Many comedians, when tasked with answering questions from fans via social media, will use the opportunity to give evasive or non sequitur responses. These are comedy answers, in other words, totally useless except as a way of demonstrating a performer’s cleverness. Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer of Comedy Central’s Broad City took a different approach with their #askbroadcity hashtag on Twitter Monday afternoon. Approaching the end of their third successful season and already promised a fourth and fifth by the network, Jacobson and Glazer gladly fielded questions from fans via the social media site and actually answered many of them in a straightforward, earnest manner.
Here, for instance, is Glazer talking about whether she and Jacobson really get drunk and/or high while filming Broad City. The short answer is no, but Glazer explains why this would be an extremely bad move for everyone involved. The question may have been lighthearted, but it brings up some serious issues.
Jacobson also takes a moment to respond graciously to the question every popular comedian gets asked again and again: What’s your advice for a newcomer?
Occasionally, a question will prove so tempting that both Glazer and Jacobson will be moved to answer it, such as this query about whether Broad City is scripted or improvised.
Going into this, the stars of Broad City must have had some self-defined limits on what they would or would not answer, but they respond to some queries where other television stars probably would have demurred.
Their responses also prove that these comedians are not afraid to take sides in some of the great debates of our times.