Randy Rainbow Takes His Queer Comedy to the World of Podcasts

There’s a new rainbow in the air — or at least, on the airwaves of cyberspace.

Randy Rainbow, well known for his hilarious, politically charged parodies of show tunes and pop songs, is now the host of The Randy Rainbow Podcast, taking his work to a new level.

The show, which launched September 22 and drops new episodes each Thursday, features interviews, comedy skits, and of course Rainbow’s trademark satirical songs. “It sort of gives me an opportunity to relax a little bit and be myself,” rather than always displaying the heightened, campy persona of his videos and concerts, he says — although that persona is in evidence in portions of the podcast.

He had been meaning to do a podcast for a while, and the impetus to get him started came when he got a text message from a man he calls “the great Sean Hayes,” one of his childhood idols. Rainbow teamed up with Hazy Mills Productions, run by Hayes and Todd Milliner, to create the podcast, which originates in New York City. Rainbow plans to add video content too.

Hayes was a guest on the first episode, and another of Rainbow’s comedy heroes, Carol Burnett, was interviewed on the second. Other guests will include Josh Gad, Harvey Fierstein, Cheyenne Jackson, Adam Rippon, Judy Gold, Alec Mapa, Jon Cryer, and more. Rainbow’s dream guest? “If I could get Barbra Streisand, that certainly would be the ultimate,” he says.

Of course, there will be satirical material along with the interviews. The presidency of Donald Trump gave Rainbow much to lampoon, but even though Trump’s out of the White House, he’s still much in the news. “Everything Trump is new again,” Rainbow says, adding, “Even without him, there’s been no shortage of villains.”

But while Rainbow’s comedy is often considered political, he says that more importantly, he’s trying to make people laugh. “The real reason I make these videos is to entertain,” he says. He’s going by his grandmother’s philosophy that it’s best to laugh at everything. “I hope that people get a little levity,” he says.

Rainbow plans to bring laughter to his audience in a variety of other ways. He published a memoir, Playing With Myself, in April, and he’s thinking of writing a children’s book and a second memoir. He’s developing a stage project he’d like to do in New York in 2024. He has some scripted TV shows in the early stages of development, and he’s on tour around the U.S. He’d eventually like to have a talk show, he says, and “continue to evolve until I’m Ellen.”

The Randy Rainbow Podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, and other podcast platforms. Listen to the Carol Burnett episode below.

Related: 10 Hilarious Randy Rainbow Songs That Keep Us Laughing