One of the Reasons Adam Was Mad at Me

One day, after recording The Adam Carolla Show, I walked from the studio to the front room which is where everyone often gathered before we disbanded to our cars. I could hear the familiar sounds of Adam ranting as I made my way there. He sounded heated but that was hardly out of the ordinary.

As I entered the room , everyone got quiet.

And then I experienced the weirdest sort of cognitive dissonance. It was OBVIOUS they had been talking about me. Adam had been talking about me.

And yet just as soon as the thought occurred to me, I pushed it aside.

I’d been around Adam long enough to know he bitched about everyone but I’d also been there long enough to feel like I enjoyed some special exemption because I was good at my job and because I knew Adam’s pet peeves and went out of my way to avoid them. (In contrast, Matt Fondiler used hazelnut coffee creamer around him which seemed downright suicidal.)

I also felt I was exempt because I was a woman which is kind of insane but I just felt like there was a frat boy jockeying that I wasn’t tasked with being part of.

Plus, in order to thrive there—and I do think I thrived there—I’d learned to tolerate a certain amount of discomfort and uncertainty.

I remember once, early on, I was talking to Mike Lynch and I asked if Adam was mad at me.

“If he were, would it make a difference?” he asked.

I took this to mean Adam is always annoyed about something and it never amounts to anything. To know Adam is to listen to him complain.

In order not to have to worry about being in the doghouse constantly, I had learned to just let it roll off. Turns out the more toxic the environment the more chill I get, for self-preservation. (Originally I wrote the more “healthy” I get but upon further reflection I don’t think it’s really healthy. It’s more just a coping mechanism for dealing with a turbulent environment.)

I did eventually find out what Adam was mad at me for.