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Tilted S2: Episode 6

Listen to “The power of humor with comedians Lauren Lapkus & Cameron Esposito”

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On this episode

For many women, “joking around” is something we do when we’re uncomfortable. Humor is a way to deflect an unwanted sexual advance, brush off a sexist comment, or cope with anything else that makes us cringe. But when we wield humor intentionally and unapologetically, it can be much more than a defense mechanism—it can be a tool to take back power. In this episode of Tilted, we asked two outstanding women in comedy—Lauren Lapkus and Cameron Esposito—to tell us all about how they’re doing that, and how we can do it, too.

More about our guests:

  • Lauren Lapkus is an actress and comedian best known for her role as corrections officer Susan Fischer on Netflix’s Orange is the New Black, which won her a SAG award. She recurred on season 3 of NBC’s Good Girls, on all three seasons of HBO’s Crashing, and on the final two seasons of CBS’ The Big Bang Theory. She currently stars opposite David Spade in the Netflix original movie The Wrong Missy.
  • Cameron Esposito is a Los Angeles-based standup comic, actor, and writer. She has appeared on NBC, CBS, Comedy Central, TBS, IFC, E!,Cartoon Network, and HBO Canada; in indie films featured at the Sundance and SXSW film festivals; in big-budget features for nationwide release; and at comedy and music festivals worldwide. Her most recent special, Rape Jokes, raised almost $100,000 for RAINN. Her first book, Save Yourself, was published in March 2020.

Discussion starters

Whether you’re listening to this episode with friends or your Circle, these questions are designed to help you dig deeper into the topic by sharing personal stories, connecting over common challenges, and workshopping solutions together.

  • As Cameron said, “we tend to joke around about things that we are serious about when we’re scared.” Can you recall a time when you’ve used humor to gloss over a scary or uncomfortable situation? Do you wish you’d handled it differently? Why or why not?
  • Both Lauren and Cameron talk about the experience of being the only or one of the only women in a group of men. Have you had that experience? How did it feel, and how was it different from experiences you’ve had with more gender-balanced groups?

View the full discussion guide

Transcript