It was 9 p.m. on election night 2000. The Daily Show, which I co-created and was running as executive producer, was in the middle of two hours of live coverage. Though we did not know it at the time, American politics, and our place in it, was about to change forever. It would end up being a bad night for democracy, but a pretty good one for our little cable comedy show.
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For decades, Madeleine Smithberg helped shape the world of late-night comedy from behind the scenes. A three-time Peabody and Emmy Award-winning producer, she was instrumental in creating some of television's most influential late-night comedy programs. From producing outrageous segments for Late Night with David Letterman to helping develop and build the original Daily Show, in Finding the Funny she shares the triumphs, disasters, and unexpected lessons behind some of television's most memorable moments.
Warm, candid, and laugh-out-loud funny, Finding the Funny is both a backstage pass to the evolution of modern comedy and the story of a trailblazing woman who built a remarkable career in a field notably dominated by men. Part memoir, part comedy history, and part master class in creative risk-taking, it is an entertaining and inspiring look at what it really takes to find the funny.
A born storyteller, Madeleine brings her adventures to life by blending scenes of hilarity with heartfelt insights into the often-relentless world of daily topical television production, which can be especially challenging for women and almost impossible for working mothers. In addition to comedy, her beloved son, Harry, and her supportive husband, Sam, Mad has a passion for food, and the book includes several recipes.
“Madeleine Smithberg was a talent coordinator for my earliest television shows. She had a fine eye for all things strange and startling. She proved the “what” was more important than the “who.” Or maybe it was the other way around. Either way, it was Madeleine’s uniqute guest bookings that got people’s attention in those searly days. We all loved her brain and her energy and her Rolodex (Google it). Turns out she’s also a good storyteller. I know you’ll enjoy this book.”
— Dave Letterman
Who likes this book?
“Smithberg took a chance, hiring an unknown, untested, aspiring actor from the Chicago Theater scene. It was his biggest break and it changed his career forever. But enough about Stephen Colbert. She hired me right after that, and I owe her a lot.”
— Steve Carell
“It wasn’t enough that Madeleine Smithberg was a key player in the breakthrough comedy that was David Letterman’s “Late Night” show on NBC, nor that she co-created “The Daily Show,” the most significant innovation on the late-night comedy landscape since the invention of “Tonight” in 1954. Now she has written a book about all of that. And the life she’s lived before and after and in between.
No surprise: it’s revealing and insightful, personal and playful, and bust-a-gut hilarious on every page. Madeleine never had to look far to find the funny. It’s always been right there in her own creative hands.”
— Bill Carter, author, The Late Shift, editor-at-large, LateNighter
“Madeleine's pioneering life in comedy is a lot like her laugh: full-throated, uncensored, involves real tears - wait, is she actually crying? - messy, totally unladylike and absolutely glorious.”
— Mo Rocca
“Madeleine‘s rise from affable and effective staffer on Letterman to the creator of one of the most influential television shows in the history of political comedy is the stuff of legend. “How did she do it?“ one might ask. In this marvelous book, we finally learn the answer. It’s legendary!”
— Paul Shaffer
“I was there at the beginning and this is a story I didn't know. How The Daily Show came to be and what went on behind the scenes. It’s a story worth telling. And Madeleine tells it well. And it’s funny.”
— Lewis Black