To call the question of whether women can be funny a “debate” implies that we’ve yet to arrive at an answer, when of course we have: Many of the planet’s finest comedians are female.
But until Hollywood wraps its collective, cocaine-addled consciousness around that self-evident fact, we’re stuck in a media landscape where few of the fun film and TV roles are written for ladies—and actresses in the business of making people laugh will continue to mock or satirize the entertainment industry’s casual sexism. Most recently, Lizzy Caplan leveled a devastatingly deadpan critique on Comedy! Bang! Bang!, turning this tired gender dynamic on its head.
As usual, I’m tempted to ask Caplan to marry me—distracting penis or no—but wouldn’t feel comfortable objectifying her that way. I’ll settle for yet another rewatch of Party Down instead.