Jackie Beat is Psycho

Even though her Grindr age is just shy of 26 years old, Jackie Beat has been entertaining us for over 25 years. An international part of drag history, she is wildly known for her biting wit and camp (in its true form) parodies of songs by Britney Spears, Cher, Madonna, and more that have streamed to the millions… oh, and she can actually sing them live. These evocative gems have been featured just about everywhere including The Howard Stern Show, E!, and America’s Top Forty with Ryan Seacrest. Emerging from the NYC club scene in the 80s (1980s, not 1880s), her live performances continue to sell out around the nation and her stand-up has ended up on Comedy Central, VH-1, and MTV. She’s even admitted to opening for Roseanne Barr. If it’s not stand-up, she’s doing one of her one-woman shows or playing Bea Arthur in The Golden Girlz Live (rumor has it she made a pass at Chris Pine when he stopped by). 

As a card-carrying Writer’s Guild member, she’s written for just about every type of show for networks like Syfy, E!, and Comedy Central. As the go-to comedy queen, she’s written material for other queens like Ross Mathews, Margaret Cho, Rosie O’Donnell, Sandra Bernhard, Jennifer Coolidge, and even Elvira. Adding to TV writing, she’s a playwright, screenwriter, and magazine columnist.

Can she act? Well, we know she can act UP. But who can forget her performance in Gingerdead Man 3: Saturday Night Cleaver? She’s also appeared on many TV shows, including Sex and the City (though they didn’t reboot her role for And Just Like That) and the most recent Huluween, and in movies that include Flawless (rumor has it she called Robert DeNiro daddy) and the festival darling Wigstock: The Movie. Now, after appearing in everyone else’s projects, someone has inexplicably greenlit her own TV show. Danger – she is literally in your living room now.

She can now be called Dr. Jackie: Unlicensed Psychotherapist. This six-episode series from OutTV features this “doctor” helping her famous friends with life issues. Co-starring Sherry Vine, the show features appearances from the drag world that include Alaska Thunderfuck, Katya, Bianca Del Rio, Monét X Change, Sherry Vine, Tammie Brown & Kelly Mantle, Bendelacreme and Trixie Mattel, and other celebs like Margaret Cho, Elvira, John Cameron Mitchell, Alec Mapa, and more. We love the show and wonder if maybe for Season 2 she can be another kind of doctor and give rectal exams to reality TV stars?

We caught up with Jackie in between her therapy sessions to chat about cancel culture, the fundamentals of comedy, and, of course, blowing Jake Gyllenhaal.

What took so long to get your own TV show finally? We’ve been waiting for this!

Trust me, if I were in charge, it would have happened a long time ago. I guess you could say the planets have aligned!

What makes you the best person to dole out advice to some of LGBTQ’s sassiest personalities?

Well, I’m very bossy and bitchy and I’m always right. Um, do the math!

In what area of your life could you use a psychotherapist? 

I’m actually surprisingly well-adjusted and mentally healthy. I guess if I really had to think of an area where I might need some professional help I would say maybe my sex life. And career. And my eating habits. Okay, I’m a mess!

How did you prepare for the show?

I piled about two pounds of makeup on my old man face and plopped a wig on my bald head. Seriously, I studied different methods of psychotherapy and specifically researched the correct way to do things. And then I did the exact opposite!

What moment from the debut season is the most memorable for you?

When I punched Bianca Del Rio in the nose with a Dr. Jackie puppet. God, that felt good!

What did you love most about filming the show?

The fully catered lunches. Free food tastes best!

So many of your famous friends stop by the show, who is the craziest?

Look, if I say one person is crazier than another then someone might feel left out or bad. I will just say that they are all really, really, REALLY crazy. I’m sorry to seem so noncommittal, but I have to think about Season Two!

When you look back at your quarter of a century of entertaining, how have you changed the most?

All joking aside, sometimes I would sit down to do my makeup with stress and negativity. Then it dawned on me that preparing for a show – especially a show as magical and mystical as a drag show – is a lot like cooking. You need to cook with love for the finished product to be satisfying and delicious. And so, I guess you could say I cook my face with love!

Cancel culture is a hot topic, do you feel the need to monitor your comedy for today’s social climate?

Of course. Things that were once funny or acceptable many years ago are now considered neither. But I will say I mourn the loss of irony. Saying the opposite of what you are trying to express is a classic way to present comedy. I love nothing more than showing just how stupid some people are by portraying a racist, homophobic, misogynistic and/or transphobic person. I’m making fun of the character’s ignorance. But there is very little critical thinking right now. We are attempting to right the wrongs of the past and sometimes people get too sensitive and go too far when doing that. And you know what? That’s fine. Hopefully, one day, when we all truly love one another, we’ll be able to joke about anything and everything.

In your opinion, what are the basic rules of comedy?

Be funny! As Joan Rivers once told me, it can be mathematical. But oftentimes there is no rhyme or reason to why something is funny. Sometimes it is just ridiculous or phonetic or simply a matter of timing. And of course, what makes one person howl with laughter will leave another person just sitting there with their arms crossed and a look on their face like they just sucked a lemon.

How is Jackie Beat the person most different than Jackie Beat the persona?

Well, one is a loud-mouthed, filthy, in-your-face bitch… And the other is the performer you see on stage.

You have played out to sold-out houses all over the country. Why do you think fans love you so much? 

I think I’m talented, but I also don’t take myself too seriously. After all, it’s just drag. I do the kind of drag show I would want to see. I often joke that if you are blind then you get to hear my amazing singing and hilarious comedy, and if you’re deaf you at least get to see my over-the-top glamorous look. But… if you happen to be blessed with both sight and hearing, then you hit the jackpot! Or should I say, “Jackie pot?”

What are current comedy personalities doing right, what are they doing wrong?

I don’t care about anyone but me. Oh my God, did I say that out loud!?

Now that you have your TV show, what’s next on your bucket list?

Blowing Jake Gyllenhaal.

What do you love most about performing?

Making people forget about their problems for a brief period. It sounds corny, but it’s true. It’s that simple. That and the fact that maybe just maybe I’ll blow Jake Gyllenhaal one day.

You have met just about everyone in the biz. Do you ever get star-struck anymore?

Oh my God, of course! I once performed at a private holiday party at a hotel in Beverly Hills – looking like a hooker gave birth to a Christmas tree – and, as I was leaving, I walked around a corner and almost bumped right into Barbra Streisand! She looked me up and down and said, “Oh my goodness!” I almost died! Everyone asks me, “What did you say?” and I have to explain that when you’re that close to Barbra fucking Streisand all the oxygen instantly disappears and you can’t talk!

What celebrity has been your favorite to meet?

Liza Minnelli was amazing! She was in the audience at one of my holiday shows with my friend Parker Posey and I always joke, “A drag queen looking out and seeing Liza in the audience is like a priest walking out and seeing Jesus!”

We love the Golden Girlz Live…what was your creative process in paying homage to Bea Arthur but also making the performance your own?

I always say you have to give people what they think they remember. So, the voice is a little lower and a little gruffer than how she really spoke. She also never points at people. If you look, she’s actually always pointing at herself. And it’s all about her owl eyebrows. And triple shoulder pads. God, I love her!

There is so much LGBTQ content out there right now, a much different climate than when you first started in the biz. Do you think gay content can become too commercial?

The biggest problem is when something is Gay first and entertaining or funny or scary or whatever it’s trying to be second. For the longest time we as Gay people were so starved to see ourselves onstage or onscreen that we settled for less-than-satisfying material. I think that has finally changed. The subject matter of simply being Gay isn’t enough anymore – it’s got to be good.

What is your message to your fans?

Watch my f’ing TV show!

You can watch Dr. Jackie: Unlicensed Psychotherapist on OUTtv.com and on the OUTtv Apple TV Channel in the US and Canada.

Follow Jackie (if you dare) on IG: @JackieBeat