*By Alyssa Caverley*
When your approach to life is to always look for the joke, you're bound to find the funny things along the way, even on the bumpy road into the Hollywood Boys Club, said Nell Scovell, a comedy writer and the author of a new memoir.
"My story is kind of like this 'Lean In' case study, but with this pop culture background," said Scovell, a writer for "The Simpsons" and creater of the teen comedy "Sabrina the Teenage Witch."
"I tell people 'come for *The Simpsons*, stay for the feminism'," she said in an interview Wednesday with Cheddar.
Scovell helped Sheryl Sandberg write her book, "Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead." In Scovell's new memoir, "Just the Funny Parts: And a Few Hard Truths About Sneaking into the Hollywood Boy's Club," she details her experiences navigating the entertainment industry at a time when she had to fight to be heard as a woman. The #MeToo movement and TimesUp campaign have made some of her experiences more resonant, she said, and easier to tell.
"I went from being anxious to tell my story and then October hits and just all the stories are exploding and then I was like, I couldn't wait for my book to come out at the end of March," she said. "Because I wanted to add my voice to that chorus because I know not everyone can speak out, but I feel like those of us who can have a responsibility to do it."
Scovell, who has also written for publications such as Vanity Fair, is sharing her experiences in the hope that other women will find inspiration from her story and strive to help one another succeed.
"I do share a #MeToo story, but I think it's funny and I did work with some of the funniest people on the planet," she said.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/nell-scovell-is-combatting-sexism-in-hollywood-with-humor).
Reshma Saujani, the founder of the nonprofit Girls Who Code, discusses the workplace inequities further exposed by the pandemic and her latest book, "Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work (and Why It's Different Than You Think).
Patrick Metzger, Writer and Technologist, joins Cheddar Reveals to break down how nostalgia has influenced pop culture, why it remains in a trend loop for every generation, and why that trend is likely never going to end.
Clay Routledge, Professor of Business and author of "Nostalgia: A Psychological Resource", joins Cheddar Reveals to discuss the psychology of nostalgia: why we have it, and why it may be good for our mental health.
Are we headed toward a stalemate between Ukraine and Russia? Also, Miami Beach announces a spring break state of emergency and Maury Povich is retiring. Here is all the news you Need2Know for Tuesday, March 22, 2022.
After a tough start amid the pandemic, lifestyle brand Magnolia Network, a collaboration between Chip and Joanna Gaines and Discovery, is pressing forward. Allison Page, the network's president, joined Cheddar to discuss the challenges and rewards of putting together the latest cable television content offerings from the Gaines team. "Really, behind the scenes, this is their vision, and we saw bits of it in Magnolia Journal, their fantastic magazine," Page said. "And just getting to bring that to life in a broader cable landscape has been such a joy and such a great opportunity." The accomplished television executive who moved over from HGTV also had encouraging words for women in the workplace as Women's History Month continues.
"Surviving Sex Trafficking" is a new documentary examining the dark world of human trafficking and aiming to lift the voices of survivors. Sadhvi Siddhali Shree, a Jain monk and filmmaker, and actor/activist Alyssa Milano, executive producer, joined Cheddar News to the new documentary releasing later this week. "We can't turn away, we need to have these uncomfortable conversations to change the static, this status quo," Milano said about the film. Shree, a sexual abuse survivor, also noted that the filmmaking process of telling these stories helped her heal. "When you carry a lot of pain, when you have the PTSD, when you carry that kind of trauma, you're always trying to find ways to heal yourself," she said.
Will Larkins, president and co-founder of Winter Park High School's Queer Student Union and one of the organizers of its
'Say Gay Anyway' walkout, joined Cheddar News to discuss their recent opinion piece for The New York Times titled "Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Bill Will Hurt Teens Like Me."
Nadia Brown, actor and host of 'The Green Room with Nadia Brown,' and Jenny Makholm, executive producer of the show and co-founder of Be An #ArtsHero/Arts Workers United, join Cheddar News to talk about their new Ovation TV series.
