A hilarious romp from small-town USA to the pink carpet of Hollywood with the beloved Emmy-winning actor, playwright, and gay icon

Leslie Jordan is a small man with a giant propensity for scene stealing. Best known for his bravura recurring role as Karen's nemesis, Beverley Leslie, on WillandGrace (for which he won a Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy in 2006), he has also made memorable appearances on Ally McBeal, Boston Public, Monk, and Murphy Brown.

Raised in a conservative family in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Leslie — who describes 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 addictionsand 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.

Contents

Introduction

American Dreams

Good Southern Stock

Playing the Part

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Spilling My Guts

Celebrity Crushes

Aunt Matt

Genghis Cowboys

Under the Brilliant Pen

Itty-Bitty

Gypsies, Tramps, and Queens

Diva Crush

The Tears of the Israelites

Peter Gazing

Matt Lauer

When You Swish upon a Star

Luke Perry

The Resilience of the Human Spirit

Drugstore Cowboy

Robert Downey Jr.

My Ministry

The Soul Has No Gender

Acknowledgments