Summary

At age fifteen, Haddish entered the world of comedy at the direction of her social worker. Having been sent to her principal's office numerous times for talking and joking during class, her social worker gave her two options over the summer: go to psychiatric therapy or go to the Laugh Factory Comedy Camp, where her whimsical instincts could be refined into a craft. To no surprise, Haddish chose the Laugh Factory. Despite the long bus ride from South Central to Hollywood, Haddish loved Laugh Factory Comedy Camp and the comedians she was able to meet in the process. Richard Pryor, in particular, was the most memorable because of a simple piece of advice: "When you're onstage, you need to be having fun. If you're having fun, [the audience is] having fun" (30).

While in Laugh Factory Comedy Camp, a local news station...