POST: The lesson you learned from a sexual harassment seminar was “Don’t hire chicks.” Do you hate working with women?
CAROLLA: No. But they make you hire a certain number of chicks, and they’re always the least funny on the writing staff. The reason why you know more funny dudes than funny chicks is that dudes are funnier than chicks. If my daughter has a mediocre sense of humor, I’m just gonna tell her, “Be a staff writer for a sitcom. Because they’ll have to hire you, they can’t really fire you, and you don’t have to produce that much. It’ll be awesome.”
POST: The “are women funny” debate has grown very contentious. You’re not worried about reactions to this?
CAROLLA: I don’t care. When you’re picking a basketball team, you’ll take the brother over the guy with the yarmulke. Why? Because you’re playing the odds. When it comes to comedy, of course there’s Sarah Silverman, Tina Fey, Kathy Griffin — super-funny chicks. But if you’re playing the odds? No.
If Joy Behar or Sherri Shepherd was a dude, they’d be off TV. They’re not funny enough for dudes. What if Roseanne Barr was a dude? Think we’d know who she was? Honestly.
I’m embarrassed to be in a same species as this fucking idiot. His ignorance is just staggering.
I mean his argument is so misguided and wrong that there’s really no need to even refute it. Of course women are funny. And not just the three he mentioned. If I were putting together a writing staff I would hire any one of these women in a second:
Robin Schiff
Jenny Johnson
Nell Scovell
Jane Espenson
Alexa Junge
Merrill Markoe
Shana Goldberg-Meehan
Jenny Bicks
Heide Perlman
Liz Astrof
Treva Silverman
Dana Klein
Janis Hirsch
Kate Angelo
Anne Flett-Giordano
Suzanne Martin
Jenn Crittenden
Cheri Steinkellner
Kathy Ann Stumpe
Annie Levine
Mindy Kaling
Linda Teverbaugh
Eileen Heisler
DeAnn Heline
Ilana Wernick
Samantha Bee
Ellie Kemper
Laurie Kilmartin
Kathleen Madigan
Christine Nangle
Kelly Oxford
Gina Gold
Lizz Winstead
Elizabeth Meriwether
Dottie Zicklin
Nahnatchka Khan
Tracy Newman
Jennifer Celotta
Wendy Goldman
Lori Kirkland
Terri Minsky
Joyce Gitlin
Cathy Yuspa
Rachel Sweet
Susan Beavers
Janet Leahy
Regina Stewart
Danielle Sanchez-Witzel
Nancy Steen
Caroline Williams
Betsy Thomas
Eileen Conn
Marley Sims
Jennifer Fisher
Ellen Byron
Diane English
Lissa Kapstrom
Cindy Chupak
Sheila Lawrence
Maya Forbes
Miriam Trogdon
Laurie Gelman
And those are just writers, and I’m sure I’ve accidentally omitted several names and there are many other terrific women writers who I just have not worked with or am familiar with but should be. (There are also comediennes, playwrights, authors, actresses, you name it.)
On the other hand, let me tell you who I wouldn’t hire:
Adam Carolla
Despite his very impressive comedy credentials – host of a podcast, host of a failed morning radio show, host of several failed TV talk shows on cable networks, and contestant on CELEBRITY APPRENTICE – he’s just not that funny.
Adam Carolla also sees himself as a contractor who can build houses. I bet if I did a little research I could name fifty women who could build houses better.
I couldn't agree with you more, Ken. Carolla is not funny. More damning, he's not very bright, as many women use a more intelligent comedy and clearly that's too difficult for him and his limited cerebral power to comprehend. (Uh-oh, polysyllabic word alert, Adam.) Thank you for a strong defense of funny, bright women.
ReplyDeleteYou forgot Annie Levine, right?
ReplyDeleteOh, you're just mad cause he'd leave you on the bench in basketball.
ReplyDeleteI've hated Adam Carolla for years... he's always been one of those people whose success completely baffles me. He has always thrived on purposefully created, fake controversies and I have no doubt he made these comments hoping they'll get him some attention. I almost wish Ken hadn't posted this... can't we just ignore Carolla the way we'd ignore any other untalented ass? Or is silence too much like tacit agreement? Anway...
ReplyDeleteQuick story: Adam made a movie about a boxer nicknamed "the Hammer" then sent an invitation to the premiere to HBO boxing commentator Max Kellerman who's brother was murdered by a boxer nicknamed -- "the Hammer". Yeah... Carolla's that big of a dick.
Yet think about all the stuff women can't do or have difficulty doing, like using an Adams apple to play throat music; elegantly peeing standing up without making a mess; wearing a "bro," or manziere.
ReplyDeleteThis is all that really matters in the writing room, right?
Too bad the interview didn't explore his views on "hybrid" human beings like transvestites, cross dressers and transgender comedians.
Remember "The Man Show?" The show where the main attraction was girls in swimsuits on trampolines? Carolla's "humor" hasn't developed beyond the snickering kid whispering obscenities in the back of the classroom. At least Kimmel has shown a little wit since then.
ReplyDeleteAnd that seems to be his shtick - not meant for women. It only makes sense that the women he mentioned aren't funny to him. As a woman, I think about half of what he says is funny. Jimmy Kimmel on the other hand consistently hits it out of the park for me.
DeleteComedians each have their own audience - apparently Corolla's doing well enough with his.
I figure Corolla will be replacing Eddie Brill as the booker [of comedians] on the Letterman show.
ReplyDeleteThe Andrews "Dice" Clay des nos jours.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post, Ken, and I already bought the book!
ReplyDeleteMegan Ganz.
ReplyDelete-paul
"Adam Carolla is a moron"... Um, isn't that redundant?
ReplyDeleteThe fact that he's not funny isn't news. I'm surprised that anyone really cares what he thinks, if you can call it that.
He is right about Roseanne, though. Broken clocks, and all....
Now let's all give Adam a break. It's been difficult for him since Jimmy Kimmel took his coattails and left for ABC.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, he is right about Sherri Shepard. I keep expecting her to show up on The Walking Dead. She's a natural for it - her brain stopped functioning years ago.
I'm glad you put Cindy Chupak on there. I got to take a class from her, and she's brilliant, and in my humble opinion her Sex and the City episodes were always the best ones. Why do they interview this man? Why does anyone act like he's a comedy authority? Why does he get press?
ReplyDeleteI never even heard of this moron until I read your blog today. Certainly is full of himself isn't he? Actually he sounds full of shit.
ReplyDeleteThe only time anyone with a brain ever laughed at Carolla was when he came out on a unicycle on Dancing with the Stars. And that idea was probably suggested by his partner.
ReplyDeleteMindy Kaling is about as unfunny as Adam Carolla - a bump on your arse is funnier than these two. However, the others on the list that I'm familiar with are indeed funny women.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that Adam Carolla is a failed bit and should be put out to pasture.
I don't understand how so many people can purposely tolerate such an obnoxious tool of a man.
ReplyDeleteWhile you've included Mindy Kaling, there's two other Asian-American female comedy writers you missed: Cherry Chevapravatdumrong of Family Guy and Nahnatchka Khan of "Don't Trust the B****". Any idea why there are at least 3 female Asian-Americans, but I can't think of any male Asian-Americans in the biz?
ReplyDeleteTo actually address his comment you'd need to quote funny things said by Sherry Shepard and Joy Behar.
ReplyDeleteThats how logic works.
Adam makes a career out of saying outrageous things. And he got a rise out of you, didn't he?
ReplyDeleteAdam Carolla is 100% correct. Women are NOT funny. For every carol burnett or sarah silverman there are 10,000 funnier men. I went to a comedy sketch show in NYC a few years ago that a friend of mine put on. After the show I said to him.."let me tell you a little secret...chicks aren't funny..why would you put them in your show?" He disagreed with me. The show was cancelled within weeks for obvious reasons.
ReplyDeleteKen, I don't know who he is, but I love the way you present his CV here:
ReplyDelete"host of a failed morning radio show, host of several failed TV talk shows on cable networks,"
Keep it up.
You have to remember that the Post is a Murdoch paper, and as such has a vested interest in promoting the views of privileged, backward morons -- who largely compose their fan base.
ReplyDeleteAnd Mindy Kaling wrote a brilliant funny piece for the New Yorker last year -- much funnier than New Yorker readers are accustomed to getting.
Mr. Levine I'm shocked at your misogyny. Frankly I'm embarrassed to be the same species as you. There so many hilarious women and not just the 70+ you mentioned....
ReplyDeleteSeriously did you really need him to list every single hilarious woman walking the Earth?
The point was kind of silly as he's talking "by and large" guys are funnier than women, which to me is the same category as saying women by and large are more mature, less violent than men. Can you point to about a billion counter-examples? Of course, hence the "by and large". that may make the statement kind of silly but it doesn't make it completely false.
Now I may have personally met plenty of women 10x funnier than I am including my wife but "By and large" I think the general idea is true, however meaningless and silly a statement as it may be.
Furthermore Ken, I hope someday you get to a place where someone prints a dumb joke you made, people the wrong way and tears you apart in the public square over it.
And for anyone talking about how unfunny Carolla is, I defy you to listen to him breaking down a bad Kenny Rogers song like "Coward of the County" and not find it hilarious.
Two words: Madelyn Davis.
ReplyDeleteLisa Lampanelli does Adam Carolla's shtick better than him. Ironic.
ReplyDeleteThanks for listing all those chicks, Ken. You're one cool dude.
ReplyDeleteHa, everyone agreed with his examples. He regularly has funny women on his podcast.
ReplyDeleteLampanelli, Leggerro, etc.
Your quick to point out his "failures" (well recieved cable shows?) but not giving him credit for building an independent, #1 podcast?
nice to see someone brave enough to talk smack about Carolla, esp if Carolla wants to smack down half the human population. I think Adam's just jealous of Tina Fey. He's an attention whore like Jesse Jackson.
ReplyDeleteElaine May. Case closed.
ReplyDeleteAnd we can't forget Amy Sherman-Palladino, whose latest series, BUNHEADS, premiered last week. Have you seen it, Ken? It's wonderful, and not just because it stars the goddess Sutton Foster (who's likewise much funnier than Carolla).
ReplyDeleteAnd let's not, by any means, forget the brilliant female Larry David: Carol Leiffer (correct sp?). I've always admired and appreciated her great sense of wit and her rare appearances on Seinfeld in the early-mid '90s. She played a doctor's office receptionist in one Seinfeld and stole the scene just with the silly smirk on her mouth alone. I hope she gets a show one day soon - she's long overdue! Go get 'em Carol!
ReplyDeleteAdam Corolla should be forced into "the box" and watch classic Ed Sullivan Show performances of the brilliant late, great TOTIE FIELDS slaying 'em in the aisles. Over and over...day in day out...year in year out. Totie was the best of the best females. Everything that came out of her mouth was brilliance - perfection comedy. And while we're at it play some of Joan Rivers classic Sullivan clips, too. Joanie could do no wrong on Sullivan back in '67. And...last, but not least, of course, Phyllis Diller. And turn up her brilliant LAUGH loud - right smack dab point blank in his ears! Yeah...hopefully that should fix him for good.
ReplyDeleteI'll defend Adam: It was a good morning radio show, but it was a failed overall talk station after Stern left. Surprised they didn't flip formats right away; given KAMP's ratings, they clearly should have.
ReplyDeletePlus, c'mon, Roseanne? That's right in your wheelhouse, Ken.
Anyway, being "anti-chick" is Adam's shtick. (And, look Laverne, I made a rhyme.)
Is it lost on anybody that Carolla's book that just came out is selling way better than Ken's book that just came out (at least according to Amazon)? Carolla may be sexist (and possibly racist), but he's funnier than any M*A*S*H episode I've ever seen.
ReplyDeleteIf you look at Comedy Central's list of the funniest comedians of all time, the list is mostly men and you don't see a woman crack the top 8.
http://www.listology.com/list/comedy-central-100-greatest-standups-all-time
So maybe it just means Comedy Central is sexist (Corolla has had two shows on the network), but the list would certainly support the idea that playing the odds would lead you to hire a guy over a lady.
That he's a DUDE still using the outdated and overused reference,DUDE speaks volumes.
ReplyDeleteMore Internet alarm! This will give us something to write about and post about and tweet about. Joy and Sherri now will have a good View episode. That is the real offence of Adam Carolla's comments.
ReplyDeleteAnd there's plenty more that could be added. (I can think of seven more, just off the top of my head.) The guy is clearly a douche. He was even given an out, but instead he pushed right on.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm the only person in the Venn Diagram overlap that enjoys both Ken Levine and Adam Carolla. I've listened to most of Carolla's podcasts; I don't agree with every one of his opinions -- I don't always agree with Ken's, either -- but I generally enjoy listening to him and I have some laughs.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with him that women just aren't funny; I've known too many women who are. I've even seen women get laughs by lumping every man on the planet into a group and stereotyping them. Ain't that something?
I hope Adam teams up with Adam Sandler to make a hilarious movie with no funny women in it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for calling out that stupid, misogynist schmuck.
ReplyDeleteAdam must have a very high placed "rabbi" within the Viacom/Redstone organization. Despite a series of failed projects on TV and radio, they keep trotting him out again. He's become an instant "button punch"; whenever I see him I immediately change the channel.
ReplyDelete..and let's not forget one of the originators, Gertrude Berg! Started on radio in 1929, "The Goldbergs" crossed over into television.
ReplyDeleteAlso, to address Carolla's other point, I am an African-American man, I never was much good at basketball.
ReplyDeleteI do look quite fetching in a yarmulke, though.
As to why there are so few ___ on the list, well, it's hard to say. All I know is that if you have fewer at-bats, how fair is it to ask for a home run and then say see, ___ is no good!
I used to work at a small bar & restaurant. One night, two couples were at the bar, enjoying a post-dinner drink. Although I knew them both, they'd never met. The Wilsons were an older white couple, the Davises a young black couple. Mr. Wilson turns to Mr. Davis and as a conversation starter, literally says these words: "You must be good at basketball."
ReplyDeleteMr. Davis MIGHT be good at basketball, but I never thought to ask him, because he was 5'4" and the first chair French horn for the city's symphony orchestra.
Shortly thereafter, Mr. Wilson's wife drove him home, because he was starting to fall of his stool.
It might be hard to realize, because Adam Carolla's words appeared in a newspaper, but he is just another blotto old guy, and I take him just as seriously. He sounds like Martha in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", cackling triumphantly about the failings of others while everyone else discreetly checks their watch and tries to figure out how quickly they can get out of here and go to bed.
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ReplyDeleteWomen are still less funny than men, he isn't wrong in the least science backs this up.
ReplyDeleteI am more honored by being included in this excellent list than by any award I've ever won. Thanks, Ken. Thanks, funny women.
ReplyDelete@driveby pundit, he didn't say by and large women had always been the least funny women on writing staffs.
ReplyDeleteLike is attracted to like when it comes to comedy. A man will likely think a man is more funny. It's just the way it goes. That's why races form their own small communities in large cities. And why I sit around wondering why my favorite Thursday night NBC shows are in danger of being canceled when Two and a Half Men will go on until $5 million dollars an ep just isn't enough for Jon Cryer anymore. There is a WHOLE midwest to be accounted for who find those sorts of shows funny.
ReplyDeleteI don't find Adam Corrola all that funny, but you can tell by his demeanor and smug delivery that he's an overgrown bro. I bet we could all guess his DVR. You can't force the evolution of humor. Sometimes it gets caught in the sap. I blame beer.
Never heard of any of those broads.
ReplyDeleteSo glad I found this site. Nice to know all you pussywhipped, unathletic metrosexuals have a safe place to hang out on line and talk about how sensitive and enlightened you are.
While your Hollywood wives drool over the hunky sexist pool boy.
Signed, an actual female.
PS: Adam is God and could beat all of you up, or run you down with one of his 14 sports cars. Have you considered testosterone shots?
Well, it's not like it's news that Adam Carolla is an unfunny idiot. I knew this over a decade ago, and have been carefully avoiding ANYTHING he had anything to do with ever since the day I made it almost one-third of the way through the premiere of The Man Show. Never gave that crap a second try.
ReplyDeleteIs it because the women in the writer's rooms never think big-boobed girls on trampolines are funny?
As for whether we would find Roseanne "Asshat" Barr funny if she were a man: you mean she's not? Well, whatever she is, she used to be very funny.
(All this said, my favorite funny woman, Dame Edna, is a man, but that doesn't make other women not-funny. And it's not Dame Edna's fault that nature played her a nasty trick, and she was born a brilliant, talented Australian genius, so don't hold it against her.)
Don't bother replying to Ms. Shaidle, a sad right-wing nutcase. Another Canadian blogger has documented some of her astoundingly, dazzlingly psycho wingnutitude here.
ReplyDeleteThis is an Adam Corolla fan. There's really not much else to say.
ReplyDeleteRe: Kathy Shaidle said...
So glad I found this site. Nice to know all you pussywhipped, unathletic metrosexuals have a safe place to hang out on line and talk about how sensitive and enlightened you are. While your Hollywood wives drool over the hunky sexist pool boy.
Signed, an actual female.
PS: Adam is God and could beat all of you up, or run you down with one of his 14 sports cars. Have you considered testosterone shots?
Well, I wasn't going to jump in on this, but the last post makes it necessary.
ReplyDeleteMs. Trogdon, thank you for your contributions to the Newhart series, one of my all time favorites.
"Monty B said...
ReplyDeleteThat being said, he is right about Sherri Shepard."
Well, I have to agree there. She is the woman who didn't know the world was round. The clip of her that surfaced on The Soup a couple weeks back where she did not know what a tornado was I found mind-boggling. She's never seen The Wizard of Oz?
Malcontent said...
Women are still less funny than men, he isn't wrong in the least science backs this up."
Science, "Malcontent"? Really? WHAT science. Please cite scientific evidence to back up your retared claim.
I see the Anymous Carolla fans are out in force. Is it that no one who defends Carolla has the balls to sign their namces, or is it that he only appeals to people so beknighted that they have no names to go with their nono taste?
Well, Kathy Shaidle singed her name. She is, however, wide of the mark. Speaking as gay man, pussywhipped is the one thing I have never been. But hten, we are tlaking about a woman so stupid she thinks beating peopel up or running them down with sports cars will prove who is funny. What sort of woman has self-esteem issues so DEEP and a streak of masochism so intense that she loves and defends a man who hates women? Do get professional help, dear.
Since it won't let me take down my post, here's my last one again after proper proof-reading.
ReplyDelete"Monty B said...
That being said, he is right about Sherri Shepard."
Well, I have to agree there. She is the woman who didn't know the world was round. The clip of her that surfaced on The Soup a couple weeks back where she did not know what a tornado was I found mind-boggling. She's never seen The Wizard of Oz?
"Malcontent said...
Women are still less funny than men, he isn't wrong in the least science backs this up."
Science, "Malcontent"? Really? WHAT science? Please cite your scientific evidence to back up your retarded claim.
I see the Anymous Carolla fans are out in force. Is it that no one who defends Carolla has the balls to sign their names, or is it that he only appeals to people so benighted that they have no names to go with their no-taste?
Well, Kathy Shaidle signed her name. She is, however, wide of the mark. Speaking as gay man, pussywhipped is the one thing I have never been. But then, we are talking about a woman so stupid she thinks beating people up or running them down with sports cars will prove who is funny. What sort of woman has self-esteem issues so DEEP and a streak of masochism so intense that she loves and defends a man who hates women? Do get professional help, dear.
Very honored to have made the list! And Adam Carolla has never been funny.
ReplyDeleteI agree with him on Joy Behar and Sherri Shepherd. Nothing else.
ReplyDeleteApril Winchell deserves a mention in all of this ...she is a triple threat in anyones book.
ReplyDeleteCarol Leifer did actually have a show of her own that was pretty good but didn't last long. It did, however, leave an indelible mark on my life. I think of this scene every time I buy toilet paper in bulk (that's bathroom tissue for you well-healed folks) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAVcF6TNd4E {and hey, someone want to explain to me how to make these urls actually come up as blue links...?)
ReplyDeleteI can't stand Adam Corola and I don't agree with him. I think he, and other people, think women aren't funny because the field of comedy really wasn't open to women until around 30 years ago.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of funny women out there; a lot of people just aren't aware of them.
There are writers like Carrie Fisher and Chelsea Handler.
Funny TV actresses like the casts of "The Golden Girls" and "Designing Women"- especially Alice Ghostly as "Bernice".
Kathy Griffin is probably the funniest comedian of any gender working right now.
And I think the funniest performer out there is Amy Sedaris from the Comedy Central show "Strangers With Candy". Go to Youtube and check out any of her appearances on Letterman- she's amazing.
I realize it's a partial list Ken but I would add Laura Kightlinger, who's simply a genius.
ReplyDeleteRemember Love Lines, the show he co-hosted with Dr. Drew Pinsky? Toward the end of the show's run Carolla was talking over the doctor, the real expert, 90 percent of the time giving callers his opinion of their problems like anyone would take his word over a medical expert.
ReplyDeleteSo you just hate all people named Adam?
ReplyDelete"Annie Levine"?
ReplyDeleteYou just killed your entire argument, Ken.
Next time you try to make a case, try not to be an insufferable douche.
Yes, better still to be a cowardly, anonymous douche.
DeleteThat's a great list of women writers worth working with.
ReplyDeleteHere's some terrific writers I'd be delighted to include in a writing staff:
Carolyn Omine
Julie Thacker
Jane O'Brien
Marta Kauffman
Maiya Williams
Maggie Bandur
Betsy Borns
Sherry Bilsing-Graham
Ellen Plummer
Vanessa McCarthy
Deb Lacusta
Stephanie Gillis
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ReplyDeleteWhenever I saw Heide Perlman's name as the writer of an episode of Cheers, it was always a memorable one. She wrote one of the best they ever did, "Everyone Imitates Art," so smart and funny.
ReplyDeleteDid anyone mention Tracey Uhlman. Or is it Tracy Ulman?
ReplyDeleteBut Totie Fields? Ugh!
I just looked it up. It's Tracey Ullman.
ReplyDeleteUm, guys...
ReplyDeleteWhen someone makes a statistical argument, listing your favorite handful of counter-examples only demonstrates that you either A. missed the point or B. got it, and are tacitly admitting that he's right.
I don't know writing for comedy - hell, I've never even heard Adam Carolla except maybe by accident when I was renting a car with satellite radio - so I can't say. What is the ratio of men:women writing for successful comedy shows? Has anybody looked at the relative numbers of award winners? In any case, a statistical argument calls for a statistical rebuttal. If everyone's frantically trying to evade a point by talking about everything but the claim the claim he actually made, I'm inclined to believe he scored a telling point.
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ReplyDelete"Mr Natural said... To actually address his comment you'd need to quote funny things said by Sherry Shepard and Joy Behar."
ReplyDeleteJoy Behar did a very funny episode of Dr. Katz, Psychotherapist.
And Ken, you omitted IMO one of the funniest people on the planet, Amy Sedaris.
On the other hand, I have to confess I often found The Man Show pretty funny.
Jason:
ReplyDeleteCarolla did not make a statistical argument, he made a blanket statement. He did not back up his statement with any numbers and if someone came up with the ratio you are asking for, the figure becomes superfluous because then the argument degenerates into what people find funny.
Are there unfunny women in Hollywood? You bet. Can it be argued that the ratio of funny-to-unfunny is greater for women than men? I don't know. It's a mugg's game to try.
Let us work with numbers that can be gleaned from the Internet Movie Database. Adam Carolla has writing credits dating back to 2003, so he has roughly nine years of experience, four of which were TV series. Ken Levine has credits dating back to 1975 and has written for fifteen series.
Neither can claim to have the definitive answer, because there are many, MANY shows produced and either person will have their own and secondhand stories to rely on. If you were to ask me which I would believe, I'd go with Levine, because he has more experience.
Adam Carolla said some dumb things and I will give him credit for saying them (well, this is the NY Post, which ai not the bastion of great journalism), but I cannot talk bold behavior for being correct.
When the deal is done, how fair is it that in an industry known for nepotism and sexism that the few women that do make a name for themselves must be judged in such a manner that damns the whole gender. Using that view, if you watch "I Married Dora" "Shasta McNasty" or "Welcome to NY", can it be argued that humans shouldn't write comedies? Jason, let's say I get a call from the Pittsburgh Steelers. They want you and for only two plays. Suppose you blow both of them. What accurate statistical data can be drawn from this?
If you want a further look into Carolla, a man I've not met, the article says that he has no animosity toward his family, yet they are "broken". He plays with his kids (good for him), but his family is not close. Perhaps that, or a bad day might have played into what he said. I hope he didn't mean it and it got my dander up as much as David Milch did when he said that Black people couldn't write drama.
Carolla is wrong. He is wrong on a startling scale.
I'm reminded of a roast from a few years back where, Greg Giraldo (I think) says, "Adam Carolla looks like Pete Sampras with Downs Syndrome."
ReplyDeleteBefore anyone gets all sensitive and up in arms, I didn't originate that and Downs Syndrome itself is not funny.
However, if you had to describe Carolla, that's pretty goddamn accurate.
I totally disagree with Carolla's statements --
ReplyDeleteBUT
I also think he's just baiting people to create controversy, because he thinks that is funny.
The POST responds to him with an almost comically over-the-top serious tone to his shock jock-esque responses.
It's not a debate or an argument. He's not really taking a side trying to prove a point. He's not rallying an entire movement to get women thrown out of writer's rooms. He's just baiting people with outlandish statements -- and it seems most are biting hook, line, and sinker.
There's a reason he took Howard Stern's time slot once Howard moved to Sirius. (There's also a reason that show was short lived :p).
Re: Mike McCann's comments on the continual failure of Carolla projects. Then, my Carolla's own scorekeeping, he must be a woman, since the only unfunny people who keep getting hired in the face of failure are women.
ReplyDelete@ Linda -- That's funny lol
ReplyDeleteHere's one girl's take on the subject. Normally I wouldn't post another bloggers stuff on someone else's site, but it seems like better take on the subject than most I've seen:
ReplyDeletehttp://kyriaabrahams.blogspot.com/2012/06/woman-explains-why-women-arent-funny.html
All you have to do is look up Adam Carolla's stellar writing credits to see he is an expert on comedy writing. Not everybody got to work on "The Man Show". The balls of people like him never cease to amaze me. Maybe you rack up some serious time actually contributing on a TV sitcom staff before you start declaring who is and who is not a good writer. Fuckwad.
ReplyDeleteBrian,
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I follow your comment. Who's the fuckwad?
Just another guy that will be forgotten soon.
ReplyDeleteJust a plug to let the world know of someone who could have been a major star in comedy had she lived. My aunt Diane Enzer...aka, Pancho Eisenberg was destined for stardom as the first Mexican-Jewish woman comedian. She came out to Hollywood in the early '50s from her native Mexico. Got a lot of bit parts in films and TV. She was every bit as funny as Lucille Ball - everyone knew this. Diane was introduced all over town. But...the powers that be back then in Hollywood held her back...they said, the world wasn't ready for a funny female Mexican-Jew comedian. And my aunt had principals...she was a strong Latin woman who would not be compromised. She married my grandmother's only brother Milton and settled down to raise a son in the 1960s and '70s.
ReplyDeleteAll the while during those years Diane Enzer memorized millions of damn funny jokes - clean and very dirty, and could rattle 'em off machine gun style faster and funnier than Henny Youngman. She had Joan River's sense of timing, Totie Field's love of people and a better laugh than Phyllis Diller.
She was always the main attraction at all of the family weddings and bar-mitzvah's over the years - deadly funny with the widest, biggest natural smile on her acne pockmarked face, laughing at her own jokes, always with a cigarette dangling from her red lips. As loveable and down-to-earth as they came, Diane missed her calling...she longed to perform, but was a very dedicated mother to her only son. There wasn't a person who ever met Diane Enzer that wasn't floored by her uncanny timing in the rat-a-tat jokes she told. She drew everyone in. And not just because they were family, either. And there wasn't a soul who said a bad word about her. That sincere big smile and her great, great Jewish-Yiddish Mexican accent were PRICELESS. Totally unique personality. People adored Diane Enzer.
My brother and I were developing a sitcom around her - about a female Mexican-Jew comedian. We were very close. Our pilot was completed in 1996. Diane Enzer died of cancer that year at age 64 in Los Angeles. Maybe some of you knew her because she was the best waitress at Canter's on Fairfax back when she was forced to waitress in the late '80s-early '90s. The comedy world sure could use a Diane Enzer - Pancho Eisenberg now in 2012. Gloria on Modern Family is the closest we can see of what was Diane's brilliance. With that amazing Mexican-Jewish accent she had, what a knock out she would have been to the world and on television. A major star. True story, kids. Thanks for reading this. I feel better now.
You can't talk about great funny women without mentioning Ellen Degeneres and Amy Poehler, and since nobody else has, I will.
ReplyDeleteI strongly disagree with what Adam Corolla said, I think women are just as funny as men. And I don't think anyone of either gender finds Joy Behar or Sherri Shephard funny, except for Barbara Walters apparently, so it's not fair to mention them as an example.
However, while I don't much care for his stupid stuff, like The Man Show, I do think Adam Corolla can be really funny sometimes. There, I said it.
Just to be clear, I was merely listing women writers whose work I admire. If I were going to include actresses and comediennes the list you'd be scrolling for days.
ReplyDelete>Carolla did not make a statistical argument, he made a blanket statement.
ReplyDeleteActually, Jason got it right. Playing the odds, sounds like a stat argument.
This is from the same group that keeps saying Adam Sandler is not funny. Evidence is to the contrary.
ReplyDeleteKen, I'm surprised you took the bait. You gave him a bigger voice by acknowledging his comments, especially with your vemonous vitriol.
ReplyDeleteJust by listing funny women, you responded to the wrong argument or claim. He was clearly out of line, but probably not completely wrong. He wasn't saying all women are not funny. I'll even go so far as to say that I bet many of the same names you mentioned would appear on his list as well.
Also curious about the psychology of your response. It seems he really touched a chord with you. Your blog is terrific, but you lost me after mentioning his comments didn't dignify a response, yet you go on ad nauseam about them.
Humor or funny is all relative. Just because Adam C. and Adam S. appeal to a large demographic doesn't mean they're funny. It only means that they've tapped a segment of the population (a pop. that's struck at a high school maturity level). Or, in my opinion, not the lowest common denominator, but close.
Next time, less is more. Diffusing your anger would have been a more powerful response, especially from a more talented and accomplished writer like you.
When he talks about the odds, and specifically lists exceptions to the rule, that's a statistical argument. Again, if your fallback position is "We can't know, it's all opinion!" then you're not challenging his statement. In fact, you're confirming its validity: if it's all opinion, then he's entitled to his. After that, what do you have? "Well, that's your opinion, but you suck, and you look funny!"
ReplyDeleteWhich is exactly what we're seeing. Go figure.
I listen to Carolla's podcast almost every day; he genuinely makes me laugh. I've listened to him work with a number of comedians on his show -- they overwhelmingly seem to enjoy working with him and it doesn't seem like the usual bullshit fondness because they keep coming back. That doesn't mean that everybody has to find him funny; thats a matter of personal taste. As I posted earlier, I don't agree with every opinion of his or share his worldview -- I definitely don't agree with this bit about women.
ReplyDeleteHowever, one of his opinions that I do agree with is that people shouldn't get so worked up about comedian's opinions and statements. They AREN'T political office holders or school teachers. I honestly don't care too much about any entertainer's opinions, nor do I fully understand why anyone would.
And to put him in a little more perspective - I think Carolla would be the first to admit that he's no A-lister. The podcast is downloaded daily around 300-400K times. That's a big success in the podcasting world, but it doesn't make someone Oprah Winfrey, or even Nate Berkus. His radio show went away because the home station and CBS radio killed the format -- he wasn't the only one swept out the door, and we all know how the radio world is ruled by wise talent and format decisions. I've never seen The Man Show, but I don't think it's regarded alongside I Love Lucy as a television classic. So, if we're going to be puzzled by his success, let's at least determine if he's had all that much.
It's established then that it's not like he's very often in a position to hire a writing staff, so who cares what he thinks? I just checked the writing credits at imdb for The Daily Show and Conan, though, and I see very few names that are obviously female. Lots of boy names there. Now, Jon Stewart and Conan O'Brien would never SAY that women aren't funny comedy writers -- they just don't hire them when they have the opportunity to do so. I looked at the writing credits on 30 Rock -- after Fey, it's mostly male names, just like the writing staff presented on 30 Rock itself.
Is "women aren't funny" a stupid thing for any human being to say? Sure is. But, just as a tip to a few of the responders here, your points against prejudice and bigotry are better taken when you don't display it yourselves. So please stop saying things like women "use a more intelligent comedy" than men(particularly funny when a subsequent writer notes Melissa McCarthy shitting in a sink) or implying that all Midwesterners are mouthbreathing culturephobic clods.
Hell, Carolla's right out of North Hollywood.
Anybody that can team up with Danny Bonadouchebag for a radio show can't qualify to standards as high as "idiot" Ken, what's wrong with you!
ReplyDelete1. Adam Carolla is funny.
ReplyDelete2. He's also a jerk.
3. People are surprised that both can be true?
Mike
Having done a little Google research, I now -- unfortunately -- know who Adam Carolla is. On the humor scale:
ReplyDeletePaula Poundstone = mighty Sequoia
Adam Carolla = wilted dandelion
He's right about Roseann and Joy Behar. Julie
ReplyDeleteKen, you would really hire Diane English after the fiasco known as The Women remake (which she wrote AND {mis-}directed? Not to mention Murphy Brown STUNK out loud after the title character became pregnant (before that, it was merely criminally overrated ala M*U*S*H); oh well, it's your dime to waste...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the strong defense of funny women, Ken. Still, I agree with those who question the use of a list. If Carolla had said "X [an ethnicity] are lazy" would you have countered with a list of X-ers who you knew that were not lazy?
ReplyDeleteCarolla's premise is as ridiculous as it is nasty.
However, if you were gonna make a list of funny women, I was glad to be on it.
Adam listed three. My point was there are a lot more. And you're at the top of the list.
ReplyDeleteApparently it is not acceptable to theorize that men and women may be different mentally. This is what got Lawrence Summers fired as President of Harvard.
ReplyDeleteThe most offensive thing Carolla said IMHO is that he named three women he thought were funny, and Kathy Griffin (aka Andy Dick in drag) was one of them! #ugh
ReplyDeleteMaria Bamford, Jackie Kashian, Jhoni Marchinko, Maile Flannigan, Mary Jo Pehl, Mo Collins, Sara Benincasa, Colleen Kruse. That's just a short list of professionally funny women (easily more funny than Adam Carolla) and I just pulled that list from my facebook (mostly my friends)!
ReplyDeleteThe vast majority of posts here taking Ken Levine to task for his comments about Adam Carolla are anonymous. Clear evidence that like Carolla, the posters who support him lack any ability to be creatively funny. Or maybe it was Carolla himself.
ReplyDeleteDon K. said...
ReplyDelete"The vast majority of posts here taking Ken Levine to task for his comments about Adam Carolla are anonymous. Clear evidence that like Carolla, the posters who support him lack any ability to be creatively funny. Or maybe it was Carolla himself."
Yeah. You just keep walkin' your talk. Keep showing us how brave and creative you are, "Don K."
Why are all night talkshow hosts on the major networks male, surrounded with a predominantly male writing staff? Because men are generally more funny than women. Just like Adam said. And as Adam stated, too many women are being forced into a comedy writing gig for appearances sake, not merit. Some women are as funny as most men, but the top male comedians stomp the tar out of the "funniest" female comedians. So quit trying to give Adam a hard time!
ReplyDeleteHate the game, ladies and pussy-whipped men, not the player.
"Yeah. You just keep walkin' your talk. Keep showing us how brave and creative you are, "Don K.""
ReplyDeleteAlright, I will. By the way, "Don K." happens to be my real name and initial. Sorry you don't have one. Must be hard to go through life as a cypher.
Ask anyone who had the great fortune to work in a room with the late, great Judy Toll if she wasn't the funniest, most talented comedy writer around at the time. Adam Carolla is a sad loser who can only get attention by making stupid comments like this.
ReplyDeleteKen – I really appreciate you including me on your list of funny women writers. However, I do have a theory as to why women aren’t as funny as men. Take me, for example. Usually I am too consumed wondering when I get to give my next blow job to think up funny things to say. Right now, Adam Corolla is # 237 on my list. But I have a rule that until I get # 1 to let me blow him, I can’t move on. So if anybody knows James Franco… he can get in touch with me through Ken’s blog. Also, if by some miracle I accidentally say something that might be construed as funny, it instantly gets sucked up into my vaginal cave like a wind tunnel. That’s why sometimes my lips seem to be opening and closing like a fish and nothing comes out. My mouth lips, not the other ones. Sorry. I’m so DINGY. ‘Cause I’m a woman!!!!
ReplyDeleteRobin Schiff
(PS – dear anonymous – your post made me so hot, I would’ve had made an exception and given you an hour of pleasure BEFORE James Franco, except I prefer guys with balls. Sorry.)
.
Ken,
ReplyDeleteCurious why my earlier comment was removed.
Wymyn should dominate show business. They (1) talk like hippies (2) do business like the mafia. Easy segue.
ReplyDeleteA.C. has the No. 1 podcast in the world is is dominating new media, not to mention New York Times best selling books, yes plural, books.
ReplyDeleteA.C. was also offered a 4 year multi-million dollar radio contract where he could make his own hours and the network was going to build him his own studio at his house, which he passed on because his podcast is so successful, so he is hardly a failed radio show host.
I don't know who this hack writer is, if he ever makes the New York Times best sellers list let me know. I won't be holding my breath.
Thank you Adam Carolla for the years of laughter.
Eric Olson
cirenoslo@yahoo.com
Some of this may be due to hardwired perceptions. Personal experience: my wife Laura and I are writing partners, and for 20 years, we've written a daily syndicated radio humor service with one-liners on the news, a la Leno, Daily Show, etc. Her pet peeve is that when we meet someone new in the neighborhood who's heard about us from another neighbor, they invariably say, "Oh, your husband is the one who writes that comedy service."
ReplyDeleteThe average person just assumes I must be the comedy writer in the family. That's why I always make it a point to stress that we write it together and to point out that often, the best lines of the day are hers. Some days, she actually writes more of the lines that make it through than I do -- and I'm the editor who picks the final lines! (That's not due to sexism, btw; she just prefers that I be the one who stays up working until 4:30 a.m.)
Another point: I think some people are confusing stand-up comics with sitcom writers, and it's not the same job. I read this blog post someone posted above:
http://kyriaabrahams.blogspot.com/2012/06/woman-explains-why-women-arent-funny.html
She makes a very good point that female comics tend to concentrate on fuzzier, personal, inward-directed stories that men just don't find as funny, while male comics do brief, sharp jokes about outward-directed topics like politics, religion, etc., that men do appreciate. Women can write great lines in this form. Tiny Fey came to fame doing it. My wife Laura is great at it. I'm sure a lot of female sitcom writers whom you never see are brilliant at coming up with that perfect sharp line in the writing room. But the women who become stand-ups tend to do more self-focused material that appeals less to men, maybe because they're on-stage in the spotlight, so things like their looks and their gender assume greater importance to them and their audiences.
Notice that when people do mention great female stand-up comics - Joan Rivers, Kathy Griffin, Sarah Silverman, (early) Roseanne - they tend to be the ones who do short, funny, quotable lines on a variety of topics, which is the more "male-oriented" style. So maybe it's not that women aren't funny, it's just that men who believe that only relate to a particular style of comedy that fewer women do.
Which one of you edits? I yawned three times reading your comments. Next time please have your wife tighten up your post. Seek brevity and maybe even you will self-select your material. Very truly yours (and kinda pissed I wasted the time reading your diatribe), JTA.
DeleteCarolla isn't the only person peddling this particular line of drivel -- Christopher Hitchens wrote a long article a couple of years before he died where he purported to demonstrate that women were not funny. He failed, but he did a nice job of exposing the wide streak of misogyny growing down his back. Like Carolla, Mr. Hitchens was never as funny as he seemed to believe he was, either.
ReplyDeleteThank-you.
ReplyDeleteAnd did everybody forget about...GILDA RADNER? Not one post even mentioned her. The world's a lot sadder place without Gilda's warm and lovely - and funny - presence - and has been since her untimely death. She was the sweetest - and simply the best. Bar none. God bless you darling Gilda. Let's not ever forget her. Never.
ReplyDeleteCorolla: shitty car, shittier human. Homophone for the vagin-o-phobe.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the gal shout, Ken.
Thanks for speaking up, Ken. I'm honored to be on this list!
ReplyDeleteThanks for speaking up, Ken! I'm honored to be on this list.
ReplyDeleteI meant it so much, I guess I accidentally said it twice.
ReplyDeleteKen Levine, thanks for including me on this list! I just watched "Cheers" for the first time in too long. Man, it was perfect. Thanks, Laurie Kilmartin
ReplyDeleteI have been singularly unimpressed with Adam Carolla ever since he interviewed Adrienne Barbeau on his podcast and all but outright said that he'd masturbated to her nude photo in high school. Class act.
ReplyDeleteI used to be a fan of his but hes taken a turn for the worse. Honestly his solution to everything is basically mass genocide. Hes hypersensitive about everything. He called Bald Bryan narrcisitic for letting his dog sleep on Carollas couch. Hes a control freak and illiterate.
ReplyDeleteAdam's pretty impressive success as a self-employed entertainer proves this: The howls of outrage you hear from the media over all these "scandals" reflect nothing of our actual society. Over 99% of people are just out living their lives and watching and listening to what they like and they are unconcerned about how politically correct it is. The media elite howling to each other over these scandals is a 1% echo chamber.
ReplyDeleteYou left out this part of the interview when you quoted it:
ReplyDelete"When it comes to comedy, of course there’s Sarah Silverman, Tina Fey, Kathy Griffin — super-funny chicks. But if you’re playing the odds? No. "
Could be perceived as confirmation bias. Just sayin' o.o;
Just an non-religious, Santa Cruz,CA born, left-leaning SJSU alum here (and, yes, a Carolla listener for a number of years despite our differences) but the conversation in this article would seem to be better summarized as:
ReplyDelete"Adam Carolla, based on his own experiences as part of a sitcom writer's room, believes that men are funnier than women."
As opposed to:
"Adam Carolla believes that women as a whole are not funny."
He mentions women that he considers funny in the article. I would submit that a through-through misogynist wouldn't bother to offer this up. I would also submit that a hardcore misogynist would make a point of bringing these women up only to state that they -weren't- funny or that they were over-rated or there importance exaggerated, no?
Just sayin' o.o;
(Also, again devil's advocate, but there have been plenty of funny, intelligent women on his show over the years, even as part of his crew. I don't suspect that any of the names on a list that includes Whitney Cummings, Lisa Lampanelli, Laura Kightlinger, Sarah Silverman, Pam Adlon, Kathy Griffin, Natasha Leggero, even Jane Lynch (She had a scene in his first movie) are so naive/shallow/inexperienced as to be blissfully unaware that they were in in fact sitting before a hardcore misogynist.)
Who is Ken Levine? I believe Carolla's one million downloads a week of his podcast clearly shows he has a substantial following. Saying Carolla is a failure is funny, he sells out several thousand seat theaters every weekend...
ReplyDeleteSomehow saying there is a larger percentage of funny men vs women has been turned in to "women aren't funny".
ReplyDeletePeople seem to have a tough time reading and retaining what has actually been written or said.
I would expect that to be missed by the average blogger, but not from someone with Ken's accomplishments.
ReplyDelete"Kathy Griffin is probably the funniest comedian of any gender working right now."
Not while Elaine May breathes air.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5pXggZIr6I
You guys hating on Adam are a bunch of politically correct, virtue-signally babies. It's true, generally speaking (not universally) men are funnier than women! Who cares?! Humor is seen as a desireable quality in men, by women. Whereas most men would simply prefer a woman who laughs at his jokes rather than is a comedian herself.
ReplyDeleteStop thinking everyone needs to be the same. Different genders, races, cultures all have their own strengths and weaknesses....pretending this isn't the case is patronizing and ignorant, not progressive and inclusive.
Relatively speaking, Adam Carolla is new to me. While it's been six or seven years since I first heard his name mentioned, nothing written around his name was compelling enough for me to take a look. Then his name came up in an article saying his podcast had toppled the Ricky Gervais/Stephen Merchant/Karl Pilkington show, so I went to YouTube to have a listen.
ReplyDeleteWithin about 30 seconds, I began to feel nauseous. It was not the subject content, I can't even remember what was being discussed. Obviously thinking I'd simply fallen ill, I made a dash to the bathroom to hurl but by the time I got there, the urge to hurl was not just subsiding, it had disappeared completely. I went back to my laptop and resumed listening. Again I felt a green wave of nausea but this time, rather than run back to stick my head in the bowl, I turned off the Carolla clip on YouTube. Immediate relief.
Was Carolla's voice making me want to vomit? In short, yes. Over the last couple of years I have tested this 'phenomenon' numerous times, either because the thought crossed my mind to try again or in response to reading something online about him. Without fail, the sound of Adam Carolla's voice acts as a kind of emetic. Well, that's maybe an exaggeration, as I've never listened long enough to find out if his voice will induce vomiting. I don't know if this is a clinical thing or even if there is a specific diagnosis, something akin to the opposite of ASMR.
Anyhow, given what I've just read here, it sounds as if I'm not missing much by avoiding Mr Vomit Voice.