Northern Minnesota native Denise Winkelman releases first comedy special
Los Angeles-based comedian Denise Winkelman, who grew up in northern Minnesota, released her first comedy special to streaming services on Aug. 19.
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Audio transcript
NINA MOINI: Today, a comedian raised in the Northern Minnesota town of Northam released her first comedy special. It's called Bougie on a Budget, and it's full of stories from Denise Winkelman's life, including her upbringing, her time in the pro wrestling scene of Cincinnati, Ohio, and her life today as a trans woman in Los Angeles. Denise Winkelman joins me now from Pacific time. Thank you so much for being on Minnesota Now today, Denise.
DENISE WINKELMAN: Absolutely. Thanks for having me. It's a pleasure to meet you.
NINA MOINI: Pleasure to meet you, too. I love this title, Bougie on a Budget, relatable for many of us. How are you feeling as your comedy special kind of drops on the world?
DENISE WINKELMAN: Well, it's been a passion project for a long time. So really, really excited. I can't believe it's finally here. It feels surreal. It took longer for this thing to come out than it did for me to come out.
[LAUGHTER]
NINA MOINI: Tell me, what did inspire that title?
DENISE WINKELMAN: So it's really how I live my life. I grew up very rural, really not with a lot of money, very budget. And then as I've gotten older, I got to be a little more bougie, but it's bougie selective.
NINA MOINI: Yeah.
DENISE WINKELMAN: It's like shopping on the rack, or shopping on discount, shopping at a garage sale, those sorts of things. So it kind of blends both worlds. And, yeah, so much fun.
NINA MOINI: I love that. So, like a lot of people, it's like you don't forget where you came from. You don't forget how you grew up. What are some of the parts of growing up here in Minnesota and in Northam that you take with you today?
DENISE WINKELMAN: It was a really fun experience. Really always felt safe. Small town life, living by a lot of lakes. A little too cold for me now.
You can take my Minnesota card. You can banish me to Wisconsin. It's fine.
[LAUGHTER]
NINA MOINI: Oh. Yeah,
DENISE WINKELMAN: I loved growing up in Northern Minnesota. It was so much fun. I graduated from a class of 18. I did not finish in the top 10. So I was by no means a scholar, so hence the comedy.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, it worked out, I guess. So before, though, that you were a comedian, you were a pro wrestler. You have really lived. You have lived a life. What drew you to pro wrestling?
DENISE WINKELMAN: It was just really hot when I was in college, high school. The Rock, Stone Cold-- it was just really cool. All my friends were into it. During that time in my life, I was trying really hard to overcompensate and be masculine.
So at the end of the day, I wrote a letter, if you can believe that-- a handwritten letter, sent it to a bunch of wrestling promotions and training schools. And Cincinnati was one that really wanted me to come out and train.
And so I picked up and moved across the country after I graduated and did it for five years. Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Indiana-- so that region. Probably wrestled about 500 matches during that time.
NINA MOINI: Wow.
DENISE WINKELMAN: And so it just started to hurt a little too much, and wanted to focus on the transition. And it just got to a point where I just couldn't keep it inside anymore.
And so, yeah, it was a really good time. It feels like another lifetime ago. But I met so many cool people during that time. Some went on to do really, really great things, and went on to go to WWE, and went on to work in the wrestling business. Some are just raising families and still do the independent scene. But it was almost 20 years ago, and it's hard to believe how many people are still doing it.
NINA MOINI: Yeah. Wow. So, as you mentioned, it was a calling for that chapter in your life. But then I understand you moved to Denver, Colorado. You came out as trans. Is that when you went into comedy? Or have you always been funny?
DENISE WINKELMAN: So in my small high school, graduating class of 18, people used to tell me I should be a comedian. I was really unsure of myself. I was soft spoken, never spoke up, and really passive.
And so I was really trying to come to terms with everything. And, yes, so I quit wrestling. I was married for a little bit.
We got a divorce in 2012. And I accepted a job-- so my day job was finance at the time. And so I accepted a job to move from Cincinnati, Ohio to Denver, Colorado. And it was great. It worked out really well.
I found this great group of people, really mixed group of people, really diverse, so to speak. And just really cool, eclectic folks. And we did all the happy hours, and we traveled together, and it was this great friends group.
And then I was looking for a creative outlet. So I tried to wrestle for a little bit in 2016, 2017. And it just hurt too much. So I was looking for an outlet. 2017, I did my first stand-up set. My first stand-up set was in front of 300 people.
NINA MOINI: Wow.
DENISE WINKELMAN: And it was eight minutes. And I had never even picked up a mic before.
NINA MOINI: How'd it go?
DENISE WINKELMAN: It went well enough where I got enough reaction. I was nervous. I was shaking the mic.
NINA MOINI: Sure.
DENISE WINKELMAN: Those sorts of things. But I got enough reaction where I was like, no, this is it. I have to do this. And I think I was avoiding it a little bit just because I was afraid of talking in front of people or nervous, but everybody told me I was good at it. So when that happened, I was just like, no, I got to make this happen.
NINA MOINI: And how about today? You've got a special-- again, it's called Bougie on a Budget-- have you grown? And as you've grown more comfortable within yourself, do you think you have grown more comfortable in front of crowds or with your comedy?
DENISE WINKELMAN: Yeah, absolutely. It's funny how it works. I think the first thing for me was just coming to terms with who I was. And I always knew I was different. Since four years old, I knew I was different. I just didn't know it was trans. I really discovered I was trans from the Jerry Springer Show and Maury Povich--
NINA MOINI: Oh.
DENISE WINKELMAN: Because I had never heard the terms--
NINA MOINI: Sure.
DENISE WINKELMAN: -- which is not the right way to learn. I don't encourage it.
NINA MOINI: It was the way then, maybe. Yeah.
DENISE WINKELMAN: But, yeah, it was great. And so once I dealt with helping my insides match the outsides, it really wasn't a choice. I tried everything that I could do to be masculine. And so once I kind of got everything squared away and transitioned-- really, I had friends even in Denver that said, I've never seen you more comfortable in your own skin.
And that just spoke volumes to me. And then starting to get into comedy, I would rehearse over and over and over again. And now, I don't rehearse as much. It's more free flowing. I'm much more comfortable. But I think the first thing was just being comfortable in my skin and then just kind of growing and becoming more confident out of that.
NINA MOINI: Absolutely. I'm so happy for you. So we only have a minute left. And I have to ask, because the special is called Bougie on a Budget, what is your favorite thing to be bougie about and splurge on, and maybe your thing that you're more budget on?
DENISE WINKELMAN: Well, that's a great question. I didn't know we were taking a pop quiz.
NINA MOINI: Well, it's a quiz on you. So you probably the answer.
DENISE WINKELMAN: No, it's great. It's great. So I am bougie-- gosh, I love to be bougie on clothes.
NINA MOINI: Sure.
DENISE WINKELMAN: I'll look for discounts, but I'll go to a site called Revolve. And I love to fancy it up a little bit--
NINA MOINI: Sure.
DENISE WINKELMAN: -- wear tight things. I'm very budget with my car because it's paid off. It's a 10-year-old kind of beaten up Chevy Cruze.
NINA MOINI: Totally. That's all very relatable, for sure. Well, Denise, I wish we had more time, but I'm so happy for you. Congrats on the special. And thank you for stopping by Minnesota Now.
DENISE WINKELMAN: Absolutely. This was great. Thank you so much for having me. You can banish me to Wisconsin now.
NINA MOINI: Oh, no, we love it. Come back anytime. Denise Winkelman's a comedian from Northern Minnesota who now lives in LA. Her first special, Bougie on a Budget, is streaming now on several platforms.
That's it for Minnesota Now today. I'm Nina Moini. We hope you'll join us again back here tomorrow at noon.
DENISE WINKELMAN: Absolutely. Thanks for having me. It's a pleasure to meet you.
NINA MOINI: Pleasure to meet you, too. I love this title, Bougie on a Budget, relatable for many of us. How are you feeling as your comedy special kind of drops on the world?
DENISE WINKELMAN: Well, it's been a passion project for a long time. So really, really excited. I can't believe it's finally here. It feels surreal. It took longer for this thing to come out than it did for me to come out.
[LAUGHTER]
NINA MOINI: Tell me, what did inspire that title?
DENISE WINKELMAN: So it's really how I live my life. I grew up very rural, really not with a lot of money, very budget. And then as I've gotten older, I got to be a little more bougie, but it's bougie selective.
NINA MOINI: Yeah.
DENISE WINKELMAN: It's like shopping on the rack, or shopping on discount, shopping at a garage sale, those sorts of things. So it kind of blends both worlds. And, yeah, so much fun.
NINA MOINI: I love that. So, like a lot of people, it's like you don't forget where you came from. You don't forget how you grew up. What are some of the parts of growing up here in Minnesota and in Northam that you take with you today?
DENISE WINKELMAN: It was a really fun experience. Really always felt safe. Small town life, living by a lot of lakes. A little too cold for me now.
You can take my Minnesota card. You can banish me to Wisconsin. It's fine.
[LAUGHTER]
NINA MOINI: Oh. Yeah,
DENISE WINKELMAN: I loved growing up in Northern Minnesota. It was so much fun. I graduated from a class of 18. I did not finish in the top 10. So I was by no means a scholar, so hence the comedy.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, it worked out, I guess. So before, though, that you were a comedian, you were a pro wrestler. You have really lived. You have lived a life. What drew you to pro wrestling?
DENISE WINKELMAN: It was just really hot when I was in college, high school. The Rock, Stone Cold-- it was just really cool. All my friends were into it. During that time in my life, I was trying really hard to overcompensate and be masculine.
So at the end of the day, I wrote a letter, if you can believe that-- a handwritten letter, sent it to a bunch of wrestling promotions and training schools. And Cincinnati was one that really wanted me to come out and train.
And so I picked up and moved across the country after I graduated and did it for five years. Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Indiana-- so that region. Probably wrestled about 500 matches during that time.
NINA MOINI: Wow.
DENISE WINKELMAN: And so it just started to hurt a little too much, and wanted to focus on the transition. And it just got to a point where I just couldn't keep it inside anymore.
And so, yeah, it was a really good time. It feels like another lifetime ago. But I met so many cool people during that time. Some went on to do really, really great things, and went on to go to WWE, and went on to work in the wrestling business. Some are just raising families and still do the independent scene. But it was almost 20 years ago, and it's hard to believe how many people are still doing it.
NINA MOINI: Yeah. Wow. So, as you mentioned, it was a calling for that chapter in your life. But then I understand you moved to Denver, Colorado. You came out as trans. Is that when you went into comedy? Or have you always been funny?
DENISE WINKELMAN: So in my small high school, graduating class of 18, people used to tell me I should be a comedian. I was really unsure of myself. I was soft spoken, never spoke up, and really passive.
And so I was really trying to come to terms with everything. And, yes, so I quit wrestling. I was married for a little bit.
We got a divorce in 2012. And I accepted a job-- so my day job was finance at the time. And so I accepted a job to move from Cincinnati, Ohio to Denver, Colorado. And it was great. It worked out really well.
I found this great group of people, really mixed group of people, really diverse, so to speak. And just really cool, eclectic folks. And we did all the happy hours, and we traveled together, and it was this great friends group.
And then I was looking for a creative outlet. So I tried to wrestle for a little bit in 2016, 2017. And it just hurt too much. So I was looking for an outlet. 2017, I did my first stand-up set. My first stand-up set was in front of 300 people.
NINA MOINI: Wow.
DENISE WINKELMAN: And it was eight minutes. And I had never even picked up a mic before.
NINA MOINI: How'd it go?
DENISE WINKELMAN: It went well enough where I got enough reaction. I was nervous. I was shaking the mic.
NINA MOINI: Sure.
DENISE WINKELMAN: Those sorts of things. But I got enough reaction where I was like, no, this is it. I have to do this. And I think I was avoiding it a little bit just because I was afraid of talking in front of people or nervous, but everybody told me I was good at it. So when that happened, I was just like, no, I got to make this happen.
NINA MOINI: And how about today? You've got a special-- again, it's called Bougie on a Budget-- have you grown? And as you've grown more comfortable within yourself, do you think you have grown more comfortable in front of crowds or with your comedy?
DENISE WINKELMAN: Yeah, absolutely. It's funny how it works. I think the first thing for me was just coming to terms with who I was. And I always knew I was different. Since four years old, I knew I was different. I just didn't know it was trans. I really discovered I was trans from the Jerry Springer Show and Maury Povich--
NINA MOINI: Oh.
DENISE WINKELMAN: Because I had never heard the terms--
NINA MOINI: Sure.
DENISE WINKELMAN: -- which is not the right way to learn. I don't encourage it.
NINA MOINI: It was the way then, maybe. Yeah.
DENISE WINKELMAN: But, yeah, it was great. And so once I dealt with helping my insides match the outsides, it really wasn't a choice. I tried everything that I could do to be masculine. And so once I kind of got everything squared away and transitioned-- really, I had friends even in Denver that said, I've never seen you more comfortable in your own skin.
And that just spoke volumes to me. And then starting to get into comedy, I would rehearse over and over and over again. And now, I don't rehearse as much. It's more free flowing. I'm much more comfortable. But I think the first thing was just being comfortable in my skin and then just kind of growing and becoming more confident out of that.
NINA MOINI: Absolutely. I'm so happy for you. So we only have a minute left. And I have to ask, because the special is called Bougie on a Budget, what is your favorite thing to be bougie about and splurge on, and maybe your thing that you're more budget on?
DENISE WINKELMAN: Well, that's a great question. I didn't know we were taking a pop quiz.
NINA MOINI: Well, it's a quiz on you. So you probably the answer.
DENISE WINKELMAN: No, it's great. It's great. So I am bougie-- gosh, I love to be bougie on clothes.
NINA MOINI: Sure.
DENISE WINKELMAN: I'll look for discounts, but I'll go to a site called Revolve. And I love to fancy it up a little bit--
NINA MOINI: Sure.
DENISE WINKELMAN: -- wear tight things. I'm very budget with my car because it's paid off. It's a 10-year-old kind of beaten up Chevy Cruze.
NINA MOINI: Totally. That's all very relatable, for sure. Well, Denise, I wish we had more time, but I'm so happy for you. Congrats on the special. And thank you for stopping by Minnesota Now.
DENISE WINKELMAN: Absolutely. This was great. Thank you so much for having me. You can banish me to Wisconsin now.
NINA MOINI: Oh, no, we love it. Come back anytime. Denise Winkelman's a comedian from Northern Minnesota who now lives in LA. Her first special, Bougie on a Budget, is streaming now on several platforms.
That's it for Minnesota Now today. I'm Nina Moini. We hope you'll join us again back here tomorrow at noon.
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