Motherhood Unstressed

This week actor and comedian Eugene Mirman discusses his incredible body of comedic work and his documentary It Started As A Joke which chronicles the 10 years of the Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival, an independent festival started on a lark by the Bob’s Burgers’ alum. As explained by comics like Kumail Nanjiani and Kristen Schaal, Mirman is essentially a founding father of the Brooklyn comedy scene (he's been called the original “influencer”), and the festival’s success is a testament to his impact. But, true to its title, there’s a bit more on the documentary’s mind; we’re also introduced to Mirman’s wife, Katie Westfall Tharp, and learn how the two fell in love, had a son, moved to Cape Cod, and fought through Tharp’s cancer diagnosis and later recurrence. Tragically, Tharp died almost a year after It Started As A Joke premiered at SXSW. In its depiction of her kind spirit, the film now doubles as a bittersweet tribute to a loved one gone too soon. Ultimately, this is a candid conversation about doing work