Comedienne and Former Miss Orlando, Leslie Norris Townsend

Leslie Norris Townsend lost her parents when she was in her teens. In order to support her three siblings, she started entering beauty pageants in hopes of bringing home a check. She won Miss Orlando and competed for Miss Florida and Miss USA. The awards also helped pay for college. The contests required her to do a “talent” which helped her develop her singing and innate ability to improvise. Those skills translated into a job with Disney. Her comedic chops in the Disney show got strong enough for her to tackle stand-up comedy. Leslie 30+ television appearances include Comedy Central, A&E's An Evening at the Improv, and sketches seen on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.