'Expecting Amy' On HBO: 12 Fun Things You Never Knew About Amy Schumer
Get to know this comedienne's past and present.
lev radin / Shutterstock If you’re a fan of comedy, then you’ve heard of Amy Schumer.
She’s easily one of the most famous comedians working today, creating not only popular standup specials like, Mostly Sex Stuff and an award winning TV show with Inside Amy Schumer, but she also entered into the movie industry, starring in films like Trainwreck.
Everyone has been talking about the comedienne/actress for quite a while now, and in 2015, she was even rumored to be the next Bachelorette. Of course, this never happened, as Schumer is now happily married to her husband of over two years, Chris Fischer, and they have an adorable one-year-old baby boy, Gene David.
Schumer is also currently enjoying the release of her new documentary series, Expecting Amy, which chronicles her pregnancy journey.
So, you might as well get to know her. If you really want to impress people with your Amy Schumer knowledge (and who wouldn’t?), here are a couple of things you probably didn’t know about her:
1. Yes, Amy Schumer is, in fact, related to Chuck Schumer.
If you don't know your politics, Chuck Schumer is the senior United States Senator from New York. He also used to employ Anthony Weiner, the guy famous for sending out pictures of his Anthony Weiner.
Schumer had used the political connection to take a stand on gun control following a tragic shooting at a Louisiana theater's showing of Trainwreck. She and her cousin started to fight for a 3-part legislative reform that would limit gun access to the mentally ill and violent criminals.
2. She was once arrested for shoplifting.
It’s a good thing that Schumer is related to a senator, because she was once caught shoplifting. At least, that’s what she admits to.
Maybe she killed a guy and used her political ties to make it look like just shoplifting. You never know with these political dynasties.
3. Schumer was a theater major.
Since you can’t major in comedy (not yet, at least), Schumer studied theater while attending Towson University. This makes her a rarity, as she’s one of the few people to go to college and get a job in a related field.
4. She once hosted a show with Mark Hoppus of Blink-182.
Mark Hoppus used to have a TV show on Fuse. The show, A Different Spin With Mark Hoppus, only ran for about 20 episodes. Schumer was the co-host for 13 of those episodes.
While the show didn’t last, it was her first steady TV gig.
5. Schumer's father went bankrupt when she was 9.
Originally coming from a wealthy family, Schumer’s father was a small business owner. Things didn’t work out, and he eventually filed for bankruptcy when she was only 9. She got to experience both ends of the spectrum: growing up rich, and poor.
In 2016, Schumer bought back the farm that her father had lost when he went bankrupt.
6. Schumer dated Anthony Jeselnik and Dolph Ziggler.
Schumer has dated fellow comedian (and host of Last Comic Standing) Anthony Jeselnik several times. She also hooked up with professional wrestler Dolph Ziggler for a bit but said publicly that sex with Ziggler was too intense and athletic for her.
If you want more details on the relationships, just check out her stand-up. You can probably guess which jokes are about which person.
7. She seriously offended Steve-O.
One of her most famous Roast appearances was at the Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen in 2011. Steve-O was also in attendance, and Schumer made a joke about his deceased Jackass co-star and friend, Ryan Dunn.
When Schumer delivered the punchline, the camera cut to Steve-O, who looked like he was about to turn into Hulk-O. He responded by calling her a "no name sl*t", and she responded by having a much more successful career than he ever did.
8. Schumer hired her sister to write for her show.
Schumer first hired her sister Kim Caramele to be her assistant, then upped her to a writing position for season two of Inside Amy Schumer. She remained on as a writer until the show ended in 2016.
9. Surprise! One of the most prolific writers for Inside Amy Schumer was a guy.
Kurt Metzger, a proponent of both women's rights and comedians' rights to tell whatever jokes they want as long as they're funny, came up with sketches like Girl, You Don't Need Makeup.
He says that female comics, including Jessi Klein, actually came up with some of the "meaner" lyrics for the One Direction-parody tune.
10. Schumer probably isn't a lizard person.
There's no evidence to suggest that Schumer is successful because she's secretly a lizard person.
Sure, she's related to a high-profile senator, and everyone in the government is a secret lizard person, but that doesn't mean Schumer is one, too. (She's probably just allied with them.)
11. She's now married and has a child.
In February 2018, Schumer married chef Chris Fischer in a secret ceremony that included many of her celebrity friends. In May 2019, Schumer gave birth to the couple's son, Gene David, who's now 1.
12. She has a new documentary.
Expecting Amy was just released on HBO in July 2020.
The three-part docuseries follows Schumer's tough pregnancy, but also covers other parts of her life as well. Schumer has also said that the doc was filmed completely on both her and Fischer's phones.
Editor's Note: This article was originally posted in May 2015 and was updated with the latest information.
Michael Hollan is a news and entertainment writer.