Yes, Irin Carmon and other Jezebel columnists, you did read my title correctly. Though you might find it amusing to tear down Olivia in order to support your own agenda, and increase your page views, Ms. Munn is much more talented than you give her credit for.
Saturday night, I was in attendance for Olivia’s first public reading of her debut book, Suck it, Wonder Woman! After two signings in New York City earlier this week, Olivia traveled to Book Revue, a quaint little store in Huntington, Long Island for her first reading. The crowd was composed mostly of loyal fans who have followed Olivia’s career from the day she started on Attack of the Show. They, like I, know that she is more than just a pretty face. Munn didn’t simply fall into her job at The Daily Show; she auditioned for, and won her spot on the show like any of their other correspondents. But, more than that, she worked on Attack of the Show for 4 years; during which time, she proved that she could be funny off the cuff, and in scripted situations.
It seems like every major outlet has weighed in on Munn’s hiring and Jezebel’s article. The New York Times wrote a fairly objective piece that allowed Olivia to respond to her critics. New York Magazine’s Vulture Blog interviewed Munn about the release of her autobiography. She was profiled in The New York Post. Time Magazine felt the need to evaluate her first field segment, acutely noticing that The Daily Show has focused more on Munn’s ethnicity and less on her lady bits. Slate Magazine pointed out the utter ridiculousness of feminists who criticize Munn’s hiring. But, it was Salon who spoke frankly with Munn about the Jezebel piece and it’s self-righteous author.
Said Munn of the article “They’re attaching my name to things to get more hits. But what’s more frustrating is that they’ve been given some kind of power as the voice of women, and they are not. If they were, then they would have done a better of job of interviewing people actually currently working on the show.” Adding, “I’m easy to hate. I get it.”
Well, after seeing Olivia in person on Saturday night, I don’t. Is she gorgeous? Yes. In fact, she is probably the most attractive person I’ve ever been in the same room with. And yet, she was every bit the comedian, dialoguing with two different people whose phones went off during her reading and sprinkling her anecdotes with off the cuff thoughts. She was vulnerable, and honest about how hurt she was by the insults thrown at her recently.
“I know it’s cool [for celebrities] to say, ‘Oh, I don’t care about being popular.’ Well, I cared” says Olivia of her lonely childhood. Its clear that she still cares, and honestly that may be her most endearing quality.
