Why in-laws jokes are a hit!

@ZarnaGarg is a stand-up comic, screenwriter, bestselling author, and one of the busiest people in comedy right now. But before she ever set foot onstage, she went to law school and tried her hand at entrepreneurship, failing at a vegan chili company, a tomato sauce brand, and even a matchmaking service. In this episode, Adam and Zarna reflect on how her daughter challenged her to consider a career pivot, debate the usefulness of a humanities degree, and break down the meticulous process that goes into developing a hit performance. Zarna also delivers some hot takes and tells the story of how she found her husband by posting a shockingly no-nonsense online ad. Host & Guest Adam Grant (Instagram: @adamgrant | LinkedIn: @adammgrant | Website: https://adamgrant.net/) Zarna Garg (Instagram: @zarnagarg | YouTube: @zarnagarg | TikTok: @ZarnaGarg | Website: https://zarnagarg.com/) Join us in person at a TED conference: https://tedtalks.social/events Become a TED Member to support our mission: https://ted.com/membership Subscribe to a TED newsletter: https://ted.com/newsletters Follow TED! X: https://www.twitter.com/TEDTalks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ted Facebook: https://facebook.com/TED LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ted-conferences TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tedtoks Podcasts: https://www.ted.com/podcasts The TED Audio Collective is a collection of podcasts for the curious. The TED Audio Collective videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (https://www.ted.com/about/our-organiz...). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com.

Zarna GargguestAdam Granthost

Feb 3, 20262mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: February 3, 2026
Duration: 2m
Channel: Re:Thinking with Adam Grant
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

@ZarnaGarg is a stand-up comic, screenwriter, bestselling author, and one of the busiest people in comedy right now. But before she ever set foot onstage, she went to law school and tried her hand at entrepreneurship, failing at a vegan chili company, a tomato sauce brand, and even a matchmaking service. In this episode, Adam and Zarna reflect on how her daughter challenged her to consider a career pivot, debate the usefulness of a humanities degree, and break down the meticulous process that goes into developing a hit performance. Zarna also delivers some hot takes and tells the story of how she found her husband by posting a shockingly no-nonsense online ad. Host & Guest Adam Grant (Instagram: @adamgrant | LinkedIn: @adammgrant | Website: https://adamgrant.net/) Zarna Garg (Instagram: @zarnagarg | YouTube: @zarnagarg | TikTok: @ZarnaGarg | Website: https://zarnagarg.com/) Join us in person at a TED conference: https://tedtalks.social/events Become a TED Member to support our mission: https://ted.com/membership Subscribe to a TED newsletter: https://ted.com/newsletters Follow TED! X: https://www.twitter.com/TEDTalks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ted Facebook: https://facebook.com/TED LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ted-conferences TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tedtoks Podcasts: https://www.ted.com/podcasts The TED Audio Collective is a collection of podcasts for the curious. The TED Audio Collective videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (https://www.ted.com/about/our-organiz...). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com.

SPEAKERS

Zarna Garg
guest
Stand-up comedian known for comedy about Indian family life and in-law dynamics.
Adam Grant
host
Organizational psychologist, Wharton professor, and host of the Re:Thinking podcast.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Re:Thinking with Adam Grant, featuring Zarna Garg and Adam Grant, Why in-laws jokes are a hit! explores comedian Zarna Garg explains why mother-in-law jokes land better Zarna Garg describes learning to read audience energy and treating silence as diagnostic rather than career-ending.

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