Complaint Containment

My interest in Jordan Jensen basically revolves around the way she treats her neurodiversity. To my recollection, she has OCD, ADHD, bipolar disorder… and it seems like one other condition, but I forget which off the top of my head.

I haven’t seen a lot of her stand-up. I discovered her (the way Columbus discovered America) through the algorithm on social media showing me clips or whatever. Most of what I see is her doing crowd work or whatever. I’ve seen her Netflix special Take Me with You, which I feel was her more consciously putting on an act–less natural than her just in a club, I think.

What I really like is her podcast, RIP Jordan Jensen, where she speaks a little more frankly about things like her mental health, past, romance, family life, thoughts on stand-up, etc. Like, she’s funny at times on the podcast, but I don’t think it’s her intent on it to be funny–it’s her intent to explain herself fairly openly.

It’s my understanding from some limited commentary on “the pod” that she doesn’t consider the podcast very successful and she has a hard time using it for its original intended purpose, which I believe, especially given her first guest, Dr. Sara Kuburic, an existentialist psychologist, author, and, incidentally, granddaughter of Stanley Kubrick’s granddaughter (but Google doesn’t say anything about that), was to have on more, like, experts in psychology and philosophy and things than who she has on, which is typically fellow comedians who share similar experiences with mental health, etc., i.e. I think she has on more public figures she has relevant sorts of interesting conversations with.

I believe she started the podcast in 2024. There’s only like 55 episodes currently. She said in an episode I listened to recently (I kind of skip around) that she does therapy like 9 times a week, but that could be hyperbole. It’s not hyperbole that she has 2 therapists, though.

I guess, ultimately, I like her because she seems both thoughtful and practical regarding her mental health.

I have noticed recently (and, again, I kind of skip around episodes) that she seems very forward in her defense of men who have what she says are false allegations of sexual assault or harassment. In discussing Bill Cosby, for example, she was very emphatic that his sexual assault of, like, 74 women doesn’t detract from his artistry–that you can separate the person from the art or whatever. I’m pretty sure her, like, home club or regular club or whatever is The Comedy Cellar, which I think is where Louis CK is out of, or at least she has some tangential relationship to Louis CK. She’s been very open that her impression of what sexual assault is is influenced by a time her sister was literally kidnapped and assaulted when her sister was 15 and she was 10. So there’s that.

So I guess, kind of like anyone… I’m old enough that I don’t really have any idealized heroes anymore, but, again, specifically the way she treats and talks about her mental health, I admire, and I sort of use her podcast as a model for how, if I’m on the level with someone, I might discuss my mental health, e.g. on this very blog lol.