Carol Leifer
Leifer in 2009
Born	1956 or 1957 (age 68–69) East Williston, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	Queens College
Spouses	Ritch Shydner ​ ​ (m. 1981; div. 1987)​ Lori Wolf ​ (m. 2015)​
Children	1
Comedy career
Years active	1977–present
Medium	Stand-up comedy television film writing
Genre	Observational comedy
Subjects	LGBTQ Jewish culture women's issues everyday life parenting
Website	carolleifer.com

Carol Leifer (/ˈliːfər/LEE-fər;^[1] born 1956 or 1957)^[2] is an American comedian, writer and producer whose career as astand-up comedian started in the 1970s when she was in college. She has written many television scripts includingThe Larry Sanders Show,Saturday Night Live andSeinfeld.^[3]

She has received fourPrimetime Emmy nominations forThe Larry Sanders Show,Seinfeld, the82nd Academy Awards and the84th Academy Awards. Leifer's inner-monologue driven, observational style is often autobiographical, encompassing subjects about herJewish ancestry and upbringing,coming out,same-sex marriage, relationships, having been married previously to a man and now married to a woman, and parenting.^[3][4][5]

Leifer was born and raised inEast Williston, New York.^[6] As a child, she would frequently put on performances for her family and friends in her family's basement.^[7] Leifer recalls her family being a significant part of her fondest memories, including her father's well-known jokes amongst family and friends, as well as her brother taking her to seeThe Beatles in concert atShea Stadium. She frequently credits her father as the reason she became a comic.^[8]

While studying for a theater degree at Harpur College (nowBinghamton University), Leifer accompanied her then boyfriendPaul Reiser to acomedy club to see him perform at theopen mic night atCatch A Rising Star.^[5][9] In 1977, she began performingstand-up comedy and transferred toQueens College to be closer to the club scene. Later she tried performing at New York'sComic Strip and was introduced by emceeJerry Seinfeld.^[5]

Leifer's stand-up comedy career has been well received. Early in her career, a critic fromVariety wrote a review on one of Leifer's sets, saying, "She still has much to absorb in operating in the comedic area, but, with further experience, has a good chance at the brass ring."^[10] The comedians with experience and skill, she became a successful comic.^[11]

She has gotten tremendous, positive feedback over the years and is known for her infectious laugh, wittyobservational comedy, and clean-cut humor.^[11][12] Leifer credits mentor and lifelong friend,David Letterman, with her rise to fame, having performed stand-up comedy onLate Night with David Letterman 25 times. Leifer also appeared onThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,Dr. Katz,Politically Incorrect,Hollywood Squares,Late Night with Conan O'Brien andThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Her stand-up experience also includes opening forJerry Seinfeld andFrank Sinatra.

Leifer has also performed and released several stand-up specials. Her stand-up specials, listed chronologically, are:

• The8th Annual Young Comedians Show (1983)^[13]
• Rodney Dangerfield: Nothin' Goes Right (1987)^[13]
• Carol Doesn't Leifer Anymore (1988)^[13]
• Carol Leifer Comedy Cruise (1989)^[13]
• Carol Leifer: Really Big Shoo! (1990)^[13]
• Caroline's Comedy Hour (1990)^[13]
• London Underground (1991)^[13]
• Comedy Central Presents Carol Leifer (2003)^[13]
• More Funny Women of a Certain Age (2020)^[14]

Leifer's writing career spans several well-known shows, includingSeinfeld,Saturday Night Live,It's Like, You Know... andThe Larry Sanders Show. She has written for theAcademy Awards for most of the 21st century, as well as the69th Annual Tony Awards.

Leifer started her comedy writing career atSaturday Night Live. Leifer was hired by Al Franken andJim Downey to work as a writer for the popular sketch comedy show. Executive producer,Lorne Michaels did not hire Leifer directly, and that became clear.^[15] Leifer recalls her time atSNL being a great opportunity to grow and learn as a writer, but the division caused by Michaels' indifference impacted her time working there, as she recalls "it felt like being asked to play on a Beatles album by Ringo."^[9] Leifer was not asked to return to the staff for a second season.

Leifer starred in, created and executive-produced the 1997 WB sitcomAlright Already, which only ran one season. Alright, Already focused on single optometrist Carol Lerner (played by Leifer). Lerner runs her own practice inMiami, Florida while dealing with family, friends and romance.^[16] The show received mixed reviews, saying it lacked an endearing plot and Leifer "squeezed uncomfortably into an uncomfortable sitcom."^[17][18]

WithMitchell Hurwitz, Leifer created and was a writer forThe Ellen Show (2001). The series was negatively received and only ran one season.^[19] Leifer has also written for several television shows, such asDevious Maids,Modern Family andRules of Engagement. Leifer's writing credits are listed below:

Carol Leifer joined theSeinfeld writing staff during its fifth season (1993–94), and wrote six episodes for the show between then and its seventh season (1995–96).^[20] Alongside being a writer on the show, Leifer was astory editor for 16 episodes from 1993 to 1994 and an executive story editor for 23 episodes from 1994 to 1995. She has been dubbed "the real Elaine", as the series' character,Elaine Benes, was partially based on her.^[21] The episodes Leifer wrote, listed chronologically, are:^[22]

Her work onSeinfeld garnered her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.^[23] Leifer recalls when looking for writers for the show,Larry David, co-creator ofSeinfeld, specifically wanted writers who had never written forsitcoms before.^[24] Working as a writer forSeinfeld is one of Leifer's favorite credits because of the incredible experiences it gave her as well as the opportunity to work alongside incredible comedians. Leifer speaks highly of her coworkers while working on the show, remembering Jerry Seinfeld as "the hardest working of all the comedians I came up with."^[25] One of the most important things she learned as a writer from working onSeinfeld was to "mine your own life for comedy ideas."^[24] Leifer's comedy frequently stems from herself and her family, proving what she learned from working onSeinfeld has had a lasting impact on her work.

Leifer appeared as a contestant on the third season ofCelebrity Apprentice.^[26] Leifer choseNorth Shore Animal League as her charity because of her and her wife's work for animal advocacy.^[27] She was the first to be eliminated, on the premiere episode, which aired on March 14, 2010.^[28]

She has also hosted for all four seasons ofA&E'sCaroline's Comedy Hour, as well as guest appearances onTalk Soup andLater.^[29] She was also a guest onInside Comedy where she was interviewed byDavid Steinberg.^[24]

Leifer wrote and starred in the 1992Showtime TV filmCarol Leifer: Gaudy, Bawdy & Blue, amockumentary about fictional aged comedian Rusty Berman (played by Leifer), told through interviews and flashbacks. The film had a similar concept to the filmMr. Saturday Night, which had come out several months earlier.^[30] She was also part ofSuperman's 50th Anniversary: A Celebration of the Man of Steel as Beth Lewis,Lois Lane's best friend.^[14]

Leifer has also had minor acting and voice-over roles in movies such asBee Movie,Rules of Engagement,Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist,Medusa: Dare to Be Truthful andDesperately Seeking Susan.^[14]

Carol Leifer has written two books. Her first book of humorous essays, entitledWhen You Lie About Your Age, The Terrorists Win, was released on March 10, 2009.^[31][32] Leifer discusses her early life and family, the daunting idea of getting older, outlooks on life, and the moment she discovered she might be gay and how her life changed for the better.^[33] Her second book,How to Succeed in Business Without Really Crying was published in 2014. Considered a "part memoir, part guide to life",^[9] Leifer tells the public her journey as a comic and entertainer. She gives tips and guides for working in the entertainment industry. Leifer also talks about her personal work experiences, such as her time writing forSaturday Night Live, working withJerry Seinfeld, and her career as a stand-up comic^[9]

• Frank Sinatra praised Leifer as "one funny broad!" and "I wish my mother had been that funny—I wouldn't have had to work so hard."^[3]
• In 1998, Leifer was named byThe New York Times as "the only comic among six 'fast-rising artists...to watch' this season"^[11]
• Leifer was nominated for the second annualAmerican Comedy Awards as "Funniest Female Comedy Club Stand-Up Comic."^[34]

In 1981, Leifer married comicRitch Shydner, whosegentile status troubled Leifer's father.^[27] They divorced in 1987 and have remained friends.^[3] Leifer also briefly datedJerry Seinfeld before working with him onSeinfeld.Elaine Benes is inspired by her. Leifer and Seinfeld dated less than a year and have remained close friends, with Leifer having only positive things to say about him.^[25]

Though she had relationships with men and had been married to a man in the past, Carol Leifer is alesbian. After her divorce fromRitch Shydner, Leifer wanted to explore her sexuality. At age 40, Leifer met her current wife, Lori Wolf, and realized she was gay, not "just looking for a fling" as she originally intended.^[25] When coming out, Leifer's family and friends were very supportive, especially her parents. She recalls her father being happy that Lori Wolf was Jewish.^[8]

When Leifer came out, her comedy and material changed to fit her life, often making jokes about coming out so late in her life and humor based on her and Wolf's relationship. Leifer has faced some negative reception due to her sexuality. After receiving a homophobic letter, Leifer recalls feeling "I thought I was prepared for something like that, but even 13 years in, it's still a kick in the face."^[36]

In 1996, Leifer met Lori Wolf, a real estate executive, when they shared a table at aProject Angel Food charity dinner in Los Angeles.^[8] Leifer was immediately interested and later contacted Wolf through the host of their table, though Wolf initially rebuffed Leifer's overtures because Wolf was in a relationship at the time. Wolf contacted Leifer weeks later, after she had ended her relationship, and began one with Leifer.

They moved in together in 2005, and, in acclimating herself to Wolf's pets, Leifer became an animal rights activist.^[27] That year, Leifer proposed to Wolf over dinner at the Palm Restaurant in Beverly Hills. They were married in Los Angeles in 2015. In attendance wereJane Lynch,Larry David,Bill Maher,Garry Shandling,Henry Winkler,Larry Miller,Jay Leno andPaul Reiser.^[27] They have an adopted son.^[37]

In 2007 they purchased a $3.2 million, 5,000-square-foot (460 m²) home in the Santa Monica Hills,^[38] as part of their preparations to adopt their nine-month-old son, Bruno Leifer-Wolf, who was born in Guatemala in 2006.^[27][37] Leifer was 50 years old at the time, which she felt was the best age for her to have a child, saying "I feel I have a better outlook on life."^[36]

Leifer has becomevegan, joking "I recently became vegan because I felt that as a Jewish lesbian, I wasn't part of a small enough minority. So now I'm a Jewish lesbian vegan."^[39][40] Leifer has been an advocate for animal rights and made testimonials forPETA about her decision to become vegan, encouraging others to do the same.^[41]

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