Judah Friedlander

He makes his own hats and is the World Champion of... well, pretty much everything. We spoke to 30 Rock's Judah Friedlander about making his Australian stand-up debut

First published on 11 Apr 2012. Updated on 3 May 2012.

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Judah, what should we expect from your first time doing stand-up in Australia?

Just incredibleness. Ladies, prepare to be so turned on you might not know how to control yourselves. And men, be prepared to be jealous yet inspired at the same time.

Is there anything off-limits?

Not really. My act is all a kind of fantasy. I’m not one of those kind of people who does the observational “Hey, don’t you hate it when you’re at the grocery store and the line’s long and the cash register starts taking too long...” I don’t really do that kind of stuff. I’m heavy on persona, and I do a lot of interacting with the audience.

What do you think is funny?

Ducks and dogs. There’s something about their faces and eyebrow movements that’s pretty hillarious.

We've got to ask about the caps. Do you have a favourite?

I have one that I’ve been wearing a little bit: it says ‘World Champion’ but it’s written in Braille. That basically happened because that World Championship was in Korea and they were going to make the hat in Korean but my karate kicks were too fast and they blinded all the judges permanently, so they had no choice but to make the hat in Braille. So that one’s kind of special.

Have you made any hats specifically for this tour?

No, but I’m thinking about it. All the hats I wear on 30 Rock, I make those myself. But when I do stand-up, all my hats I wear are hats I’ve won at World Championships. They’re all given to me from the World Championships committee from whatever country the World Championships is at.

You’ve written a book called How to Beat Up Anybody. Should we be intimidated by your arrival?

No, no, no. The World Champion stands for peace and justice, so it’s just going to be a big party. There’s nothing to fear. The main reason I’m coming to Australia is to make New Zealand jealous. Australian scientists actually asked me to come to Australia so that they can measure New Zealand’s jealousy levels while I’m in Australia.

What’s it like working with Katrina Bowden (30 Rock), voted Esquire’s ‘Sexiest Woman Alive’?

She’s a super-hot girl who obviously wants me, but sometimes I’m just too busy for her. I actually had to put up a forcefield around me when I worked with her because it was becoming too much for the camera department and the director to deal with. She just wouldn’t let go. But she’s a great girl and I think she’s gonna have an awesome career. Plus she’s super nice.

Are there any more World Championships coming up?

They come up all the time. It’s not like the Olympics, which is kind of a ‘whatever’ event. The Olympics are once every four years; I’m competing every day, and the World Championships are about 50 times a year. You never know when when the next one’s going to be until they call you. You get a phone call and they tell you you have to defend your title, and they give you 30 minutes to show up, and it could be anywhere on the planet. I’m just always prepared.

Words by Rachel Chant |

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