Abbi Jacobson, cocreator and costar of Comedy Central's Broad City, made a solo drive from New York City to L.A., seeking time, space, and breathing room. The problem was, no one told her brain, which refused to shut up during the entire drive. The result is her third book, I Might Regret This: Essays, Drawings, Vulnerabilities and Other Stuff (coming from Grand Central Publishing in the fall), a collection born during the long haul.
Is writing very different for you from performing?
Even though I think of myself as vulnerable on Broad City and other projects I've been a part of, this feels different. It feels more intimate, more direct, and more open. Writing this book was quite the process for me, and I learned a lot doing this, about myself, about writing, about everything.
What do you hope readers will take away from this book?
I hope they feel like they were right there on the trip with me. I hope they relate to some of the things I'm writing about, and feel less alone or are emboldened to try and take some time for themselves and think about their own lives. I hope it makes them laugh—at least when I was trying to be funny.
Let's talk ‘Broad City.' What's in store for next season?
It's a pretty intense one. Now that people know it's our last season, it's hard to reveal too much, but I'm so happy with what we have in store.
‘Broad City' is one of the few popular entertainments that actually has a very conscious feminist point of view. Was it difficult to get heard at first?
When we started, we were definitely compared to any other show with a female lead. It took us a bit to be taken seriously, for people to understand what we were trying to do. I think, unfortunately, that's still the case in a lot of the industry, but it's changing for sure—we're making room.
The #MeToo movement started after ‘Broad City' had been on a few years. Do you think, in a way, the show helped grease the wheels?
Any female representation is so very important in making this movement grow and create real change, but I can't take credit for greasing the wheels. I'm doing my best to hop on and keep it going.
