When Lewis Black calls you the "funniest woman in America," it's a safe bet that you've broken the gender barrier in the male-dominated world of comedy.

Last Comic Standing alum Kathleen Madigan entered into comedy on a whim and turned that decision into a prosperous career that's included appearances on a slew of late night shows and Comedy Central's Root of All Evil. Catch her this weekend at The South Point Casino where she has 7:30 p.m. shows Friday through Sunday. Tickets are $15 to $25, and attendees must be 18 years of age or older.

How did you first get into comedy?

I started at the Funny Bone Comedy Club in St. Louis on just kind of on a whim. I was still in college and trying to get a job in journalism. I really didn't have the passion for journalism though, I just couldn't do math or science, and that's really all that was left. In the Midwest, they just didn't tell you about all the jobs that were available. It seemed like there were just six majors. So doing comedy was just sort of a dare, a goof-off thing. I wasn't planning on it being a career. I would have much rather been Stevie Nicks. If you're talking some crazy ass dream, I would have much preferred to be a rock star.

How long had you been in the comedy world before you were on Last Comic Standing?

I'd been around for a long time. I'd already done The Tonight Show and Letterman a bunch. Most of us on the show that year had already been headlining for years and had been on TV a ton. People online used to complain because we weren't amateurs. Well, they never said it was going to be an amateur show. Like when you see Top Chef or Project Runway, those people aren't all amateurs; some of them have had their own businesses. The only people who were really banned from Last Comic would be household names. Like Jerry Seinfeld couldn't come or Larry the Cable Guy.

What was it like coming back to that show as a talent scout later?

It was fun and I thought it would be a really cool way to be helpful to people who I truly thought were funny, but we only had so much influence and then the network kind of got involved. It wasn't quite how I pictured it. I felt sorry for the people who were truly crazy. There really are truly crazy people out there who go to all of these things, not just Last Comic, but American Idol. That part is a little uncomfortable.

You've gotten a lot of praise from established male comedians like Lewis Black. Do you feel you've sort of broken through that barrier of female comedians in a male-dominated world of comedy?

I never felt like I was in a different group. I do feel like that when it comes to network television. You can look at late night TV and every single host is a white guy in a suit, now with the exception of George Lopez. In the world of stand up comedy though I feel it's pretty even Steven. It might be harder to get people to listen to you initially because some people don't think women are funny; they just have that in their head. But once you get to them, if you are funny, I mean, I'm selling out theaters that seat 2,000. Wanda Skyes is doing it; Kathy Griffin's doing it. There's just not that many of us compared to the guys, but I don't feel like it's holding me back.

Since you've been on both Leno's show and Conan's, what are your thoughts on that whole mess?

I am rooting for Bonnie Hunt. I hope everybody gets kicked off and Bonnie Hunt or Wanda Sykes gets a gig. Wanda gives the best guest gifts out of all the shows. I got tequila, I got coffee, all kinds of good stuff. I do think Conan got shafted. But I don't think it was Jay's fault. Those NBC execs, are they a part of the Illuminati? I mean, how do not get fired? How does this continue and you suffer no repercussions? There is no other profession where you could screw up this badly and it's somehow Jay's fault? I can't follow that line of logic. Really the people who got screwed were Conan's staff. His employees, writers and producers that left probably great apartments in New York and moved their families to LA, those are the people who got screwed the most.