In this engaging conversation, comedian Nikki Glaser shares her journey of revitalizing the roast comedy genre, including her celebrated performance roasting Tom Brady. Despite her success, she opens up about battling imposter syndrome and the pressure women face in comedy. Glaser discusses the importance of audience trust and her personal experiences with self-worth while navigating the complexities of her public persona. She also touches on the challenges of family dynamics during the pandemic and how they intertwine with personal growth.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Nikki Advocates for Roast Role
Nikki Glaser proactively texted Netflix's head of comedy to get the Tom Brady roast gig.
She knew it would be huge and felt confident in her ability to put in the work needed.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Use Writers to Improve Jokes
Embrace writing collaborations; even top comedians have writers to assist.
Don’t be ashamed to refine jokes with a team to improve your act.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Testing Roast Jokes at Corporate Gig
Nikki first tested her Tom Brady roast material at a corporate gig in Sedona.
She used the audience feedback there to see what jokes hit and what needed revision.
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Mein Kampf, written by Adolf Hitler while he was imprisoned following the failed Beer Hall Putsch in 1923, is a two-volume work that combines autobiography and political treatise. The book details Hitler's early life, his experiences during World War I, and his increasing antisemitism and militarism. It outlines his vision for Germany, including the need for Lebensraum (living space) in Eastern Europe, and his racist and anti-Semitic views. The work became the central text of National Socialism and a blueprint for Hitler's policies, including aggressive foreign policy and the persecution of Jews and other minority groups.
In the past few years, the comedian Nikki Glaser has breathed new life into the well-worn comedic form of the roast. Last year, she performed a roast of the football legend Tom Brady for a Netflix special, to much acclaim—with Conan O’Brien opining that “no one is going to do a better roast set than that.” Glaser has been on a hot streak since then, hosting the Golden Globes in January and touring the country with a new show. But rising to the top of the comedy world, Glaser tells David Remnick, hasn’t settled her insecurities, or her impostor syndrome. “It just never goes away— that feeling of not being worthy, or being thought of as less than,” Glaser says. It’s why, as Remnick notes, she insists on leading her set with a joke right out of the gate. “Part of it is I just know that people think women aren’t as funny, so I have to prove it right away . . . and then, ‘Can we all just relax and you can trust me?’ ”
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