Comedian Lisa Lampanelli says that she lives for self-development and self-discovery.(Photo: Dan Dion)

You might not expect someone who insults people for a living to have a lot of close friends. Comedian Lisa Lampanelli, however, says she values the relationships she has with her friends and family over fame or wealth.

The stand-up comic was driving to a spiritual retreat when interviewed by The Detroit News last month in advance of her Friday performance at MotorCity Casino Hotel.

Once a month or so I go for a week to this place in the Berkshires and I take different kinds of classes, workshops, mediation, she said. Im doing one called Hunger, Hope and Healing next week because I wrote a play on food and body image and I think it helps me figure out eating and food, and emotionally eating and why people do it and it helps me personally and with my play.

Lampanelli, 55, calls herself an insult comic and spends the majority of her stand-up routine making fun of the audience and herself. In real life, though, she says she lives for self-development and self-discovery.

She organizes game nights with her friends and elderly mother (who loves Apples to Apples and Catchphrase).

If you ask me whats the most important thing, thats it, she said. I dont need any more fame. I dont need any more money. I dont need any more achievements. I dont feel that adds to your self worth unless you really believe youre worthy.

But this enlightenment doesnt mean Lampanelli is going soft with her act. Shes still the Queen of Mean, and no ones race or sexual orientation is off-limits at her shows. She says lately, though, during a question and answer period at the end of her shows, shes been giving a lot of advice.

I talk about my divorce ... my weight loss and my surgery, and people ask me advice about life which I love because Im under the impression that I know more than everybody in the universe, she joked. Im like Dr. Phil with a ton of estrogen, but not that much because Im goin through menopause. I got really happy a few months ago because some girl who I told to break up with her meth-head boyfriend broke up with him the next time I was there. I was like oh my God, I changed a life.

Another topic that has come up lately during her post-show Q&A is Donald Trump. Lampanelli was on season 12 of Celebrity Apprentice. After raising $130,000 for Gay Mens Health Crisis of New York City, she was fired by Trump late in the season.

He never bothered me, she says of the president. He never rubbed me the wrong way during The Apprentice. When I roasted him twice he was totally hilarious, had a great sense of humor.

Personally I dont have a problem with him ... but obviously our views are completely different and diametrically opposed. I still feel like Im friendly enough with him where I can do jokes about him and everybody else. Hillary doesnt escape jokes from me, either.

Im not a political comic. I never cared about politics in my life and now that Ive sort of had this human interaction with him I think its fun to talk about the different thing thats happened. That makes my stand-up show a lot more fun for me because I can kind of tell all.

mbaetens@detroitnews.com

(313) 222-2402

Twitter: @melodybaetens

Lisa Lampanelli

8 p.m. Friday

Sound Board at MotorCity Casino Hotel

2901 Grand River, Detroit

(313) 309-4700

$30-$45

Read or Share this story: http://detne.ws/2lQFn9A

Visit link:

Lisa Lampanelli goes from insults to enlightenment - Detroit News - The Detroit News