Just the Funny Parts

Just the Funny Parts is a juicy and scathingly funny insider look at how pop culture gets made. For more than thirty years, writer, producer, and director Nell Scovell worked behind the scenes of iconic shows, including The Simpsons, Late Night with David Letterman, Murphy Brown, NCIS, The Muppets, and  Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, which she created and executive produced. 

Then in 2009, Scovell gave up her behind-the-scenes status when the David Letterman sex scandal broke. Only the second woman ever to write for his show, Scovell used the moment to publicly call out the lack of gender diversity in late-night TV writers’ rooms. “One of the boys” came out hard for “all of the girls.” Her criticisms fueled a cultural debate. Two years later, Scovell was collaborating with Sheryl Sandberg on speeches and later on Lean In, which resulted in a worldwide movement. 

Now Scovell is opening up with this fun, honest, and often shocking account. Scovell knows what it’s like to put words in the mouths of President Barack Obama, Mark Harmon, Candice Bergen, Bob Newhart, Conan O’Brien, Alyssa Milano, and Kermit the Frog, among many others. Through her eyes, you’ll sit in the Simpsons writers’ room . . . stand on the red carpet . . . pin a tail on Miss Piggy . . . bond with Star Trek’s Leonard Nimoy . . . and experience a Stephen King–like encounter with Stephen King. 

Just the Funny Parts is a fast-paced story of a nerdy girl from New England who fought her way to the top of the highly competitive, male-dominated entertainment field. The book delivers invaluable insights into the creative process and tricks for navigating a difficult workplace. It’s part memoir, part how-to, and part survival story. Or, as Scovell puts it, “It’s like Unbroken, but funnier and with slightly less torture.”