June 19, 2015
Amy Schumer on Her TV Show and The Peabody Awards
EDGE READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Recent Peabody Award winner Amy Schumer is using her entertainment clout with a little dose of humor to bring some much needed attention to very serious women's issues including body image, stereotyping and sexual assault.
"Comedy is a great way to make it palatable and kind of trick people into listening because they're laughing, and sometimes they don't realize that anything else has sunk in until the next day," said Schumer on The 74th Annual Peabody Awards on Pivot.
Schumer will talk about her passion for these topics as part of an upcoming television special, "The 74th Annual Peabody Awards on Pivot" airing this Sunday, June 21 at 9 p.m. ET on Participant Media's TV network.
Hosted by Fred Armisen, The 74th Annual Peabody Awards on Pivot is a special TV event celebrating excellence in media and stories that matter. This year's winners include Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Inside Amy Schumer, Fargo, The Americans, Serial and more.
The Peabody Awards identify and honor the stories that not only make us care but also inspire us to take action. The Peabody board and judged on three criteria: 1. Does the story matter?, 2. Does it inform us as a citizen? and 3. Does it need telling?
"I think we set out to be funny, but inherently other stuff just comes out because that's what we're thinking about," said Schumer. "We all like justice and we're all pissed that things aren't the way they should be or could be... and sometimes we'll kind of work backwards."
"If we really want to broach the subject, what's the best, funniest way to deal with it, and then sometimes, it's like, 'I'm playing a girl who farts when she's scared.' We just wanted to make a show that would make people laugh and feel better and we really feel like we're doing that so thank you so much for this award," said Schumer.
Click here to see an original sit-down interview with Schumer and her creative team, Jessi Klein (head writer and EP) and Dan Powell (Co-creator and EP).