Beloved Aussie comedian Jean Kittson tackles tricky topics with humour
Australia’s beloved comedian, author, actor and Mosman resident, Jean Kittson was quite a shy child growing up in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula and she remembers clinging to the leg of the kitchen table and refusing to let go before a ballet performance.
Now at age 70, she has accumulated a multitude of accolades including The Big Gig, Let the Blood Run Free, and television comedy debates. She’s been a radio host, newspaper and magazine columnist, and has authored two books.
Most recently she appeared alongside Denise Scott, or Scotty as Jean calls her friend, in the 2025 remake of ABC’s Mother and Son.
As a keynote speaker and emcee, she speaks about difficult topics, such as palliative care and death and she is the patron for Palliative Care Nurses Australia.
She got involved in the sector after being invited to emcee at a conference in 2011, which Jean says was a real eye opener. “I thought, ‘How am I going to bring humour into a conversation about death? This is going to be hard and everyone’s going to be grim and on the verge of tears,’” Jean recalls.
“I want to die at home and I definitely want palliative care. I don’t want my kids having the responsability of looking after me.”
“But it was amazing talking about end of life with people skilled in that area, who see death all the time and are completely confident and courageous, empathetic and compassionate.”
Jean was her parents’ primary carer for 15 years until they died a month apart in 2024; Roy in March aged 96, and Elaine in April aged 99. They did not have good deaths, Jean says.
The difficulty in navigating aged care for her parents led Jean to writing “We need to talk about Mum and Dad: A practical guide to parenting our ageing parents” (2020), to help people navigate hospitals, aged care, and the legalities.
“We always hear it takes a village to raise a child,” Jean says. “It also takes a village to make sure our elders reach safe harbour at the end of their lives.” Jean thought she was prepared for her parents’ end of life. “I’d had all the conversations, but I didn’t follow my own advice from my book, which was to write everything down. It all fell apart and there wasn’t the access to palliative care I thought there would be.”
Jean’s parents were living independently when they went into respite after her mother had a fall. As it was only for two weeks, Jean didn’t ask the questions she’d advised others to ask. There was no palliative care when they needed it, and both her parents were sent to the emergency department. “Hospitals are not set up to help people die,” says Jean. “They’re just set up for acute illnesses, to help you get well and get home.”
Jean was shy as a child growing up in Victoria
Jean says it’s hard to think clearly when your parents die or are dying and you get ‘thrust into the system’ and the hands of healthcare people. She says people plan their funerals but not palliative care.
Jean knows what she wants when her own time comes. “I want to die at home of course and I definitely want palliative care,” Jean says. “I don’t want my kids having the responsibility of looking after me.”
“As part of your planning, don’t skip the end of life. You wouldn’t have a baby without a midwife, and you shouldn’t die without people who are trained to deal with every aspect of it,” advises Jean.
“When the time comes, who are you going to call?” she asks.
