BWW Previews: Ralphie May Offers No-Holds Barred Comedy

It is hard to overlook comedian Ralphie May. The 400-pound plus comedian will be performing four shows at the Columbus Funny Bone this weekend.

May follows in the legacy of hefty funnyman like John Candy, Gabriel Iglesias and Chris Farley but unlike some of the heavier-set comedians who use their waist line as their punch line, May seldom uses his size as a part of his act.

May lost 27 pounds during the 2005 season of the reality show CELEBRITY FIT CLUB and also underwent elective gastric bypass surgery. Still May has a hard time shaking that fat guy label.

In a July 6, 2012 interview with the Las Vegas Review Journal, May says "When somebody's different, it's so easy to dismiss what people say because of what they look like. They really want to judge the book by its cover. The perception of fat people in America is that they're fat, therefore they're dumb, they're lazy, and they must stink."

While he rarely make jokes about his weight, just about everything else is fair game for May. Like his comic hero Sam Kinison, May has a no-holds barred approach to comedy. He offers something for everyone ... to be offended by.

May can be crude, raunchy and is unapologetically politically incorrect. He dumps in a dozen swear words in a two-minute segment describing his grandmother's fudge cake. (Henceforth, there are no plans for May to host a cooking show on the Food Network.) But usually the victims of his barbs are laughing along with him.

Ralphie May appears at the Funny Bone, 145 Easton Town Center, 7:45 and 10:30 p.m. on Friday, 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Saturday and 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Sunday. Other shows this month include Bruce Bruce (Sept. 20-22) and Bert Kreischer (Sept. 27-29). Call 471-5653 for more information.