Y ou might not know it, but you’ve most likely laughed at one of Nell Scovell’s jokes. It’s just that President Obama, Conan O’Brien, and Kermit the Frog were delivering them. The veteran Hollywood comedy writer, producer, and director has worked behind the scenes of iconic television shows such as The Simpsons, The Muppets, and Late Night With David Letterman and was the creator of the cult favorite Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Scovell used her time with Letterman—hired in 1988, she was only the second woman ever to write for his show—as the basis of a 2009 essay in Vanity Fair that detailed a hostile, sexually charged toxic work environment.
Give us an idea of what you and Mellody plan to talk about.
I would like to see the hosts, producers, writing staffs, and crews of
late-night shows reflect the audience that watches them, which is an almost
equal split of men and women and also includes people of color, people with
disabilities, and people from the LGBTQ community.
You cowrote the best seller Lean In with Sheryl Sandberg. How
did that come about?
Wed 3/28, 7 PM, Venue Six10, 610 S. Michigan, 312-906-7419, chicagoideas.com, $15.
