Carol Burnett intimidated ‘Hacks’ and former ‘SNL’ writer Carol Leifer: ‘You don’t want to overstep’

nypost.com:

“How to Write a Funny Speech . . .for a Wedding, Bar Mitzvah, Graduation & Every Other Event You Didn’t Want to Go to in the First Place,” is set to hit shelves on March 11. “I first crossed paths with Carol when I got hired to ride for her 50th anniversary show,” Leifer, 68, exclusively told The Post, referring to the 2017 CBS special about Burnett, 91. “Of all the people I’ve met through my very long career, to meet her was like – check that off the bucket list.

She is one of the most down to earth, kindest, incredible people I’ve ever worked with.” Leifer has released stand-up specials, worked on “Seinfeld,” “The Ellen Show,” “The Larry Sanders Show,” and she won an Emmy for “Hacks” in 2024.The writer cut her teeth on the notorious “weird year” Season 11 of “SNL,” when the show’s cast included Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Michael Hall, Joan Cusack and Randy Quaid. “[Downey Jr.] and Anthony Michael Hall were the kids on the show, I think they used to skateboard around the halls, it was crazy,” she recalled.

She views her time on the NBC variety show as a training ground. “You have to produce a lot, and also pretty quickly….So I think it also gave me a great work ethic.

Comedy is not a slow business. It’s fast. And ‘SNL’ is much more competitive than ‘Seinfeld’ or other sitcoms I’ve worked on.