So True with Caleb Hearon

Episode: Punkie Johnson Fell in a Hole
Host: Caleb Hearon
Guest: Punkie Johnson
Release Date: October 30, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features comedian, actress, and SNL alum Punkie Johnson in a lively, candid conversation with host Caleb Hearon. They dive into Punkie's New Orleans upbringing, her path to comedy, lessons from relationships and heartbreak, her SNL experience, queer community debates, and a formative fall—literally—that helped launch her career. The conversation maintains a playful, brutally honest, and affectionately irreverent tone as they "get into it and sort it all out," exploring what’s “really real” about love, comedy, identity, and self-discovery.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Reconnecting & Setting the Tone

• Caleb and Punkie open with mutual teasing—reflecting on wild nights out with friends (notably with comedian Alex English), setting a relaxed, conspiratorial vibe.
• Memorable Moment: Punkie recounts drunkenly proclaiming love for the American flag at a show, causing confusion:

  "You went off about how much you love the American flag... 'We already have a pride flag. It's called the American flag.'" — Caleb (03:17)

Punkie's Early Life & Relationships

• New Orleans Roots: Punkie shares her deep love for America, despite its complexities, and describes her upbringing in New Orleans (03:51, 03:54).

• Marriage & Divorce: She details meeting her wife young, marrying after over a decade together, and the subsequent turmoil and addiction struggles that led to their split—highlighting the personal trauma and growth that came from it.

  "I was married for 20 years... Known each other more than half our lives, and we thought we were going to be together forever. And then...tragic things happen." — Punkie (07:03)

• On Moving On: Punkie is candid about the challenge of healing post-divorce:

  "Divorces are just so hard. It's so crazy that I'm skipping the marriage and the love part and jumping straight into, I can't get married because of the divorce." — Punkie (10:44)

Pre-Comedy Jobs & Finding Purpose

• Education Detour: Punkie studied physical education, almost became a teacher, but swapped to general studies after a rough school internship ("these children was bad") and difficult encounters with unhelpful parents (11:15–12:14).
• Odd Jobs: She tells a hilarious story about delivering ice cream and meals for Schwann's, meeting "crazy hillbilly Cajun motherfuckers" (13:23–14:23), before working as a bartender in the legendary New Orleans Daiquiri Shop—her first taste of real nightlife and improvisational performance (14:38–15:19).

Comic Inspirations & Beginning Stand-Up

• Comedy Was Destiny: Punkie credits nightly viewings of Comic View and her "comedy tape"–loving mom for her lifelong dream of performing (15:52–16:32).
• Barriers to Entry: Despite knowing she was destined for comedy, as a "small dyke in New Orleans," she felt it was out of reach until moving to LA (16:42).

  "I watched every rerun, and I was like, I'm gonna be a comedian." — Punkie (16:22)

• Persistence: "I've had to fight tooth and nail for every single thing that I've gotten. Nobody gave my ass nothing." — Punkie (17:02)

The Infamous Hole Incident: Career Catalyst

• The Fall: Punkie quite literally "fell in a hole" in New Orleans, received a settlement thanks to her parents' involvement, and used that money to move to Los Angeles to pursue comedy (19:08–20:56).

  "I fell down. I was walking down the street, and next thing I know, I was under fucking ground...The lawyer got me…like, 20 grand. And I took that money and I went to Los Angeles with it." — Punkie (19:08–20:51)

LA Hustle: Bartending, Comedy Store, and Cooking

• Landing at the Comedy Store: Punkie shares her surreal job interview (she thought it was a comic book store), landing the gig through Queer/New Orleans kinship, and her start in stand-up (21:28–22:22).
• Gumbo, Seduction, and Boundaries: Punkie’s love for cooking New Orleans staples—gumbo, etouffee, shrimp creole—serves as both cultural pride and her secret weapon in romance (23:13–25:44).

  "Once you come to the house and I cook you a meal...it's a wrap." — Punkie (23:02)

SNL Experience: Inspirations, Hosts, and Live TV

• Watching Legends Work: Punkie is in awe of seeing comics like Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, and Bill Burr hone live monologues, noting Chappelle’s genius and rebelliousness (30:14–32:16).

  "He's just, he's not anti-gay, he's not anti-trans...the problem is, once he tell one joke and he get a rise out of people, he will continue to, to get that rise." — Punkie on Chappelle (31:52)

• Behind the Scenes: Punkie talks about the choreography and hierarchy of SNL, the humility required to succeed, and her own live-TV mishaps ("ran in front the camera...my whole wig!") (34:12–35:17).

Culture Shock & Gay Community Debates

• Southern vs. West Coast Queer Culture: Punkie describes distinct "gay rules" across regions—Southern queerness often mirroring heteronormativity, in stark contrast to LA’s more fluid dynamics (35:31–37:04).

• Queer Discourse & Identity Labels:

  • Punkie and Caleb lament the generation gap in queer communities, their own discomfort with words like "queer" due to trauma or upbringing, and debates over inclusion/exclusion.
  • Both emphasize community unity—while they may disagree with current "gay agendas," their love and solidarity with the broader LGBTQIA+ community is unwavering:

    "If it's supposed to be all inclusive, if that's what we're preaching, then that's what we should be." — Punkie (40:07) "When they come round us up, we're all getting rounded up." — Caleb (40:10)

Psychedelic Self-Discovery & Healing

• DMT Journey: After leaving SNL, feeling purposeless, Punkie went to Mexico and tried DMT (the “Toad”), leading to an emotional reckoning with self-forgiveness, healing after her divorce, and forgiveness for herself (47:47–52:07).

  "I did the strongest strand of DMT...and it changed my entire life." — Punkie (47:55) "I could not get past [the words] 'I forgive myself.'" (50:59)

• Integration: The post-DMT period was fraught with anxiety but forced Punkie to face her fears, triggers, and imposter syndrome head-on (52:19–54:35).

Love, Redemption, & Representation

• Seeking True Love: Punkie reflects on her evolving understanding of love, longing for the soulmate connection she’s yet to truly experience, and her work toward being ready for it (54:42–55:44).

• Butch Visibility: Feeling called to represent tough, masculine lesbians ("big dyke butchers"), Punkie embraces her identity loudly—especially in media spaces where such representation is missing (46:28–47:14).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Moving Forward After Hardship:

  "Anything I need to do...I could just cut it off. Yeah. So we did drugs for a little bit. I saw my life wasn't going anywhere. I just overnight. Just done." — Punkie (08:50)

• On Butch and Lesbian Representation:

  "I want to do that...I'm not going to be scared to do it, and I'm not gonna be scared that TV not gonna want to pick me up because I'm too brash or I'm too tough." — Punkie (46:59)

• On Queer Community Discord:

  "I don't have to be with this gay agenda...It doesn't make me less gay than you...I've been in this gay fight all my life." — Punkie (38:47–39:26)

Important Segments and Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |---------------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:31 | "You were lit, Punky"—Wild nights with Alex English | | 07:03 | Punkie on her 20-year marriage and divorce | | 11:03–12:14 | Teaching internship horror stories and quick career pivots | | 13:07 | Delivering with Schwann's—odd jobs and rural travels | | 15:39 | Comedy inspirations: Whoopi, Pryor, Murphy | | 19:08 | Falling in a hole and using the settlement to move to LA | | 23:13 | Punkie’s legendary cooking and seduction skills | | 30:14 | SNL: Legendary sets—Chappelle, Rock, Bill Burr | | 31:40 | On Dave Chappelle’s trans material and comedy boundaries | | 35:31 | Culture shock: "Regional" homosexuality and queer norms | | 40:07 | Queer community debates, evolution, and solidarity | | 47:47 | DMT trip, self-forgiveness, healing, and spiritual growth | | 54:42 | What’s "so true" for Punkie: longing for real love | | 57:49 | True or False game show segment—competition and laughs |

Fun & Emotional Highlights

• Comic Fraternity: Hilarious retellings of nights out, barroom philosophy, and how "yang and yang" pairings get into trouble.
• Open Emotional Sharing: Punkie's honesty about addiction, heartbreak, and guilt is moving, especially following her DMT journey and self-forgiveness revelations.
• Playful Banter: Recurring bit about cooking southern food to seduce women, and the description of what a true "slut-out" looks like ("When a woman do that to me and grab my face, I'd be like busting the neck." 57:34).
• Cultural Commentary: In-depth, sometimes controversial, takes on queer labels, generational shifts, and how internet culture has changed community discourse.

Closing & Takeaways

Punkie Johnson’s journey from New Orleans—through love, loss, substance struggles, comedy grind, and SNL fame—to finding self-love and purpose is as turbulent as it is inspiring. Her humor, candor, and pride in her identity shine throughout. The episode offers a rich look at queer life and comedy from a perspective rarely amplified in the mainstream, laced with jokes, tough truths, and a warmth that radiates even (especially) through the hard parts.

Final words from Punkie (to future love interests):

"DM me, baby. I need you to be like 5'1", 5'6", Felicia Rashad, pencil skirty... You got to be able to put me in my place without saying nothing." (56:21)

Find Punkie

Instagram/Twitter: @punkiejohnson

Stay tuned for her special and documentary, and catch her live for unbeatable authenticity and butch pride!