Welcome to the Deep Dive, the place where we
process the mountain of information you need
and distill it into pure, actionable insight.
Glad to be here. Today, we are focusing on, well,
an absolute icon of American comedy. A towering
figure, quite literally, who has successfully
established residence in, like, multiple universes
of entertainment. That's a great way to put it.
We are doing a deep dive into the career of Judy
Gold. it's an essential subject really because
when you first encounter judy goal yeah you see
the stand -up comic right the six foot two presence
the energy exactly that intense stage energy
but um our sources reveal an artist who is so
much more way more she's simultaneously an acclaimed
actress a highly decorated uh emmy -winning writer
and producer which is amazing for a comic right
and a successful podcaster and this is crucial
i think one of the nation's most dedicated really
frontline advocates for free speech. Exactly.
And that's our mission today, isn't it? To kind
of synthesize all these seemingly disparate roles.
Yeah. How do they all fit together? How does
the same person thrive on the gritty floor of
a comedy cellar? You know, win these prestigious
awards behind the camera, write these really
political solo shows that premiere off Broadway
and still have the time to, like, compete on
the Food Network. It's kind of dizzying when
you list it all out. It really is. It requires
this. level of professional diversification and
just resilience that honestly few artists achieve.
Yeah. So the big question, the one that sort
of anchors her nearly four decade career, she's
been active since 1986, basically. Wow. Yeah.
How do you maintain that intense relevance and,
you know, that comedic edge across such wildly
different artistic demands? That's the core of
it. And we think the answer lies in understanding
her willingness to take risks, a trait that really
started right at the very beginning. OK, so let's
establish. the foundation before we jump into
the emmys and the activism and all that good
idea the basics judy gold was born november 15
1962 she's 62 now born in clark new jersey grew
up in a jewish household and interestingly this
is fascinating she was initially a classically
trained musician right studied piano yeah which
suggests this kind of structured, disciplined,
artistic approach. It's an interesting context
for someone known for that chaotic, high -energy
stage presence. It really changes the narrative,
doesn't it? She wasn't like, I'm going to be
a comedian from day one. Not at all. She was
a music student at Rutgers University. And the
career pivot, it wasn't some calculated choice.
It was like pure chance. Which is amazing. She
first performed stand -up in 1981. She was only
19. And the only reason she did it was because
someone dared her to. The power of the dare.
I love that. Yeah, yeah. And that initial decision,
right, to take a spontaneous, really high stakes
risk. Yeah. It kind of became the thematic foundation
for her whole career. You could even trace it
to her arguments for free speech later on. That's
a great point. She proved early on she was willing
to jump without a net, basically. And that risk,
it paid off pretty quickly. By 1984, she made
the leap from New Jersey college stages to the
proving grounds of Manhattan. The big time. And
this was the era of the comedy boom. You know,
the stakes were incredibly high back then. Absolutely.
Yeah. And within just a year, she hits this major
milestone, something that really signaled her
professional potential. She was passed. at catch
a rising star in 1985 right and we should maybe
pause on that for a second yeah because past
today might just mean getting booked exactly
but back then 80s new york city venues like catch
a rising star the improv they were essential
gatekeepers to be passed meant you were like
professionally ratified The club was saying,
okay, this person has the skill, the potential
to be a headliner. It was a big deal. A huge
deal. It wasn't just a booking. It was like an
acknowledgment of professional standing, right?
Absolutely. And that early success, it led her
straight to becoming a regular fixture at the
legendary comedy cellar. Still there, isn't she?
Yeah. She's been performing there since the 1980s.
Think about that longevity. In a venue known
for launching, I mean, the greatest careers,
Chris Rock, Seinfeld. chapelle everybody to still
be a regular there speaks volumes about her sustained
quality her consistency and it's interesting
when you look at who she cites as her influences
You see a direct connection to that fierce observational
comedy style she has. Who does she name? She's
named three towering female pioneers. Joan Rivers.
Of course. Phyllis Diller. And Toadie Fields.
Okay, yeah. That's a crucial insight into her
comedic DNA right there. Totally is. Because
these weren't just funny women. They were trailblazers.
They used humor that was sharp, often self -deprecating,
sure, but also fiercely candid about womanhood,
family, social norms. They didn't hold back.
Not at all. And gold is like a modern inheritor
of that tradition, using her persona, the tall,
outspoken Jewish Lymbian mother, to deliver really
powerful, insightful material, just like her
predecessors did. She really built her comedy
on an established lineage of truth tellers. Well
put. Yeah. So let's follow that lineage onto
the page then. Good transition because, yeah,
to really grasp her versatility, we need to look
away from the mic for a bit. Look at the script
page. Exactly. We are entering section one, the
power of the pen. Because while the public mostly
sees her on stage, a huge part of her career
success happened behind the camera. And here's
where the resume starts to look genuinely unique,
especially for a stand -up comic. Judy Gold is
a two -time daytime Emmy winner. Yeah. That right
there is the ultimate evident of her multi -hyphenate
status, isn't it? It really is. And she didn't
win an Emmy for a stand -up special or performing.
Nope. She won for her work as a writer and producer
on The Rosie O'Donnell Show. That detail is so
significant. It means this edgy, kind of alternative
-leaning comic successfully navigated the highly
mainstream, very tightly structured world of...
daytime talk show production think about that
transition from the cellar stage to a daytime
writer's room it speaks volumes about her ability
to structure comedy for a mass audience right
and to work within a large creative team which
isn't always easy for stand -ups right And Rosie
O'Donnell, she was a comic herself. She needed
writers who could deliver that specific brand,
accessible, warm, but still sharp humor. Gold
at the bill. Her success there just confirms
she understands pacing, timing, mass appeal,
skills that, frankly, are often lost on comics
who only ever work solo. That professional flexibility
is just so rare. And the writing credits didn't
stop in daytime, did they? Not at all. She successfully
transitioned to prestige cable television. She
served as a writer on the final season of Pamela
Adlon's critically acclaimed FX series, Better
Things. OK, now that is a tectonic shift. Right.
Moving from the high volume, quick turnaround
of a daily talk show like Rosie's. Yeah, churning
out material constantly. To the intimate. deeply
character -driven and structurally really complex
world, a prestige cable dramedy like Better Things.
It just confirms that her skill set is transferable.
Across genres, across formats. She isn't just
relying on her stage persona. She's employing
genuine screenwriting and structural narrative
abilities. Yeah, she clearly understands story.
And what's fascinating here is how that ability
to write and produce probably informed her stage
work and vice versa. Oh, for sure. Her comedic
mind is clearly structured. She understands how
to craft a narrative, whether it's a single joke,
a talk show segment, or a whole season arc for
TV. Which is probably why she's maintained such
a steady stream. of output with her own recorded
stand -up. Exactly. She's had major network specials,
Comedy Central, Logo, HBO, big platforms. And
she has three released comedy albums that kind
of document her evolution over time. Let's look
at those. The album titles themselves, they really
track her personal and professional journey,
you know? They do. We start with Judith's Roommate
Had a Baby in 2004. Right. Which clearly focuses
on the anxieties, the absurdities of early motherhood,
co -parenting. Very personal, observational humor,
rooted in that specific time in her life. Then,
jump forward to 2018. The album's titled Kill
Me Now. Yeah, that reflects a shift, doesn't
it? Towards perhaps more intense, maybe more
political, or just generally frustrated humor
as the world was changing around then. Feels
like it. And then... Most recently, in 2020,
we get Conduct Unbecoming. Which launched right
as the whole free speech cancel culture debate
was really exploding. Perfectly timed. It positions
her firmly in that role of cultural commentator,
which she's really embraced. So that's a, what,
16 -year evolution documented just through the
audio releases? Showing her ability to adapt
her material to the changing societal atmosphere
while always retaining her core identity. Absolutely.
And speaking of commentary, her work extends
way beyond the stage and the writer's room. She's
got her own platform now, too. Right. If you
want to hear her voice now, she hosts the podcast.
It's Judy Show with Judy Gold. Which is great,
by the way. Very her. And let's not forget, for
more than a decade, like a long run, 1999 to
2010, she hosted HBO's... at the Multiplex with
Judy Gold. I remember that, yeah. She truly has
mastered the art of being this reliable, witty
voice in pretty much every single available medium.
Print, stage, TV, audio. And that media presence
led directly to this kind of unexpected transition
into being an expert commentator on cable television.
Yeah, the True TV thing. Exactly. She appeared
on 114 episodes of True TV's World's Dumbest
between 2008 and 2013. 114 episodes. That's not
just a few guest spots. That's practically a
steady job. It really is. What the statistic
tells you is that Gold is highly reliable, incredibly
fast on her feet comedically. Quick -witted.
and able to deliver witty, usable commentary
consistently. Production teams value that reliability
immensely. It positions her as this trusted source
of instantaneous comedic analysis. And you see
that trust reflected in her high -profile appearances
across the board, right? She pops up everywhere.
Everywhere. The Tonight Show, Colbert's Late
Show, The View, The Today Show, even The Drew
Barrymore Show. She's accepted in every corner
of the talk show world. Late night, daytime,
news commentary. She fits in. And then... Just
when you think you've got her pegged, she decides
to apply that high stakes competitive energy
to the culinary world, which is just fantastic.
It's kind of the ultimate expression of her willingness
to just put her personality into new, completely
unrelated formats. Right. She didn't just like
attend a cooking class for fun. Nope. She competed.
In the high -stress, very technical environments
of Chopped All -Stars. Which is terrifying. And
Rachel vs. Guy, celebrity cook -off on the Food
Network. Imagine that. The professional comic,
who's also an Emmy -winning writer, being told,
okay, make a three -course meal with squid ink
and gummy bears under a 20 -minute clock. Huh.
Yeah. It's just another example of that original
dare principle at work, isn't it? Taking an intense
risk way outside her comfort zone. Absolutely.
It really shows that her brand isn't tied to
a specific medium like just stand -up. It's tied
to the delivery mechanism. Her personality, her
voice, her perspective, and that unwavering confidence.
Okay, so we've established her success across
stand -up, TV writing, producing, commentary,
even cooking. Quite the list. Now we need to
address the area that has really defined her
public persona, especially in the last, say,
half decade or so. Her role as an author and
a really fierce activist for free expression.
This moves us squarely into section two, focusing
on free speech, family and the stage. Yeah. And
this shift from primarily stand up material to
being a vocal policy advocate. It's perhaps the
most significant evolution of her career recently.
The central text defining this era is definitely
her 2020 book. Yes, I can say that. When they
come for the comedians, we are all in trouble.
Published by HarperCollins. And that title alone.
It's a direct. pretty confrontational response
to the whole atmosphere comedians found themselves
in and still find themselves in, really. No kidding.
The book serves as a serious literary argument.
It's not just a collection of jokes or anecdotes.
Right. It's a defense. It's a defense of what
she sees as the core purpose of comedy. To challenge,
sometimes to offend, and to act as society's,
you know, canary in the coal mine. It directly
addresses the rising debates around cancel culture,
the policing of speech. And it got serious attention.
It was featured in the New York Times book review.
Which is major for a book by a comedian on this
topic. Definitely. And the power of the book,
I think, is that she connects the theory of free
speech, the First Amendment arguments, the philosophical
stuff, with the practical day -to -day necessary
reality of the stand -up stage. Yeah, she argues
that comedians must be afforded the freedom to
test boundaries. Because without testing, how
do you even know where the line is? or where
it should be. That's her core point. And what
elevates her from just being a commentator to
like a legitimate policy advocate is her willingness
to back up that literary statement with actual
institutional action. She's not just tweeting
about it or talking on TV. Exactly. She's not
just appearing on The View to debate it. She
is. actively serving on the board of directors
of the National Coalition Against Censorship,
NCAC. OK, that is crucial. That transition from
conic to board member shows she's genuinely dedicated
to the structural fight for free expression.
It's a serious commitment. And she appears regularly
as an advocate on major news networks, MSNBC,
CNN, News Nation. Arguing the case that restricting
a comedian's voice today basically means restricting
everyone's voice tomorrow. That's the slippery
slope argument. Right. And this fusion of the
personal and the political. It's maybe best expressed
in her really prolific career writing and starring
in her off -Broadway solo shows. The solo shows.
Yeah. These works are where she takes the raw
material of her life. her identity, her family,
and constructs it into a specific political or
cultural statement. She has this remarkable trilogy
of one -woman shows, often co -written with Kate
Moira Ryan, that really serve as a kind of chronological
roadmap of her evolution. Let's start with the
first big one. 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother.
back in 2006 yeah the show was extraordinary
it was this blend of memoir and uh almost ethnography
how so well it wasn't just about her mother it
was based on interviews she conducted with over
50 jewish mothers across the united states wow
so she used these outside voices to establish
this kind of universal context for jewish motherhood
and then she wove her own story in exactly she
expertly interspersed those external stories
with deep personal anecdotes about her own mother
and crucially about her life as a lesbian mother
raising two sons. The brilliance of that show
was how she made the intensely specific details
of her heritage and her identity immediately
relatable to a wider audience. It proved that,
you know, the core experiences of motherhood
sort of transcend cultural boundaries. It was
a huge success. Ran at Ars Nova, then moved to
St. Luke's Theater for a long run. Okay, then
five years later, 2011, the second installment
comes out. The Judy Show My Life is a sitcom.
Right. And this represents a thematic pivot,
doesn't it? Seems like it. She moves from analyzing
her heritage, her roots, to analyzing her cultural
upbringing. Specifically, using the classic American
sitcoms of her youth, the ones she grew up watching,
as the frame for her personal anxieties and experiences.
That shows incredible cultural fluency, right?
To take these deeply personal, maybe even painful
memoir moments. Yeah, real life stuff. And filter
them through the light. Often kind of cheesy,
nostalgic lens of the Brady Bunch or the Mary
Tyler Moore show. That requires serious writing
skill. It's a really clever device. The New York
Post called it gleefully self -deprecating. Which
sounds right. Yeah. And the New York Times called
it highly entertaining. It's just a masterclass
in using pop culture as a narrative vehicle for
autobiography. OK, so heritage, then pop culture.
What's the culmination? The trilogy culminates,
fittingly, with the most directly political work.
Yes, I can say that. Which premiered on stage
in 2023. Based directly on the book. Exactly.
She's moved from personal heritage to cultural
commentary to now a direct defense of the right
to perform all that material. It brings everything
full circle. And it was directed by B .D. Wong.
Right. Which, again, it just confirms the seriousness
and the theatrical weight behind the political
message. It's not just stand up with a point.
It's a crafted piece of theater. So this shows
an artist leveraging literally all her platforms,
the book, the news appearances, the theatrical
stage to push. This single powerful message about
freedom of expression. And that focus on the
deeply personal, it brings us directly to her
identity, which is really the engine for so much
of her best material. Let's talk about that.
Gold is openly lesbian. She has two sons, Henry
and Ben, from her nearly 20 -year relationship
with her former partner, Sharon Callahan. And
her willingness to bring her family life, her
specific family life, into her comedy. That was
pretty pioneering for a mainstream comic of her
generation. Absolutely. You didn't hear that
kind of open discussion much back then. Right.
She famously referenced her children, her parenting
extensively on that sharp, really combative Comedy
Central series Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn.
Which was not a warm, fuzzy kind of show. Not
at all. But that open discussion of being a lesbian
mother and navigating everyday life, the ups
and downs, it helped demystify those identities
for a much wider audience. Made it normal. Yeah,
normalized it through humor. And her personal
life continues to be this kind of fun thread.
She's currently with her partner, Elisa Halpern.
And how they met is kind of funny, right? Yeah.
They met in 2007 on a blind date that was actually
set up by Time Out New York Magazine as like
a feature. That's hilarious. Talk about pressure.
Right. But it worked out. And that delightful
detail, it kind of grounds her, you know, shows
that even amidst the high stakes world of activism
and performing, she maintains a sense of humor
about the ordinary struggles of dating and building
a relationship. Yeah. Makes her relatable. Beyond
her own family, though, she's incredibly active
within her specific community. Mm hmm. Both the
LGBT community and the Jewish community. And
this isn't just like. Identity politics checkbox
ticking. Yeah. It seems like genuine connection
and advocacy. It does. Politically, she was active
in support of the Democratic presidential campaigns
back in 2004 and 2008. She consistently connects
her personal platform to her broader political
beliefs. She understands that her voice carries
weight within those communities, right? Yeah.
And she uses the visibility she gained from stand
-up and acting to try and serve a higher purpose,
it seems. Yeah, I think that's fair to say. Okay,
let's pivot now. Because if the first two sections
really established her as this powerhouse writer,
producer, advocate, this final section, section
three, focuses on the remarkable range required
for her straight -up acting career, separate
from her solo shows. Right. This is where that
concept of duality we talked about. becomes maybe
most visible. Totally. Because she is not just
performing her own material here. She is a working
professional actor who moves pretty seamlessly
between comedy, drama, and even classical theater.
Her television history started early. Her first
TV role was way back in 1991 on Roseanne. Played
a character named Amy for one episode. But the
big career moment... the one that really established
her as a reliable ensemble player early on, was
securing a series regular role. On Margaret Cho's
sitcom. Exactly. Margaret Cho's 1994 sitcom,
All -American Girl. She played Gloria Schechter
for 18 episodes. Now, All -American Girl, it
only ran for one season, unfortunately. Right.
Short -lived, but kind of iconic now. Yeah. But
being a series regular on a network sitcom, especially
one that was trying to tackle complex cultural
identity issues back then. It confirmed her ability
to deliver consistent performances, develop a
character week after week, all within the structure
of a major studio production. It proved she could
play well with others, basically. Yeah. And her
guest and recurring roles since then demonstrate
this phenomenal, almost jarring range. This is
the duality we have to analyze. Okay, like what?
Look at her work just... Within the Law & Order
universe. She didn't just pop up once. She played
two completely separate serious procedural roles.
Oh, wow. I didn't realize it was two different
ones. Yeah. That's the essential insight into
her acting skill, I think. In 2000, she played
a character named Deborah Patterson on the original
Law & Order. Okay, fine. Then, just two years
later, she returns to the franchise, but this
time on SVU, playing a forensic gynecologist.
A forensic gynecologist. Right. This means she
was able to completely disappear into the serious,
technical, often grim world of procedural drama,
separating herself entirely from her loud, brash
stand -up persona. That's incredible. The same
person doing high -energy, observational stand
-up about her kids and her mother is convincingly
playing this impartial, technical expert in a
police drama about horrific crimes. That ability
to shed the recognizable self. That's the hallmark
of a true actor. Exactly. But then flip the coin.
She's equally capable of slipping into the heightened,
often surreal environments of modern comedy.
Like what shows? Well, she appears as Leslie
on The Drew Carey Show. She plays herself on
30 Rock, which is perfect metacasting, playing
the comic who knows everyone in that world. Right.
And then taking distinct character roles like
Jerry and Two Broke Girls or playing a rabbi
in The Big C. She can do broad comedy. She can
do cringe comedy. She can do meta comedy. transition
into the modern streaming landscape shows her
longevity too, doesn't it? Absolutely. She played
Chaya in five episodes of Better Things between
2020 and 2022. Which brings her writing credit
full circle. Right. Fitting naturally into that
sophisticated, semi -improvised, dramatic environment.
And she's the librarian in two episodes of Awkwafina
is Nora from Queens. Another very specific comedic
tone. We also see her pop up in all those New
York comedy staples over the years. Oh, yeah.
Like a Barnes and Noble clerk in Sex and the
City. Dr. Madden in Girls 5 Eva. Angela in Broad
City. She's like the quintessential New York
utility player, isn't she? That's a great description.
The reliable character actor that New York casting
directors call when they need someone who can
definitely land a joke, but who can also deliver
some sharp, dramatic context if needed. She brings
authenticity. But the acting depth, it doesn't
stop with television and film. She has tackled
serious classical stage work, stuff that isn't
her own solo material. Yeah, the transition from
comedy clubs to Shakespeare in the Park is kind
of astonishing when you think about it. It really
is. Truly. She was a featured player playing
the role of Gremio in the public theater's all
-female production of The Taming of the Shrew.
In Central Park. In Central Park. This proves
she possesses the physical and vocal command
required for classical theater. It's not just
about the rapid -fire wit of stand -up. Gremio
is a substantial comedic role in Shakespeare,
and it demonstrates that her 6 '2 presence is
a genuine theatrical asset in any context. Okay,
so Shakespeare. What else? And if Shakespeare
wasn't enough of a stretch, she also moved into
musical theater. She co -starred in off -Broadway's
disaster, The Musical. It's like a parody of
disaster movies. Exactly. And then, for perhaps
the most inspired piece of satirical casting
imaginable, she played Eleanor Roosevelt in Clinton,
The Musical. Get out, Eleanor Roosevelt. Eleanor
Roosevelt. Playing a historical figure, even
in a comedic parody musical, it requires research,
conviction, and a commanding stage presence.
You have to sell it. Wow. And if you connect
this back to her activism, it's interesting,
right? She's using her performance skills not
just to entertain, but to inhabit figures of
power and influence, which is kind of what her
free speech arguments require her to do intellectually
as well. That's a fascinating connection. Finally,
we see her being recognized and documented as
a cultural figure whose presence is kind of required
in the historical records of comedy. Yeah, she's
consistently included in documentaries focusing
on her communities, her fields. Like which ones?
Well, her inclusion. in these films really confirms
her status as a kind of cultural historian for
both Jewish and LGBTQ plus comedy. She was featured
way back in the 2007 documentary Making Trouble.
What was that about? It paid tribute to pioneering
female Jewish comedians, so it linked her directly
back to the influences she cited earlier. Rivers,
Diller, Fields. Put her in that lineage officially.
I got it. And then more recently, she was a central
subject of the 2021 Hulu documentary Hysterical.
Right, I saw that. That focused more broadly
on women in comedy, right? Exactly. Highlighting
her resilience, her longevity, the challenges
women face, and furthermore, her political...
So that really solidifies her role as like the
face of the comedian's free speech argument in
that context. Pretty much. And she is clearly
seen as a pillar in the LGBTQ plus comedy community.
She appeared prominently in both the big Netflix
special Standout and LGBTQ plus celebration and
the documentary Outstanding, a comedy. revolution
her presence and all these projects taken together
it just confirms that she isn't just a comic
anymore she's a recognized essential voice for
multiple communities that rely on comedy for
identity for validation for pushing boundaries
she really is the living embodiment of that idea
that the personal is the political and the political
can also be hilarious and sometimes has to be
perfectly said yeah wow what an incredible synthesis
of careers we've just walked through As we wrap
up this deep dive, let's try to distill the unique
knowledge nuggets, the key takeaways that really
define Judy Gold's story. Okay. We definitely
saw the unique trajectory, right? Starting as
a music student who just took a dare. Maybe origin
story. Transforming into a two -time Daytime
Emmy winner for production work, which is just
a testament to her behind -the -scenes professionalism
and skill. And we deeply explored the analytical
depth revealed in her off -Broadway trilogy of
solo shows, moving structurally from that external
observation of Jewish mothers to the internal
cultural commentary using sitcom life as a lens
and culminating in that fierce, direct political
defense of her right to speak about censorship.
It's a remarkable arc just in those three shows.
It really is. And yeah, we have to mention it
again, the fact that her six foot two physical
stature is just perfectly mirrored by the sheer
imposing impact of her professional footprint
across so many areas. It fits, doesn't it? So
what does this all mean for you, the learner,
listening to this? Yeah, what's the big picture?
Gold's career, I think, is a masterclass in utilizing
comedy, not just as entertainment, though it
certainly is entertaining, but explicitly as
a vehicle for advocacy. She manages to balance
the vulnerability of the personal, her motherhood,
her relationships, her specific Jewish and lesbian
identities with the unwavering commitment of
the political, exemplified by her very public
fight against censorship. Her success really
demonstrates that versatility and conviction
are not mutually exclusive. You can do both.
Absolutely. She takes the deeply observed, often
sensitive details of life, the kind of stuff
a character actor draws on and uses the stage,
the page, the podcast. Mike, to argue for the
freedom required to share those observations
honestly, even if they make people uncomfortable.
And that confidence, maybe it stems directly
from that original act of bravery that Dare she
accepted way back in 1981 at Repters. Could be.
It set a precedent for her own career. So we
leave you with this final provocative thought
to mull over. Considering her massive four decade
history. Successfully transitioning from the
1990s network sitcom era of All -American Girl.
A very different time. All the way through the
current fiercely opinionated landscape of cancel
culture debates and peace streaming content.
We ask you to consider the profound duality in
her career that we've kept coming back to. How
does the same artist successfully voice her free
speech arguments, serve on a censorship board,
taking on the role of the ideological fighter?
Right, the advocate. While simultaneously playing
a beloved, reliable character actor in supporting
roles, often playing characters quite different
from her own outspoken persona. What does it
take internally to embody the role of Eleanor
Roosevelt on stage one night and then convincingly
play the neutral, unbiased forensic gynecologist
in the Law & Order universe the next? Those require
such different parts of yourself. Her career
really shows that true artistic freedom might
lie in that variability. The ability to fight
fiercely for your own perspective, absolutely,
but also to possess the empathy, the craft, and
the skill required to convincingly inhabit the
perspectives of others, even those vastly different
from your own. And maybe that ultimately is the
power of comedy at its best. And certainly, it's
the enduring genius of Judy Gold.