I always loved comedy growing up - Bob Hope, Red Skelton and Danny Kaye.

My father passed away when I was 12, so it was very difficult. But I was always the class clown. I don't know why - maybe as an escape. But then I was sent away to military prep school.

I guess it's from going to Virginia Military Institute. I'm a good person to follow orders.

I think everyone has a door in their brain that says, 'Do not exit here.' If you go past it, you'll find all the dumb thoughts in there, all the stupid things that shouldn't be said. I've probably gone there more than anyone should in a given lifetime.

I grew up in a funny household, and I love making people laugh. It brings me so much joy.

The great thing about the comedy world is that everybody is somewhat of an outsider. That's the community where outsiders feel like they're insiders.

I was lucky that when Lorne Michaels came looking for women comedy writers, there weren't too many in New York at the time. I was at the top of a very short list. I think that was all good fortune.

I know this is going to sound very self-serving, and I apologize for it, but if you can write comedy, you can pretty much write anything, because it's the hardest. It's the most technically demanding, the most precisely evaluated form of writing. People know if it works or not. There's a big button marked 'fail,' and that's when nobody laughs.