The Other Late-Night Redhead: A Q&A with Chelsea Lately staff writer, comedian Brad Wollack

Do you ever just need to purge yourself of celebrity gossip after the show?
[laughing] Yes, I do! The fact that I know as much as I do about Lindsay Lohan or Taylor Swift or Jessica Simpson…that I can basically be an expert on that right now, is pathetic. I just completed my MBA! I have a lot of other things to offer in this world. But sadly that doesn’t come through. That’s why when I do stand-up, I use my Holocaust material. And I’m a Jew, so that’s okay.

Out of all the tabloids and papers you flip through for the show, which one is secretly your favorite salacious rag?
You know what I like to do…some of the best stories are not necessarily the celeb related ones, but just the odd news about what inanimate object someone was caught trying to have sex with. So Reuters and Yahoo have this odd news stuff that can be good. I rely a lot on The Week, too.

Mediate was running on on-going series about the Aughts and I suggested that 2000-2010 could be considered the US Weekly Decade. Do you think a show like Chelsea Lately, which is so deeply steeped in tabloid culture, has legs? What happens if the US Weekly Decade dies out and people actually stop caring about celebrities going grocery shopping?
I do think Chelsea Lately has legs. First of all, I don’t think celebrity culture is dying. And so I think someone like Chelsea, Chelsea in particular…if we were just a general show…like The Insider or Extra…those may eventually run their courses. But Chelsea is a dynamic person. Not only does she host the show, but she is an author and does stand-up that is totally unrelated to what she talks about on-air. She has an opinion about a lot of things. If tomorrow the Chelsea Lately producers told us we were switching to politics, I can tell you a few writers would be fired and be replaced with smarter writers, but we, the show, would survive.

Is there any celebrity whose signature you would actually seek out?
I’m over the whole autograph thing. I would rather have a conversation with someone. But really, the only people I think who could make me speechless or command my attention are Bruce Springsteen or Bono. Or anyone from U2 for that matter.

I’m obsessive compulsive. The last thing I need is a piece of paper with someone’s signature on it. I wouldn’t really want it after a while. I’d obsess about where to put it. And I hoard.

People now ask for autographs of the writers for the show. Back in the day, I used to include a self-addressed stamped envelope and the photo I wanted signed. Now people just expect you to send them a photo. That I’m going to find it and autograph it and stamp it and mail it. But I do it anyway, because I am a loser. And because it’s the right thing to do.

What time do you tape the show?
We tape at 3.

So do you watch Chelsea Lately nightly?
No…I don’t ritually watch anything anymore at its scheduled time. If I am on the show at night, maybe I will. But normally I’ll just TiVo it and watch it whenever. But I don’t recommend everyone else TiVo it…they should watch Chelsea Lately at the prescribed time!

What exactly is Chuy’s job?
If he were to post his job on Craigslist or Monster.com, his exact job description would be: “You have to be 4’2’’ or less and not be able to speak either Spanish or English particularly well and you just have to basically be comfortable all day while getting paid pretty well to do nothing.”

Chuy is a great foil for so much and he actually is really funny, but he is Chuy! His character has evolved since the show has gone on. People love him; they flip for him!

[Ed. Answer the question “Which Chelsea Lately cast member is a former porn star: Chuy. This interview was conducted before that news came out.]

Do you consider yourself more of a writer for the show or a comedian?
I’ve been wresting with this for a while. I’d like to think I do both. I think if someone asked where are you going to be in 20 years, I’d say it’d be more behind the scenes writing and producing. I just joined Chelsea’s production company, Borderline Amazing Productions, where I am producing and writing in an official capacity. I really enjoy the comedy and the on-camera stuff, but it’s not something I need for the rest of my life.

Do all the writers get on-air time? Can they opt out of an onscreen bit?
All the writers now get on-air time. Well, all except three, really. Our Executive Producer is also our head writer, but he is always behind the camera. Our Co-Executive Producer is a very well known stand up comedian, Sue Murphy, and she does not appear on the show, nor does she want to. And another, Steve Marmalstein appears somewhat sporadically.

It’s done wonders for all of the writers’ lives. Some of us were actually really well known stand-ups and everything, but this has furthered our careers even more. And someone like me, whose stand-up career was dead, this revived it. [laughing] For better or for worse.

But yes, you can opt out if you want to. You’re not going to be forced to go on-air.

>>>NEXT: “Did you love Loni after she rape-kissed you on television?”

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.