What sorts of comedians does a Palestinian-American girl from New Jersey with cerebral palsy idolize?
First and foremost, I was crazy, crazy, crazy about Whoopi Goldberg. I was a big fan of Whoopi Goldberg and Rosie O’Donnell because they didn’t look like the rest of the people I saw on television, and they weren’t like these supermodels that were perfect and ethnically typical. They were people that I could relate to. But the comics that I love, love, love the best are Bill Cosby, George Carlin and of course Richard Pryor; Richard Pryor is the original shaking comic. He was all buckled, and I was like, “If he can do it, I can do it!” Although, I’m the drug-free shaking comic, so that gives me an edge. What made you decide to pursue comedy as a career? I got a degree in theater and acting, and went out into the real world and did great as an extra. People loved me because I filled that great disabled and ethnic quota. But I kind of knew that I would never be seen on television — other than the back of my head — if I didn’t create my own career. I went back and drew on Whoopi and Rosie
