Michael P. Jeffries is Associate Professor of American Studies at Wellesley College. He is the author of Paint the White House Black: Barack Obama and the Meaning of Race in America (Stanford, 2013) and Thug Life: Race, Gender, and the Meaning of Hip-Hop (2011).

"Melding intimate interviews with astute analysis, Behind the Laughs reveals how the exploitation of comedians is neither funny nor simple. This is a well-researched book that pulls back the curtains on the business of comedy, revealing fascinating stories and troubling inequalities."—Nancy Wang Yuen, author of Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism "Comedy might be funny, but it's no laughing matter. It's a tough gig, as dependent on networks and connections as on talent and training. Who gets in the door and what happens inside is the subject of Behind the Laughs—Michael Jeffries' smart, original, highly-readable new book about the 'show' and 'business' of comedy. A must-read for anyone interested in the interplay of culture, labor, power, and inequality in the contemporary culture industries."—Laura Grindstaff, University of California, Davis

• Lights1. Chemistry of a Comedian2. From Funny to Family3. Succeeding at Not Failing4. Celebrity in the Making5. Privilege, Patriarchy, and PerformanceCurtains

Michael P. Jeffries is Associate Professor of American Studies at Wellesley College. He is the author of Paint the White House Black: Barack Obama and the Meaning of Race in America (Stanford, 2013) and Thug Life: Race, Gender, and the Meaning of Hip-Hop (2011).

"Melding intimate interviews with astute analysis, Behind the Laughs reveals how the exploitation of comedians is neither funny nor simple. This is a well-researched book that pulls back the curtains on the business of comedy, revealing fascinating stories and troubling inequalities."—Nancy Wang Yuen, author of Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism "Comedy might be funny, but it's no laughing matter. It's a tough gig, as dependent on networks and connections as on talent and training. Who gets in the door and what happens inside is the subject of Behind the Laughs—Michael Jeffries' smart, original, highly-readable new book about the 'show' and 'business' of comedy. A must-read for anyone interested in the interplay of culture, labor, power, and inequality in the contemporary culture industries."—Laura Grindstaff, University of California, Davis

• Lights1. Chemistry of a Comedian2. From Funny to Family3. Succeeding at Not Failing4. Celebrity in the Making5. Privilege, Patriarchy, and PerformanceCurtains

Michael P. Jeffries is Associate Professor of American Studies at Wellesley College. He is the author of Paint the White House Black: Barack Obama and the Meaning of Race in America (Stanford, 2013) and Thug Life: Race, Gender, and the Meaning of Hip-Hop (2011).

"Melding intimate interviews with astute analysis, Behind the Laughs reveals how the exploitation of comedians is neither funny nor simple. This is a well-researched book that pulls back the curtains on the business of comedy, revealing fascinating stories and troubling inequalities."—Nancy Wang Yuen, author of Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism "Comedy might be funny, but it's no laughing matter. It's a tough gig, as dependent on networks and connections as on talent and training. Who gets in the door and what happens inside is the subject of Behind the Laughs—Michael Jeffries' smart, original, highly-readable new book about the 'show' and 'business' of comedy. A must-read for anyone interested in the interplay of culture, labor, power, and inequality in the contemporary culture industries."—Laura Grindstaff, University of California, Davis

• Lights1. Chemistry of a Comedian2. From Funny to Family3. Succeeding at Not Failing4. Celebrity in the Making5. Privilege, Patriarchy, and PerformanceCurtains