Being the mother of two young girls and seven months pregnant with her third child doesn?t slow down Baltimore City comedienne Meshelle Foreman.
In fact, quite the opposite.
“I think [my baby] is tripping off the fact that his mother is on stage,” she said. “Whenever I get kicked hard, I know that this one is a good one. He?s a real cool dude.”
Foreman is competing in Nick@Nite?s reality show contest, “Search for the Funniest Mom in America 3.”
After auditioning at the DC Improv in November, Foreman was chosen out of 1,000 moms as one of 60 funny enough to continue on to the regional competition.
The 60 women will be narrowed down to 12, then six. The six finalists will be housed together and televised, until one woman is chosen as America?s Funniest Mom. First prize is $50,000 and a chance to host a night of programming on Nick@Nite. Foreman?s daughters, Makela-Hadiya, 5, and Sameera-Adamma, 3, are fodder for her comedic bits.
“It?s like having a comedic duo in your house,” she said. “I laugh my ass off, and then I use it onstage.
“I?m always nervous about getting onstage and telling jokes. I initially was supposed to be a psychologist, and we?re not supposed to be up cracking jokes. It?s two different worlds. If I said I wasn?t nervous, then I would have to be on medication for just lying.”
“We were looking for moms who could be the next Roseanne,” said Allison Grodner, executive producer for the show.
“Not by type ? there is only one Roseanne ? but moms who have a solid comic ability, a unique personality and the potential to take their standup talent and use it in other performance areas like stage and television.”
“Once I get in there, I?m blowing the thing wide open. I?m kicking ass and taking names,” Foreman said. “I?m gonna come home and have my baby and then I?m going to sign my TV deal.”
But for this comedienne, beating her due date will prove the biggest challenge.
“I really should be calling my portion ?The Amazing Race,? because I better be praying that this baby doesn?t come before then,” she said.
