Civil servant turned comedian starts ‘Funniest Fed’ contest
$250 grand prize to be awarded after a laugh-off this spring has even been cleared with the Office of Government Ethics.
The federal government is always the butt of jokes; now comedian Naomi Johnson wants to find some bureaucrats who can tell one.
Inspired by the smart, deadpan humor that she encountered in the land of steel desks, the former employee of the Health and Human Services and State departments has launched the "Funniest Fed" contest.
Auditions will soon be under way to discover the funniest administrators for a laugh-off at the Arlington, Va., Cinema 'N' Drafthouse this spring. Johnson even went through the humorless task of clearing the contest and its $250 grand prize with the Office of Government Ethics.
"What I want is smart, funny people who also happen to be civil servants," Johnson said.
Johnson has taken time off from government work to try the professional comedy circuit herself. "I went to have my first mammogram the other day," she said. "I'm there, I'm all ready to get it done, and the woman says, 'I'm really sorry, but I'm going to have to see some photo ID.' I'm like, they're not going to be on there! I think this identity theft thing has gone way too far."
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