Tripp Whetsell is a New York-based author, entertainment journalist, and adjunct media studies professor at Emerson College. His books include the critically acclaimed Norman Lear: His Life & Times (Bloomsbury, 2025) and The Improv: An Oral History of the Comedy Club That Revolutionized Stand-Up with a foreword by Jay Leno (BenBella, 2017). His articles about TV, film, and other aspects of pop culture have appeared in Vanity Fair, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Vulture, Variety, TV Guide, The Hollywood Reporter, and The Los Angeles Times, among other places.