I never believe them when they say that because you really have to sort of be aware of what's going on in the news in order to get the jokes on the show.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
You have to be careful what you say in front of comedy writers because they will absolutely make fun of it in the next episode.
My friend Jerry Falwell was the one who said it, and he was a guest on my show, and it's hard to take the blame for everybody who shows up on your show.
I got one letter at the very beginning, like, in the first season, saying - from a woman who was very religious, very Christian, saying how wrong she thought the show was, but she thinks it's the funniest show on television.
You never write a catchphrase; you never write something and say, 'This is going to be a catchphrase.' You just write the show, and then in the course of the show, somebody says something, and for some reason it gets a laugh.
They'll say, That's funny, but you can't do that on TV.
Sometimes an actor will stumble on the joke, and I'm right on them. Back it up before the audience hears the bad version of the joke, because humor is 90% surprise. If they know what's coming, they won't laugh as hard.
Even celebrities, most people have a sense of humor. Most of the people we meet who we've done on the show, like it.
Many have been with the show for years, and they have sources in the business, so we do know things, but until it is verified, we don't run with the story.
On 'Scandal,' they've proven that they're not scared of shocking the audience.
There's a sense of spontaneity, and no emphasis on jokes in this show. People generally talk the way they talk in life if you were in this particular situation.