JRE 732 · December 9, 2015

Whitney Cummings

comedypsychologybusinessfilm

Who is Whitney Cummings?

Whitney Cummings is a stand up comedian and actress. She is best known as the creator and star of the NBC sitcom Whitney, as well as the co-creator of the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls. Her new special "I'm Your Girlfriend" debuts January 23, 2016 on HBO.

Topics and Timestamps

01Whitney discusses her journey from being a struggling comedian to creating and starring in two major network sitcoms
02She opens up about her experience with anxiety, therapy, and how comedy became a coping mechanism
03Whitney talks about the challenges of being a female creator in Hollywood and fighting for her vision
04She shares insights about writing for television versus stand-up comedy and the different skill sets required
05Whitney discusses her new HBO special 'I'm Your Girlfriend' and what fans can expect from it
06The conversation touches on her personal relationships, dating in the entertainment industry, and toxic patterns she's worked through
▶Whitney explains how stand-up comedy became her therapy and coping mechanism for anxiety0:10:30
▶Discussion about creating Whitney and 2 Broke Girls and fighting for her creative vision in network television0:25:45
▶Whitney talks about the differences between stand-up comedy and writing for television0:38:20
▶Conversation about her new HBO special 'I'm Your Girlfriend' and what makes it special0:52:15
▶Whitney opens up about toxic relationship patterns and her work in therapy1:05:00

The Show

Joe brings on Whitney Cummings to talk about her rise in comedy and television, and she's got some real stories to tell about grinding it out in the industry. She's not just a stand-up comedian but a legitimate TV creator who made two network sitcoms happen, which is actually a pretty rare feat for a woman in that space.

Whitney gets into how she started doing stand-up as a way to deal with her own anxiety and personal issues. Comedy became therapeutic for her, a way to process her thoughts and connect with audiences. She talks about how that translates into her material and her characters on screen. There's a realness to her comedy that comes from actually living through the stuff she jokes about.

The conversation goes into the differences between stand-up and television writing. Stand-up is immediate and raw, you get instant feedback from the crowd. TV is a completely different animal where you're writing for multiple people, network executives, and sponsors. Whitney had to figure out how to maintain her voice while navigating those constraints on both Whitney and 2 Broke Girls.

She discusses the business side of entertainment too, how hard it was to get her shows made, the politics of network television, and dealing with people who didn't believe in her vision. There's a lot of discussion about being a woman in a male-dominated industry and having to prove yourself twice as hard. She doesn't shy away from talking about the obstacles she faced.

Whitney also gets personal about relationships and dating, some of the toxic patterns she's recognized in herself and worked through. She's been doing therapy and seems genuinely interested in being better and understanding herself. The special 'I'm Your Girlfriend' is coming to HBO and she talks about what makes it different from her previous work, touching on how she's evolved as a comedian and what she wants to say to her audience.