Why in-laws jokes are a hit!

1. 0:00 – 0:29

   Learning to read silence: from stage anxiety to audience sensing

   1. ZGZarna Garg0:00

      When I first started, any silence made me very, me very anxious. I was like, "Oh my God, my career is gonna end if there's a 30-second silence." Now, I can even through the voice tell if the audience was on its edge or were they checked out, you know? Like, I'll give you an example. I make mother-in-law jokes. I just have to say the words mother-in-law, everybody is, like, sitting up. If I say, "And do you wanna hear about my father-in-law?" Dead. Lead balloon. Nothing.

   2. AGAdam Grant0:29

      [laughs]

2. 0:29 – 0:38

   The instant ‘mother-in-law’ hook vs. the ‘father-in-law’ flop

   1. ZGZarna Garg0:29

      Nothing. [laughs] Nobody wants to hear. It's like the person doesn't exist, and you can hear the energy shift in the tape that it's like-

3. 0:38 – 1:01

   A great father-in-law character… that audiences refuse to follow

   1. AGAdam Grant0:38

      Wow

   2. ZGZarna Garg0:38

      ... they just don't wanna hear it. And my father-in-law is a hysterical character. He really is. He's proud of things I never thought you could be proud of. He loves to say, "No Garg will ever wear glasses," because he thinks it's his genetics, and meanwhile he walks into the wall every day. [laughs]

   3. AGAdam Grant0:55

      [laughs]

   4. ZGZarna Garg0:57

      But people don't wanna hear it, so it's out.

   5. AGAdam Grant1:00

      Why?

4. 1:01 – 1:23

   Trying to explain the mismatch: why some in-law jokes don’t ‘track’

   1. ZGZarna Garg1:01

      It- it's, I don't know why. It's a mystery to me. But the father-in-law, not interesting. Mother-in-law, sister-in-law is another character I'm working on. Very interesting. People sit up, but father-in-law, dead. There's few topics I've found where I'm like, "This just doesn't track at all."

   2. AGAdam Grant1:19

      Okay, so I, I have a couple theories about why that might be. Tell me what you think.

   3. ZGZarna Garg1:22

      Yeah, yeah.

5. 1:23 – 1:47

   Adam’s theory #1: assertive women violate gender stereotypes (and create friction)

   1. AGAdam Grant1:23

      The first one is that I think people run into more problems with their mothers-in-law and sisters-in-law because when, when somebody in that role is assertive, it violates a, a gender stereotype that, you know, a, a strong father-in-law-

   2. ZGZarna Garg1:38

      Yeah

   3. AGAdam Grant1:38

      ... or a brother-in-law doesn't as much. It's okay for him to, you know, be a little bit overbearing, but her?

   4. ZGZarna Garg1:44

      Yeah.

   5. AGAdam Grant1:44

      Not okay.

   6. ZGZarna Garg1:45

      Not, not okay. Yeah.

6. 1:47 – 1:54

   Adam’s theory #2: who gets to mock whom—and audience permission

   1. AGAdam Grant1:47

      And then I also wonder if, uh, if the source matters here. So is it more legit for you to make fun of a woman than a man?

7. 1:54 – 2:16

   Audience evolution: from mostly women to a 50/50 crowd—and what men laugh at

   1. ZGZarna Garg1:54

      For sure. I think the men don't like it when, as a woman, I make fun of men. Although, I will tell you that I've seen a noticeable change in the audience. When I first started, it was all women coming with their women friends. Now, it's close to 50/50, but a lot of guys are dying. I mean, they... If I make an Indian uncle joke, they love it.

Episode duration: 2:17