Carole Montgomery: How To Beat Ageism In ShowBiz One Laugh At A Time 

00:00:02:10 – 00:00:29:20
Carole
You know, I was making a very good living on the road as a comedian. And then when I came back to New York after we were in Las Vegas, I realized, I realized I was all that. I mean, I, I never think of myself as older. I’m just who I am. And I saw that my opportunities were just starting to dwindle.

00:00:29:22 – 00:00:59:09
Claudia
Hello and welcome to Shift Happens. I have been wondering for a while, why are humans so afraid of aging? Aging. Getting older. Of wrinkles from laughter and wrinkles from life’s journey. It’s not a new conversation, but one that needs to be continuously kept alive. Today I’m sitting down with lifelong standup comedian Carole Montgomery. Carol is a classic in showbiz, a Brooklynite through and through.

00:00:59:11 – 00:01:33:12
Claudia
And she has performed all over the United States. Being a standup comedian was her full time job until she turned 50. Her environmental signature silently but clearly that her time has done over closed. She shifted and worked as a producer, a comedy teacher and writer to stay connected in the business. At 59, she had a breakthrough idea Funny Women of a Certain Age, a standup comedy show featuring older comedian women with a talent pool of about 100 artists.

00:01:33:17 – 00:02:06:02
Claudia
Carol has been producing shows for the past ten years. TV channel Showtime made three comedy specials with funny Women of a Certain Age, and the group is performing all over the US. Anything is possible, really. Nothing is a matter of age but of spirit and choice.

00:02:06:04 – 00:02:26:15
Claudia
Welcome, Carol Montgomery. Thank you so much for reaching out to me and for the opportunity that we are now here in conversation today on shift happens before we start and you share about your life and your shift and shifts. I wanted to ask you a few questions.

00:02:26:17 – 00:02:27:20
Carole
Sure.

00:02:27:22 – 00:02:31:05
Claudia
Dogs or cats?

00:02:31:07 – 00:02:34:03
Carole

00:02:34:05 – 00:02:39:11
Carole
Can I say both? Sure. Yeah, both. Okay. Okay.

00:02:39:13 – 00:02:41:21
Claudia
Still a sparkling.

00:02:41:22 – 00:02:48:15
Carole
Still. I’m a New Yorker. I mean, the pipes in New York, new York water is the best. So still.

00:02:48:17 – 00:02:50:20
Claudia
Apples to oranges.

00:02:50:22 – 00:02:52:21
Carole
Apples.

00:02:52:23 – 00:02:57:12
Claudia
What is your current state of mind?

00:02:57:14 – 00:03:06:10
Carole
But my face is showing you my current state of mind right at this moment. Is frustrated.

00:03:06:12 – 00:03:09:18
Claudia
Okay. I mean, we will not dig into that.

00:03:09:19 – 00:03:11:20
Carole
But. Yeah.

00:03:11:22 – 00:03:16:19
Claudia
When was the last time you surprised yourself? In a good way.

00:03:16:20 – 00:03:39:23
Carole
Oh, wow. Wow. When was the last time I spoke? I can’t remember it. I, you know, I think any time that I do something, that is not what I usually do like. In other words, I’m so used to doing things very consistently. So when I do it, when I step out of my comfort zone.

00:03:40:01 – 00:03:51:11
Carole
And it turns out to be an okay thing. That’s when I’m surprised because I’m like why. To step out of my comfort zone. Oh yeah. That would be that would absolutely be a stepping out of my comfort zone.

00:03:51:13 – 00:03:58:17
Claudia
And last one, can you name something that made you smile this week.

00:03:58:19 – 00:04:16:21
Carole
My my dog. Yeah. My dog. My dog. She’s a very timid little girl. And because we we got her she was abandoned. So she should we have this, foot race and she jumped from the foot rest on to the bed, like. Like it was only like this small. You know, not that, but it was a big deal.

00:04:16:21 – 00:04:22:08
Carole
Like, we were like, oh, we’re so happy for her. She conquered her fear and she jumped.

00:04:22:10 – 00:04:24:11
Claudia
She stepped also out of her comfort zone.

00:04:24:12 – 00:04:34:07
Carole
She had to step out of her comfort zone. That’s an absolute good.

00:04:34:09 – 00:04:38:10
Claudia
So you are a stand up comedy all star.

00:04:38:12 – 00:04:39:04
Carole
Oh. Thank you.

00:04:39:07 – 00:05:05:10
Claudia
And you shared with me that you had this, like, you know, very rich career. Started out in New York City, then moved over to the West coast, had a number of years performing in Las Vegas and then you said at around age 50 or 40s, it was almost like, you know, an invisible stop sign was there and suddenly age aging became a topic.

00:05:05:12 – 00:05:15:19
Claudia
Yep. And, I wanted to ask you, you know, how you remembered how you realized that, and then how you moved out of it?

00:05:15:21 – 00:05:37:21
Carole
You know, it’s it’s so interesting. I feel like I’ve become this, a big spokesperson for pro aging. Obviously, because I’m 67 now, but when it when it started to happen, as I was a, I was a rural comic, I was, you know, I was a, you know, I was making a very good living on the road as a comedian, you know, all the time.

00:05:38:03 – 00:06:00:18
Carole
But I to and then I moved to Las Vegas. And then when I came back, to New York after, after we were in Las Vegas, I realized that, that I would I didn’t I realized I was older, I mean, I, I never think of myself as older. I’m just who I am. And I saw that my opportunities were just starting to dwindle.

00:06:00:20 – 00:06:18:14
Carole
And I wasn’t on the road as much. And plus, the internet had started to take off and social media started to take off. And they, they, you know, they wanted the younger, cuter, hotter or whatever. So, it was around 50. I thought, well, I want to stay in my business. I want to continue to do comedy.

00:06:18:14 – 00:06:43:15
Carole
So to supplement being doing that, I started to direct. I started to develop solo shows. I started acting a little bit. I started teaching, and that’s all. All because I was being pushed, pushed aside, like, you know, she doesn’t have anything. When I was 59, I really realized I was like, okay, we have to figure out what we’re going to do with the rest of our lives.

00:06:43:17 – 00:07:03:18
Carole
And I was doing a podcast with a bunch of other female comics, and they were also older, and we were doing stories about being on the road and just what it’s like to be a woman in comedy. And when I was coming home, I called my husband. I said, I think I have an idea. A show about, you know, a comedy show with, all female comics over the age of 50.

00:07:03:20 – 00:07:21:04
Carole
It was the first time in my life my husband actually went. That’s a good idea. Ha ha ha ha ha ha. No, because because in show business, you always have ideas that you’re always coming up with what’s going to be a thing, and that turned into the thing that basically changed my life, that turned into, funny women of a certain age.

00:07:21:05 – 00:07:29:19
Carole
And of course, now that’s that’s basically what I do. I rarely go out and perform by myself. I’m always out with the troupe of women.

00:07:29:21 – 00:07:40:06
Claudia
And is it always the same constellation of, women, or are you do you open this group up for other women to join or other stand up comedians to join? Yes.

00:07:40:08 – 00:07:58:04
Carole
We have a rotating. We have a huge rotating cast. When I first came up with the idea. I remember thinking, okay, because I had just, you know, I was over 50 and, you know, I knew a lot of women my age. And so that I would say when I started making the list, I said, I would say we were about 50 to 100, you know, working women that I could use.

00:07:58:10 – 00:08:22:11
Carole
And then I thought to myself, I wonder if I open up to 40 because 40 is really the cutoff point. I think, in, in show business where you no longer are the starlet, you are now the grandmother at 40 at 40 people at 40. So and then it became hundreds and hundreds of women. So I have a core group that I use all the time, but for the most part, I do try to put in new women all the time.

00:08:22:13 – 00:08:53:20
Carole
So it is a rotating cast of women, the women that were on comedy specials that we, we, we filmed three comedy specials for Showtime. I pick and choose from because usually the theaters, the big theaters we do, they want the women from TV. So for the most part, I pick and choose some of those women. But I do like the whole reason for the show was to give other women a step up and to be seen, because as as you get older, as every older woman will tell you, we are no longer in in the sight line of anything anymore.

00:08:53:21 – 00:08:55:02
Carole
Nobody’s looked at us like, you.

00:08:55:04 – 00:08:56:18
Claudia
Know, no longer visible.

00:08:57:00 – 00:09:03:22
Carole
No longer visible. Like I say, that I could walk past a construction site now naked and nobody would say.

00:09:04:00 – 00:09:05:23
Claudia
Oh, it’s not funny. Yeah.

00:09:06:01 – 00:09:30:04
Carole
But, you know, it’s like, you know, true. There’s good things and bad things about being invisible. Like, I could be an international spy now because nobody knows where I am. Exactly. I could be a pickpocket. That would be great. But. But, you know, you do realize that you’re just like, wow, okay. So. Yeah. So it’s a rotating cast, but I do try to put in new women all the time.

00:09:30:06 – 00:09:45:23
Claudia
But since Showtime picked up your show and you had, you know, TV specials and appeared there, several times with your show, they must have seen the necessity. Yeah. And and the good side of it. Otherwise they wouldn’t have done it. Right.

00:09:46:01 – 00:10:05:21
Carole
Well, you know, that’s so fascinating because I remember, you know, when you when you’re shopping a showrunner, you go to different networks and you sit there and you have a pitch, what they call a pitch meeting. And, so I remember sitting there and it was a young guy, and I remember sitting there with my partner and my producer partner who’s a guy, and he goes and does this.

00:10:05:23 – 00:10:22:12
Carole
I just sat there and let him do his stuff, right? And when he was done doing his spiel, the young guy turned to me goes, I’d like to hear what Carol has to say. And that’s when I knew I had it. That’s when I knew I said, okay, we’ve got this. Because he wanted to hear. He wanted to hear it directly from me.

00:10:22:12 – 00:10:40:20
Carole
And I thought that was a that was that was a big tell that that, that, that they wanted it. And he couldn’t have been greater. He was our biggest supporter every time. So I try not to say stuff like I was lucky or I, you know, because I worked my butt off to get to where the show was.

00:10:40:20 – 00:10:57:03
Carole
But I do think we were there at the right time that we came up with the show in 2018, and in 2019 is when we got the deal with Showtime. And, and then it aired, I think the following year, I want to say I think it aired in 2020 was the first one, but that was all during me too.

00:10:57:03 – 00:11:12:10
Carole
And there was a lot of pro women’s stuff happening. So it kind of we kind of we kind of like slipped in in a, in a weird way because and of course, the first special was Showtime’s highest rated comedy special I ever had. And.

00:11:12:10 – 00:11:13:15
Claudia
Then when.

00:11:13:17 – 00:11:42:12
Carole
I know it was, like, so exciting, I was like, oh, you mean I was right? People want to see open. And I was right, because after that was, Schitt’s Creek was on the air and hacks was on the air. That’s all I’m not saying. I personally did that, but I move at least I move the what’s the word I, I moved it, I moved it, I’m whatever that is, I’m like I’ve been looking at older women now and now there’s tough stuff for older women.

00:11:42:12 – 00:11:47:18
Carole
So I didn’t have something to do with that much. That’s great. That’s a great feeling to have.

00:11:47:20 – 00:12:01:22
Claudia
Yeah. It’s really fantastic. And the content of your show is a lot of everyday topics that concern women of a certain age or where do you get your input and your, your jokes.

00:12:02:00 – 00:12:04:05
Carole
Are you talking about me or the show itself.

00:12:04:06 – 00:12:07:09
Claudia
Yeah. The show. And then also you personally. Well.

00:12:07:11 – 00:12:25:13
Carole
One of the things when we were looking for the women that were going to be in the be in the specials was, is yes, it’s about women of a certain age, but you don’t have to do that. One of the things I’m proud of said is that if when you look at we had six girls on each show, including me, so we had 15 for all three shows, we had 15 female comics plus myself.

00:12:25:15 – 00:12:43:06
Carole
And if you look at any one of those women, nobody’s talking about the same stuff. They’re talking about their experiences from their lives. Because one of the things I heard my entire career was, we don’t want to put two women on a show because they’re going to talk about the same thing. And I’m like, what are you talking about?

00:12:43:08 – 00:13:10:15
Carole
You know, like you could have a young guy talk about, you know, smoking pot in his mother’s basement and, you know, all that type of crap. But you women are so diverse, you know, and so, so I love the fact that some touched on, on being women, some touched on, you know, their parents, you know, because everyone forgets that when you become this age, if you’re lucky to have your parents, then you’re probably their caregivers.

00:13:10:17 – 00:13:28:15
Carole
So there were comics that talked about that. And I for me, my personal way that I write is I always say that when I started out, I was young and I was single. I was looking to date, so I talked about dating. I met my husband. He was my boyfriend. Then I talked about my boyfriend, and then we got married.

00:13:28:15 – 00:13:48:12
Carole
Then I talked about that and I had a son. Then I talked about that. And now it’s really basically about trying to navigate this world. As a 67 year old woman, I still have the material about my family, and I have stuff about my dog now. But I’ve always been the comic that talks about, from the heart.

00:13:48:12 – 00:14:14:13
Carole
What my my heroes are, my, my biggest hero is Richard Pryor. That’s all he did was talk about his life. And so it depends, you know, at some point, if my son ever has grandchildren, I’m not I’m not holding my breath. But if he if I have grandchildren, I’ll talk about them. But you know, it’s, that’s it’s to me that’s much more interesting than just.

00:14:14:15 – 00:14:16:21
Carole
Yeah, joke jokes. Yeah. No.

00:14:16:23 – 00:14:25:03
Claudia
No, it’s the authenticity also. Right? I mean, it’s very personal and yet it’s universal and we all find ourselves in it. Yes.

00:14:25:05 – 00:14:27:02
Carole
Yes, absolutely, absolutely.

00:14:27:07 – 00:14:35:05
Claudia
And your audiences are mostly women or is it mixed or. How would you describe that?

00:14:35:07 – 00:14:58:07
Carole
You know, it’s interesting because it is a female oriented show. Yeah. People are. Oh, is it only for women? I’m like, no, bring the men. We want them to hear what I would just say in, sellersville, Pennsylvania. This past weekend. And the whole front row were women with their husbands or boyfriends or whatever, and it was so much fun to watch women just doing this.

00:14:58:07 – 00:15:20:13
Carole
She’s talking about you. She’s talking about you, you know, because you want the men there. And it’s a mixed crowd. I mean, my my favorite audience, obviously, audiences are people in their 50s and up just because we can really relate. But when we taped the specials, all three specials, two would taped at the Bell House in Brooklyn, and the other one was taped at the Irvine Improv in Irvine, California.

00:15:20:15 – 00:15:44:06
Carole
I would say at least a third of the audience for kids in their 20s. Yeah. You know, they I’m not afraid of playing to young people because they look at me like I’m Yoda, you know, the literally they know what they do. They look at me like this. Tell us what? What should we learn? So I don’t like I, I know some women that don’t like to work for younger crowds because, you know, like, what am I going to talk about?

00:15:44:09 – 00:15:48:01
Carole
I will always find something that somebody can relate to. Want to.

00:15:48:01 – 00:15:48:19
Claudia
Connect?

00:15:48:21 – 00:16:05:23
Carole
Yeah. You want the one thing I don’t like and I don’t do this anymore, but sometimes in New York City, the comedy clubs have a late show, like a midnight show, and I’m way past midnight. Yeah, I’m so I’ve done those and I’m like, you know, they’re all drunk. They’re young kids. I can still connect with them, but I’m tired.

00:16:06:00 – 00:16:09:16
Carole
I don’t want to do that. Yeah, yeah. No.

00:16:09:18 – 00:16:14:04
Claudia
Is it, hard to make you laugh?

00:16:14:06 – 00:16:34:08
Carole
No, I love to laugh. Even though I’m a comedian. And my job is to make other people laugh. I love I love to laugh, I watch, I still watch sitcoms, I still watch come fill. You know, we just want to see The Naked Gun. It was great. My son said, mom, there’s jokes in that. You’re going to really like it.

00:16:34:10 – 00:16:56:09
Carole
I mean, I, I yeah, I think laughter is that is the greatest thing you can do, especially in bad times. You know, or if you’re going through something so many, so many people I’m so lucky people come up to me after a show and they go, I really needed this tonight. I had such a horrible day or they lost a loved one or you know, you know, they lost their job and they’re like, we just wanted to go away.

00:16:56:09 – 00:17:13:21
Carole
And so I, I still left. I actually went to see a female comic and most comics will say to Carol, you went to see somebody because, you know, we see comedians all the time, but there’s a young lady from Britain named Sarah Millican. And I had seen a video of her and I fell in love with her.

00:17:13:21 – 00:17:31:02
Carole
You know, she’s a, she’s, she’s of course she’s British. So she’s naughty, you know, she, you know in a little blue. And I always say that if I had had a daughter it would be Sarah Millican, because we have that same type of, you know, I’m from Brooklyn. I’m a little more I’m a little more out there when it comes to being, you know, edging.

00:17:31:04 – 00:17:51:11
Carole
But I went and I went and bought a ticket to see you here in New York City. I, I went by myself, I did and everyone was like really. I said I had the best time. I was laughing, you know, it’s just because you do that for a living doesn’t mean you you can’t. I mean, I can’t imagine if there they might be there might be comedians that never left, which is sad, I think, because laughter is so much fun.

00:17:51:13 – 00:17:52:21
Carole

00:17:52:22 – 00:17:58:20
Claudia
Actually, in Germany, where I’m from, we also have comedians.

00:17:58:22 – 00:17:59:18
Carole
Of course you do.

00:17:59:20 – 00:18:29:23
Claudia
And some came out in recent years and shared that they actually really struggled with depression and were extremely sensitive, you know, to what was going on. And there was a time where they had to then, you know, take a break from the stage to, to recover. But that was really, that was really moving. And you know, of course there was a then a stage where they also made fun about it, but also just the fact that, you know, there are these it’s very complex, especially to be a comedian, standup comedian.

00:18:29:23 – 00:18:40:16
Claudia
It’s very complex. It’s the authenticity. It’s the it’s what comes from the heart, you know. And to balance this all, it’s a lot.

00:18:40:18 – 00:19:04:04
Carole
Well, you know, I mean you’re talking about depression and all that. So there’s a you know, I, I’m not a statistician, but I would say probably half of the comedians suffered depression or some kind of mental health. You know, you don’t you don’t stand up in front of thousands of people and tell jokes. If you do that a little, you know, something’s not a little, you know, you know.

00:19:04:04 – 00:19:33:22
Carole
But in my case, like people always ask me like, I’ve been doing stand up comedy for over 40 years. Like it’s it’s all I know. Like it’s my job. So I guess it is therapy for me because I’ve gone on stage after horrible, you know, after the deaths of loved ones and my parents and family, and you just go up there because that’s the only place that I feel safe at, that I know that I can go out and be as outrageous as I want to be.

00:19:34:00 – 00:20:02:10
Carole
Get the laughter. It’s it’s it really is. When you’re performing and you’re doing like what we in the industry call it it, you know, and it’s just everything’s there is a high when you get off stage that there’s nothing better. There’s no drugs, there’s no alcohol, there is nothing better. But then you’ll do something like that and you’ll have this great set, and then you go back to your hotel room and you’re by yourself and you’re you’re playing on your phone and like, it’s such a dichotomy of what we go through.

00:20:02:13 – 00:20:23:11
Carole
So yeah, I’m sure that there’s so many comedians that have some kind of, you know, mental health issue. You know, I really try to stay present in my life. So but, you know, I mean, I, I’m sure that in 40 years I’ve, I’ve been depressed. So, you know, it’s part of it’s part of life. It has nothing to do with being showbusiness.

00:20:23:11 – 00:20:24:15
Carole
It’s just part of our life.

00:20:24:15 – 00:20:25:04
Claudia
The part of.

00:20:25:04 – 00:20:45:03
Carole
Life. Yeah. Can impact. I’m an empath. I feel the I, I feel when I see when, you know, I. I can’t not feel. So with everything that’s happening in the world. Right now, it’s like, oh, you know, you just where do you go? What do you do? Oh, I know, I’ll write some jokes. I’ll go on stage. That’s like I said, that’s.

00:20:45:03 – 00:20:51:09
Claudia
My safe space. Yeah, yeah. Did you grow up with a lot of laughter?

00:20:51:11 – 00:21:17:03
Carole
Yes. My dad, my dad wanted to be a comedian. He was a, He was a bartender. He he was a high school teacher. Public school teacher. And then in the summertime, when I have the summers off, he bartended up in the Catskills in the Borscht Belt. So as a young child, I’d spend the afternoons with my dad, and he’d be setting the bar up and, you know, Rodney Dangerfield at the time, who was Jack Roy?

00:21:17:03 – 00:21:33:16
Carole
He wasn’t Rodney Dangerfield. Then he would come in, have a drink with my dad, talk about it, you know? So I was around comedians my whole life. So when years later didn’t even dawn on me, I was already knee deep in this, this career. And I looked at my father and I went, you’re the reason I became a comedian.

00:21:33:16 – 00:21:49:16
Carole
And he just started laughing. Yeah. Yeah. So I’ve been around it the whole time. He, he was the one that turned me on to the Marx Brothers when I was a little girl, and he always was making jokes and everything. And I think he really did want to be a comedian. But you know, it was a different time back then.

00:21:49:16 – 00:22:06:15
Carole
It was, you know, I was born in 58. So he had just come back from the Korean War. So, you know, you didn’t go and do something like that. He went and got a job as a teacher. And, you know, we raised a family with my mom.

00:22:06:17 – 00:22:17:23
Claudia
Men of a certain age. Is is it easier for them or do they face kind of the same, hesitation to be honest. And, you know, put on stage.

00:22:18:01 – 00:22:39:20
Carole
Well, men like I always joke about because male comics have. Come on. Why are you doing, why don’t you do men of a certain age? And I’m like, yeah, Jim Gaffigan doesn’t need my help. You know? Dilbert doesn’t need my help. You know, Marc Maron doesn’t need my help. Women need help. The thing is, is that it’s like I say, it’s a male dominated business.

00:22:39:22 – 00:23:08:08
Carole
So the fact that now. And this makes you really happy, there’s a lot of young, vibrant, beautiful women doing stand up, and they’re getting successful. So I think that’s wonderful. But is it easier for men, older men? Absolutely, absolutely. I will say that I think men do experience ageism too. But it’s like I always say that. I’d say I’d say to so many men will start to experience ageism around late 60s, early 70s.

00:23:08:10 – 00:23:30:03
Carole
Women start experiencing ageism around age 15. Okay. So it’s you know what I mean. Like even with yeah, they don’t they don’t have to worry about how how they look on stage or, you know, for years I was told because I am what you know what? I’m considered a little comic, even though compared to the children who are up now, I’m, I’m really very mild.

00:23:30:05 – 00:23:48:15
Carole
But back in the day, I was oh she’s dirty. Oh she’s this, oh she’s that. And then I’d see a guy doing pretty much the same kind of material and they were like, he’s brilliant and I’m. Yeah. Yeah. So it’s a double standard. Yes. There’s definitely still a double standard.

00:23:48:17 – 00:23:55:19
Claudia
So what do you do to calm down. Okay.

00:23:55:21 – 00:24:16:01
Carole
That’s a good question. What do I do to calm down. I like I, I’m like very simple you know I, I love spending I love my, I’m crazy about my dog. I had dogs when we lived in Vegas when we moved to New York originally, my mother in law was still alive and she was allergic, so we couldn’t have dogs.

00:24:16:01 – 00:24:41:20
Carole
But then I towards the end of her life, I convinced her. I said, let’s foster a dog. You know, let’s just see if we can. And we ended up fostering this dog. We’ll have a two years in September, and my mother in law fell in love with her, and she wasn’t allergic to her. So when I’m really upset and I think animals in general, they sense, oh, yeah, when you’re wound up or because they’ve been kind of choke free for stuff like that.

00:24:41:21 – 00:25:09:00
Carole
If I’m really upset, I jump into bed with my dog. But for for every day I love watching old television. I do like I love watching comedy. When during the pandemic, my husband and I went through the entire series of Mary Tyler Moore. We went through the entire sewers of the Bob Newhart Show. I sit around and I read, I’d like to drink all the time, but I’m 67 and the doctor’s like, no more drinking, you know?

00:25:09:00 – 00:25:30:09
Carole
And so we did. I go out to dinner, I you try you, you know, I live right by Central Park. So you could do it. Sometimes I just go out and walk in the park and that’s amazing because I have this giant park right next to me. So, you know, I, I wish I could say that I do a ton of stuff, but for me, it’s very simple.

00:25:30:11 – 00:25:34:19
Carole
Dog reading park.

00:25:34:21 – 00:25:40:19
Claudia
And, what’s next now for the funny women of a certain age?

00:25:40:21 – 00:25:59:01
Carole
Well, we’re going, you know, it’s so interesting, in the summertime, because I, I don’t know when this will air, but but in the summertime, which we are talking right now, I’ve been doing stand up over 40 years. And every summer this happens, I look at my husband, I’m like, I have no work because you never have work in June or July.

00:25:59:01 – 00:26:17:01
Carole
If you ask any comedian that it’s it’s bizarre. Unless of course, they’re superstars and then they’re working. So, I can already see a difference, you know, right now that things are starting to shift again. Yeah. I’m getting more calls for doing this. So the fall or we already have dates through May of 26.

00:26:17:01 – 00:26:17:19
Claudia
Fantastic.

00:26:17:19 – 00:26:44:05
Carole
Yeah, I’m very excited about that. And you can check all of that stuff on our website. We’re still trying to sell the series. Like the series isn’t over. Yeah. Showtime does it right now was bought by Paramount Plus. They are no longer doing comedy specials in general, not just mine in general. So we want to pick it up and bring it to another network where it’s more of a weekly thing, where we do like a half hour.

00:26:44:07 – 00:27:04:21
Carole
There was a show called evening at the improv years ago was basically the, the, owner of the improv. But Friedman and then he bring in 3D comics, and that’s really why I’m trying to shift again and change the show. And to me, as the host, three up and coming older female comics. So we’re still trying to change, we’re trying to sell that.

00:27:04:23 – 00:27:09:14
Carole
We rerelease the specials on comedy dynamics. So now they’re streaming everywhere.

00:27:09:14 – 00:27:10:08
Claudia
Oh, fantastic.

00:27:10:08 – 00:27:30:23
Carole
So that’s wonderful. Yeah, yeah. And it’s so interesting because we’re older, but all this internet stuff like, you know, you have to have content and you have to have reels. And so we’ve been lucky the last few times we’ve been doing reels through comedy dynamics. One of the girls got over 22 million views and I was like, is that good?

00:27:30:23 – 00:27:34:22
Carole
And they’re like, oh no, that’s really good.

00:27:35:00 – 00:27:56:14
Carole
I don’t know what the kids are doing, you know, like we have with us. So we’ve got an interest now on the internet again. So I’m going to continue to do this. I, this is my this is my baby. This is and I really like I love going on shows like this and discussing this with other people and the whole thing about pro-Beijing.

00:27:56:14 – 00:28:00:02
Carole
And just because you turn an age doesn’t mean you can’t do something.

00:28:00:08 – 00:28:26:09
Claudia
Absolutely. And last, now the season before last, I talked to a wonderful woman who since then, unfortunately, sadly has passed. Dale had and she was amazing. And she was she worked as a model, also a little bit as an actress. But when she was told also with 36 that, you know, this is it. Yep. Like basically not only that she can’t work anymore, but that her life is over.

00:28:26:11 – 00:28:51:16
Claudia
Right? She really was like, and she has had contracts with all the big companies and is was still working, you know, in her 70s and was in her best form ever. And she was advocating and just sharing, helping and supporting women. And, it’s a tough job. It’s it’s hard. And ageism is everywhere. Ageism is also in the family.

00:28:51:18 – 00:29:08:00
Claudia
I just turned 58 and, and actually I never thought about age until something happened, recently to me. And, it’s really, you know, it’s an the audacity. I mean, like what? Like what?

00:29:08:04 – 00:29:47:15
Carole
I know I, I see it sometimes, especially in my, in my field because there’s so many young kids. And when I walk in, they kind of look like they roll their eyes. And then I go on stage, and then everyone wants to talk to because they’re like, but it is interesting that you. Yeah, exactly. 58 is young, you know, 67 is, just because I’m, you know, I, I’m trying to show people that once you become a senior citizen, that you’re not frail and feeble and you the catchphrase to the show is, I’m incontinent, not incompetent.

00:29:47:17 – 00:30:15:07
Carole
Yeah. You know. Yes, exactly. There have been people in who are in their hundreds who have come to my shows and they come out and you know, and I apologize because I go, I’m sorry, it’s an 8:00 show. Do you know what I mean? Because I try to do early shows now anyway, just because for me. But, but just this whole thing about that the youth is the future of America or of America, of the world, or the youth use youth, youth.

00:30:15:07 – 00:30:17:04
Carole
And it’s like, you know, they’re not.

00:30:17:06 – 00:30:40:09
Claudia
Well, I mean, you know, they of course they are the the future of however, the near future is also because of this whole longevity, which, I mean, this will alter our lives, right? We will be coming older. And also so many societies are just old, you know, not enough kids are being born, not enough young people are in the workforce.

00:30:40:11 – 00:31:02:12
Claudia
So, you know, we all need to stay in the workforce anyway. And that’s a good thing. Yeah, yeah. I’m really happy that the narrative is changing around this. And I think like, you know, this generation, our generation is in the midst of it. But we have also the opportunity to pave the way forward for the younger ones. Yeah.

00:31:02:14 – 00:31:20:13
Carole
Well I, you know, I hope that I’m still performing when, when I’m 100, you know, I mean, I, I want to be like when George Burns did, he didn’t make any. He was 99. But you want to I mean, Mel Brooks. Mel Brooks is I want to say he’s like 95 or 96 and I, we saw him a couple of years ago.

00:31:20:13 – 00:31:44:14
Carole
They were they rereleased Blazing Saddles, and then he came out and was interviewed and was interesting. You could tell, you know, he kind of shuffled on because he’s, you know, in his 90s. But as soon as he started to talk about his work, he was lit up was the Mel, you know. Yeah. So it doesn’t mean I don’t know why people I don’t know why ageism exists.

00:31:44:14 – 00:32:02:08
Carole
I don’t know if it’s because they were afraid of that they’re dying or that their bodies are giving way, or I’m not really. I still try to talk about that. You know, like, I have a line in my show where I go when a young girl is rude to me because of my age. I just look at her and go, I don’t bleed monthly anymore.

00:32:02:08 – 00:32:25:05
Carole
I win. Do you know what I mean? Like yeah. It’s like the stuff that you just the stuff that women have to go through. Yeah. Every day, I don’t have to deal anymore. That’s great. Yeah it’s I still I someday I maybe I’ll figure it out. But I would love to know why people are so afraid of getting old.

00:32:25:07 – 00:32:26:08
Carole
I, you know, I.

00:32:26:08 – 00:32:50:07
Claudia
Think it has to do with the in the end, with the fear of death, with the fear of, you know, that one can have an end. And yeah, I think in our West, since society, we are not including death into life. It’s completely separate. We include birth into life, but death is, you know, not really part of the whole spiel.

00:32:50:09 – 00:33:14:00
Claudia
And and I think that’s a big problem. Yeah. We’ve all been kind of socialized to be productive and, you know, to be young and if we’re not young, then we need to look young and all of that, even though I think this is like the narrative is changing. And thanks to also, you know, women and humans like you, it’s it’s you know, we are I feel like we’re on a good trajectory.

00:33:14:02 – 00:33:34:05
Carole
Oh, I do too, I think. Yeah. Because I think my generation, I was the generation that you grew up with, the we can do anything, you know, like, you know, we were the 70s is when I grew up and that was all of women’s lib. And so I didn’t I had no when I had my son, I took him on the road with me.

00:33:34:07 – 00:33:52:15
Carole
I had a brand new six. We go, baby, and I’m schlepping him to airports to get to a gig in Pittsburgh. And I didn’t think anything of it. And so when I see women that go, well, I don’t know why, I’m afraid I shouldn’t do that. I’m like, do it. Just go out and whatever it is you want to do, go out and do it.

00:33:52:15 – 00:34:11:18
Carole
Because the worst thing can happen is that you can fail and you know, that’s another thing, like the whole thing about failing. Failing is good. Yeah. You if we live it, you know, in my and I was part of that as a mother, you know, the whole let’s give everybody a trophy. Oh no no no no no no no no no.

00:34:11:20 – 00:34:32:09
Carole
Some of you sucked. So you should not have a you know, but so it’s this whole thing of failure is looked upon like oh my God saying no. Like, one of the things I’m proudest about with my son is that I should always ask, you need somebody or you? You have a favor to ask of someone. Ask them if they say no.

00:34:32:09 – 00:34:49:19
Carole
It’s nothing personal. It’s nothing personal. They’re busy. They can’t do anything. It’s never. Oh, I hate you. Why did you ask me that? It’s like, oh, I can. And I learned that from a friend of mine who was a very busy producer. I was doing my solo show at the time I was writing, and I said, you know, I could really use some help.

00:34:49:19 – 00:35:08:11
Carole
I’m like, what you think? You know, just some ideas. And he goes, Carol, I can’t, I love you, I just can’t. I’m just so busy. And I went, okay. And we went off. And when I do so, you know, don’t be afraid of the word no, don’t be afraid of failure, you know, and don’t be afraid of getting old.

00:35:08:13 – 00:35:09:17
Carole

00:35:09:19 – 00:35:22:12
Claudia
No, I think it’s, I think it’s fun and it’s also a blessing. Yeah. I mean I lost friends already and so I’m, I’m really really grateful as well.

00:35:22:13 – 00:35:27:16
Carole
Right. I mean it’s you know getting older is better than the alternative.

00:35:27:18 – 00:35:28:09
Claudia
Exactly.

00:35:28:11 – 00:35:29:12
Carole
Yes. Yes.

00:35:29:13 – 00:35:32:14
Claudia
Absolutely. Absolutely. This are better.

00:35:32:14 – 00:35:34:01
Carole
Yes yes yes.

00:35:34:01 – 00:35:38:14
Claudia
Yes. Yeah. Oh Carol this has been great. Thank you so much.

00:35:38:16 – 00:35:43:04
Carole
Oh I love this. This was so much fun. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you.

00:35:43:04 – 00:35:51:19
Claudia
And I will direct everyone to your website to find out the dates for your fall shows and the performances in 26.

00:35:51:23 – 00:36:08:19
Carole
Yes. And we do have a, monthly residency here in New York City at the Comedy Village on West 44th Street. So, it’s also on the website, Funny Women of a Certain Age. But come on down. Come say hi. Yeah. So you heard me on the on the podcast. Yeah.

00:36:08:21 – 00:36:15:00
Claudia
All right. Well, have a wonderful rest of your day. And it’s been really fantastic to speak to you.

00:36:15:01 – 00:36:17:08
Carole
I had a blast. Thank you so much. Thank you.

00:36:17:08 – 00:36:27:06
Claudia
Bye bye. Hi.

00:36:27:08 – 00:36:31:21
Claudia
This is.

00:36:31:23 – 00:37:02:11
Claudia
Ooh, that was lively and such an important voice and experience to share on how to shift later in life. Please go and visit Carol’s website. Funny women of a Certain age.com for showtimes and locations coming up in the fall and later in 2026. On another note. I’m so proud and excited to announce that shift happened. Season five is supported by London based jewelry brand Tilly Swears.

00:37:02:13 – 00:37:29:15
Claudia
Its founder, Tilly Swears creates gorgeous, timeless pieces that have been featured in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, the New York Times. Her jewelry is for women of all ages. Guess who is wearing it to no one less than Taylor Swift. And if you watch this episode on YouTube, you can see me wearing the legendary T-bar necklace. Go to Tilly Swisscom.

00:37:29:18 – 00:37:47:01
Claudia
That’s Tilly SVR Askham and use code shift happens. One word. Capital letters to get 15% off.

00:37:47:03 – 00:38:04:16
Claudia
Thank you for listening to shift Happens. Please follow and subscribe to this podcast. It’s an easy hit for you with a huge impact for me. It helps me grow even further and bring you more conversations with women from around the globe.

00:38:04:18 – 00:38:22:21
Claudia
Shift happens has been created and is hosted by me. Claudia Mahler editing Andy Boroson and social media Magda Reckendrees. I hope you felt connected and heard by listening to Shift happens.