Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers: "Zarna Garg Is A Modern Day Jack Tripper"
Date: September 16, 2025
Hosts: Seth Meyers & Josh Meyers
Guest: Zarna Garg (Comedian)
Overview
This episode features comedian Zarna Garg, known for her sharply observed, cross-cultural humor—especially about family, Indian identity, and the ever-rich topic of mothers-in-law. The Meyers brothers dive into Zarna’s upbringing in India and America, the challenges and peculiarities of family trips, the tension (and hilarity) of immigrant experiences, and the joys and letdowns of cultural exchange. Along the way, the conversation bounces through memorable vacation disasters, food, generational divides, and what it really means to bridge two worlds.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Zarna’s Unique Place in Comedy
- Zarna’s mother-in-law material is celebrated for its universality and ability to unite audiences of all backgrounds, ages, and ethnicities—a comic “evergreen” (13:31).
- Quote: "Turns out there’s a huge market for somebody who trashes their mother-in-law. This is an evergreen topic." — Zarna (13:31)
- Her rise on social media, especially with teenagers, and her crowd work, often drawing “drama” stories from younger fans (13:47).
2. Immigration & the Ohio Connection
- Zarna's sister moved to Akron, Ohio when Zarna was a child, acting as the “North Star” guiding Zarna’s own move to the US at age 16 (15:20).
- For Zarna’s family at the time, “America” essentially meant “Akron, Ohio,” illustrating how immigrant experiences are often centered around the single city where family already resides (15:58).
- Funny aside: The family associated “no people” in Ohio with infamous serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, highlighting culture shock and the emptiness compared to Mumbai (17:26).
3. Culture Clash: American vs. Indian Family Trips
- Children visiting India: Zarna describes annually “dragging” her very reluctant American-born children to India—the struggle against American comfort and kid-centric fun (23:00).
- “Every year, it’s traumatic. It’s kicking and screaming, dragging fights at the airport...the amount of yelling I have to do to get them on that flight…” — Zarna (23:12)
- American kids want “activities”; Indian relatives’ all-consuming hospitality and focus on food is often lost on them (26:09).
- “To them, that’s love. But to an American kid from America, they’re like, ‘But what activity are we gonna do? Eating is not an activity in their world.’” — Zarna (26:09)
- Indians vacationing in the US are less interested in museums or natural wonders (Grand Canyon = “every street in Mumbai”) and more fascinated by Costco (“a sociological experiment”) (27:13).
4. Performing in India vs. America
- Zarna expresses her anxiety about performing stand-up in India due to differences in free speech, audience provocations, and the possibility of accidentally offending, especially given the political climate and sensitivity to jokes about mother-in-laws and politicians (21:05).
- “You could very easily get in trouble because you made fun of a politician...the audience will poke you to see what you say about something controversial.” — Zarna (21:05)
- She feels more at ease being fully herself in American shows, especially with crowd work.
5. Growing Up in Mumbai: Family, Vacations & TV
- Zarna grew up in Mumbai, rarely took vacations by choice, and recalls hating family trips that prioritized parents’ desires—mainly visiting temples in Goa rather than enjoying the beach (44:09).
- “Doing anything for the kids is not a thing in India...you’re coming with us because you’re not an adult yet.” — Zarna (43:29)
- Indian beach culture: Avoiding sun, rarely swimming “We don’t do that here. We would be counting down to sundown, and go [to the beach] just before the sun is going down for an hour, take a walk on the beach. That’s it.” (44:52, 45:40)
- Exposure to American pop culture: Visits to her sister’s home meant immersion in 1980s US TV—Three’s Company, Family Ties, Jeopardy. Bootleg copies of these shows were coveted by schoolgirls in India (32:36, 49:00).
- "One person would come to America and record the show on their little recorder playing on their TV here and then come back and sell us copies of that...as if we’re watching someone else’s TV." — Zarna (49:00)
6. Mother-in-Law Dynamics
- Contrasts in mother-in-law/daughter-in-law vs. son-in-law relations—men always say their mother-in-law is “great”; the tension is always between women (14:19).
- Zarna’s mother-in-law has mastered technology and “manipulated” her grandkids: “She knows exactly what to say to them. So they come running to me and they’re like, ‘Grandma was very nice.’ Oh, she was not! You got played!” (62:19)
7. Life as a Comic on the Road
- Only in recent years has Zarna seen “small-town America”—especially as a touring comedian. Bentonville, Arkansas, impressed her with art, culture, and hospitality, defying urban snob stereotypes (56:01, 56:33).
- Generally prefers working and worrying over sightseeing when on the road, especially when opening for stars like Tina Fey and Amy Poehler (58:03).
8. Family Labor & Generational Gaps
- Zarna’s kids help sell her show merchandise (59:57), and her daughter now runs her podcast post-Stanford.
- “We believe in child labor. It’s great. Why do you think I gave birth to these people?” — Zarna (59:57)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
On Indian kids’ aversion to India trips:
“They do not want to go there...the crying starts the minute they get wind of the idea that we’re going. And it’s a lot. There’s nothing fun...I have lost so much hair.”
— Zarna (23:00)
On Indian parents’ vacation priorities:
“Doing anything for the kids is not a thing in India...you’re coming with us because you’re not an adult yet. That’s it.”
— Zarna (43:29)
On her mother-in-law's manipulations:
“Her birthday messages to me used to be like balloon emojis. Not even words, right? ...She figured out how to Venmo kids money on their birthday.”
— Zarna (62:19)
On living life as an Indian:
“We don’t do fun. You get that from me right now. We don’t even do fun.”
— Zarna (46:09)
On the Grand Canyon:
“This feels like every crater in Mumbai...I mean, I was happy I went because it is, you know, it is a wonder of the world or whatever. But the dam that was near it...that man-made situation was mind-blowing to us.”
— Zarna (67:43, 68:00)
On bootleg media:
“One person would come to America and record the show on their little recorder playing on their TV here and then come back and sell us copies of that. So we would watch it as if we’re watching someone else’s TV.”
— Zarna (49:00)
On being a modern-day Jack Tripper:
“You’re a modern day Jack Tripper.” – Seth
“Listen, I will take that honor. I loved him growing up.” — Zarna (50:52)
On ideal vacation partners:
Q: "If you had to be stranded on a desert island with one member of your family, who would it be?"
A: “My husband. Because I would kill him and eat him. Done.”
— Zarna (66:02)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Zarna’s comedic appeal & mother-in-law humor – 13:31
- Immigration story, Ohio as America – 15:58
- Kids’ aversion to India trips – 23:00
- Indians and American landmarks (Costco, Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls) – 27:13, 67:43, 68:49
- Conducting stand-up in India (Free speech/fear) – 21:05
- American TV in Indian childhood (bootlegging) – 32:36, 49:00
- The Goa family trips and “math on the beach” – 43:01, 45:43
- Mother-in-law/tech adaptation/manipulation – 62:19
- Touring small-town America as a comic – 56:01
- Family business: kids as the crew – 59:57
- Speed round (vacation style, favorite transport, Kardashians, desert island pick) – 64:49
Tone & Vibe
Warm, funny, irreverent, and deeply relatable, this episode blends Zarna’s raw honesty with the Meyers brothers’ sibling banter. Stories alternate between comedic exasperation and cultural insight, offering both laughs and real talk about the complications of family and identity. Anyone with a multi-cultural background, a complicated relationship with family trips, or an appreciation for sharp observational comedy will find plenty to enjoy.
For the Curious Non-Listener
This episode is an essential chronicle of the headaches, heartaches, and laughs of navigating family, migration, and the joys and disasters that come with travel and cross-cultural living—with plenty of universal truths and jokes about mother-in-laws along the way.