JESS WOOD is a stand up comic, actress, and author and our interview is a MUST listen. Probably the only California blond haired, blue eyed Jewess to make her television debut on Def Comedy Jam, Jess Wood's candor and sly wit about her thrilling, painful, fun, and utterly wild childhood is mind blowing. The utterly unique, bad ass who completely raised and then reinvented herself has most recently appeared in HBO's Phil Spector and Netflix's Urban Myth. In our interview, we talk about her writing a memoir about growing up in gang infested Hollywood, working as a tween prostitute, non-prescription drug distribution, starting over, and her mentors Richard Pryor and Mae West.

CATIE LAZARUS is a writer, storyteller and host of Employee of the Month.

Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to Employee of the Month and the rest of your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe directly from the Employee of the Month show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or visit slate.com/employeeplus to get access wherever you listen.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.