Broti Gupta Would Prefer Not To Be Serious For Even One Hour, Thank You

It wasn’t supposed to be like this for Broti Gupta. This comedy thing. It wasn’t supposed to be happening at all. She grew up the daughter of a doctor and there was an expectation she’d follow the same path. But as a college student, she just couldn’t shake the strong interest in comedy that led her down a different path entirely, away from med school and toward places like the New Yorker, McSweeney’s, and Second City. Today, she’s a writer for The Simpsons and a rising star in comedy circles.

One indication that her heart was not in medicine? A visit to a college counselor who challenged Broti to not try to make him laugh for one entire appointment. It’s a challenge she did not accept. For Broti Gupta, the laughs were not just a way of coping with some mental health issues but also a way of approaching life itself.

Follow Broti Gupta on Twitter @BrotiGupta. Listen to and support Broti's podcast with Dylan Gelula, Lecture Hall, on Patreon.

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