Whitney Cummings on turning postpartum struggles into comedy in "Big Baby" tour
Comedian Whitney Cummings, co-creator of the Emmy-winning sitcom "Two Broke Girls" and star of the autobiographical series "Whitney," has launched the second year of her "Big Baby" tour after recently welcoming her first child.
Cummings, who began her standup career in 2004 and has released six comedy specials, is focusing her new material on the experiences of motherhood and everyday life.
The 40-year-old comedian jokes about being labeled with a "geriatric pregnancy" by her doctor.
"They start calling it geriatric at 35," Cummings said. "I'm grateful that I did this at 40 years old. If I had a kid even a year sooner, I would have sold it for Taylor Swift tickets."
Cummings froze her eggs at 33, but ended up conceived naturally. She is co-parenting with her child's father, though they are not a couple.
"Let's start co-parenting from the beginning so the kid will never know anything different," she explained about their arrangement.
Cummings' comedy has long been known for its fresh, intelligent approach to taboo subjects. She said she believes discussing intimate topics helps "release shame" and prevents bad choices made under its influence.
"I didn't want to talk about having postpartum depression," she admitted. "I was like, I don't want to talk about this, which means I have to talk about this."
The comedian also reflected on how parenthood shifted her perspective.
"Once I had a child, I was like, oh, I like myself when I only think about myself like 30 minutes a day."
Cummings' "Big Baby" tour continues through its second year with dates across the country.
