Post Reports: How to Launch a Second Act in Life, with Comedian Zarna Garg

Podcast: Post Reports (The Washington Post)
Air Date: November 29, 2025
Host: Ella Hay
Guests: Zarna Garg (comedian, author), Zoya Garg (daughter & COO of Zarna Garg Productions)
Recorded at: Washington Post Global Women’s Summit (with a live audience)

Episode Overview

This special episode focuses on the meteoric rise and unconventional career journey of comedian Zarna Garg, who started her stand-up career after years as a lawyer and stay-at-home mom. Featuring her daughter and business partner, Zoya Garg, the episode explores building a personal brand, navigating family business dynamics, the power of social media, and the importance (and challenges) of launching a “second act” in life. The discussion is both humorous and deeply insightful, with commentary on identity, entrepreneurship, resilience, and women supporting women—reaching its emotional peak around the Riyadh Comedy Festival and closing on advice for anyone contemplating a major life pivot.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Zarna’s Unlikely Path to Comedy

[01:51–03:43]

• Zarna describes her journey: emigrating to the US as a teen, putting herself through law school, then being a stay-at-home mom for 16 years.
• Comedy was "not on [her] radar" but, in retrospect, she’s always been “the funny one” in her family, much to her traditional Indian parents’ confusion and disappointment.
  • Quote:

    "My parents were literally devastated. We didn’t get the doctor, we didn’t get the engineer, we didn’t even get the accountant. We got the funny one. What do you do with the funny thing?"
    — Zarna Garg [02:31]

2. Zoya’s Role in Sparking Zarna’s Career

[03:43–05:22]

• Zoya believed Zarna’s personality and entrepreneurial spirit were unique:
  • “She raised me like a business. There was nothing about me that was accidental, down to the baby carrot. Everything was calculated.”
• List of Zarna’s failed ventures (tomato sauce, matchmaking, toothbrushes) led Zoya to suggest stand-up.
• Zoya’s insight: “I wanted her to get paid for it.”
  • Quote:

    "Nobody would buy her products...but people would buy just because they wanted to talk to her for an extra minute."
    — Zoya Garg [04:40]

3. Zarna’s Comedy and Finding Common Ground

[05:29–06:24]

• Zarna’s act focuses on immigrant family life, especially “mother-in-law” material.
• She aims for commonality in a divided world:
  • Quote:

    "No matter what you believe in and no matter what you think of immigrants, you probably hate your mother-in-law. So let’s just stay in that one area where we’re all united."
    — Zarna Garg [06:24]

4. Family as Business: “Believe in Child Labor”

[06:45–12:00]

• Zoya is COO and runs digital strategy; Zarna employs her whole family (sons do social media, husband does financials).
• Zoya quips, "We could use an HR department. I’ve only recently started getting paid."
• Zarna describes bringing her kids to shows—initially for supervision and now as business training.
  • Quote:

    "I took my kids along because I wanted them to learn — learn how to build a business, how to take rejection... I wanted them to be completely normal with the idea that most shots you take in life, you're going to fail at."
    — Zarna Garg [11:00]

Memorable Family Anecdotes

• Zarna jokes about Indian Zoom shows during COVID: "The Indian uncles don’t hold back. The chat is lit: ‘She’s not funny.’...You’re still delivering the joke and the reviews are coming in mid-joke.” [12:17–12:33]
• Zoya recounts their social media breakthrough (her brother’s idea):
  • Their TikTok clip about Zarna never saying "I love you" to her husband goes viral.
    • Quote:

      “Which I would never. It’s only been 26 years. What’s the rush?”
      — Zarna Garg [13:49]

5. Pioneering Comedy on Social Media

[12:50–15:21]

• Lack of stage time led the family to post standup bits online—a novelty in comedy at the time.
• Their viral success shifted focus from club gatekeepers to building direct audience engagement.
• Zoya details how this approach now influences the entire industry.

6. On Material, Audience, and “Selling a Vibe”

[15:21–17:37]

• Zarna dismisses traditional worries about burning material online:
  • Quote:

    "No one is going to a comedy club to hear a joke anymore… The jokes are a way to open the door, but we stand for a lot more than that."
    — Zarna Garg [16:03]

• Representation: She’s aware that “brown women had never seen anybody that looks like them do what I do.”
• Zarna: “We’re in the joke writing business. I write jokes all day long.” [16:52]

7. Riyadh Comedy Festival Controversy

[17:37–22:11]

• Zarna was one of three women invited to perform in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• She acknowledges the criticism (“the backlash was interesting because it was mostly comics who weren’t invited who turned that into a press tour”) but defends her decision:
  • She was motivated by messages from Saudi women watching her in secret and wanting their daughters to see her on stage.
  • Zarna felt a duty to “show up and talk to people you disagree with, deal with people that scare you” for the larger goal of advancing women.
• Memorable moment: Her mother-in-law ironically encouraged her to go and was surprised she returned unscathed.
  • Quote:

    “I went for the women because I’m trying my best to advance women everywhere I go. I’m trying my best to create more opportunities for women everywhere I go.”
    — Zarna Garg [20:49]

8. What Zoya Learned from Zarna’s “Second Act”

[22:11–24:22]

• Zoya observed hidden strengths emerge as Zarna developed as a performer.
• On cultural pride in performance:
  • Zarna always performs in a “salwar kameez and a bindi.”
  • Zoya: “There are so few rooms left where we can actually push the political boundary of what’s culturally appropriate and have these hard conversations. And I think a stand-up club is one of those rooms.” [23:40]

9. Zoya’s Own Career & The Power of Pressure

[24:22–26:36]

• Zoya successfully led the campaign for Zarna’s memoir to become a New York Times bestseller, learning everything about book marketing and using AI tools for bulk orders.
• Zarna’s unapologetic pressure:
  • “If I don’t make this work, I’m getting fired. There is no severance package.”

10. Advice for Aspiring “Second Act” Dreamers

[26:58–28:20]

• Zarna’s philosophy:
  • Quote:

    “You can’t afford to not. You just have to…If you’re living your life, you should be taking shots every day. Take shots and fail. It doesn’t matter. Nobody cares. But you don’t want to look back…Even if I win the day before I die, I still won.”
    — Zarna Garg [27:01]

  • Powerful closing remark on women taking risks, engaging creatively, and seeking inspiration.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We didn’t get the doctor, we didn’t get the engineer, we didn’t even get the accountant. We got the funny one.” — Zarna Garg [02:31]
• “My mom has always been so entrepreneurial. She raised me like a business.” — Zoya Garg [04:00]
• “I wanted her to get paid for it.” — Zoya Garg [04:40]
• “If you want to get to know anybody, you should work with them.” — Zoya Garg [09:17]
• “Hashtag, believe in child labor.” — Zarna Garg [09:42]
• The viral TikTok moment:
  • “It’s only been 26 years. What’s the rush?” — Zarna Garg [13:49]
• “No one is going to a comedy club to hear a joke anymore. You want to hear jokes, they're available...The jokes are a way to open the door, but we stand for a lot more than that.” — Zarna Garg [16:03]
• “I went for the women because I’m trying my best to advance women everywhere I go.” — Zarna Garg [20:49]
• "If I don’t make this work, I’m getting fired. There is no severance package.” — Zoya Garg [24:24]
• “You can’t afford to not. You just have to. You can't afford. It’s not an option. If you’re living your life well, you should be taking shots every day.” — Zarna Garg [26:58]

Key Timestamps

• 01:51–03:43: Zarna’s path to comedy and her parents’ reaction
• 04:00–05:22: Zoya’s behind-the-scenes push and failed family businesses
• 05:56–06:24: Zarna on finding common ground in her comedy
• 06:45–12:00: Family as business, teaching resilience through participation
• 12:50–14:24: Social media as a game-changer for Zarna’s career; viral TikTok
• 15:21–17:37: “Selling a vibe,” and joke writing philosophy
• 17:37–22:11: Discussion of the Riyadh Comedy Festival, criticism, and Zarna’s perspective
• 22:11–24:22: Zoya on seeing Zarna’s transformation and the power of standup
• 24:22–26:36: Zoya’s campaign to make Zarna’s book a bestseller using AI
• 26:58–28:20: Zarna’s advice for launching a second act

Tone & Style

The conversation crackles with mutual affection, frequent ribbing, and classic mother-daughter dynamic. Zarna delivers unapologetic, sometimes tough-love wisdom, peppered with punchlines, while Zoya brings youthful candor and strategic acumen. The episode seamlessly blends comedy with motivational takeaways, striking a balance between laughter, inspiration, and real talk about what it takes to reinvent yourself—and lift others as you go.