They Thought It Was Effortless – We Were Actually Killing Ourselves

As soon as Ilana Glazer discovered she was pregnant, she knew she had stumbled upon a comedy treasure trove. "Im-me-diately," the actor and comedian recalls, stretching the word for humorous impact. At 37, Glazer found the comedy in pregnancy irresistible. "You know, real hard comedy is physical. It’s falls. It’s pukes. It’s slapstick," she explains. "My boobs seemed to grow their own conscience."

This humor is on full display in her latest project, Babes. Glazer, best known as the co-creator and star of the stoner comedy series Broad City, portrays Eden, a hapless thirtysomething navigating life without strings. Her carefree existence takes a sharp turn when a one-night stand leads to a nine-month pregnancy. Her decision to keep the baby shocks her best friend Dawn, an exhausted mother played by Michelle Buteau.

Babes not only explores female friendships with warmth and humor but also serves as an informative, often hilarious glimpse into pregnancy. Glazer kept a list of the unexpected and often bizarre experiences she had during pregnancy, many of which— like cravings induced by the sight of raw chicken— made it into the script.

"People are so surprised. They call the film ‘raunchy,’ but this is how women talk to each other and share information," says Glazer. "The cold, hard facts? That’s the punchline. The setup is your entire life of not being told something, and then the punchline is hearing the truth."

A buddy comedy about two woke female best friends, Babes shares DNA with Broad City. Since concluding in 2019 after five seasons, the sitcom Glazer created with Abbi Jacobson has etched its place in TV history as a defining artifact of millennial culture. Its raw, DIY energy set it apart, evolving from a web series to a full-blown show on Comedy Central, with Amy Poehler eventually becoming a producer.

Eden from Babes shares many traits with the Ilana character from Broad City. Both are irreverent, bold, and hilariously funny— qualities that Glazer herself embodies, complete with her signature brown curls and mischievous glint.

During a Zoom interview, Glazer is a bundle of energy, like a boiling pot waiting to spill over. She says "L-O-L" in a self-aware way when something is funny. As a stand-up comedian— her debut special The Planet Is Burning landed on Prime Video in 2020— her comedic timing is impeccable. Conversation with her is rapid and winding, transitioning quickly between light-hearted jokes and serious discussions, like the state of America’s healthcare system.

It can be tough not to see Ilana Wexler, the flamboyant character from Broad City, in Glazer. Wexler was captivating and relatable, often generating intense kinship and sometimes startling overfamiliarity among fans. "People would totally come up and touch me, and get in my space," Glazer admits.

Since Broad City, Glazer has become more introspective and is forgiving of fans who overstep boundaries. "The conflation makes sense," she says. "Ilana came from me. We started the web series when I was 22 and ended the TV show when I was 32, so it was my entire adulthood."

Years of psychoanalysis have helped Glazer distinguish between her on-screen persona and her true self. "I’ve found a real dedicated practice to understanding myself," she says. "I used to believe those people had seen these personal parts of me, but that’s not true. I now understand better who I am."

This realization has her living a life different from the one portrayed in her shows. She now enjoys a serene domestic life, with her husband bringing her coffee in a house surrounded by nature.

More annoying than overfamiliar fans is the assumption that she and Jacobson were just winging it in creating Broad City. "People could not believe that Abbi and I were the showrunners, head writers, the stars, and that we were good actors," she says. The duo was heavily involved in every aspect of the show, from the writers’ room to the editing suite. "People asked if it was improvised. We’re like, Are you kidding me? We’re killing ourselves to make this show."

Despite the hard work, they made it look effortless. "The show was so good that it read as effortless," Glazer laughs. "I’m proud it was misconstrued that way— like it was magic."

For Glazer, Broad City was both a feminist statement and just plain hilarious. "I’ve been told my whole career my work is political," she says. "When Abbi and I ‘learnt’ that Broad City was feminist, we were like, huh! We hadn’t even thought about it like that."

Glazer emphasizes leading with comedy rather than pushing a platform. "If you’re not leading with comedy, it’s propaganda." She wants her audience to laugh first and foremost, appreciating any deeper impact as a bonus. "I’m not a teacher. I’m a comedian."

Despite not wanting to be an educator, Glazer is active in social causes like advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza and mobilizing American voters. She likens her different roles to the characters in Richard Scarry’s Busy, Busy World, each serving its own purpose optimally.

Reflecting on her evolution, Glazer reveals that her pregnancy helped her understand her identity as a non-binary woman. "Being pregnant highlighted both the masculine and feminine inside of me," she says. "This gift of being pregnant made space for me to be real with myself."

Babes is currently showing in UK & Irish cinemas.

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