Negin Farsad is addicted to your laughter - GOLD Comedy - Make Funny Stuff

  • Who We Are
    • About GOLD
    • Meet some GOLDies
    • Our team
    • Write for Us
  • Classes
  • GOLD Mine
    • Resources
    • Digital Production Teams
  • Join the club

Negin Farsad is addicted to your laughter

Lynn Harris Jun 15, 2018

SEE NEGIN 6/26 AT GOLD Comedy LIVE!

Negin Farsad was named one of 50 Funniest Women by Huffington Post, named one of the 10 Best Feminist Comedians by Paper Magazine, and was selected as a TEDFellow for her work in social justice comedy. She is the author of How To Make White People Laugh, a memoir-meets-social-justice-comedy manifesto which was nominated for the Thurber Prize for Humor and recommended by Oprah Magazine. Farsad is host of Fake the Nation, a political comedy podcast on the Earwolf network and she’s a regular panelist on NPR’s Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me. She is director/producer of the feature films The Muslims Are Coming! starring Jon Stewart, David Cross, and Lewis Black and Nerdcore Rising, starring Weird Al Yankovic (both available wherever movies are streamed/downloaded).


What advice do you have for how to level up from open mics + bringers to actual SPOT-spots?

Ask for actual spots spots.

Describe your worst gig. 

An audience of 400 in Berkeley, 200 of them children, no one told me there would be children.

On your deathbed, what transcendent advice would you croak at a young (female/LGBTQI) comedian?

Stop hating yourself.

 

Favorite response to a heckler or troll?

I find that ignoring them deflates them.

 

What’s your first impulse when someone says “women aren’t funny”?

Yawn.

 

When you were coming up in comedy, what helped you stick with it?

The laughs are addictive.

 

Best comedy advice you ever got?

Don’t jump into the material, it feels too mechanical.

 

Worst comedy advice you ever got?

“Wear pants so being female is less distracting.”

 

How has being funny helped you in your offstage life, either recently or when you were younger?

I can handle any audience. In real life that means I can hold down a conversation with a pair of socks if I need to.

Favorite response to “What’s it like to be a woman in comedy”? 

It’s like being a man in comedy but with more tits.

 

Negin Farsad was named one of 50 Funniest Women by Huffington Post, named one of the 10 Best Feminist Comedians by Paper Magazine, and was selected as a TEDFellow for her work in social justice comedy. She is the author of How To Make White People Laugh, a memoir-meets-social-justice-comedy manifesto which was nominated for the Thurber Prize for Humor and recommended by Oprah Magazine. Farsad is host of Fake the Nation, a political comedy podcast on the Earwolf network and she’s a regular panelist on NPR’s Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me. She is director/producer of the feature films The Muslims Are Coming! starring Jon Stewart, David Cross, and Lewis Black and Nerdcore Rising, starring Weird Al Yankovic (both available wherever movies are streamed/downloaded).

 


q&a

Related Articles

  • Camille Hugh fights for indie film

  • Laura Dellis Q&A

    Laura Dellis stopped waiting for others to see her

  • Hilary Campbell, AKA “Toons”

  • Rebecca Kaplan has a healthy self-esteem

Subscribe to Tight Five, our free weekly newsletter with comedy tips, funny reads, and entertaining reccos.

← Previous Post
Next Post →

Recent Articles

  • Late-night is not dead

    Sep 09, 2025
  • Please Don’t Destroy is out. Who will be SNL’s next shorts team?

    Sep 05, 2025
  • Sketch comedy is everywhere… except where it should be

    Aug 13, 2025
View All

Recent How-tos

  • How to Nail Character Acting for Camera: 5 Rules Every Comedian (and Actor) Should Steal

    Oct 03, 2025
  • How to direct a comedy sketch: 5 essential tips

    Sep 24, 2025
  • Thumbnails and more: 6 tricks to get your video more views

    Sep 19, 2025
View All

Recent Q&As

  • Camille Hugh fights for indie film

    Oct 07, 2025
  • Laura Dellis stopped waiting for others to see her

    Oct 01, 2025
  • Hilary Campbell, AKA “Toons”

    Sep 24, 2025
View All

Want to write for our site?

Send a resume, cover letter, and writing sample to info(at)goldcomedy.com. In your cover letter please tell us about something that always cracks you up.

  • © 2025 GOLD Comedy
  • Scholarships
  • Coaching
  • Give GOLD
  • Why comedy
  • Contact Us

Privacy Policy Terms of Service

Site by The Hot Brain & The Big Smoke