I was the second female writer ever hired at 'Late Night.' When I applied for the job in 1988, I had no way of knowing how much the odds were stacked against me. Nell Scovell More Quotes by Nell Scovell More Quotes From Nell Scovell Sometimes, not knowing what you're doing allows you to do things you never knew you could do. Nell Scovell never you not-knowing sometimes Jenny McCarthy has used her celebrity and sex appeal to attract attention to autism. And while no one questions McCarthy's determination and passion, many scientists have debunked her anti-vaccine message and her claims that a gluten-free diet can provide a cure. Nell Scovell passion determination attention sex Male writers don't want to be judged in the room. They want to be able to scarf an entire bag of potato chips while cracking fart jokes and making lewd comments without fear of feminine disapproval. But we're your co-workers, not your wives. Nell Scovell bag your fear want When threatened, the nervous system sometimes goes into a 'freeze response.' You assess the risk and determine that fight or flight doesn't help you. Staying put does. Nell Scovell help fight you sometimes It's notoriously difficult to get actors to go on record speaking about other actors. Such requests are usually met with terse replies from publicists explaining that their clients are on set and too busy to reply. Nell Scovell reply go difficult busy I'm a little sad that they actually came up with the metaphor of waves for feminism. By definition, a wave goes in, and it comes out. I would really like it to be a tsunami that creates a flood that forever changes the landscape. Nell Scovell waves landscape wave sad If necessity is the mother of invention, urgency is the uncle of change. Without it, progress slows and then stops and then reverses. Nell Scovell uncle progress change mother Even when powerful men stumble, they inspire fear. Nell Scovell powerful fear men inspire When blue-eyed Donald Trump married hazel-eyed Ivana Zelnickova, he probably figured his broad-shouldered DNA would dominate her girly alleles. But genetics played a cruel trick on Trump: Of the couple's three children, only the youngest, Eric, wound up with his father's fishy blue eyes. Nell Scovell eyes blue father children I think it's an uphill battle in every field. You hear late-night comedy is hard on women. And then you hear investment banking is hard on women. And tech is hard on women. And then you start digging, and you learn philosophy departments are hard on women! Nell Scovell think you women battle Studies do show that in hierarchical structures, you do get more harassment. There's more power concentrated at the top, which means there's more abuse of power concentrated at the top. And every TV show is very much a hierarchy. Nell Scovell you harassment abuse power I'm on the board of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, which is run by Dr. Stacy Smith - she conceived of the inclusion rider. What I love about the inclusion rider is it uses the fact that Hollywood is based on hierarchies, and it knows that these key players have persuasive power. Nell Scovell rider inclusion power love At 26, I was single, living in Manhattan, and working as a journalist at 'Vanity Fair.' I was Carrie Bradshaw... in sensible shoes. Nell Scovell living vanity single shoes I learned not to get too happy about good news or too distraught about bad. Nell Scovell bad good news happy By June 1990, I'd racked up 'written by' credits on both 'Newhart' and 'The Simpsons.' Nell Scovell both up written june The creative process is often wrapped up in bottomless anxiety, and when the world applauds the product of that process, it soothes the anxiety. Briefly. Then the anxiety returns and even intensifies. Nell Scovell anxiety creative process world My first joke that ever aired on 'Late Night' was for a list of 'Top 10 Least Popular Summer Camps.' My contribution - 'Camp Tick in beautiful Lyme, Connecticut' - squeaked in at No. 10. Like a trip to Camp Tick, my time at 'Late Night' faded into memory like a short session at a dicey summer camp. Nell Scovell memory time beautiful night My criticisms of late-night TV blew up some old friendships and sparked some new ones. Nell Scovell late-night old some new I realize that 'hire qualified women!' is the sort of outraged demand that's often met with a sigh. No one disagrees, and yet gender inequality in high-paying positions extends into all professions. Nell Scovell realize gender inequality women An executive producer with an all-male writing staff once inadvertently revealed his deep, dark fear. While discussing a full-time position for me, he mused out loud, 'I wonder if having a woman in the room will change everything.' Of course, what he really meant was: 'I wonder if having a woman in the room will change me.' Nell Scovell woman me change fear
