Article by Jake Naylor // Photography courtesy of Lauren Weedman

Las Vegas PRIDE is rolling out the rainbow carpet for a very special guest this year. The 2025 PRIDE Night Parade will be led by none other than Lauren Weedman; actress, comedian, playwright, author, and now, our Celebrity Grand Marshal. Known for her razor-sharp wit, fearless honesty, and ability to turn personal mayhem into side-splitting comedy, Weedman is bringing her infectious energy to the streets of Downtown Las Vegas. And we couldn’t be more thrilled.

Weedman’s career has been anything but predictable—by her own design. From the early days of acclaimed solo shows like Homecoming to her time as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, to scene-stealing turns on HBO’s Looking and Hacks, she has built a career on her own terms. For Weedman, The Daily Show was the true game-changer.

Photo of Lauren Weedman by Henry Cherry

“This genius smart political comedy show changed the game for me,” she recalls. “It didn’t even matter that I didn’t quite understand what they wanted me to do, and was convinced all the male writers were angry I wasn’t Steve Carell (I know I was). That job was like going up to the Penthouse in the sky… Neither was true [that I was ‘in’ or ‘out’], but what was true was that I had been massively leveled up by my association.”

Over the years, she’s become a master at mining personal chaos for humor, though not every subject is fair game.

“The one subject that has changed what I’ll write about is my son,” she says. “Since THAT dude showed up, I don’t have the same ‘let me describe to you this hilarious threesome story’ verve I used to.”

If her one-woman shows and stand-up are about stripping away the fourth wall, television offers Weedman a different thrill—especially her current gig as Mayor Jo on HBO’s Hacks.

“Playing the mayor of Vegas… putting on the costume… working with Jean Smart, it’s ALL of it,” she says. “Usually, I’m a big part of each character I play. I’m basically always playing myself. Some aspect. Or I’m going REALLY deep and tapping into the Jungian collective unconscious, which is why I’m SHOCKED I’m not winning awards and throwing ‘Surgery Parties.’”

Weedman has long had a devoted LGBTQ following, and she doesn’t just play to the community, she considers herself part of it.

“When it comes to being a part of the LGBTQ world, I keep slipping in the side door and waiting to see if I’m going to be thrown out. So far, I have never been. Not to brag (I didn’t fool anyone), [the LGBTQ community] has just always felt exactly like my people. I don’t want to be JUST an ally. The most supportive, life-changing teachers I’ve ever had were all gay men. I’m not sure how to explain how deeply my friends, the fans of Looking, and my community of LGBTQ friends in the Northwest (they grow them there!) have shaped my entire life. It is my community. I don’t even think about my credentials anymore.”

Her reflections on queer audiences are both heartfelt and hilarious.

“It may just be that I like thoughtful humans who are self-aware and who find ways to stay alive and love… My stories are about identity and family, and about holding Murray Bartlett in a shower in Prague. I’m KIDDING. That’s not true, and I’m sorry I sexualized him for the sake of a bit.”

She’s also profoundly aware of the stakes for the LGBTQ community right now.

“Friends are moving to keep their kids safe… It makes me want to pick up a planet and throw it at someone. I hope we all keep finding ways to keep hope going. ‘Hope is a radical act,’ I think Rebecca Solnit said that. I’m trying to find ways not to be in the fetal position so I can still make art… and we will GAY PRIDE SHIT UP.”

Through it all, Weedman holds onto a kind of world-weary optimism she sums up in one simple line: p.s. I still love humanity.

“I love humanity when people tell me about their lives, or I overhear people who like each other talk to each other. I deal with times like this by making art, talking to neighbors, listening to lots of music, and finding parades. I recently spent a few weeks in New York State and visited my friends there. I met local artists, put on a comedy show, and taught a class about why our stories matter. It was an ideal environment, and I was doing what I love doing; but it also reminded me that I have to make sure I’m not just talking about what I care about and what’s right, but actually DOING IT.”

As for what she’d do if she were mayor of Las Vegas?

“I would make a lot of notes about the experience so I’d have material to draw from when I write the Broadway musical about the mayor of Las Vegas called “I AM the Mayor. JK.”

It’s this blend of irreverence and heart that makes Lauren Weedman the perfect Celebrity Grand Marshal for this year’s PRIDE Night Parade. We know she’ll lead us with laughter, love, and a reminder that even in the most chaotic of times… humanity is still worth loving.

This article was originally published in the 2025 PRIDE Celebration Issue of Las Vegas PRIDE Magazine, and can be read in its original format here.