Ant is back! The hyper, irreverent gay comedian is returning to Miami on Thursday, Sept. 24 to host the Pink Flamingo Awards, a benefit for the LGBT Visitor Center, and he has plenty to say to the audience at the show.
Actually, Ant—Anthony Steven Kalloniatis—is rarely at a loss for words, although all he would promise in a phone conversation last week was “some hilarity.”
He just returned from an extended vacation with his mother to the family home on the Greek island of Lesbos, noting he is a gay man who can also legitimately claim to be a Lesbian.
“Three weeks in Europe with my mother….and I didn’t kill her,” he exclaimed, pointing out that on the other side of the island thousands of Syrian refugees were escaping unbelievable horrors in their homeland.
“Actually, it was one of the most magical times of my life. My mom is getting older and it’s a memory that will last forever,” he added.
Ant then Ant immediately jumped into a Shady Pines joke from “The Golden Girls,” noting “I’m that guy,” who can quote every episode verbatim. “I have the five season DVD set. I love that show. When you feel bad about life, it says, ‘Thank you for being a friend’.”
Ant, 48, also noted he’s quickly “turning into” his mother, a sentiment many gay men of a certain age often share.
“Please, I have hair coming out of parts of my body that I’m sure God didn’t intend for it to come from. Twenty years ago, my friends and I were talking about getting laid. Now, it’s Medicare, creams and ointments. We show each other spots on our bodies,” he admitted. “The other day I went to bed at 7 p.m.”
Now, Ant may have been exaggerating, but he seems to find the wry humor in just about any subject. Take politics, for example:
“I’m a registered Republican. Not so I can throw the vote, but so they can send me all their literature. If everybody did that, we could make them go broke. We could bankrupt them, but nobody listens to me. That’s what happens when you tell dick jokes for a living, nobody takes me seriously,” he said.
Ant will be throwing his support behind Donald Trump in the primary race because a vote for “The Donald” is really a vote for Hillary Clinton. The only Republican candidate Ant won’t accept is Jeb Bush.
“I believe Hillary Clinton is a shoe in. She will win. I ’m really pushing for Donald Trump. He will make our job easier,” his political sense tells him, even though he believes “any bozo on the (Republican) bus” might get the nomination.
No matter who wins, Ant is glad to be in control of his career. The “Last Comic Standing” alum has already hosted his own series, “U.S. of Ant” on Logo, made an appearance at the White House and has plenty of offers coming in. He just wrapped taping of “Comics Unleashed,” a nationally syndicated show.
“I’m in a very comfortable place. I’ve achieved every goal I’ve ever had,” he said, seriously. “I’m starting to understand that happiness isn’t coming from Chase Manhattan Bank at the bottom of a bank account, it comes from spending time with my family and friends and my dog.”
Ant can afford to be picky and that’s exactly why he’ll be coming to Miami this week. “It’s the highlight of my year,” he concluded.
The third annual Pink Flamingo Awards, hosted by Ant, will be held on Thursday, Sept. 24 at Jungle Island in Miami. Tickets for the event, including Bacardi open bar and three-course dinner, are $75 at PinkFlamingoAwards.com.
