What in the World?!: A Southern Woman's Guide to Laughing at Life's Unexpected Curveballs and Beautiful Blessings

What in the World?! is a story about one woman’s journey to her career as a stand-up comedian, following Leanne Morgan as she struggles to balance the demands of her family and conventional gender roles with her desire to perform. Through her story, the narrative explores the great strides that women have made in comedy over the years, paving the way for Morgan, while also delving into how women have carved out a place for themselves in the male-dominated field. For many years, stand-up comedy was essentially a man’s game, and early female comics had to fight against prejudice and stereotypes. Early female comics like Diller and Joan Rivers relied on self-deprecating humor and focused on domestic topics, while others, like Goldie Hawn in her original role on Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, relied on a combination of sex appeal and slapstick humor to further their careers. 

However, in the 1960s and 1970s, female comics like Carol Burnett and Lily Tomlin were also becoming more established on television, and The Carol Burnett Show won 25 Emmys during its 10-year run. With the advent of Saturday Night Live in 1975, female comedians became even more of a mainstream focus, with comedians like Gilda Radner and Jane Curtin firmly establishing themselves among a younger, edgier comedy crowd, alongside other popular cast members like John Belushi, Dan Ackroyd, and Chevy Chase.