RTÉ viewers have praised Deirdre O’Kane following her appearance on The Tommy Tiernan Show.
The Irish comedian was the second guest on Tommy’s late-night chat show on Saturday, where she opened up about her career so far.
Deirdre spoke about how her stand-up comedy career “saved” her “many times over”, especially while her husband was sick.
Her husband Stephen Bradley was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer back in 2016, and has since recovered.
The comedian told Tommy: “Obviously, my husband was very sick and that was a very tough time in our lives but I was still going out to tell jokes.”
“It was a release of some kind – I was able to suspend the reality of what we were going through.”
“There were occasionally times when I really didn’t want to do it, but I was always grateful when I did.”
Tommy then asked: “Why do you think you’re funnier now than you ever have been?”
Deirdre replied: “I don’t actually think I’m funnier now, I think I’m a bit braver, I think I care a bit less. I care less about what people think of me – that’s a hard one.”
She admitted that for a long time, it didn’t help being the only female in her stand-up world.
She confessed: “I didn’t see me, and I think audiences were possibly tougher on women back then.”
“When I started there would be an audible groan when I was introduced on stage, you would hear, ‘aw god, there’s a woman coming on now’.”
She continued to say: “They judge you a bit harsher and they’re a bit like, ‘what does she look like and what is she wearing’, it is always something.”
“Women are always judged much more fiercely on their appearance and even if I was swearing, that is judged more harshly than if a man is.”
“Now that is changing, but that is absolutely a fact.”
The mother-of-two revealed that this made her think she “wasn’t as good” as the men around her.
She then said: “But I don’t have that now – that’s gone.”
Tommy told Deirdre at the end of their chat: “It’s incredible Deirdre, you’re better and wilder and more fierce now than ever.”
