School's Out, Laughs Are In: Retired Teacher Patty Forehand Becomes a Standup Comic

Second Act Stories

The moment Patty Forehand opens her mouth, you know she’s from the deep south. And with that comes a certain set of preconceived notions. If she opens her mouth in front of a microphone on a comedy club stage, those notions are immediately blown away, and the results are hilarious. It’s funny once the F-bombs start flying and you realize she’s not the stereotypical, retirement-age, “proper southern lady” society expects when they see her, but it’s even funnier when you hear that her material is funny. Really funny.

It gets even more interesting when you realize that she’s relatively new to comedy. This standup comic, who’s been crushing rooms all over the South, has only been doing it for the past few years. She decided to experiment with comedy after she retired from a 31-year career teaching in an elementary school. And the results speak for themselves; Patty found her calling.

But she also says that teaching was a calling, and she worked an entire career in a Georgia elementary school. So why, when most other people are making plans to coast into retirement, did she decide it was time to try her hand at something that’s not only intimidating, but also incredibly difficult?

In this episode, Patty discusses her southern roots and upbringing, her career as “the funny teacher” in an elementary school classroom, her decision to do standup comedy, and why working dirty is only a result of finding her authentic self.

For more about Patty, and to learn about her live dates, you can follow her on Instagram at @forehandpatricia.

If you like this episode, please check out our other episodes featuring comedians with inspiring second act stories:

The Wolf of Late Night: Paul Mecurio’s Journey from Wall Street to Comedy

Adam Carolla: The Carpenter Who Built a Legendary Comedy Career

Brian “Q” Quinn’s Impractical Career Shift: Fireman to Funny Man

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