Al Porter describes the response from audiences and other comedians to his stand-up return

Stephen Porzio

“It was less of a career break and more of an extinction event.”

Al Porter in a new lengthy interview has opened up about his six year absence from public life and his recent return to comedy.

Following a rapid rise to fame, Porter’s career was halted in 2017 after he was accused of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behaviour.

In July 2022, however, the comedian announced that he was returning to stand-up and is currently on a new Ireland tour.

Speaking on Mario Rosenstock’s podcast in the first of a two part interview episode, Porter described what it has been like getting back on stage.

“In Ireland, in particular, I think we also are very forgiving,” he told Rosenstock.

“Not necessarily forgiving, as much as we are open to the idea of second chances or third chances, so long as somebody is showing us: ‘Listen, they get it, they seem to have gotten their act together.’

“Irish people, they do like that, they do like when you go: ‘Right well, did you get yourself right? Did you get off the drink? Did you get yourself sorted? Are you trying again? Do you know you were a pain in the arse?’

“People can be very very accepting. The audiences have been great and the other comedians have been wonderful.

“And the other comedians are maybe working with me on the basis of: ‘Well look, surely, he’s not going to mess up his second chance but let’s see what he’s like when we meet him’.

“I think they’re glad when they do meet me, they’re glad to go: ‘Okay it’s not some kind of Machiavellian PR stunt, pretend change of character or anything like that. He’s done it for real. He’s very different to the fella that I remember and I’m happy to work with him’.

“And people have been really good.”

Al Porter describes the response from audiences and other comedians to his stand-up return

Speaking to Rosenstock after a performance at the Galway Comedy Festival, Al Porter also discussed leaving the spotlight in 2017 following the allegations and the years since.

“I thought: ‘Okay, I’m going to walk away from all my work back in 2017’. That’s very well documented. Now, maybe I would have been pushed but I didn’t hang around to find out,” he said.

“So, as I say to people, it was less of a career break and more of an extinction event.

“As I kind of go into my show, there was this patch of my life that’s pretty pathetic. I was this unemployed, pathetic, kind of washed up celebrity at 24 in a tiny country in my mam’s house.

“In naivety and in ignorance I couldn’t have predicted that six years later would be when I would be tentatively getting back on stage, that it would be such a long time.

“And in many ways, it’s such a long time that it is more than a career break. It’s a second life. The person I was. Okay, that’s me. But I don’t necessarily relate to him anymore.”

In response, Rosenstock asked Porter what flaws he had earlier in his career, to which he responded:

“I had come from a school… I wasn’t necessarily bullied but it was not an easy school to be the only gay in the village. That might sound passé now, things might be different now, but 15 years ago in Tallaght it was different.

“And a defence mechanism was definitely to use the caricature of your own sexuality to put it in somebody’s face before they can say anything about you.

“And this became a reflex. In fact, it became very defensive to bring up the sexuality straight away and you get a laugh.

“Then, I went into the comedy scene straight away and before I knew it… I was the youngest ever headliner in Vicar Street and it was so easy.

“The ego got out of control because it was too easy. I have no friends my own age, nobody is really kind of grounding me. It’s not anybody’s fault. It’s my fault.

“The flaws that I had, there’s this immaturity… all of this insecurity mixed with a big ego: ‘I’m doing great,’ and a kind of arrogance coming out of that and a lot of drink and party drugs and a naivety.”

However, in the years since, Porter states that he has given up alcohol, drugs and cigarettes, telling Rosenstock:

“When I gave up the drink, all of this emotion came back, all of this feeling, and it wasn’t just the drink I gave up, it was everything.

“Cigarettes even, weed and everything you can think of, gone. And all this feeling came back and suddenly I felt like 17-year-old Al again, 16-year-old Al.

“I was more myself than I was when I was 22, 23, supposedly on top of the world doing the showbiz thing because that was a carousel of pressure.

“I focus on the fundamental truth which is: ‘You need to course correct Al. Don’t blame anybody else for the career falling apart. Blame yourself. Take the responsibility and now we can move on with things in your life.'”

You can listen to the conversation between Al Porter and Mario Rosenstock right here.

Main image via RollingNews