“I hate ageism,” comedian Caroline Rhea says, by way of setting up the punchline. “Just the other day, I got a temporary tattoo of a flower. More than 100 people came up to me and said, ‘Where did you get that bruise?’ I thought I was getting a flower, not a hematoma.”
This is 62.
One of the funniest women in show business brings these humorous real-life observations to stages and screens. Rhea was one of six comedians tapped for the new Prime Video series “Wonder Presents: The Stand-Ups.” Her episode is available now.
Themes include motherhood. “It’s about how it’s rough raising a teenager,” she says. “I talk a lot about family and connection. I talk about how whenever my daughter speaks, I’m taking notes.”
Perhaps best known for her role as Aunt Hilda Spellman in “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” the Canada native studied at the University of Arizona before moving to New York in 1986 to pursue a career as a comedian and an actor. Stints at Catch a Rising Star and The Comic Strip had Rhea performing alongside Chris Rock and Jim Gaffigan back in the day. She’s done several comedy specials for HBO, Bravo and Showtime and continues to frequent stand-up stages.
Rhea lives in Los Angeles with her 17-year-old daughter, Ava. She shared her good life advice:
Go big-ish
“When the hormones have left the building, you give life an even bigger shot,” Rhea says. “Although at 62, I do remind myself, ‘OK, you are never going skiing,’ ” she says. Her only “another birthday” lament? “Every now and then I look at my hands and think, ‘What is going on here with that skin? It looks like tree bark. When did that happen?’ It’s just so weird.”
Safety first
And then there’s her views on working out in midlife. “I work out with weights, but it’s not to fit into a dress; it’s to walk down the stairs. My daughter is studying math; I’m studying for a bone density test.”
Comedic timing
At this stage of life, Rhea says she finds great material life everywhere she goes. “I went to the Apple Store, and someone my age with a pickleball limp was coming toward me. I went up to her and said, ‘Oh no, your injury — and by the way, the flashlight on your phone is on right now. Mine is on, too.’ ”
Bruise clues
“Post-50, you can honestly injure yourself just rolling over in bed. A bed has pillows and a soft mattress, so no one can figure out exactly why you hurt yourself overnight,” she says. “But the bruises tell a different story.”
Brutal honesty
“My daughter is my favorite person on Earth,” Rhea says. “The other day, I had to drive off a ferry, which is one of my fears: I’m worried about driving into the ocean. But there is my daughter going, ‘Mummy, you’re doing so great, but in this light you really should shave your mustache.’ I’m like, ‘When we get home, honey.’ And she wasn’t being mean. She just has the eyesight of a teenager.”
Tough transition
Her daughter is off to college this month, which has been happy-sad-hard, to say the least. “I’m having a breakdown,” Rhea acknowledges. “I’m so excited for her. She’s very talented and will go to film school. I love the opportunities ahead for her, but I get choked up.”
Her advice for new empty nesters? “It’s called a labor of love for a reason,” she says. “All these years you have been preparing them to go out on their own. It’s just the passage of time. Like most moms, I just didn’t realize how quickly it would go by. … I just might get a job on her campus. If that new barista looks like that woman from ‘Sabrina,’ you’ll know …”
‘The good stuff’
Rhea says “Sabrina” fans constantly tell her how much joy the show gave them. “So many younger people say, ‘I grew up watching you.’ They’re not little girls anymore but adults who spent part of their childhood with the show. It’s so endearing and makes me feel so good. Taylor Swift loved ‘Sabrina,’ ” she says. “Pink told me she loved ‘Sabrina.’ I’m literally gushing over Pink at her show, and she’s like, ‘You don’t understand what your show meant to me.’ You take a minute — let the good stuff soak in.”
People pleaser
Rhea is recognized everywhere. “I was in Hawaii, and the grocery store casher said, ‘Are you really you?’ she shares. “I shook my head yes, took a selfie. I never want anyone to feel uncomfortable. I am Canadian.”
Above all, funny
“My daughter asked me if I would rather be called pretty or funny. I’d take funny any day of the week over most other qualities. I could be in a bikini and someone could say, ‘You look great.’ That’s nice, but if someone says, ‘You were really funny’ — well, you just made my day.
Take the compliment
“This couple comes up and says, ‘We really love you. You are a legend,’” Rhea says. “Legend. Which is polite for old, but I’ll take it.”
