Kelly Carlin’s father George became one of the most famous counter culture comedians of all time. His “7 dirty words” routine went all the way to the Supreme Court. George was the guest host of the first Saturday Night Live show ever broadcast. He did 14 stand-up comedy specials for HBO, wrote three best sellers, won 5 Grammy Awards and is idolized by comedians like Louis C.K. But try growing up as his daughter. He spent too much time away from home and used too many drugs. Kelly Carlin wrote all about it in “A Carlin Home Companion: Growing Up with George.” I went to see Kelly at her home in LA. We talked about comedy, addiction and how the Buddha was right when he taught that in life is full of suffering as well as joy.

It’s all on “Now What?” which was produced with help from Nick Ciavatta, Stephen Colon, Dan Przygoda, Gabe Zimmer and Steve Zimmer.

In this episode of “Now What?” you’ll hear from actor, writer and director Carl Reiner who works in a room surrounded by his nine Emmys. We got to spend an afternoon in his Beverly Hills home where he talked about starting out on the Sid Caesar show, creating the Dick Van Dyke show and teaming up with Mel Brooks to perform a sketch at parties that became known at the “2000 Year Old Man.” Reiner was the straight man and Brooks was the guy with 42,000 children and not one of them ever came to visit. At 94, Reiner is writing two books. He told me he always wanted to be an Irish tenor and then burst into song. It’s all on “Now What?” which was produced with help from Jessi Carrier, Nick Ciavatta, Gabe Zimmer and Steve Zimmer.

In this episode of “Now What?” you’ll hear from Eve Ensler, the playwright who created “The Vagina Monologues,” a theater piece that changed the lives of thousands of women, especially her own. We got to spend an evening with Ensler in her Manhattan apartment filled with the treasures from her travels, talking about the emotional distance she has traveled, the community she founded for women in the Congo and surviving a near fatal battle with cancer. As Ensler puts it, “We go through so many lifetimes in this lifetime.”  “Now What?” was produced with help from Nick Ciavatta, Nellie Gilles, Allison Bernstein, Steve Zimmer and Gabe Zimmer.

He’s been doing stand-up for 50 years and he’s sometimes called the comedian’s comedian. For Jay Leno, Robert Klein is a comic hero. “He was a guy who I felt was like me.  Middle class, normal parents. Watched the same TV shows I watched and that was a big change in comedy.” Jerry Seinfeld points to Klein as one of the most “intelligent, coolest comedians around.” I caught up with Klein in upstate New York where he was appearing at the Woodstock Comedy Festival. Turns out we had a lot in common. We’re both from the Bronx, our mothers used to throw dimes out of the window so we could get ice cream and we both worked as substitute teachers. 

In this first episode, you’ll hear from someone who has changed the world for women and keeps on changing it. We got to spend an afternoon with Gloria Steinem shooting the breeze in her cozy Manhattan brownstone.

It’s Gloria like you’ve never heard her before. We went into her closet and checked out her black motorcycle jacket with the spikes, talked about mortality, Ms. Piggy and all the things that make Gloria Steinem laugh. Now What was produced with help from Nellie Gillis, Nick Ciavatta and Allison Bernstein.