‘I Gave It Up Twice’: Ray Romano Reflects on Struggles of Stand-up Comedy

Ray Romano recently spoke up on having faced major obstacles during the early stages of his stand-up career, leading him to quit comedy twice. He recalled feeling “beat down” after performing in unresponsive venues, and the emotional toll the experiences took on him.

Romano said, “I gave it up twice. You know, I got beat down my first time. I gave it up, and I got beat down the second time again. But luckily, I tried a third time.”

Romano, who married Anna in 1987, has four children: Alexandra, Matthew, Gregory, and Joseph. His family has played a central role in his life.

Romano’s twin sons, Matthew and Gregory, recently released a documentary titled “The Romano Twins.” The film revealed the pressures of pursuing a career in entertainment and Romano’s struggles in the industry.

Romano recounted a moment when his youngest son, Joseph, had a hard time with his first stand-up performance. He recalled reassuring Joseph that poor performances are a normal part of learning in comedy.

Romano said, “He goes on a little stand-up trip, and he goes to these little dives, and he tries stand-up for the first time, and the people aren’t even facing the stage. There aren’t even people in there. And of course, it doesn’t go well, and he takes it very personal.”

Romano added, “So, I had to almost grab him and go, ‘You don’t understand. First of all, you can’t do well in a place like that, and you can’t do well when… it’s your first time onstage. So, I understand you’re hurt, but you really have no right to be upset right now.'”

Romano stars alongside “Friends” star Lisa Kudrow in an upcoming comedy-thriller series called “No Good Deed.” Romano noted their chemistry, saying, “It was from the start. I had never met her. We were filming our TV shows [‘Friends’ and ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’] way back two stages apart on the Warner Brothers lot, and we still had never met.”

Romano said, “So, yeah, I was a little worried. Like I always am, you know, she instantly made it comfortable. I was, you know, a fan of hers. She says she was a fan of mine. I’ll take her word for it. We bonded over family and being neurotic and being insecure. And the chemistry was there. I mean, sometimes you get very lucky and it’s easy. And this one was easy.”

Kudrow said, “We were on the same lot shooting our shows. He likes to say that I didn’t know he was there… I didn’t because we were just shooting our show on our set, but I don’t know. I just felt like I would like him if I ever got to meet him.”