Laugh Riot

Between sets by household names, you can find up-and-coming comic Gabby Lamb regularly per-forming stand-up routines at The Laugh Factory, Hollywood’s famous club. Lamb has made a name for herself by sharing awkward stories in front of live audiences—from living out her favorite scene from “The Notebook” by giving head to her crush on a Ferris Wheel to getting a $75 parking ticket after having breakup anal sex. These are the types of exposing experiences most of us would pay large sums of money to keep under wraps, yet Lamb has found power in celebrating life’s most uncomfortable moments. “I have a lot of weird stories and I’ve been through some weird, funny and dark shit,” Lamb explains. “I’ve spent my entire life feeling uncomfortable and anxious, so I love being able to share it in a way where people can relate to and laugh about it. There’s something really powerful in being able to connect with people in that way.”

In addition to connecting with audiences through recounting her many clumsy hookups and breakups, Lamb is now able to reach a new demographic with her comedy—people in recovery. “I’ve been drinking since I was 15 and I never stopped to think about it being any sort of an issue, because it’s fun, it eases my anxiety and I love going out,” Lamb shares. “I was drinking a lot and started getting more and more into coke—I was loving it.” These actions led her down a destructive path, one that seduces many in entertainment. Yet, it wasn’t a DUI or court-mandated AA meetings that led her to a life of sobriety. “’I’ve always had issues with sex and codependent relationships, so I started going to another 12-step program for that when I realized my drinking and drugging was really affecting my relation-ship with myself and kept me stuck in relationships with emotionally unavailable men,” Lamb says. “I could tell I was getting lost in the sauce and it was really hurting me when I thought it was saving me.”

Lamb is in good company when it comes to comedians who have struggled with substance abuse, as more comedians have experience with rehab than specials on Netflix. Lamb believes many comedians are attracted to the field for the allure of nightlife and the lifestyle that once consumed her. “Comedians are some of the most brilliant, self-loathing, deeply sad and sensitive people on Earth,” Lamb explains. “We spend a lot of time in our heads and thinking about ourselves and our careers, so partying helps us ease that pain and quiet the noise. And when you’re moving at such a fast pace with so many highs and lows constantly, it’s really easy to get sucked into substance abuse.”

Drinking hasn’t always been Lamb’s only vice, and since embracing sobriety, Lamb learned to channel her addictive energy into a new host—Post Malone. “I really got the fever for him when he released ‘Beerbongs & Bentleys.’ I was going through a really rough breakup at the time and for some reason, I just transferred all of my heartache to a huge celebrity crush and it really helped me stop focusing on the pain of my ex,” Lamb gushes. “As insane as that sounds, having an unattainable crush makes it easier to get through heartache. Post Malone is the only guy in the world I would relapse for. For real.”