WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.520 Welcome back to The Deep Dive. Today we are taking 00:00:02.520 --> 00:00:05.759 on an artist whose career, well, it really defies 00:00:05.759 --> 00:00:08.039 simple categorization. An individual who's been 00:00:08.039 --> 00:00:11.160 equally successful navigating the rough -and 00:00:11.160 --> 00:00:13.939 -tumble world of stand -up, the prestige of Broadway, 00:00:14.199 --> 00:00:17.120 and, you know, the high -stakes environment of 00:00:17.120 --> 00:00:20.280 Hollywood screenwriting. We are deep diving into 00:00:20.280 --> 00:00:23.579 the trajectory, controversies, and the remarkable 00:00:23.579 --> 00:00:26.289 versatility of Amy Beth Schumer. And if you're 00:00:26.289 --> 00:00:29.730 looking for like a crash course in how to conquer 00:00:29.730 --> 00:00:32.890 virtually every medium in entertainment, Schumer's 00:00:32.890 --> 00:00:36.210 career really provides the blueprint. We've synthesized 00:00:36.210 --> 00:00:39.030 a massive profile of her work. It spans stand 00:00:39.030 --> 00:00:42.109 -up, acting, writing, producing, directing, to 00:00:42.109 --> 00:00:44.609 trace her evolution. Our source material, which 00:00:44.609 --> 00:00:47.350 we reviewed as recently as September 2025, gives 00:00:47.350 --> 00:00:49.630 us the essential facts, the milestones we need 00:00:49.630 --> 00:00:52.649 to understand an artist who uses, well, radical 00:00:52.649 --> 00:00:55.289 personal honesty. as her creative engine. Yeah. 00:00:55.429 --> 00:00:57.009 And our mission today is to really cut through 00:00:57.009 --> 00:00:59.090 the noise and synthesize these achievements for 00:00:59.090 --> 00:01:01.149 you, the listener. We're going to map the connections 00:01:01.149 --> 00:01:03.829 between her Peabody Award winning sketch comedy 00:01:03.829 --> 00:01:06.349 and, you know, her surprising Tony Award nomination. 00:01:06.430 --> 00:01:08.849 Our goal is to understand not just what she did, 00:01:08.930 --> 00:01:10.709 but how the grit of her personal history and 00:01:10.709 --> 00:01:13.489 the resulting social commentary kind of defined 00:01:13.489 --> 00:01:16.170 her status in modern entertainment. Exactly. 00:01:16.629 --> 00:01:19.930 And just to set the stage. Schumer, born June 00:01:19.930 --> 00:01:23.609 1st, 1981, has consistently anchored her work 00:01:23.609 --> 00:01:27.230 in a very specific set of core subjects. Interpersonal 00:01:27.230 --> 00:01:31.569 relationships, sex, the absurdity of everyday 00:01:31.569 --> 00:01:34.590 life, self -deprecation, current events, pop 00:01:34.590 --> 00:01:36.909 culture. The big ones. The big ones, yeah. She's 00:01:36.909 --> 00:01:39.170 a master of blending genres, observational comedy, 00:01:39.329 --> 00:01:42.409 blue comedy, sketch, insult comedy, satire. And 00:01:42.409 --> 00:01:44.049 it's the combination of these elements applied 00:01:44.049 --> 00:01:46.709 with this unflinching transparency that generates 00:01:46.709 --> 00:01:48.799 both her, you know, immense critical recognition 00:01:48.799 --> 00:01:52.700 and often significant public debate. OK, so let's 00:01:52.700 --> 00:01:54.719 unpack this journey by examining her foundation, 00:01:54.939 --> 00:01:56.739 because the earliest years of her life feature 00:01:56.739 --> 00:01:59.859 this huge financial and familial like a hundred 00:01:59.859 --> 00:02:02.000 and eighty degree turn that must have profoundly 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:04.060 shaped her worldview. Oh, absolutely. She was 00:02:04.060 --> 00:02:05.859 born to considerable wealth, Upper East Side 00:02:05.859 --> 00:02:08.219 of Manhattan. Her father owned a baby furniture 00:02:08.219 --> 00:02:11.699 company. It paints a picture of a very privileged 00:02:11.699 --> 00:02:15.110 start. It really does. But it did not last. And 00:02:15.110 --> 00:02:17.050 the abruptness of the shift is critical here. 00:02:17.310 --> 00:02:19.789 When she was just nine years old, her father's 00:02:19.789 --> 00:02:22.389 business failed entirely. He filed for bankruptcy. 00:02:22.810 --> 00:02:27.610 Wow. Nine. Yeah. And this massive economic dislocation 00:02:27.610 --> 00:02:29.830 was followed almost immediately by devastating 00:02:29.830 --> 00:02:32.930 personal news. Her father was diagnosed with 00:02:32.930 --> 00:02:35.169 multiple sclerosis, and then her parents divorced 00:02:35.169 --> 00:02:38.210 when she was 12. That is just an economic and 00:02:38.210 --> 00:02:40.889 emotional trifecta all happening during those 00:02:40.889 --> 00:02:43.590 really formative adolescent years. I mean, that 00:02:43.590 --> 00:02:47.110 kind of instability and exposure to loss, it 00:02:47.110 --> 00:02:49.629 must create the necessary fuel for that dark 00:02:49.629 --> 00:02:51.909 confessional comedy later on where nothing's 00:02:51.909 --> 00:02:54.250 off limits, right? Absolutely. And the material 00:02:54.250 --> 00:02:56.789 change forced her to move with her mother to 00:02:56.789 --> 00:02:59.289 Rockville Center, Long Island. She attended Southside 00:02:59.289 --> 00:03:01.349 High School there. Okay. And even in high school, 00:03:01.370 --> 00:03:03.509 you see this duality that would later define 00:03:03.509 --> 00:03:06.379 her career. She earned the dual kind of conflicting 00:03:06.379 --> 00:03:09.280 titles of class clown and teacher's worst nightmare. 00:03:09.439 --> 00:03:11.740 OK. Which illustrates, you know, an early desire 00:03:11.740 --> 00:03:14.139 both to entertain and also to push against authority. 00:03:14.360 --> 00:03:17.319 Makes sense. So after graduating in 99, she got 00:03:17.319 --> 00:03:19.439 formal training, earned a degree in theater from 00:03:19.439 --> 00:03:22.460 Towson University in 2003. Right. But the real 00:03:22.460 --> 00:03:25.900 world hustle post college, that seems essential 00:03:25.900 --> 00:03:29.740 to understanding her sort of street toughness. 00:03:29.759 --> 00:03:32.719 She came back to New York, studied at the respected 00:03:32.719 --> 00:03:35.520 William S. studio for two years. This is a big 00:03:35.520 --> 00:03:38.219 deal, yeah. Exactly. And then entered that classic, 00:03:38.300 --> 00:03:41.539 you know, non -glamorous phase of survival. She 00:03:41.539 --> 00:03:43.319 was definitely a working class artist trying 00:03:43.319 --> 00:03:45.460 to make ends meet. She worked as a bartender, 00:03:45.479 --> 00:03:48.159 a waitress. Yeah. But there's a truly raw detail 00:03:48.159 --> 00:03:50.439 from the sources that really speaks to her resilience. 00:03:50.819 --> 00:03:52.759 Okay. She moved out to Santa Barbara, California 00:03:52.759 --> 00:03:55.180 for a time. Okay. Working as a pedicab dryer, 00:03:55.400 --> 00:03:58.150 which is a... physically grueling low -paying 00:03:58.150 --> 00:04:01.610 job while living with a boyfriend she later characterized 00:04:01.610 --> 00:04:04.169 as abusive. Wow. Yeah, I mean, this is a far 00:04:04.169 --> 00:04:05.789 cry from the Upper East Side. It gives her a 00:04:05.789 --> 00:04:08.629 genuine lived -in perspective on difficult relationships 00:04:08.629 --> 00:04:12.379 and, well, class struggle. And you see that grit 00:04:12.379 --> 00:04:15.180 emerge consistently in her comedy. But let's 00:04:15.180 --> 00:04:17.139 shift a bit to the more historical cultural roots, 00:04:17.220 --> 00:04:19.180 which are surprisingly vast. They really are. 00:04:19.279 --> 00:04:22.459 She was raised Jewish. Her father's family immigrated 00:04:22.459 --> 00:04:24.980 from Ukraine. Her mother converted before the 00:04:24.980 --> 00:04:27.459 marriage. And she has publicly recalled experiencing 00:04:27.459 --> 00:04:30.980 anti -Semitism as a child. Right. And the complexity 00:04:30.980 --> 00:04:33.639 of her background doesn't stop there. Thanks 00:04:33.639 --> 00:04:35.639 to a deep dive they did on the show Finding Your 00:04:35.639 --> 00:04:38.139 Roots, it was discovered that her mother, who 00:04:38.139 --> 00:04:41.560 had Puritan ancestry, actually connects way back 00:04:41.560 --> 00:04:44.079 to the colonial era Massachusetts Bay Colony. 00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:47.100 OK, Puritan roots, interesting. But here is where 00:04:47.100 --> 00:04:49.620 it gets really interesting and unexpected. We're 00:04:49.620 --> 00:04:51.740 not talking about just standard colonial roots 00:04:51.740 --> 00:04:54.439 here. Yeah. Through the Tarbell family line. 00:04:54.829 --> 00:04:57.610 The show discovered that in 1704, three of her 00:04:57.610 --> 00:04:59.930 ancestors were captured in a French Abenaki raid 00:04:59.930 --> 00:05:02.670 in Massachusetts and taken captive to Montreal. 00:05:02.730 --> 00:05:05.470 Right. And here's the stunning twist. Two of 00:05:05.470 --> 00:05:08.129 the boys, the ancestors in question, were adopted 00:05:08.129 --> 00:05:10.430 and fully assimilated into the Mohawk community 00:05:10.430 --> 00:05:13.470 at Kanawaka -Kwasazni. Fully assimilated. Fully. 00:05:13.790 --> 00:05:16.230 They married Mohawk women, and some of their 00:05:16.230 --> 00:05:18.389 descendants went on to become chiefs. I mean, 00:05:18.410 --> 00:05:19.990 this is a history that spans three continents 00:05:19.990 --> 00:05:22.310 and vastly different cultures. You've got Manhattan 00:05:22.310 --> 00:05:25.170 privilege, Ukrainian Jewish heritage, and Mohawk 00:05:25.170 --> 00:05:27.680 chieftain lineage. How fascinating is that? An 00:05:27.680 --> 00:05:30.019 artist whose comedy relies so heavily on the 00:05:30.019 --> 00:05:33.360 current immediate personal reality carries a 00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:35.899 genealogy that is so deeply intertwined with 00:05:35.899 --> 00:05:38.240 early American colonial history and indigenous 00:05:38.240 --> 00:05:41.720 culture. It's wow. It really speaks to the vastness 00:05:41.720 --> 00:05:43.740 of the American experience kind of condensed 00:05:43.740 --> 00:05:46.759 into one performer. And, you know, to connect 00:05:46.759 --> 00:05:49.000 it back to contemporary politics, we also have 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:52.079 to note her notable kinship. She is the second 00:05:52.079 --> 00:05:54.939 cousin, once removed, of U .S. Senator and current 00:05:54.939 --> 00:05:57.199 Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Right, 00:05:57.420 --> 00:05:59.240 the Schumer connection. Yeah, and that political 00:05:59.240 --> 00:06:01.720 DNA definitely becomes relevant later in her 00:06:01.720 --> 00:06:04.120 career when she gets into activism. Okay, so 00:06:04.120 --> 00:06:06.100 with that really complex background, let's pinpoint 00:06:06.100 --> 00:06:08.459 the moment the comedy officially launched. She 00:06:08.459 --> 00:06:10.759 had the formal theater degree, but the official 00:06:10.759 --> 00:06:13.240 debut of her stand -up career happened on her 00:06:13.240 --> 00:06:17.180 birthday, June 1, 2004, at the Gotham Comedy 00:06:17.180 --> 00:06:20.370 Club. Right, Gotham. But we should remember that 00:06:20.370 --> 00:06:22.970 even before that initial stand -up set, she was 00:06:22.970 --> 00:06:26.470 already testing her acting chops. Ah, okay. She 00:06:26.470 --> 00:06:28.350 portrayed a young woman diagnosed with breast 00:06:28.350 --> 00:06:30.870 cancer in an off -off -Broadway black comedy 00:06:30.870 --> 00:06:34.689 called Keeping a Breast. So that confirms her 00:06:34.689 --> 00:06:37.410 original ambition wasn't purely, you know, observational 00:06:37.410 --> 00:06:39.629 stand -up. It was always tied to performance 00:06:39.629 --> 00:06:42.980 and character work. Interesting. Now, the moment 00:06:42.980 --> 00:06:44.879 most people probably identified as her initial 00:06:44.879 --> 00:06:47.779 exposure was her appearance on the reality competition 00:06:47.779 --> 00:06:51.019 show Last Comic Standing. Right. LCS. She placed 00:06:51.019 --> 00:06:53.939 fourth in season five back in 2007. That show 00:06:53.939 --> 00:06:56.420 is like the ultimate crucible for stand up talent. 00:06:56.600 --> 00:06:59.120 It is. Yeah. But interestingly, she noted that 00:06:59.120 --> 00:07:02.040 she approached LCS with what she called no pressure, 00:07:02.199 --> 00:07:05.000 maybe because she had tried and failed to audition 00:07:05.000 --> 00:07:07.879 for an earlier season. So this kind of low stakes 00:07:07.879 --> 00:07:10.060 approach might have allowed her raw style to 00:07:10.060 --> 00:07:12.459 shine. through rather than trying to fit some 00:07:12.459 --> 00:07:15.379 kind of reality TV mold, you know? That makes 00:07:15.379 --> 00:07:17.439 sense. She later clarified, though, that the 00:07:17.439 --> 00:07:19.420 moment she felt she had truly broken through 00:07:19.420 --> 00:07:21.959 that big break was actually a Live at Gotham 00:07:21.959 --> 00:07:24.199 episode she did for Comedy Central. Yeah, she 00:07:24.199 --> 00:07:26.319 pointed to that specifically. And that distinction 00:07:26.319 --> 00:07:28.980 is important, I think. It suggests that breaking 00:07:28.980 --> 00:07:31.899 through on her own terms with her authentic voice 00:07:31.899 --> 00:07:35.040 felt more significant to her than just succeeding 00:07:35.040 --> 00:07:37.139 in a competitive environment. Totally agree. 00:07:37.560 --> 00:07:40.920 And by the late 2000s, her media profile was 00:07:40.920 --> 00:07:44.060 growing rapidly. She co -starred in that reality 00:07:44.060 --> 00:07:47.120 show, Reality Bites, back in 2008, and started 00:07:47.120 --> 00:07:49.779 racking up important guest roles, including appearances 00:07:49.779 --> 00:07:53.259 on some... really prestige sitcoms and comedy 00:07:53.259 --> 00:07:57.000 series like 30 Rock, Delocated, Curb Your Enthusiasm, 00:07:57.100 --> 00:07:59.939 and Girls. Wow, those are big gets. Yeah, she's 00:07:59.939 --> 00:08:01.879 making the necessary connections in the New York 00:08:01.879 --> 00:08:03.939 and L .A. comedy scenes, definitely putting in 00:08:03.939 --> 00:08:06.639 the work. And this period also saw the formalization 00:08:06.639 --> 00:08:09.439 of her comedic philosophy, right? She released 00:08:09.439 --> 00:08:12.680 the album Cutting in 2011, and the special Mostly 00:08:12.680 --> 00:08:15.560 Sex Stuff premiered in 2012. Yeah, that title. 00:08:15.850 --> 00:08:18.029 That material was foundational. And the name 00:08:18.029 --> 00:08:20.509 itself, Mostly Sex Stuff, pretty much tells you 00:08:20.509 --> 00:08:23.230 exactly which of her chosen genres she was leaning 00:08:23.230 --> 00:08:26.149 into hard. Right. This is where the evolution 00:08:26.149 --> 00:08:29.350 of her blue comedy really became defining. She 00:08:29.350 --> 00:08:32.190 explicitly rejected what she termed the observational 00:08:32.190 --> 00:08:34.470 stuff. She wasn't interested in talking about, 00:08:34.509 --> 00:08:37.169 you know, airport food or those mundane differences 00:08:37.169 --> 00:08:39.909 between men and women. OK. Her stated preference 00:08:39.909 --> 00:08:42.629 was to tackle the darkest, most serious thing 00:08:42.629 --> 00:08:46.179 about yourself. And that mandate meant focusing 00:08:46.179 --> 00:08:49.659 heavily on life, sex, personal stories and the 00:08:49.659 --> 00:08:51.779 societal contradictions that she felt audiences 00:08:51.779 --> 00:08:54.840 both related to and maybe often felt uncomfortable 00:08:54.840 --> 00:08:57.779 confronting. That willingness to go dark and 00:08:57.779 --> 00:09:00.320 personal. Well, it made her a perfect fit for 00:09:00.320 --> 00:09:02.539 a particular type of comedy performance. The 00:09:02.539 --> 00:09:04.899 roast. Oh, yeah. Being able to deliver sharp, 00:09:05.039 --> 00:09:07.720 brutal, personalized insults is a whole different 00:09:07.720 --> 00:09:10.440 skill set than confessional stand -up. She appeared 00:09:10.440 --> 00:09:12.419 as a roaster on the Comedy Central Roast of Charlie 00:09:12.419 --> 00:09:15.059 Sheen in 2011. Which was huge. And the Comedy 00:09:15.059 --> 00:09:17.419 Central Roast of Roseanne Barr in 2012. Those 00:09:17.419 --> 00:09:20.440 roasts provided crucial exposure and really demonstrated 00:09:20.440 --> 00:09:23.539 her versatility. And concurrently, she was beginning 00:09:23.539 --> 00:09:26.120 to make her first steps in future films. She 00:09:26.120 --> 00:09:28.100 acted in those independent projects Price Check 00:09:28.100 --> 00:09:32.120 and Sleepwalk With Me in 2012 and the more widely 00:09:32.120 --> 00:09:35.340 seen comedy drama Seeking a Friend for the End 00:09:35.340 --> 00:09:38.879 of the World that same year. So by the close 00:09:38.879 --> 00:09:40.559 of this foundational period, she was no longer 00:09:40.559 --> 00:09:43.179 just a stand -up. She was really a multifaceted 00:09:43.179 --> 00:09:45.500 talent ready to take full creative control of 00:09:45.500 --> 00:09:47.879 her vision. And the moment she gained that creative 00:09:47.879 --> 00:09:50.960 control really ushered in her peak period of 00:09:50.960 --> 00:09:53.460 critical and commercial success across multiple 00:09:53.460 --> 00:09:56.460 formats. That series, of course, was Inside Amy 00:09:56.460 --> 00:09:58.480 Schumer, which premiered on Comedy Central in 00:09:58.480 --> 00:10:01.320 2014. Yes. And what made the show so brilliant 00:10:01.320 --> 00:10:03.840 was its structure, which was just highly effective 00:10:03.840 --> 00:10:06.360 for her unique comedic blend. It wasn't just 00:10:06.360 --> 00:10:08.700 a standard sketch show. Right. It featured these 00:10:08.700 --> 00:10:10.700 single camera vignettes where she played what 00:10:10.700 --> 00:10:12.960 she called heightened versions of herself. But 00:10:12.960 --> 00:10:15.019 it was all expertly linked together with footage 00:10:15.019 --> 00:10:16.850 from her. her own stand -up. Yeah, it gave it 00:10:16.850 --> 00:10:19.850 this personal, almost documentary feel. Exactly. 00:10:19.970 --> 00:10:22.950 And the show allowed her to pivot wildly between 00:10:22.950 --> 00:10:26.110 different comedic genres just in a single 22 00:10:26.110 --> 00:10:29.289 -minute slot. She could shift from biting feminist 00:10:29.289 --> 00:10:31.929 satire like that famous skit critiquing impossible 00:10:31.929 --> 00:10:34.649 beauty standards, Girl, You Don't Need Makeup. 00:10:34.649 --> 00:10:38.110 Oh, yeah, that was huge. To raw blue comedy about 00:10:38.110 --> 00:10:40.350 relationships, all in one sitting. It was really 00:10:40.350 --> 00:10:42.679 something. And the critical reception was just 00:10:42.679 --> 00:10:44.980 overwhelming. The series ran for four seasons 00:10:44.980 --> 00:10:48.279 until 2016, and was not just a ratings success, 00:10:48.379 --> 00:10:51.320 but an institutional one. It won the prestigious 00:10:51.320 --> 00:10:54.799 Peabody Award. Which is huge recognition in media. 00:10:54.960 --> 00:10:57.899 Huge. And most notably, the 2015 Primetime Emmy 00:10:57.899 --> 00:11:00.039 Award for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series. 00:11:00.220 --> 00:11:04.039 It won from five total nominations. This established 00:11:04.039 --> 00:11:07.059 her not merely as a comedian, but as, like... 00:11:07.340 --> 00:11:09.740 A significant social commentator. Definitely. 00:11:09.820 --> 00:11:12.580 And that success immediately translated to the 00:11:12.580 --> 00:11:14.639 big screen, allowing her to make that really 00:11:14.639 --> 00:11:17.279 challenging leap from television writing to feature 00:11:17.279 --> 00:11:20.419 film screenwriting. In 2015, Train Direct premiered. 00:11:20.419 --> 00:11:22.399 Right. And she not only starred in it, but also 00:11:22.399 --> 00:11:24.259 wrote the screenplay. That decision to write 00:11:24.259 --> 00:11:26.480 her own vehicle was so key, wasn't it? Absolutely. 00:11:26.700 --> 00:11:28.879 It ensured her authentic voice, the one homed 00:11:28.879 --> 00:11:31.419 in years of stand -up and sketch writing, dictated 00:11:31.419 --> 00:11:34.019 the narrative. The film was a critical and commercial 00:11:34.019 --> 00:11:36.950 smash. It earned her a Golden Globe nomination 00:11:36.950 --> 00:11:39.529 for Best Actress Motion Picture Comedy or Musical. 00:11:39.690 --> 00:11:42.509 It proved her deeply personal, often kind of 00:11:42.509 --> 00:11:45.450 chaotic, comedic style could actually sustain 00:11:45.450 --> 00:11:47.950 a feature -length narrative within the studio 00:11:47.950 --> 00:11:50.529 system. And she really cemented her status as 00:11:50.529 --> 00:11:52.509 a leading woman with subsequent starring roles, 00:11:52.710 --> 00:11:57.230 Snatched in 2017 and I Feel Pretty in 2018. Right. 00:11:57.350 --> 00:12:00.070 And it's important to keep underscoring her commitment 00:12:00.070 --> 00:12:03.019 to autonomy. She produced I Feel Pretty as well. 00:12:03.139 --> 00:12:05.919 Good point. This constant pursuit of creative 00:12:05.919 --> 00:12:09.860 control is really a defining motif. And we also 00:12:09.860 --> 00:12:12.500 know she was planning this incredibly high profile 00:12:12.500 --> 00:12:15.259 collaboration. a film co -written with Jennifer 00:12:15.259 --> 00:12:17.799 Lawrence. Whoa. And her sister, Kim Caramel, 00:12:17.980 --> 00:12:20.200 who's also a respected comedy writer and producer. 00:12:20.700 --> 00:12:23.139 Now, while the project was ultimately put on 00:12:23.139 --> 00:12:25.659 the back burner, the mere fact that she was initiating 00:12:25.659 --> 00:12:27.799 and co -writing a movie with another A -list 00:12:27.799 --> 00:12:30.500 star and her own writing partner just confirms 00:12:30.500 --> 00:12:32.399 her standing, you know, right at the center of 00:12:32.399 --> 00:12:34.000 Hollywood's creative landscape at that time. 00:12:34.080 --> 00:12:36.480 Absolutely. But perhaps the most surprising pivot 00:12:36.480 --> 00:12:38.919 during this peak period was her decision to dive 00:12:38.919 --> 00:12:41.450 into legitimate theater. Yeah, Broadway. In 2017 00:12:41.450 --> 00:12:45.549 -2018, she made her Broadway debut in the Steve 00:12:45.549 --> 00:12:48.730 Martin play Meteor Shower. That's a fundamentally 00:12:48.730 --> 00:12:51.169 different discipline than film or stand -up. 00:12:51.210 --> 00:12:53.269 Totally different. And she didn't just participate, 00:12:53.509 --> 00:12:57.149 she excelled. She earned a Tony Award nomination 00:12:57.149 --> 00:13:01.350 for Best Actress in a Play. A Tony nom! That's 00:13:01.350 --> 00:13:04.370 huge! It's a massive distinction to be recognized 00:13:04.370 --> 00:13:07.070 for dramatic performance on the highest stage 00:13:07.070 --> 00:13:10.070 in live theater. And critics acknowledge this. 00:13:10.620 --> 00:13:12.720 One noted that the show would likely never have 00:13:12.720 --> 00:13:15.340 made it this far without the marquee draw of 00:13:15.340 --> 00:13:17.679 Schumer making her Broadway debut. So she had 00:13:17.679 --> 00:13:20.279 power as a draw too. Demonstrating her power 00:13:20.279 --> 00:13:22.200 not just as a performer, but as a commercial 00:13:22.200 --> 00:13:24.919 force. Absolutely. And alongside her stage and 00:13:24.919 --> 00:13:27.220 screen work, she somehow found time for literary 00:13:27.220 --> 00:13:30.340 success. She penned the memoir, The Girl with 00:13:30.340 --> 00:13:33.019 the Lower Back Tattoo, in 2016. Which is everywhere. 00:13:33.299 --> 00:13:35.320 Which immediately validated her crossover appeal 00:13:35.320 --> 00:13:37.740 by hitting the number one spot on the New York 00:13:37.740 --> 00:13:40.379 Times nonfiction bestseller list for two consecutive 00:13:40.379 --> 00:13:42.519 weeks. And that book brought her another unique 00:13:42.519 --> 00:13:45.379 accolade, a Grammy nomination. In this period, 00:13:45.419 --> 00:13:48.519 she actually secured two Grammy nods, Best Comedy 00:13:48.519 --> 00:13:51.820 Album for Live at the Apollo in 2015, and Best 00:13:51.820 --> 00:13:54.480 Spoken Word Album for narrating her own memoir 00:13:54.480 --> 00:13:58.340 in 2016. Okay, so Emmy, Tony Nom. Golden Globe 00:13:58.340 --> 00:14:01.860 nom to Grammy noms. Yeah. The simultaneous recognition 00:14:01.860 --> 00:14:05.399 across all those major platforms truly underscores 00:14:05.399 --> 00:14:08.419 the breadth and frankly, the undeniable success 00:14:08.419 --> 00:14:11.200 of this era for her. All right. Moving into the 00:14:11.200 --> 00:14:13.580 2020s, the focus of her creative output seemed 00:14:13.580 --> 00:14:16.620 to shift a bit, leaning heavily into domesticity 00:14:16.620 --> 00:14:18.320 and what we've kind of termed radical health 00:14:18.320 --> 00:14:21.500 transparency. This was, in part, definitely a 00:14:21.500 --> 00:14:24.220 response to the global circumstances of the time, 00:14:24.259 --> 00:14:26.899 right? The pandemic. Yes, exactly. The pandemic 00:14:26.899 --> 00:14:29.159 forced this creative reset for a lot of people. 00:14:29.200 --> 00:14:31.700 And for her, it led to Amy Schumer Learns to 00:14:31.700 --> 00:14:33.899 Cook on Food Network. I remember that. Yeah, 00:14:33.940 --> 00:14:36.220 it was an eight episode show, self -shot, while 00:14:36.220 --> 00:14:38.059 she and her husband, Chef Chris Fisher, were 00:14:38.059 --> 00:14:41.340 quarantined. It offered this raw, almost accidental 00:14:41.340 --> 00:14:44.279 window into their domestic life, which contrasted 00:14:44.279 --> 00:14:46.940 pretty sharply with her normally polished, often 00:14:46.940 --> 00:14:49.600 much raunchier material. Right. It felt different. 00:14:49.639 --> 00:14:51.980 And it was more than just a novelty cooking show, 00:14:52.059 --> 00:14:54.320 too. The sources highlight that she used the 00:14:54.320 --> 00:14:57.220 platform for advocacy, donating proceeds and 00:14:57.220 --> 00:14:59.879 awareness to organizations like the Coalition 00:14:59.879 --> 00:15:02.840 of Immokalee Workers Fair Food Program. That's 00:15:02.840 --> 00:15:04.360 right. It showed a commitment to blending her 00:15:04.360 --> 00:15:06.860 public profile with immediate charitable action. 00:15:07.019 --> 00:15:10.590 A nice touch. Yeah. But the deeper shift, I think, 00:15:10.590 --> 00:15:13.210 came with her documentary work focusing on motherhood 00:15:13.210 --> 00:15:16.450 and health struggles. Expecting Amy, which premiered 00:15:16.450 --> 00:15:19.940 on HBO Max in 2020. That was a documentary series 00:15:19.940 --> 00:15:22.779 she created and executive produced, and it chronicled 00:15:22.779 --> 00:15:25.639 her extremely challenging, often really debilitating 00:15:25.639 --> 00:15:28.179 pregnancy journey, all while she was simultaneously 00:15:28.179 --> 00:15:30.960 preparing for a major standup special. The level 00:15:30.960 --> 00:15:33.419 of intimate disclosure there was, well, it became 00:15:33.419 --> 00:15:35.559 her trademark, really. It did. And she continued 00:15:35.559 --> 00:15:37.559 this in her recent, more scripted output, too. 00:15:37.679 --> 00:15:40.159 She is the creator, writer, director and star 00:15:40.159 --> 00:15:42.720 of the Hulu comedy series Life and Beth, which 00:15:42.720 --> 00:15:47.669 ran from 2022 to 2024. Right. and, notably, her 00:15:47.669 --> 00:15:50.049 award -winning sketch show. Inside Amy Schumer. 00:15:50.169 --> 00:15:53.730 It actually returned in 2022 with five specials 00:15:53.730 --> 00:15:55.669 released through Paramount Plus after its hiatus. 00:15:55.970 --> 00:15:58.149 So she went back to that well. Back to the well. 00:15:58.509 --> 00:16:00.730 She's also maintained a steady presence in feature 00:16:00.730 --> 00:16:03.350 films, appearing in the dramatic, critically 00:16:03.350 --> 00:16:07.149 praised ensemble film The Humans in 2021. It 00:16:07.149 --> 00:16:09.210 was a different kind of role for her. Yeah, definitely. 00:16:09.509 --> 00:16:12.690 And took a hilarious, scene -stealing guest role 00:16:12.690 --> 00:16:15.470 as Eleanor Roosevelt in the romantic comedy bros 00:16:15.470 --> 00:16:18.320 in 2022. That was fun. More recently, she joined 00:16:18.320 --> 00:16:20.539 the massive ensemble cast for Jerry Seinfeld's 00:16:20.539 --> 00:16:23.519 film, Unfrosted, and has her upcoming film, Kinda 00:16:23.519 --> 00:16:26.080 Pregnant, set for 2025, which she also wrote. 00:16:26.200 --> 00:16:28.820 Right, back to writing her own stuff. And crucially, 00:16:28.879 --> 00:16:31.480 she continues to direct her own stand -up specials, 00:16:31.480 --> 00:16:34.019 maintaining that full creative oversight. Her 00:16:34.019 --> 00:16:36.820 2023 special, Emergency Contact, she directed 00:16:36.820 --> 00:16:39.480 herself. Ensuring the delivery and presentation 00:16:39.480 --> 00:16:41.820 of her material remain entirely within her control. 00:16:42.139 --> 00:16:45.070 That seems key for her. Yeah. And on the personal 00:16:45.070 --> 00:16:47.769 front, her health journey has become, like, intrinsically 00:16:47.769 --> 00:16:50.629 linked to her public persona. After marrying 00:16:50.629 --> 00:16:53.450 chef farmer Chris Fisher in 2018 and welcoming 00:16:53.450 --> 00:16:56.789 their son, Gene, in 2019, the difficult nature 00:16:56.789 --> 00:16:59.730 of her pregnancy was fully disclosed. Gene was 00:16:59.730 --> 00:17:02.110 born via C -section due to her struggle with 00:17:02.110 --> 00:17:04.549 endometriosis. Right. And she did not shy away 00:17:04.549 --> 00:17:07.089 from the gravity of that condition. In September 00:17:07.089 --> 00:17:10.529 2021, she publicly shared her decision to undergo 00:17:10.529 --> 00:17:13.279 a hysterectomy to alleviate the severe... severe 00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:16.539 symptoms of endometriosis. Very open about it. 00:17:16.740 --> 00:17:19.640 Extremely open. And this pattern of using her 00:17:19.640 --> 00:17:21.480 platform to shine a light on difficult chronic 00:17:21.480 --> 00:17:24.720 conditions continued very recently. In February 00:17:24.720 --> 00:17:26.960 2024, she announced that she had been diagnosed 00:17:26.960 --> 00:17:29.660 with Cushing's syndrome. Wow. Utilizing her visibility 00:17:29.660 --> 00:17:32.099 once again to educate the public and normalize 00:17:32.099 --> 00:17:34.900 conversations around complex, often invisible 00:17:34.900 --> 00:17:38.279 illnesses. This consistent radical self -disclosure 00:17:38.279 --> 00:17:40.700 is really key to her current relevance, I think. 00:17:40.759 --> 00:17:42.960 I agree. It's become a major part of her brand, 00:17:43.039 --> 00:17:44.599 for better or worse, depending on who you ask. 00:17:44.910 --> 00:17:47.589 OK, now we arrive at this pivotal, maybe the 00:17:47.589 --> 00:17:50.910 most complex section of her career, media perception, 00:17:51.069 --> 00:17:53.609 which is just defined by this massive gap between 00:17:53.609 --> 00:17:56.950 institutional recognition and, well, intense 00:17:56.950 --> 00:17:59.990 public controversy. It's a huge gap. The institutional 00:17:59.990 --> 00:18:03.740 support is undeniable. In 2015, that high point 00:18:03.740 --> 00:18:06.039 of her sketch show success, she was recognized 00:18:06.039 --> 00:18:08.440 as one of Time magazine's 100 most influential 00:18:08.440 --> 00:18:11.559 people and one of Barbara Walters' 10 most fascinating 00:18:11.559 --> 00:18:14.680 people. Big honors. Huge. Her comedy was widely 00:18:14.680 --> 00:18:17.079 hailed for tackling significant social issues 00:18:17.079 --> 00:18:21.140 through comedy, specifically sex, feminism, commentary 00:18:21.140 --> 00:18:23.779 on rape culture, often achieving this through 00:18:23.779 --> 00:18:26.779 those viral attention -grabbing Inside Amy Schumer 00:18:26.779 --> 00:18:29.339 skits. Right. But we absolutely have to place 00:18:29.339 --> 00:18:31.480 that acclaim directly alongside the significant... 00:18:31.529 --> 00:18:34.029 public criticism she has faced, particularly 00:18:34.029 --> 00:18:36.170 regarding social identity and race. Yeah, that's 00:18:36.170 --> 00:18:38.089 unavoidable. She faced substantial sustained 00:18:38.089 --> 00:18:41.390 criticism in both 2015 and again in 2020 concerning 00:18:41.390 --> 00:18:43.650 what critics identified as a large blind spot 00:18:43.650 --> 00:18:46.029 around race. And the specifics of that criticism 00:18:46.029 --> 00:18:49.259 are important for impartial reporting here. The 00:18:49.259 --> 00:18:51.400 allegations included the use of jokes involving 00:18:51.400 --> 00:18:55.160 race, claims of objectifying black men and utilizing 00:18:55.160 --> 00:18:58.880 jokes that called Latina women crazy or relied 00:18:58.880 --> 00:19:01.079 on racial stereotypes. Right. And this wasn't 00:19:01.079 --> 00:19:03.339 just isolated. It was a conversation that seemed 00:19:03.339 --> 00:19:05.960 to reemerge repeatedly regarding the content 00:19:05.960 --> 00:19:09.140 of her sketches and stand up. It did. Now, we 00:19:09.140 --> 00:19:12.130 also have to report her documented defense. In 00:19:12.130 --> 00:19:14.809 response to the 2015 criticism, Schumer released 00:19:14.809 --> 00:19:17.089 a statement on Twitter vehemently denying being 00:19:17.089 --> 00:19:20.549 racist. She argued that she uses dumb jokes involving 00:19:20.549 --> 00:19:23.609 race as part of playing a specific comedic persona, 00:19:23.910 --> 00:19:27.410 an irreverent idiot. So satire defense. Essentially, 00:19:27.430 --> 00:19:30.029 yeah. Her defense was that she was using satire 00:19:30.029 --> 00:19:32.390 and character work to push boundaries, often 00:19:32.390 --> 00:19:34.769 self -deprecatingly, even if the material was 00:19:34.769 --> 00:19:37.299 perceived by some as offensive. Okay. Then there 00:19:37.299 --> 00:19:39.500 is the major shadow cast by the joke -stealing 00:19:39.500 --> 00:19:41.720 allegations, which really reached a peak in 2016. 00:19:42.200 --> 00:19:44.700 Ugh, yeah, that's the killer accusation for a 00:19:44.700 --> 00:19:47.880 comedian. Totally. Several established comedians, 00:19:47.920 --> 00:19:51.400 notably Tammy Pescatelli, Kathleen Madigan, Wendy 00:19:51.400 --> 00:19:53.759 Liebman, and even Patrice O 'Neill posthumously, 00:19:53.880 --> 00:19:56.839 accused her of lifting or heavily borrowing material. 00:19:57.200 --> 00:20:00.359 And Schumer met these claims with a full -throated, 00:20:00.440 --> 00:20:03.980 very emotional denial. She even publicly offered 00:20:03.980 --> 00:20:06.480 to take a lie detector test to prove she never 00:20:06.480 --> 00:20:09.039 stole material. I remember that. While one accuser, 00:20:09.039 --> 00:20:11.900 Tammy Pescatelli, did initially apologize, she 00:20:11.900 --> 00:20:14.539 later retracted that apology, attributing the 00:20:14.539 --> 00:20:17.839 similarities instead to parallel thinking. But 00:20:17.839 --> 00:20:20.000 the controversy was amplified dramatically online. 00:20:20.640 --> 00:20:23.019 The sources note that a specific YouTube compilation 00:20:23.019 --> 00:20:26.119 showcasing alleged instances of overlap garnered 00:20:26.119 --> 00:20:29.779 over 9 .4 million views. Wow, 9 .4 million. Yeah, 00:20:29.819 --> 00:20:31.920 demonstrating the immense public reaction this 00:20:31.920 --> 00:20:34.200 specific controversy had. It really struck a 00:20:34.200 --> 00:20:36.140 nerve. It's just remarkable to see an artist 00:20:36.140 --> 00:20:38.299 juggle such high -level creative recognition 00:20:38.299 --> 00:20:41.000 while simultaneously dealing with such intense 00:20:41.000 --> 00:20:43.400 public scrutiny and these really detailed allegations 00:20:43.400 --> 00:20:46.599 of impropriety. It really is. Yet balancing this 00:20:46.599 --> 00:20:49.160 controversy is her highly visible public activism, 00:20:49.420 --> 00:20:51.859 which she definitely leverages using her platform. 00:20:52.299 --> 00:20:55.099 Right. Following that devastating fatal shooting 00:20:55.099 --> 00:20:57.880 at a Louisiana showing of her film Trainwreck 00:20:57.880 --> 00:21:00.779 back in 2015. It's awful. Awful. She became a 00:21:00.779 --> 00:21:03.140 serious advocate for stricter gun control laws 00:21:03.140 --> 00:21:06.240 and increased mental health funding, often appearing 00:21:06.240 --> 00:21:08.619 alongside her relative, Senator Chuck Schumer, 00:21:08.720 --> 00:21:11.839 to maximize her policy voice. Using that connection. 00:21:11.940 --> 00:21:14.920 And her political action isn't limited to gun 00:21:14.920 --> 00:21:18.039 control. In 2018, she was arrested at the U .S. 00:21:18.039 --> 00:21:20.740 Capitol while protesting the controversial nomination 00:21:20.740 --> 00:21:22.980 of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. OK, 00:21:23.059 --> 00:21:25.180 so direct action, too. Direct action. Furthermore, 00:21:25.759 --> 00:21:28.519 she's actively supported voter rights, working 00:21:28.519 --> 00:21:31.039 with the organization Voter Riders to raise awareness 00:21:31.039 --> 00:21:33.779 about voter ID requirements and encourage turnout. 00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:36.460 And very recently, she took a stance on a major 00:21:36.460 --> 00:21:40.000 international conflict. In October 2023, she 00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:42.640 was one of over 700 Hollywood professionals who 00:21:42.640 --> 00:21:45.359 signed an open letter condemning Hamas and demanding 00:21:45.359 --> 00:21:47.880 the release of hostages held in Gaza. The letter 00:21:47.880 --> 00:21:50.480 was notable for specifically cautioning against 00:21:50.480 --> 00:21:53.279 what it called orchestrated misinformation campaigns 00:21:53.279 --> 00:21:57.500 on social media. So she consistently uses her 00:21:57.500 --> 00:22:00.259 platform to take visible, sometimes politically 00:22:00.259 --> 00:22:04.059 polarizing, stances on issues she cares about. 00:22:04.119 --> 00:22:05.880 No question about that. She's not afraid to speak 00:22:05.880 --> 00:22:09.150 out. career, we can clearly trace the lineage 00:22:09.150 --> 00:22:11.309 of her comedy, which I think provides context 00:22:11.309 --> 00:22:13.950 for the high wire act she performs. Yeah. Looking 00:22:13.950 --> 00:22:16.450 at her influences is really telling. Her stated 00:22:16.450 --> 00:22:19.569 influences read like a history of boundary breaking 00:22:19.569 --> 00:22:22.930 female comedians. She cites giants like Wendy 00:22:22.930 --> 00:22:25.890 Liebman for her sharp wit. Carol Burnett and 00:22:25.890 --> 00:22:28.410 Lucille Ball for physical comedy and sketch work. 00:22:28.569 --> 00:22:31.980 Joan Rivers for pioneering that. unapologetic, 00:22:31.980 --> 00:22:34.339 often dark humor. Can definitely see the river's 00:22:34.339 --> 00:22:36.299 connection. Totally. And she even called actress 00:22:36.299 --> 00:22:39.000 and producer Goldie Hawn one of her heroes. This 00:22:39.000 --> 00:22:41.420 highlights her appreciation for strong, pioneering 00:22:41.420 --> 00:22:44.059 women who demanded agency and visibility in comedy. 00:22:44.299 --> 00:22:46.319 Absolutely. And if we just summarize the sheer 00:22:46.319 --> 00:22:49.240 scope of her accolades again, the diversity of 00:22:49.240 --> 00:22:52.500 her wins and nominations is truly pretty unmatched 00:22:52.500 --> 00:22:56.109 for a contemporary comedian. It really is. We've 00:22:56.109 --> 00:22:58.349 discussed the Emmy win for Inside Amy Schumer 00:22:58.349 --> 00:23:01.190 for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series. We have 00:23:01.190 --> 00:23:03.849 the Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Play 00:23:03.849 --> 00:23:06.230 for Meteor Shower. Then those Grammy nominations, 00:23:06.670 --> 00:23:09.450 Best Comedy Album and Best Spoken Word Album, 00:23:09.490 --> 00:23:12.289 confirming her ability to generate revenue and 00:23:12.289 --> 00:23:15.190 prestige from both performance and prose. Right. 00:23:15.309 --> 00:23:18.569 On the film front, she has the Golden Globe nomination 00:23:18.569 --> 00:23:21.049 for Trainwreck, and she won the Critics' Choice 00:23:21.049 --> 00:23:23.369 Movie Award for Best Actress in a Comedy for 00:23:23.369 --> 00:23:26.329 that same film. Big wins there. Definitely. And 00:23:26.329 --> 00:23:28.710 perhaps the most telling institutional accolade, 00:23:28.849 --> 00:23:31.049 which maybe often gets less attention than the 00:23:31.049 --> 00:23:35.349 Emmys or Tonys, is her 2015 win of the TCA Award 00:23:35.349 --> 00:23:38.089 for Individual Achievement in Comedy. TCA Television 00:23:38.089 --> 00:23:40.910 Critics Association. Exactly. And this particular 00:23:40.910 --> 00:23:42.829 award is voted on by critics and journalists 00:23:42.829 --> 00:23:45.089 who cover television professionally. So this 00:23:45.089 --> 00:23:47.410 puts her in a really select category of artists 00:23:47.410 --> 00:23:50.109 recognized not just by the industry itself, but 00:23:50.109 --> 00:23:52.609 by those who analyze the art form. That's a significant 00:23:52.609 --> 00:23:54.910 one. But this brings us right back to the defining 00:23:54.910 --> 00:23:57.430 duality of her career, the radical polarization 00:23:57.430 --> 00:24:00.390 of recognition. It's unavoidable. We just listed 00:24:00.390 --> 00:24:03.089 the Peabody, the Emmy, the Tony nomination, the 00:24:03.089 --> 00:24:06.130 Critics' Choice, the TCA Award. I mean, honors 00:24:06.130 --> 00:24:08.589 that place her among the most respected, influential 00:24:08.589 --> 00:24:12.369 talents working today. And yet, we must note 00:24:12.369 --> 00:24:15.980 the immediate juxtaposition. Simultaneously earning 00:24:15.980 --> 00:24:18.339 these highest measures of institutional support, 00:24:18.599 --> 00:24:21.400 she also collects formal measures of ridicule. 00:24:21.460 --> 00:24:24.579 Right. We have to include her 2024 Golden Raspberry 00:24:24.579 --> 00:24:28.200 Award, or RASI, win for worst supporting actress 00:24:28.200 --> 00:24:31.240 for her role in the film, Unfrosted. You're RASI. 00:24:31.339 --> 00:24:33.759 Okay. She exists at the absolute highest and 00:24:33.759 --> 00:24:36.259 lowest extremes of the critical spectrum, sometimes 00:24:36.259 --> 00:24:38.700 within the same calendar year. It's kind of wild. 00:24:39.019 --> 00:24:40.880 She is an artist who receives the highest critical 00:24:40.880 --> 00:24:42.619 honor from the Television Critics Association 00:24:42.619 --> 00:24:45.279 for her comedy, while simultaneously facing claims 00:24:45.279 --> 00:24:48.140 of joke theft and being awarded the Razzie. The 00:24:48.140 --> 00:24:50.460 existence of these two opposing realities is 00:24:50.460 --> 00:24:52.619 perhaps the most unique aspect of her legacy. 00:24:52.839 --> 00:24:55.170 It has to be. it's fascinatingly contradictory 00:24:55.170 --> 00:24:58.750 hashtag tag outro so when we synthesize all the 00:24:58.750 --> 00:25:00.849 knowledge gained from the dramatic financial 00:25:00.849 --> 00:25:03.430 reversals of her childhood and her you know unique 00:25:03.430 --> 00:25:06.789 mohawk ancestry all the way through her ability 00:25:06.789 --> 00:25:09.710 to achieve an emmy and a tony nomination while 00:25:09.710 --> 00:25:12.210 weathering these intense personal and professional 00:25:12.210 --> 00:25:16.549 controversies we see a career defined by relentless 00:25:16.549 --> 00:25:20.450 transformation and the courage really to leverage 00:25:20.450 --> 00:25:24.450 her most vulnerable self yeah and What ultimately 00:25:24.450 --> 00:25:26.809 defines her unique appeal and critical lens, 00:25:26.910 --> 00:25:29.130 I think, is that recurring theme of radical self 00:25:29.130 --> 00:25:31.390 -disclosure we talked about. Her work, whether 00:25:31.390 --> 00:25:33.869 it's her memoir, the documentary detailing her 00:25:33.869 --> 00:25:36.670 painful pregnancy and expecting Amy, or her very 00:25:36.670 --> 00:25:38.650 public discussions of chronic health struggles 00:25:38.650 --> 00:25:41.670 like endometriosis and Cushing syndrome, it places 00:25:41.670 --> 00:25:43.650 her unfiltered life directly in the spotlight. 00:25:43.990 --> 00:25:47.029 That transparency is the high -risk gamble that 00:25:47.029 --> 00:25:49.910 gives her comedy its distinct, powerful, and, 00:25:49.910 --> 00:25:53.740 yes, often polarizing edge. Well said. This leaves 00:25:53.740 --> 00:25:56.180 us with a provocative thought for you, the listener, 00:25:56.259 --> 00:25:58.599 to consider. Amy Schumer's career simultaneously 00:25:58.599 --> 00:26:00.880 earns her the highest accolades in entertainment. 00:26:01.240 --> 00:26:03.859 Emmy, Tony nominations, Critics' Choice Awards, 00:26:04.119 --> 00:26:06.900 and the most critical ridicule and formal dishonors 00:26:06.900 --> 00:26:09.539 like the Razzie Award and those repeated, highly 00:26:09.539 --> 00:26:12.700 publicized joke theft claims. Right. The full 00:26:12.700 --> 00:26:15.359 spectrum. The full spectrum. So what does this 00:26:15.359 --> 00:26:18.539 extreme polarization, where an artist is considered 00:26:18.539 --> 00:26:20.539 both among the most influential and the worst 00:26:20.539 --> 00:26:22.960 in the same period, what is... that tell us about 00:26:22.960 --> 00:26:25.160 the state of comedy today and the reception of 00:26:25.160 --> 00:26:27.420 personal boundary -pushing humor in our current 00:26:27.420 --> 00:26:29.920 highly charged media landscape. Something to 00:26:29.920 --> 00:26:30.279 think about.