In the latest edition of Search for Meaning, Stephen Wise Temple Senior Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback hosts comedy writer Betsy Borns, best known for her work on hit television shows “Rosanne” and “Friends.”
Author of “Comic Lives: Inside the World of Stand-Up Comedy,” Borns is also the creator of the sitcom “All of Us,” produced by Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith, which ran for four seasons.
From getting kicked out of Hebrew school for telling a dirty joke during as an 8-year-old in Indianapolis, to her rise as a writer and producer in Hollywood, Borns takes Rabbi Yoshi on a ride through the mind of a comedian. One keen insight: The comic sensibility is a defense mechanism, but it’s also an impulse to protect other people, finding the funny side of life to prevent people from feeling sad.
“If most people look at life in three dimensions,” Borns says, “comedians look at life in four dimensions, and see that there’s just another side to it … Comedians don’t just see reality. They see reality, plus one.”
A passionate Zionist, Borns speaks about her relationship with Roseanne Barr, the difficulty of being pro-Israel in Hollywood, and about Israel’s place in the world.
Along with being a successful writer, producer, and author, Borns is married to Emmy and Peabody Award winner Jonathan Shapiro. Listen to his conversation with Rabbi Yoshi here.