Kenya Barris Quotes

Writing is inherently scary.

I think comedy I've learned is really just about relaxing and trusting yourself and allowing yourself to fail.

So while it is true that I find really dark stuff funny sometimes, it's also true that as a writer of books I want to have the whole range of human emotions.

First and foremost, I just want to write comedy.

Vulnerability is huge. I love to see that in characters. It's something I feel like a lot of my comedic heroes have always done.

That's what I hate about a lot of comedies, when you're hitting a line or making it funny.

The older I've gotten, the more the need to exert comedy no matter how tragic a character I may be portraying because they are essentials for presenting truth.

All I know how to do is take what's on my mind and spit it out funny. I don't know what else I could do besides comedy.

'The State' had never done improv. We used to go over scripts for weeks and argue about every joke. But I don't know how we would have scripted 'Reno.'

That's what comedy is like: You have to force yourself out in the world because you're always one experience away from new material.

I never learned to be a writer. I never took screenwriting courses. I never read anyone's scripts. As a writer, my only guiding principle has been to write about things that scare me, write about things that make me feel vulnerable, write about things that will expose my deepest fears, so that's how I write.

I strive for honesty because I think that's where the funniest stuff comes from.

It's a fine line between hack and good comedy.

Humor is the only way to tell a story. Especially the dark ones.

I always think about my jokes as like I'm driving down a street, trying to go into all the culs-de-sacs along the way. I'm just taking a thoughtful, weird journey.

You have to be so honest in comedy.

I'm never funnier than when I'm heartbroken or terrified.

'Portlandia' is 100 percent improvised, and I came into this business not knowing anything.

In my own mind, I can joke about anything.

You take from things that you read about in the news or things you hear about or things that happen to you, and you collectively sit in a room with everyone, and everyone decides what the funniest stories are that you've heard or thought of.

I sometimes wonder why I talk about Judaism so much in my act, and the reason is that it's such a huge part of who I am, and I only make fun of stuff that I care about.

The only weapon I've got is comedy

There's this art form in songwriting that's incredibly difficult - to be really funny in a song and also really touching. I can't do that.

I feel more comfortable writing firmly comedic or slightly comedic stuff.

You're not just looking for laughs, but you're trying to do the characters first, and then the laughs come afterwards.