Not Funny

“In fact very funny. And [Friedman] somehow manages to do that while taking on some of the, shall we say, darker topics, like sexism, celebrity worship, and women’s rights.” —Cosmopolitan“Jena dares you to laugh at things we’re told not to laugh at, perhaps because that’s how they keep us from seeing the truth. A page-turner through and through: Just when I’m thinking ‘it can’t be!’ Jena tells you it is. And I’m laughing through it. Jena proves with her writing that not only is laughing at dark truths important, it’s revolutionary.” —Atsuko Okatsuka, comedian, actress, and writer“Perfect for fans of dark, feminist comedy such as Hannah Gadsby or Samantha Bee.” —Booklist“Entertaining and soulful… this is a blast.” —Publishers Weekly“For an injection of power and agency, readers could scarcely do better than Not Funny.” —Shelf Awareness“A funny but critical look at the depradations of life as a woman comic […] A serious memoir with jokes, self-deprecating yet rarely self-diminishing.” —Kirkus “I feel misled. Not Funny is in fact extremely funny! And smart and thoughtful and even a little offensive, just like Jena” —Sacha Baron Cohen, actor, writer, producer, and creator and star of Borat “I’ve skimmed this book and it seems pretty funny. I have every intention of reading it as soon as I finish The History of The Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire.” —Larry David, writer, actor, and co-creator of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm“From her sharp and fearless comedy specials, to the deadpan interviews in which she expertly skewers a fine array of sexist miscreants, Jena Friedman is actually not funny–she is hilarious and brilliant.” —Merrill Markoe, New York Times bestselling author of Walking in Circles Before Lying Down”[Jena Friedman] sparkles with the casual brilliance of fellow comedians and humor essayists Lindy West and Sarah Silverman.” —Library Journal

Jena Friedman is a comedian, filmmaker, and creator of AMC’s Indefensible and Soft Focus with Jena Friedman on Adult Swim. She has worked on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Late Show with David Letterman, and her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Artnet, and The Guardian. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and won a Writers Guild of America Award for her work on Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. She splits her time between Los Angeles and New York.