D’yan Forest was raised a provincial girl in the conservative suburbs of Boston. After a contextually scandalous marriage turned divorce and two years of oral French lessons, Forest got on a five-day boat ride to study abroad in Paris. After falling in love with the city, Forest would then fully embrace French culture, which would determine the trajectory of the rest of her career. Back in the US, Forest performed as an international singer at golf clubs, country clubs, bars, and restaurants. Her life as a singer was cut short when the entertainment business in New York City was brought to a halt after the 9/11 attacks. Forest obliged the world’s needs and became a comedian. With her ukulele in hand, Forest put together a hysterical and risqué one-woman show which caught on quickly. Her act, accurately called “I Married a Nun,” landed her on the same stages as Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Gaffigan, and Joan Rivers. Upon meeting Forest, Rivers referred to her as “the filthy ukulele player.” COVID-19 got Forest to wondering what else she could do with all of her wonderfully hilarious stories from life. I Did it My Ways is the culmination of her sitcom-worthy life events, now available for all to read. But this book is no indication that the 90-year-old is done taking to the stage. Her act, “Swinging on the Seine,” can still be seen in New York and Paris at some of the most famed comedy clubs like Joe’s Pub, Caroline’s Gotham Comedy Club, and New York Comedy Club. She most recently performed her new show “D’yan Forest: 90 Years of Songs & Scandal” at Joe’s Pub.
