Comedian Sam Morrison talks about "Sugar Daddy," the perks of having a gay roommate and finding love in P-Town

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Sam Morrison's hit show Sugar Daddy is probably the most beautiful time you can spend with someone else's grief – the comedian even invites you to laugh with him!

As the story goes, a few years ago, the Los Angeles-based writer and actor packed his bags and headed to Provincetown to soak up the summer sun… and meet the older men. But when he got there and met the “sexy Silver Zaddy of his dreams,” his whole life was about to change in ways he never expected.

The two fell in love, a true “romance for the ages” that extended far beyond P-Town. But in the first year of the pandemic, Morrison’s partner sadly passed away from COVID.

Although it was incredibly tragic, Morrison realized that in order to process his grief and properly honor the wonderful life and legacy of his late friend, he had to turn to what he did best: comedy.

And so, Sugar Daddy was born. The hilarious and heartwarming one-man show first made waves at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Festival before being celebrated at NYC's Soho Playhouse and extended three times. Now it's set to make its West Coast debut in LA at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts from September 20 to October 13 before making its highly anticipated Broadway debut in 2025. Icons Alan Cumming and Billy Porter recently came on board as producers of the show, further boosting her father credibility.

When Morrison (whose comedy was seen everywhere, from Late Night with Seth Meyers To The Drew Barrymore Show) is getting ready to raise the curtain on Sugar Daddy in LA, we were lucky enough to secure a few minutes of his time and put him in the hot seat for our fast-paced Q&A series, Dishin' It. In our conversation, the artist shares his personal story with thousands of others, reveals his secret to finding love in P-Town, and shares why he's a huge proponent of thrift store shopping.

Is there a piece of media – be it a film, TV series, book, album, play, video game, etc. – that has played an important role in your understanding of queerness and the queer community? Why does it stand out to you?

Must be The birdcage. I saw it when I was a little kid and it was, I think, my earliest memory of seeing gay people on screen. I'm not saying the film made me gay, but if anything could make you gay, it would be a decade of running around shouting, “Oh, I pierced the toast!”

Her celebrated show Sugar Daddy tells the tragic story of meeting the love of your life and then losing it to COVID, “coping with comedy.” Can you tell us a little about how the show helped you process what you experienced and what it was like to share that with hundreds of viewers?

Grief is extremely isolating and lonely. In our culture, we don't usually joke about it, but for me it's a very natural subject. Grief is full of discomfort, irony, surprises and strong emotions, and that's where comedy thrives. And when you're on stage talking about it in front of a room full of people and feeling understood… When the performances are in full swing, it can be really cathartic and special. Especially when we've come out of a situation of discomfort and now we're all laughing together.

I feel like grief is so uncomfortable but also so ever-present. When you acknowledge it and give people a chance to talk about it, the floodgates open. I can also share Jonathan with others. Any opportunity to share Jonathan with people in a real way, live and in person, is precious to me.

In general, the support has been overwhelming. I didn't even know if people would laugh at something like this, let alone relate to it. So it's a really cool experience and I'm very grateful to have been able to be a part of it.

Can you remember when you first noticed that you were interested in older men? Was it a specific person? What triggered that in you?

There were certainly a few crushes, haha, but none in my circle of friends – teachers, rabbis, fathers of friends, Nathan Lane in The birdcageall the normal stuff. I don't actually think there was anything that was unlocked in me, because pretty much as long as I can remember, I've only ever been attracted to fat old men (to be honest, probably fatter and older than you imagine).

This is hard for some, but I have tried my best to let go of the guilt and justifications towards those who question it. I like to talk about it on the show because people always come up to me afterwards and whisper, “Me too.” It makes me feel like it’s worth shouting about on stage. Getting to where I am today required a lot of self-awareness and self-exploration. Coming out was a subtle, long process for me and became much easier when I found my people – like in Sugar Daddy— in Province Town!

You took Sugar Daddy to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, then to an off-Broadway run in New York that was extended several times, and to LA before it officially debuted on Broadway. Do you think there is a difference between New York and LA audiences? Do you plan to recalibrate parts of the show?

I haven't done the show here yet so I'm very curious too haha. I had an audience in Edinburgh that really didn't speak any English so it's all up from there!

I think most comedians would agree that there are big differences in how comedy is perceived by audiences in the US and worldwide, but I was quite surprised by how big a cultural difference there is when it comes to just talking about death. It was quite eye-opening to see how taboo the subject is in different regions. Many Irish people have told me that in Ireland, no one would bat an eyelid if these jokes were made.

You met your partner in Provincetown. Do you have any advice for men looking for love there?

Go to Spiritus Pizza at 1 a.m. If you know, you know.

Related*

You have a fun new YouTube series where you go thrifting with your comedian friends. What do you like most about thrift shopping? Bonus: What is the very best product you have ever found and bought while thrift shopping?

OMG, I love shopping at thrift stores. I've always loved fashion, but I was never that well informed about brands and trends. For me, thrift shopping can strip all that away and just be a way to find what looks good on you from whatever the store has. And it's a great social thing! Shopping at thrift stores with a friend is my favorite way to socialize.

Blatant advertising I worked really hard on this and the algorithm is a fickle girl, please subscribe and like

You also have a regular comedy show with your former roommate, comedian Dylan Adler. What's the best and worst thing about having a platonic gay roommate?

The worst part about having a platonic gay roommate is listening to him hum musicals that were popular when he was in high school all day and all night every day.

The best thing is to get honest feedback on your nude photos.

Which queer or trans artist/performer/creator do you think is doing really cool work right now and why should we all be paying attention to them?

Ethel Cain is a mother.

Sam Morrison's Sugar Daddy will perform at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, California, from September 20 to October 13, 2024, before coming to Broadway in 2025. Tickets and more information about the show's performance at the Wallis can be found here.