Talking 'Wellness Check' with Buff, Queer Comic John Hill

Buff out comic and performer John Hill has pretty much always done his own thing. Take, for instance, when he got a scholarship to Pepperdine, a Christian conservative school in Malibu that doesn't embrace a queer lifestyle. He took the money, then found a boyfriend his freshman year. A theater kid, he earned his BFA and headed to New York City where he quickly landed a role in the national tour of "Miss Saigon." Next came the role of Fender in the original cast of "Hairspray." He played Mark Heron, Judy Garland's husband who discovered Peter Allen in the musical bio "The Boy From Oz," where he understudied Hugh Jackman. After a move to LA, he began developing television projects for MTV and World of Wonder, In 2010, he entered Andy Cohen's Bravoverse as a writer and producer on "Watch What Happens Live." (He also dated Cohen at the time.)

He has been seen on such shows as "Top Chef," "Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D-List," and "Project Runway," and has produced two Bianco DelRio television specials. He also serves as Andy Cohen's co-host on Andy Cohen Live on SiriusXM, as well as hosting his weekly show The John Hill Show that airs Tuesdays on RadioAndy SiriusXM channel 102.

Being fit was never in Hill's wheelhouse until he turned 40. Up to then, he had body shame and has said he never took his shirt off in public. His dad's health scare led him to a reality check; he sobered up and started working out, saying in an interview that when he started out, he couldn't even do a push-up. The process paid off: today he could pass for Chris Meloni's younger brother; and has shrewdly embraced the thirst-trap (as can be seen below) as a necessity of promotion. "Whatever's going on with Instagram's algorithm is shocking," he told the HuffPost this summer. "I posted once with me in a turtleneck for a show in Seattle and five people saw it. Then I posted one with my shirt off and 5,000 saw it! You're not getting in people's feed unless your shirt's off."

He has also found a healthier and more authentic attitude towards life that has seeped into his work. His Sirius radio show gives him the opportunity to express his unapologetic queer point-of-view; but not with rancor. He welcomes other points of view and engages them with what he hopes is compassion.

He is currently touring the country with "Wellness Check," his latest show that he brings to Los Angeles on Friday, November 22 and Seattle on Saturday, November 30. Earlier this summer, he described the show to the HuffPost this way: "This show is a literal 'wellness check' for myself and anyone who comes to see it. Are any of us OK? The world is insane. And even though I think that most people are unwell, I also am highly entertained by what I witness in my day-to-day life. Entertained and also enraged."

Directed by his "Hairspray" co-star, Tony Award-winning, Marissa Jaret Winokur, the show gives Hill the opportunity to return to his songwriting roots. Expect Hill to indulge in his own brand of comic shock-and-awe with music, such as his take on the term "gooning" in which he took the Urban Dictionary definition of the NSFW term and put it to music as seen in the IG above.

EDGE spoke to Hill about live performance, his music, and whom he'd like to do a Wellness Check on.

EDGE: Could you first introduce yourself to the reader?

John Hill: My name is John. I'm originally from Texas. I worked on Broadway for many years as a performer. I was in the original cast of "Hairspray" and "The Boy From Oz" with Hugh Jackman. I have produced reality TV for a long time. I worked on Kathy Griffin's show and wrote for "Watch What Happens Live" for four years. For the past 10 years, I've co-hosted a radio show with Andy Cohen every morning on SiriusXM, and I have my show on Tuesdays and tour my live standup comedy and music shows around the country.

EDGE: How would you describe your show, "Wellness Check?"

John Hill: It's a standup comedy show. I tell stories, including behind-the-scenes, embarrassing, funny, and relatable stories. I also perform a lot of songs I've written.

EDGE: When did you find you had a funny bone?

John Hill: I was not a class clown because I was always well-behaved. My dad was funny, and I was always entertaining my family and making them laugh. It wasn't until I was cast in "Hairspray" that I found my connection with comedians. I got along with them the best. I like being around other comedians. I loved being funny, and I loved improvising. Around that time, I realized I wanted to incorporate comedy into my career.

EDGE: As someone who has performed on Broadway, how is music included in your show?

John Hill: It's heavily included. I sometimes wish I could only perform music and not talk. I'll share a story with some songs, and then the song will wrap it up. It is like placing a button on the story, as they do in a musical.