Images
I think it's an uphill battle in every field. You hear late-night comedy is hard on women. And then you hear investment banking is hard on women. And tech is hard on women. And then you start digging, and you learn philosophy departments are hard on women!
Nell Scovell
Constant exercise can keep the body trim and taut, but the face is another thing.
Unfortunately, my system for tracking down funny female writers isn't methodical. It's mainly based on word-of-mouth, which can cast a limited net.
I turned 40, and things started to go south.
Moms Mabley blazed a path for female stand-ups in a housecoat and floppy hat. Phyllis Diller worked equally hard to make herself unattractive to men and non-threatening to women.
There have been many great newspapermen, but to my mind, only two have achieved immortality: Pulitzer for his endowment and William Randolph Hearst for his castle.
An ocean of ink - real and virtual - has been spilled critiquing the appearance of female politicians.
I think, in all fields, there's this motherhood pay penalty where, the second you become a mother - and this is true whether you give birth or adopt - you're perceived to not be as committed to your job. Whereas men are perceived as breadwinners who now need more money and promotions because they're fathers.
Hated 'The Imitation Game.' Totally inaccurate. A gay man with a messy room? Don't buy it.
I was the second female writer ever hired at 'Late Night.' When I applied for the job in 1988, I had no way of knowing how much the odds were stacked against me.
Like leggings, comedies created by women came into vogue in the late 1980s, exploded in the early '90s, went mainstream in the mid-'90s, and were shoved into the back of the closet around 1997.
Garry Shandling's stand-up specials were masterpieces of tightly crafted stories that delivered both hard jokes and hard truths. He was neurotic and self-deprecating, and his observations on life cut deep.
At 26, I was single, living in Manhattan, and working as a journalist at 'Vanity Fair.' I was Carrie Bradshaw... in sensible shoes.
Sometimes, not knowing what you're doing allows you to do things you never knew you could do.
I think I'm funnier in my writing than in person.
When you start a memoir, you think, 'I'm going to blast all the people who were mean to me.' And then you start writing, and you go, actually, it's so much more fun to say nice things about people who were kind and generous to you.
In over thirty years working in TV and movies, I've never had an exit interview or contributed to a 360 assessment.
The desire to keep doing what we love supersedes the desire to penalize bad behavior.
Even when powerful men stumble, they inspire fear.
We have so many great memoirs from women in front of the camera, from Tina Fey, Mindy Kaling, Amy Poehler, and Amy Schumer.
To be happy about the fall of one powerful man is to know there are another 10 that need to follow.
Trump Tower is no ordinary property: It is the jewel in Donald Trump's brass crown.
Jenny McCarthy has used her celebrity and sex appeal to attract attention to autism. And while no one questions McCarthy's determination and passion, many scientists have debunked her anti-vaccine message and her claims that a gluten-free diet can provide a cure.
Broad City's first season is full of moments that are insane... and yet make total sense.
The first Emmys I went to was in 1990 when the five nominees for best comedy were 'Designing Women', 'Golden Girls', 'Murphy Brown', 'Cheers', 'Wonder Years.' Three and a half were created by women.
I fantasize about the networks making a rule that each show's writing staff needs to reflect the gender and racial makeup of its audience.
Albert Brooks. Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Larry David. The best comedic actors play broad and real simultaneously, coming across as both larger than life and all too human.
Everyone - male and female - is biased. But no one wants to admit it, so our brains search for examples that disprove the accusation.
One of the most rebellious things a woman can do is allow people to think she's mean.
One of the greatest benefits to come out of 'Lean In' was convincing women to help and support other women - not out of this sense of duty and that you'd be condemned to hell forever if you didn't, but because it will make all your lives better.
When I write, I feel like an optometrist, constantly flipping between lenses and asking, 'Is this better? Is this?' Slowly, the work comes into focus.
Retaining a child-like sense of wonder is a boon for creative types like Steven Spielberg and J. K. Rowling.
Arts are a luxury, proof that a civilization has risen above 'politics and war.'
I'm both an insider and an outsider.
You don't have to let a bad experience stop you from doing what you want to do.
I realize that 'hire qualified women!' is the sort of outraged demand that's often met with a sigh. No one disagrees, and yet gender inequality in high-paying positions extends into all professions.
Early on in my career, I was often the only woman in the room, writing for shows like 'Late Night with David Letterman', 'The Simpsons', 'Newhart', and 'Coach', and sometimes I'd feel like I didn't belong.
In Hollywood, you kind of trick yourself into feeling like you have impact.
Moral licensing comes into play when people rely on past behavior to dismiss current prejudiced behavior. This is better known as the 'Some of my best friends are...' defense.
An executive producer with an all-male writing staff once inadvertently revealed his deep, dark fear. While discussing a full-time position for me, he mused out loud, 'I wonder if having a woman in the room will change everything.' Of course, what he really meant was: 'I wonder if having a woman in the room will change me.'
Together, we must all remember that one of the most effective responses to hate speech is more speech.
By June 1990, I'd racked up 'written by' credits on both 'Newhart' and 'The Simpsons.'
One of the great things about being in entertainment is you have access to the media. People pay attention to you.
Once, after a long week, I felt so insecure that I decided to make a list of people who thought I was funny even if I didn't think I was. At the top of the list, I wrote, 'Garry Shandling.' His early praise protected me like a comedy-writer version of Harry Potter's scar.
I'd like to see David Letterman adopt the inclusion rider on his Netflix show.
Misogyny - and racism - are 'hidden in plain sight', and the burden of eliminating them should fall on the institutions, not the victims.
My first joke that ever aired on 'Late Night' was for a list of 'Top 10 Least Popular Summer Camps.' My contribution - 'Camp Tick in beautiful Lyme, Connecticut' - squeaked in at No. 10. Like a trip to Camp Tick, my time at 'Late Night' faded into memory like a short session at a dicey summer camp.
I was ahead of the gender curve, but I wasn't ahead of the intersectionality curve, and I get it now. It's important to me.
I learned not to get too happy about good news or too distraught about bad.
People say, 'Dress for the job you want', and since I wanted a job that guys had, I dressed like a guy.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10