Meet Joe Edwards | Event Host & Comic Relief

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joe Edwards and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joe, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
To engage with people and spread something only I can deliver- me. Everyone sees the world their own way and has experiences that are specific to them- mine are fun, not so fun, sad, not so sad – all over the place! The world’s on fire, and if I can make people forget about that for even a little while by entertaining, making them think or even learn something new- it’s a win.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I would describe my style as, “chaotic”. I love to keep people guessing. Mix the funny and the serious. I aim to make people laugh, cry, think or learn. If I can get any of these reactions out of people, I’ll take it. I took theatre in high school, the hardest audience was my teenage peers. Talk about damage to my self-esteem. I guess now when I perform or host I take comfort in the fact that I’ll probably never see these people again and if I do, it’s because they had a good time, so yay, they’re back! I want the world to know that no matter what the situation is, we’re gonna find the bright side and laugh about it!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in Long Beach so we want for nothing- it’s a melting pot. We gotta go see the aquarium and the light house- how could you not? Queen Mary if we’re feeling fancy. So many great bars to check out- The Crest, The Silver Fox, Broadway Cocktail Lounge (only during karaoke!). Head down to the park or the beach to see a volleyball or a kickball game, or both! Spicy Sugar or Los Compadres are two of my faves if you’re craving Thai or Mexican, or Pizza X Two if you fancy a slice. And we’d be dumb if we didn’t check out a drag show- my drag mother Ava Stone or Natasha Hundreds can slay the house down any day of the week, and twice on Tuesdays (or 3 times on the weekends, or 5 times during pride)

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Michael Romero at The Crest Long Beach is amazing! What a funny, generous, kind-hearted guy. He took a chance on me, a lil gay boy who wanted to host a trivia night about my favorite TV show at his bar. 7 years and many trivia nights and fundraisers later, I’m getting to do what I love and bring people together. On top of that, next month I’m helping celebrate the bar’s 30th anniversary!

Instagram: @dammitjoe

Twitter: Jpad