JASON STUART Headlines Chicago’s Laugh Factory August 16th- 18th

JASON STUART Headlines Chicago's Laugh Factory August 16th- 18th 1 Jason was the first openly gay comedian to headline The Laugh Factory in Hollywood, California, where he has been a making audiences laugh out loud since 1983. Jason came out publicly in 1993 on the Geraldo show in an episode called “Unconventional Comedians”.   Jamie Masada, The Laugh Factory’s owner, has given Jason a place to work and grow as a comedian for 30 years. In 1995, Jamie gave Jason the club for a full week to celebrate National Coming Out Day,  an event that generated a cover story in the Los Angeles Times. Jamie says,“Jason Stuart has always been ahead of our time.  He paved the road for gay entertainers in Hollywood and gave them to courage to be themselves.” Jason has been in over 150 film & TV shows and starred in his own hour special on the gay networkJason Stuart: Making It To The Middle. For two decades, he has headlined clubs all over the country, and to this day Jason works alongside the best comedians in the business. Jason recently appeared in the Lifetime movie Home Invasion, starring Haylie Duff and C. Thomas Howell. He also guest starred opposite Shailene Woodley in ABC Family’s The Secret Life Of The American Teenager and HBO’s Entourage.  Coming up: he appears in the indie films Bearcity 2 : The Proposal, playing a Hollywood wanna-be-producer with Kathy Najimy, and in K11 as a rough prison trustee with Goran Visnjic and D.B. Sweeney. Jason also has a major supporting role – as a straight guy! - in The Guest House with Daniel Baldwin. Jason also just completed the movie Posey with Oscar nominated actress Sally Kirkland and the sci-fi Goodbye World starring Adrian Gernier from Entourage. In addition to just being cast in HUSH UP SWEET CHARLOTTE starring Varla Jean Merman & Mink Stole and THE HEART OF A WOMEN. Jason supports other openly gay actors as national chairperson for SAG AFTRA LGBT Committee. Its pioneering work includes a survey on out actors.  He is the comedy chair forLifeworks at the Los Angeles Gay Lesbian Center, producing and performing in their annual benefits hosted by The Laugh Factory in Hollywood. Jason also mentors gay youth. Jason was an out actor and comedian before Neil, Ellen, Rosie and a host of others ever set foot in this unknown land of being gay in Hollywood. He has walked the walk and talked the talk by being of service to his community.  “It’s not always easy, but it became more important to me to be openly gay than to be in show biz.  I was willing to risk my career to be authentic, but it actually worked out OK”, he says. Jason knows the best is yet to come, and thanks Jamie and The Laugh Factory for treating him as an equal to his straight peers. He looks forward to sharing that with Chicago.  “To have the same rights is the goal for my fellow gay artists”, says Jason… a simple guy from a crazy town called Hollywood!Jason was the first openly gay comedian to headline The Laugh Factory in Hollywood, California, where he has been a making audiences laugh out loud since 1983. Jason came out publicly in 1993 on the Geraldo show in an episode called “Unconventional Comedians”.
 
Jamie Masada, The Laugh Factory’s owner, has given Jason a place to work and grow as a comedian for 30 years. In 1995, Jamie gave Jason the club for a full week to celebrate National Coming Out Day,  an event that generated a cover story in the Los Angeles Times. Jamie says,“Jason Stuart has always been ahead of our time.  He paved the road for gay entertainers in Hollywood and gave them to courage to be themselves.”
Jason has been in over 150 film & TV shows and starred in his own hour special on the gay networkJason Stuart: Making It To The Middle. For two decades, he has headlined clubs all over the country, and to this day Jason works alongside the best comedians in the business.
Jason recently appeared in the Lifetime movie Home Invasion, starring Haylie Duff and C. Thomas Howell. He also guest starred opposite Shailene Woodley in ABC Family’s The Secret Life Of The American Teenager and HBO’s Entourage.  Coming up: he appears in the indie films Bearcity 2 : The Proposal, playing a Hollywood wanna-be-producer with Kathy Najimy, and in K11 as a rough prison trustee with Goran Visnjic and D.B. Sweeney. Jason also has a major supporting role – as a straight guy! – in The Guest House with Daniel Baldwin. Jason also just completed the movie Posey with Oscar nominated actress Sally Kirkland and the sci-fi Goodbye World starring Adrian Gernier from Entourage. In addition to just being cast in HUSH UP SWEET CHARLOTTE starring Varla Jean Merman & Mink Stole and THE HEART OF A WOMEN.
Jason supports other openly gay actors as national chairperson for SAG AFTRA LGBT Committee. Its pioneering work includes a survey on out actors.  He is the comedy chair forLifeworks at the Los Angeles Gay Lesbian Center, producing and performing in their annual benefits hosted by The Laugh Factory in Hollywood. Jason also mentors gay youth.
Jason was an out actor and comedian before Neil, Ellen, Rosie and a host of others ever set foot in this unknown land of being gay in Hollywood. He has walked the walk and talked the talk by being of service to his community.  “It’s not always easy, but it became more important to me to be openly gay than to be in show biz.  I was willing to risk my career to be authentic, but it actually worked out OK”, he says.
Jason knows the best is yet to come, and thanks Jamie and The Laugh Factory for treating him as an equal to his straight peers. He looks forward to sharing that with Chicago.  “To have the same rights is the goal for my fellow gay artists”, says Jason… a simple guy from a crazy town called Hollywood!