A hilarious romp from small-town USA to the pink carpet of Hollywood with beloved Emmy Award-winning actor, playwright, popular and laugh-out-loud funny Instagram icon, and gay legend. Leslie Jordan was a small man with a giant propensity for scene stealing. Best known for his bravura recurring role as Karen's nemesis, Beverley Leslie, on
Will & Grace (for which he won a Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy in 2006), he also made memorable appearances on
Ally McBeal, Boston Public, Monk, and
Murphy Brown.
Raised in a conservative family in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Leslie--who described himself as "the gayest man I know"--boarded a Greyhound bus bound for LA with $1,200 sewn into his underpants and never looked back. His pocket-sized physique and inescapable talent for high camp paved the way to a lucrative and varied career in commercials and on television. Along the way he immersed himself in writing for the stage, and his one-man testimonials have become cult off-Broadway hits. But with success came dangerous temptations: a self-proclaimed former substance abuser and sexaholic, Leslie has spent time in jail and struggled to overcome his addictions and self-loathing.
My Trip Down the Pink Carpet is a rollicking, fast-paced collection of stories, served up with wit, panache, and plenty of biting asides. Filled with comically overwrought childhood agonies, offbeat observations, and revealing celebrity encounters--from Boy George to George Clooney--it delivers a fresh, laugh-out-loud take on Hollywood, fame, addiction, gay culture, and learning to love oneself.
