Pride & privilege
JEN BRISTER ON CANDID COMEDY, SAME-SEX PARENTING AND GIVING ZERO FUCKS
WORDS ROXY BOURDILLON
PHOTOS IDIL SUKAN
Jen Brister has always been a hilarious lesbian. She knew she was gay as soon as she “was conscious and had any cognition”. And, after a heartbreaking incident aged five on a beach in Bognor Regis – the girl she fancied only had eyes for her brother, leaving a crestfallen Jen wondering, “Why doesn’t she want to hold my hand?” – she quickly discovered a great way to get girls to allow her “to stand near them” was to make ‘em laugh. Not that she’s a professional standup to lure in the ladies, you understand.
“That would really be tragic!” Also, there’s simply no need, as Jen’s been coupled up with her girlfriend Chloe for 13 years. “We were in a five-star hotel, getting drunk every night, and one thing led to another… We played a very long game of Scrabble. We’ve been together ever since.” But, her career in comedy does mean she witnesses firsthand the giddying effect gagmeisting can have. Audience members often approach her in a euphoric post-show afterglow, high from all the feel-good chemicals she’s fired up in their brain.