As coronavirus cases started spiking in large U.S. cities this past March, comedian Nikki Glaser did what a lot of young New Yorkers did. She fled. Her nationwide tour and two TV show productions were canceled quickly, so she sought sanctuary in her childhood home in the St. Louis suburbs. Four months later, she's still in Des Peres, along with her parents.
What was originally supposed to be a temporary fix has morphed into Glaser apartment hunting in the region where she grew up.
“It's just turned into actually such a blessing, because I just never thought there was any time in my life that I could ever live in St. Louis again, doing what I do,” Glaser explained on Tuesday’s St. Louis on the Air.
She left St. Louis when she was 18 years old to attend the University of Kansas. It was during her freshman year that she started doing stand-up comedy in her dorm and drew crowds.
Her comedic talents served her well beyond her college days. She’s now solidified her role in the comedy world and has appeared on numerous radio and television shows, including “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Conan,” “Comedy Central Roast” and “Dancing with the Stars.” She debuted her first feature stand-up special, “Bangin,’” on Netflix last year.
“I've been flip-flopping between [New York and Los Angeles] since I graduated college, and I just always kind of resigned myself to the fact that I would only visit for the holidays and not really get to see my niece and nephew grow up, and watch my parents grow up. And now it's like, I'm kind of settling in and learning that I can actually have this career from St. Louis, and it's pretty great,” she said.
She continues to host her SiriusXM show, “You Up? With Nikki Glaser” every morning and recently flew to Los Angeles to host an episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Her time back home also fits in somewhat prophetically with one of her recent show ideas.
“Almost a year ago, I sold a show idea for a scripted show about a girl who gets canceled because she mouths off onstage and says the wrong thing and … she loses everything and has to move back to St. Louis with her parents,” Glaser said.
“And I just thought it was like almost a sci-fi pitch in terms of the chances that that could happen. And then here I am living that, essentially.”
Listen to the full conversation for more about how Glaser’s living situation is actually fueling her creativity.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by Sarah Fenske and produced by Alex Heuer, Emily Woodbury, Evie Hemphill, Lara Hamdan and Joshua Phelps. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
Send questions and comments about this story to feedback@stlpublicradio.org.
