In the mid-eighties, a young, self-professed comedy nerd from Syosset, Long Island, named Judd Apatow took to the stage to perform his first standup routine—and survived. Over the coming decades, Apatow would translate his obsession for comedy into one of the most successful careers in Hollywood, through genre-defining films such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Bridesmaids, and This Is 40 and iconic series such as Girls and Freaks & Geeks. Through his solo work as well as his collaborations with fellow comedians Steve Carrell, Adam Sandler, Amy Schumer, and countless others, Apatow reshaped the landscape of American comedy.
In this revelatory scrapbook memoir, Apatow has pulled hundreds of personal photographs, letters, scripts, drafts, and paired them with never-before-told stories to create a unique-in-format, deeply-personal-in-tone account of a storied career. Spanning decades, Comedy Nerd takes us on Apatow’s lifelong journey of fandom, creativity, and obsession: from the exacting, relentless work that goes into cracking people up; surprising stories about our favorite comedians; and insights into how Apatow has managed to push the limits of his craft in an ever-evolving cultural landscape. It is a candid, joyful, and fascinating portrait of an artist and storyteller who has spent decades making us laugh.
