Funny AF Woman #20

Ginger Cook

1. What were your life events that lead you to realize, “Hey, I’m pretty funny.”

I was really ugly as a kid. Like, REALLY UGLY. It made me extremely self-conscious and shy. I latched onto the other kids who were shy or well, basically loners. We all had that one thing in common. Humor, to deal with our issues.

2. Did your parents encourage your funny side?

Yes! However, they didn’t really know I was funny for a long time. My dad and my brothers held that spot in the family.

3. How did you nurture your funny side?

Oh gosh. Lol. In school I shared a notebook with two of my best friends. We would pass it around and write stories and draw ridiculous pictures. In those, I could show my creative, funny side. I still have a few of them.

4. Do you think you may have inherited your funny bone?

Definitely from my dad. He was so funny in such an irreverent way.

5. Did being funny ever get in the way of a close relationship?

Not really. I think I learned early on that sometimes what I think is funny, other people just don’t get or don’t appreciate it. You have to learn to read the room a little bit before you start talking about grandma’s boobs or big penises. So, I think I do okay with that.

6. If you’re in a partnership, is he or she funny?

This is a great question. Humor was always a requirement for me. My husband is my brother’s life long best friend, so I just assumed he was funny too. The man has no humor whatsoever. He laughs at me occasionally, but most of the time he looks like he’s in shock, or my jokes go over his head. I don’t mind it because having a serious person in the relationship probably isn’t a bad thing.

7. If you have a funny partner is there ever a joke competition or do you play well off each other?

We have a prank competition, but it’s a situation where I always win, so it’s more of a, I prank him, he tries his very best to get me back thing. Hahaha.

8. Did being a jokester ever get in the way of school or work?

Oh God yes. I didn’t do a damn thing in school because I was having too much fun causing trouble. I regret it quite a bit, but also—I had a good ass time. Can I cuss? I don’t know if I can cuss here lol.

9. Was anyone ever threatened by your humor?

I think confused is a better way to say it. It’s so dry and different that I think a lot of people just shake their heads at me or think “What’s wrong with this chic?”

10. Tell me about a time when you turned something painful into something humorous?

My dad’s funeral. I was in absolute shock over his death, even though I knew it was coming. Maybe I was more in denial. My best friend and I sat in the corner of the funeral home, away from family, for most of the night, making inappropriate jokes and laughing. It was my only way to deal with it. In retrospect, I probably seemed like a jerk, and I hate that.

11. Talk about a time when you couldn’t muster anything funny and how it affected you?

Happens a lot, actually. I suffer from depression and anxiety. A few times a year, my depression is so bad that I can’t get out of bed for a few weeks, and there’s not a damn thing funny to me during that time. My husband says he can always tell when I’m starting to come out of it, because I start posting absolutely obscene shit on Facebook. LOL.

12. Can you describe the type of humor you possess?

I think it’s a combination of clever wit, self-deprecating, and dark. I’m always gonna be the girl making fun of herself. Not in a, tell me I’m pretty way, but more of, I freakin know my chin breaks out even though I’m forty fuckin two and I’m gonna make a joke about it. It’s a way of coping and also putting it out there before anyone else can.

13. If you have kids, when was the first time you made them laugh?

I have four kids, and I’ve always thought being silly, being able to laugh, was one of the most important things to teach them early on. We’ve always been a super jokey, pranky family.

14. Did your kid inherit your comedy skill?

Lord yes. All of them. My oldest daughter just laughs at everything. My oldest son is quick witted and makes you feel like you were just spun through a really hilarious and traumatic tornado. My youngest daughter loves to shock people with inappropriate jokes, and also has a very dry sense of humor. And my youngest son is clever and quick witted, and says stuff so out of left field, leaving you confused and laughing for days.

It makes me so happy that they all have an amazing sense of humor, and that they are all so different at the same time. It makes family time incredibly interesting.

15. Did your sense of humor change in the last 5 years? If so, how?

I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe everyone’s did. I think if anything, it just got a little darker to help cope with the life changes that came with Covid. Right around that time was also when I made the change from Real Estate to full time writing, and could really dig into myself and my personality, and start to let the whole world see it.

16. Was your humor ever mean?

One of my brothers likes to mess with people by bringing up their flaws or picking on their weaknesses. To him, it’s just funny. I think there was a time when I mimicked that sort of humor for a bit, but it’s just not me. I hate to think I ever hurt someone by pointing out something about them to get a laugh.

17. What would be the title of your life right now?

HA! Um, probably something like I just wanna sleep and drink but my kids are assholes and I have two thousand dogs.

18. Who is your role model?

This is gonna sound crazy, but Jenna Fischer! You might know her as Pam from The Office. I follow her a lot, and she’s just this super strong, funny, amazing woman. She has nailed one of the best shows of our time, being a mom, writing a killer book about how to be an actor/writer/etc, and battled cancer with grace. Along with that, she’s super supportive of small businesses, women in business, etc. While I’ve never met her, that’s the sort of woman I aspire to be.

Ayyyye. I’m Ginger Cook, or GC in the land of writers. I’m currently finishing a book! It’s autofiction, meaning it’s part autobiographical and part fiction. I can’t wait to have it up on Amazon, and that should be very, very soon. I’m super proud of it. Other than that, I’m busy writing away on Substack and dealing with a bunch of almost adult kids who are harder to raise now than they were when they were babies. I’m not kidding.

I love sports, concerts, reading, coffee, hanging out with my kids, my puppy, and silly snapchat filters. You can find me on several social media sites!

(1) Ginger’s Substack | Ginger Cook | Substack

(2) Facebook

(3) (22) Ko-fi.com - Your Ko-fi

(4) Ginger Cook (@heyitsmrscook) • Instagram photos and videos

Thx for being here, Ginger! Let’s chat!