I'm always a big fan of if you approach somebody politely about something and you're not a nudge - you're just pretty honest and simple, my kind of philosophy is that I'm not afraid of 'no,' and that's way different than 'I won't take no for an answer.'

With Mitchell Hurwitz Carol Leifer is the creator of the short-lived The Ellen Show (2001). She has written for the Academy Awards for most of the 21st century. Her stand-up experience includes opening for Jerry Seinfeld and Frank Sinatra.

Leifer's "inner monologue" observational style is often autobiographical encompassing subjects about her Jewish ancestry and upbringing coming out same-sex marriage relationships (having been married previously to a man and now partnered with a woman) and parenting. David Letterman discovered her performing in a comedy club in the 1980s and Carol Leifer has since been a guest on Late Night with David Letterman over twenty-five times as well as numerous other shows and venues. Carol Leifer (/ˈliːfər/ LEE-fər; born July 27 1956) is an American comedian writer producer and actor whose career as a stand-up comedian started in the 1970s when Carol Leifer was in college.