porn, I only had to be on set like three days a month to pay all of my bills.

Parker

Right.

Kate Kennedy

And the rest the other 27 days, I could fuck off and do whatever I wanted. Now I'm in a position of having to like, write, shoot, direct, star in, and edit a porno by myself every week.

Parker

Mm hmm.

Kate Kennedy

Like, I didn't sign up for those other jobs, I just wanted to have sex and look pretty. Those were the parts that I was interested in.

Parker

Yes.

Kate Kennedy

And all of a sudden, I'm like, it's due in the morning, and I'm trying to fucking learn Final Cut and I don't want to do that. Um, so I mean, it has like increased our workload but I also think just like for performers, because more and more, I mean, if you're trying to get someone to subscribe to your OnlyFans, it's not just like, the same motivation of someone just clicking onto Pornhub. Right? They're there for you, you're really trying to build this like kind of cult of personality in this personal brand and it's much more akin to like, how an influencer builds up their fan base than necessarily like how a porn star goes to work. Um, so even though they're related, it's a very different job.

Parker

Yes, and the like, all you have to do is take nudes thing is like that argument there is the, the, the kicker for me where it's like, there's so much more emotional labor involved in like getting people compelled to follow you and get invested in what you've got going on. Like, it's a lot more than posting a few nudes here and there.

Kate Kennedy

It's so much, and well because you have to, like there's a million hot girls on the internet. Like, and I tell people this every day, I'm like, if you want to play the game of who's the hottest girl on the internet, who has the biggest tits, who has the nicest ass fine, feel free, you're gonna lose, you're always gonna lose. There's always gonna be somebody out there that has a better body, a prettier face, like it's your, you cannot win that game. So, you have to go really into yourself and be like, what is so compelling about me? What is so interesting? What is going you're really trying to make these people fall in love with you.

Parker

Exactly.

Kate Kennedy

And like that is a whole I mean, psychologically, that is like a huge leap to make as a person and to try to keep yourself balanced between who am I and who is my brand because there's a very fine line between brand authenticity, which I care about a lot and mental health.

Parker

Yes.

Kate Kennedy

My brand is very much who I am. I like try to think of it as like the best parts of me, like the best me on my best day, at my prettiest, at my most bubbly, sparkly, whatever. Um, but that's not me every day.

Parker

Right.

Kate Kennedy

And so having to allow yourself, and also even allowing yourself to just like go have fun and live like a normal person, like I can't tell you. Every time I take a trip anywhere, even when it's like for fun, I'm so tempted if I'm in like a pretty place, like, we gotta shoot content we gotta shoot like, always, no matter what I'm doing if I'm like, redoing I was redoing a bunch of like home improvement projects this summer and I was like, I need to do this in my underwear and I need to film it.

Parker

Yeah,

Kate Kennedy

And sometimes I just got to step back and be like, just do this because you like it, it's okay, like, I just went on a trip and I very purposely took absolutely no pictures and it was so relaxing.

Parker

It's so important, it's, you have to have boundaries. Even if like, it's a perfect opportunity, sometimes you just have to really hold your boundaries.

Kate Kennedy

Well, and it's a job that you can work, the great thing about it is you can make your own schedule, that also means that you can theoretically be working anytime. So, there are days when like, I will wrap up a whole day of getting all this stuff done and I'm sitting on my couch and I'm like, I could be doing more work right now. I could be doing this, I could be doing that, I could be shooting, I could be editing I could be coming up with this, I could be scheduling content for next month. And like, it's so hard to not, at least for me, like I mean, I'll just mentally beat the shit out of myself being like, why are you so lazy? And it's like.

Parker

oh my God,

Kate Kennedy

No one works that much like just relax. But you know, it's you don't have an office to go to, you don't have a boss saying this is due x day, really how much you make, how big you get, like that's all in your own hands. Um so having to balance that and be healthy with it, that's been a huge journey for me this year especially.

Parker

Yes, I love that. It's, especially with the ADHD thing, too, because it's something I also wrestle with, like I have to I keep a list of what I have to do today. And I will add things that I've done and cross things off and it is as evidence that I have not been a lazy piece of shit that day, because at the end of the day, no matter how much I've gotten done, I just sit down and I'm like, I could be doing something like exactly that thought.

Kate Kennedy

I do exactly the same thing. Sometimes I write things down just to cross them off.

Parker

Yes.

Kate Kennedy

Because I need the evidence that I'm like, oh, no, you did that, that was a lot of work, it's okay.

Parker

Mmmhmm yeah, it’s key.

Kate Kennedy

Yeah, it's terrible. It's like it's a very frustrating, again, I'm like, such a terrible person to like, manage and work for/ I hate working for myself, oh, my god, I'm like, I'm so mean to me. But yeah, I've really been really trying, and also like, I think if you get so far into that mentality, you forget what you liked about the job in the first place.

Parker

Yes.

Kate Kennedy

Which was that I don't have to work all of the time.

Parker

That and we need that like breathing room to feed our creativity. Like there's no way like all those outfits in your closets are going to inspire you unless you take time away from everything and come back to it.

Kate Kennedy

Yeah, of course. Like, yeah, there's, you know, like, you need that time to just write or do hobbies. Like, I mean, that's a big thing, too, I think, and that extends even beyond sex work, but that's a huge thing in Hollywood. I say this to my friends all the time, I'm like, it's okay to just have a hobby that you don't make money off of.

Parker

Yes.

Kate Kennedy

Like you can just do this because you like it and you don't need to like, I'll start like sewing, I sew, so I'll be like doing a sewing project and I’ll be like I should do an Etsy store. I'm like, no, you fucking shouldn't, no, you're gonna ruin, you're just ruining everything that you love by making it work. Like I used to love taking nudes when I was like 19-20.

Parker

Yes.

Kate Kennedy

I wasn't selling them. I was just doing them because I looked hot and I was like, into it. I used to post them on Tumblr for free cause I liked the attention. I'm like, where's that girl, like, that's the energy?

Parker

And now you're just like, fuck, now I gotta go do a thing.

Kate Kennedy

Yeah. I hate nudes, I hate this. So dumb, like, just so, that's I mean, that's part of what we're talking about earlier, with like, the day in the life I mean, that is part of why I am so frou frou about my whole like shooting routine where I'm like, I'm gonna take a bath and have a glass of wine like listen to music. Like, I really try to make it like, fun sexy me time so that it doesn't feel like work, um, because. You know?

Parker

I don't want it to feel like work.

Kate Kennedy

I don't want it to feel like work and it shouldn't feel like work. Right? Like, I'm getting dressed up, I look pretty, I'm getting to take these great pictures. You know? I look through my phone like that's me? Great. Um, you know, that should that should be fun.

Parker

Fuck yeah.

Kate Kennedy

Yeah. And I got into it because I like it, it should be. It's the same with comedy, there's so many people that are like, as a comedian, you should be miserable all the time, in this depth pit of despair and I'm like, how is that working out for you? Because I tried that and it sucked, I didn't like any of it, I write a lot better when I'm happy.

Parker

Absolutely. Yeah. We don't need to be miserable to be artists that is a fact.

Kate Kennedy

You don't need to be starving to be an artist, you can eat well and get an adequate amount of sleep.

Parker

Yes. Let us abolish that myth right now because abundance and artistry can happen at the same time.

Kate Kennedy

Yes, absolutely. Honestly, good art usually does. When I'm super depressed, like, I mean, Shakespeare wrote King Lear during quarantine that's not widely not considered his best play.

Parker

Right? Exactly.

Kate Kennedy

I had a joke for a while where I was like if he had written Titus Andronicus during the plague like this would be a much different conversation and girl bosses would not be [garbled] and someone was like that's a really specific joke. I was like, I know.

Parker

I love it. I'm here for it.

Kate Kennedy

I love writing jokes that are only funny to like five people.

Parker

It's the best kind because you're just like, I know you're my people.

Kate Kennedy

My first one I ever wrote, and I still do it occasionally just when I'm feeling kind of shitty. But it was, do you guys think that Salman Rushdie was mad that he had to write the entire Satanic Verses in order to get a fatwa declared against him When all Mia Khalifa had to do was suck dick in a hijab?

Parker

Oh my god that's amazing.

Kate Kennedy

And people who get that joke really get it. But you really you're coming from two very, two very different people most known for having fatwas declared against them.

Parker

Oh yeah.

Kate Kennedy

Super different reasons but you really have to know both of those people.

Parker

You really have to get it, you have to be up with it. There's on my booking form, just to kind of like get a vibe for who's, who's wanting to see me there's one question that is, what is the airspeed velocity of an unleaden swallow? And the answer to that question really tells me a lot about the person and I love it

Kate Kennedy

I don't know the answer to that question.

Parker

It is a Monty Python and the Holy Grail, or Monty.

Kate Kennedy

Oh, yeah. Right. I should know that, I missed those a lot.

Parker

It's okay. I haven't seen it in years, but I was just, I thought I'd be cheeky, and it's been fun seeing how people answer that one.

Kate Kennedy

Oh yeah, totally. That's I think that's a great thing to have on like your booking form that's a good one. Yeah. It's always good to know who you're dealing with.

Parker

Exactly. It's a good vibe check.

Kate Kennedy

Oh, yeah, absolutely. Yeah. If I, yeah. If people don't like get my jokes, I'm instantly just kind of like, okay, go, do you but clearly, we have nothing in common that's fine.

Parker

Exactly. Is there anything that you're currently working on that you would like to plug on the show?

Kate Kennedy

Um, yeah, I mean, those podcasts, go listen to them you can find them anywhere. Um, I have some cool writing stuff coming up here that I can't really talk about just yet. I have a bunch of stuff coming up, but I can't really talk about any of it. Oh, I hate it, I'm such a bad secret keeper, too. I'm, I'm so bad at it. I really just tell people I'm like, don't tell me what it is until you're ready to like, let everyone know because I'm, I'm just so bad. I've tried to get better, but um.

Parker

You're doing great right now.

Kate Kennedy

Thank you. Yeah, I'm tempted. I'm like really excited. I mean, just follow my twitter and follow me on Twitter that's always where the updates come from. I do have I'm back to feature dancing now, I can talk about that. Which I love feature dancing, it's just, it's the best job, it's so much fun. It is like the closest to being a drag queen you can be as a woman, which is my favorite. Just I mean day to day I'm in sweats and ponytail and I you know, but I like to dress up and that is just because it's not like being a house dancer, like, the costumes are over the top, I mean, when I started they were like you have to buy a Bedazzler like my agent was a you have to go buy a bedazzler, like oh yank my arm. Okay, I'm gonna wear this right fucking now because everything is super sparkly. The shoes the hair, it's just so over the top. It's really really fun you to pick all your music, you know, you get to travel like prior to the pandemic I would be in like New York every other month and Vegas, like Sacramento, Atlanta, Chicago, Philly like and they fly you out. You get to stay at nice hotels, they pick you up in a limo, dressing room an assistant and I'm like I am not this important. This is very weird, you guys are treating me. Like the first time I went to Vegas and they had my face on the poster, I like made the driver get out and I was like, can you take a picture of me next to it? I'm like.

Parker

Ah, yeah,

Kate Kennedy

I'm so excited I did thumbs up, super dorky. But yeah, I'm back to doing that so I have three dates in Sacramento in September, September 8th through 11th, I believe. Eighth through tenth,Yeah. It'll be on my Twitter but yeah, I'm at the Gold Club. So, I'm really excited. I have to go bedazzle a Sacramento Kings jersey after this.

Parker

Hell yeah.

Kate Kennedy

Yeah. So yeah, so back to that so hopefully I'll be in more cities coming up here. Um, and yeah, just keep an eye on my on my Twitter and yeah, things are happening.

Parker

Awesome. And then is there anything, as kind of a final question before we get into some rapid-fire. What is what is one thing you wish the greater public would understand about sex workers or sex work as a whole?

Kate Kennedy

Oh, man, so many things.

Parker

I know.

Kate Kennedy

t its lowest point since like: 1880

Parker

I agree. Wonderful, love that.

Kate Kennedy

That was like five things I think everyone should know.

Parker

I think that'll just like all end up in the show notes. I'm just gonna like transcript that one because that was really lovely. Alright, we're gonna get into some rapid-fire questions. The point of these is to just kind of get to know you as a person a little bit more on like, a silly level. Um, are you ready?

Kate Kennedy

I'm ready.

Parker

Excellent. Pancakes or waffles?

Kate Kennedy

Waffles.

Parker

Salty or sweet?

Kate Kennedy

Salty.

Parker

Hiking or swimming?

Kate Kennedy

Swimming. I fucking hate hiking.

Parker

Okay follow up, ocean or lake?

Kate Kennedy

Uh lake because I don't fuck with sharks.

Parker

Yes. What is your favorite place you've ever been?

Kate Kennedy

Oh, god, The Comedy Store.

Parker

Love that.

Kate Kennedy

Yeah.

Parker

A book from your mandatory reading list?

Kate Kennedy

Oooh I read a lot.

Parker

I can tell.

Kate Kennedy

Yeah.

Parker

I love it.

Kate Kennedy

Mandatory, um so hard to pick one. I'm gonna go with anything by Bret Easton Ellis, Less Than Zero probably.

Parker

Excellent.

Kate Kennedy

Yeah, or um, I like Salinger a lot too. I like his For Esmé—with Love and Squalor It's like my favorite. Yes, that's right. Yeah.

Parker

So good. A song, an album, or a musical artist that you've been obsessed with lately?

Kate Kennedy

Lately? I listen to really old stuff.

Parker

I love that

Kate Kennedy

Like I'm yeah, I mean, I used I've like done, I've stripped to Steely Dan.

Parker

Yes.

Kate Kennedy

I used to do Bruce Springsteen all the time, I'm always obsessed with Dolly Parton, I absolutely fucking love Dolly Parton.

Parker

How could you not?

Kate Kennedy

How could you? I mean, I think a lot of white people who grew up in the Midwest or South grow up with this weird thought that Dolly Parton is like their great aunt. Like I thought Dolly Parton was a member of my family until I was like seven.

Parker

I love that.

Kate Kennedy

Like I firmly thought that she was just a member of my family, spiritually.

Parker

That's amazing. What is your secret talent?

Kate Kennedy

I can say the alphabet backwards.

Parker

Nice.

Kate Kennedy

Yeah.

Parker

Do you want to demonstrate it?

Kate Kennedy

Watch ZYX WV UTS RQP ONM LKJ IHG FED CBA

Parker

Oh my god. Wow that was so fast.

Kate Kennedy

I know. My mom taught me how to do it when I was little, her grandpa taught her how to do it, it's like a fun little family.

Parker

I love that. Finish the sentence, good sex is.

Kate Kennedy

Good sex is enthusiastic sex you have with someone that you really like.

Parker

I love that. Yes. And if you had one superpower, what would it be?

Kate Kennedy

I think I'd be able to fly. I live in LA so that would be very appealing because I could get to the airport a lot faster.

Parker

But you wouldn't even need the airport.

Kate Kennedy

I don't even you're right, I wouldn't. Yet. Why am I saying fly to the airport? Oh my god, wow, dream big kid.

Parker

You might need more coffee.

Kate Kennedy

I'm almost done with this pot. I do usually drink two.

Parker

Oh, a woman after my own heart.

Kate Kennedy

I think, I would, I think I would fly. That would be pretty awesome because yeah, traffic sucks and that would be pretty fun. I think second, I would say I'd be invisible because I love eaves dropping on other people's conversations

Parker

Yes it's so good.

Kate Kennedy

It's one of my favorite things I'll like go to bars and sit by myself and just like listen to people like on a bad first date next to me and like write down.

Parker

Crack open a book but not read anything at all.

Kate Kennedy

I used to go to this little place that like the, it was like a big first like Tinder date place and I would go alone, and the bartender knew I did this. So, I'd sit at the end of the bar, he'd always push like a candle closer to my notebook so I could see what I was doing and be like, that guy's a fucking dick and I'd be like, I know! He brought up his owning a katana within like the first two minutes of this Tinder date.

Parker

Oh, no.

Kate Kennedy

Big cringe. So fun. That's one of those things the pandemic really robbed me of was my ability to, you can't, you have to stand really close to eavesdrop on people?

Parker

It's true.

Kate Kennedy

You can't socially distance.

Parker

Oh, it's amazing. And the final question is, what is something simple that brings you joy?

Kate Kennedy

Sleeping in, rolling over and my dog being on the pillow next to me on just like on a nice warm, sunny afternoon knowing that I don't really have to do anything today I can just chill and she's you know, my whole world. So anyway. Yeah, she just she makes me so happy.

Parker

Oh, I love that.

Kate Kennedy

I love her.

Parker

Oh. Well, thank you so much for joining me today. This has been so much fun.

Kate Kennedy

Yeah, this has been a blast, thank you so much for having me.

Parker

Of course. Let's say goodbye to the listeners.

Kate Kennedy

Goodbye, everybody.

Parker

Bye, have a good day, y'all. Thank you all for listening that was such a fun interview, I had such a good time if you couldn't tell. I love my job, I love it. I mean, I love my job, this isn't really my job, but I love this particular hobby of mine and I also love my job so that's pretty cool. Yeah, I'm just really grateful that I get the opportunity to talk to so many other sex workers that I wouldn't normally get to talk to, and I wouldn't have that opportunity if y'all weren't listening and supporting the show. So, thank you, thank you, thank you. I'll say it again, thank you. And here we go with a space fact that I did not premeditate so it might be a little strange, you're welcome. So, if you decide during your galactic travels, intergalactic travels that is, to get into a relationship with someone of a different species, it's important to remember that their expectations of what a relationship is on a base level, may, and most likely will be different from yours. So, once you get the language barrier, or your little device that will translate for you, figured out be sure to find out what their expectations are and clearly state your own in order to ensure the relationship success. You know what, maybe you should just do that in all your relationships anyways, so space travel or not, communicate clearly. Be kind y'all. Nanu nanu motherfuckers.