Comedians are generally known for being young, hip and in-the-know about the latest happenings. But 90-year-old D’yan Forest of Southampton, defies all of those expectations.
“When I get on stage, they are totally surprised by my schtick and are totally entertained by this old lady. It gives me happiness,” the woman known as “the living legend” says.
The feisty comedian flits through nighttime gigs entertaining crowds with her hilarious stand-up act. And her title is official: the Guinness World Records named her as the Oldest Working Female Comedian in the World
Forest, who just celebrated her 90th birthday on July 31st, has been hailed by critics as the “naughty version of Betty White.”
A local celebrity on Long Island, Forest has appeared on SNL, Comedy Central, and France’s Incredible Talent. She regularly performs her distinctive stand-up, complete with ukulele, at Gotham Comedy Club, The Broadway Comedy Club, Le Poisson Rouge, and many more around Southampton.
Her popular one woman show, “I Married a Nun” has landed her on the same stages as Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Gaffigan, and the late Joan Rivers. She also shared memories in her book, “I Did It My Ways”, she said.
Forest, who grew up in the Boston suburbs, widened her horizon when she left the U.S. after a divorce and went to study abroad in Paris.
“After falling in love with the city, Forest would then embrace the French culture fully, which would determine the trajectory of the rest of her career,” her bio said. Back on her native soil, D’yane performed as an international singer at golf clubs, country clubs, bars, and restaurants in New York City. Sadly, this phase of her career ended with the 9/11 attacks.
Undeterred, she pivoted to comedy. “With no idea that she had the capability to be funny, Forest became what the world needed the most at that time — a comedian,” her bio said.
“I transitioned from singing to comedy because after 9/11, my singing and piano jobs were canceled. A lot of us musicians were out of business,” she said. “When I asked Caroline [Hirsch] of Caroline’s Comedy Club how to get into comedy, she got a coach to advise me on what I could do. I started making jokes about my age, and then put the singing into the comedy by doing parodies on my ukulele, singing and playing. It worked great, and I was accepted from the very beginning doing this innovative type of comedy.”
She added that in her risqué act today, she’s able to incorporate all of her talents. “I love doing the comedy because I love hearing people laugh with me, not at me. It’s been a great transition.”
Acknowledging how out of the ordinary she is as a stand-up comic, Forest says, “Now, comedy is, much of the time, done in the clubs where I work by very young people. Young fellows with mustaches and beards in their 20s, and young girls talking about their sex lives in their 20s. It seems to be getting younger and younger; therefore, I am quite an outlier because I’m 90 years old and talking about these things.”
She adds that, “It feels great to be an old working comedian, because when I first walk into a club, people want to know which comic’s grandmother I am — and have no idea that I will be performing. When I get on stage, believe me, they are totally surprised by my schtick, and are totally entertained by this old lady. It gives me happiness that I can entertain all ages.”
Although now 90, D’yan isn’t shying away from making plans for the future, “My goals are to keep working, to get my comedy and singing even better known — and to stay alive.”
