Speakeasy with - Lisa Lampanelli

Comedy’s Queen of Mean, Lisa Lampanelli, is on a nationwide theater tour promoting her newest album-turned-Comedy Central-special, Dirty Girl. Her tour pulls into Atlanta for a show on Saturday, Feb. 24, at the Roxy Theatre. Known as the best insult comic in the business, Lampanelli recently let her guard down and talked to CL about her career, her love life and how she got to be where she is today. She even showed a softer side, at one point crying during the interview; of course, she eventually snapped back into form with the threat “I’ll kick you in the cunt” if that made it to print. Whoops.

Is there anything or anyone you won’t make fun of?

No. I used to think so, like when I first started I said I’d never make fun of retarded people, but now that’s out the window. The better you get and the more you do so people know it’s just a joke, everyone is fair game.

You are at least an equal-opportunity offender. But is there a group of people, all joking aside, that you genuinely don’t like?

Fucking Europeans, man. They think they’re so smart. And I guess born-again Christians, just because they are generally more judgmental and harsh. Oh, and the FCC and free-speech enemies.

You made a name for yourself by doing the Friar’s Club roasts on Comedy Central. Who would you most like to roast that you haven’t?

People who take themselves too seriously to ever actually be roasted, like Tom Cruise. Or Oprah — I’d love to get my hands on that bitch.

When you’re not doing comedy, what do you do?

Get my heart broken consistently by the same person. I attend co-dependency meetings. Um, I love to shop also, but I’m weird because I don’t like anything middle-of-the road; it’s either Target or Gucci with me. I also like to go eat dinner with my parents.

And how do your parents feel about your act?

Well, my mother is so proud of me just because I’ve been on “The Tonight Show,” and to her that’s a sign of making it. But they’re proud and they’re cute, because obviously they get embarrassed when they call their friends to watch me on TV and I’m talking about banging black guys, but overall they’re very supportive.