Jason Stuart has been funny for a very long time. He’s also been making people laugh for 30 years as a professional stand-up comedian. Breaking ground in nightclubs, on TV, and in movies, Stuart continues to ply his trade in comedy, too. A self-described “generic gay guy…who happens to be an actor and a comedian,” Stuart likes to mingle and meet people, so be sure to say hello to him when you see him this weekend in the run-up to 2013 Pridefest (but wait until he finishes his act).

Stuart and fellow ‘out’ comic Jessica Kirson will perform on Friday, March 8 at Pride Comedy Night. For more information, visit pridesouthflorida.org.)

What would you say was the single most significant event of your comedy career?

I have to say that in the last year or two, I’ve re-fallen in love with doing standup in the sense that I talk more to the audience, say whatever I want. I don’t worry about getting on television or trying to fit into some sort of idea of the way that I should be. People always say to me, “Is your act about being gay?” I say, “My act is about being me. Part of being me is being gay.” They asked me if I ever want to stop talking about being gay. I say, “When people stop laughing about things, then I’ll stop talking about it.” I don’t really think about whether it’s gay or straight. As long as it’s funny, I’m going to talk about it. For years I’ve been saying I think I’m a funny person. My job as a comedian is to set it up so the audience understands what I think is funny. That’s what’s fun about doing it.

Do you think that as a gay comedian, the equation Tragedy + Time = Comedy has worked for you and can you give me an example of how you apply it?

When that terrible storm happened on the East Coast, Hurricane Sandy, I heard them say that the Jersey shore was gone. The first thing that I thought about was that crazy television show (“Jersey Shore”). I thought to myself, “Well, where are all those people? If the Jersey shore is gone there is probably a bunch of drunk, orange people wandering around Manhattan.” That’s the way my mind works. My mother and I went to see (the Barbra Streisand/Seth Rogen movie) “The Guilt Trip.” My mother says to me, “Am I like that?” I said, “No, Mom, of course not. You’re worse” [laughs].

Have you been working up any material on the Pope’s resignation?

I love the Pope! He has a great dress and a fabulous hat. When I was a kid, the Pope said that all the gay people were going to hell. I thought to myself, “If all the gay people are going to hell, where else would I want to go? What am I going to do, go to heaven with all those straight people wearing white after Labor Day?” I don’t care, I’m going to hell. I’m going where a Speedo because I hear it’s hot.

What are your other favorite topics?

It’s always about my mother. For example, I’m dating this new guy and I call my mother to tell her. She says, “Is he gay?” I said, “No, he’s a leprechaun! Of course he’s gay. I came out 25 years ago!” She says, “Oh, I forgot.” She asked me if it’s true that gay people invented blow jobs. I said, “We didn’t invent them, but we did perfect them.”

You talk about your mother, Kathy Griffin talks about her mother, Margaret Cho talks about her mother—

I’ve been talking about my mother longer than both of them. I’ve never not talked about my mother. I have to. She’s going to be 76, she wears cha-cha heels and plastic earrings. That’s my mom.

Do you think you’d make a better Oscar host than Seth McFarlane?

Oh, God, please, just to be invited! To host? Just to get nominated for Best Supporting Actor before I’m dead. You want to make me cry right here? My fantasy is to do a cool supporting role in an independent film, and not win. Then spend the next five years playing the same part in big studio movies, getting paid tons of money, and then five years later I do another independent film, get nominated for an Oscar and win it. Then go do television in a supporting role on some medical show where I play the head nurse [laughs].

You have branched out into acting roles on television and in movies.

I have six movies coming out in the next year. James Franco wrote and produced one, called “Holy Land,” where I play a hoarder. I did a movie with Sally Kirkland called “Posey,” where I play the manager of [a] rehab center. I also did a movie with Adrian Grenier called “Goodbye World.”

You are performing on March 8 as part of the Pridefest official activities, along with Jessica Kirson.

I love her. We’ve worked together a couple of times. She’s hysterically funny, she’s wonderful, she’s sweet. It’s nice to work with talented people. I love the idea of a gay man and a gay woman doing a show together. People can expect laugh out loud comedy from two outrageous comedians.