Hilarious or disastrous? It’s a delicate balance.

‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ scribe Will Burke on embracing risks in humor and why eliciting laughter is worth frequent rejection.

Anna Lamb

Harvard Staff Writer

August 26, 2025

7 min read

A series delving into how risk influences our choices.

Envision traversing a tightrope. Your objective is to reach the opposite end without tumbling. Beneath you — an imminent risk. Well, perhaps not an imminent end. Maybe there’s a net below, but it’s not very forgiving, and landing in it won’t be pleasant. That, according to Will Burke, a graduate of Harvard College and nearly 20-year veteran staff writer, now director for “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” is akin to the challenge of being humorous.

“The moment you step onto the stage or begin a joke, you’re on a tightrope,” Burke remarked. “You’re wagering on your timing, your perspective, and at times, you’re risking your dignity in hopes of sparking laughter.”

Capturing laughter, both live and offstage, has been a lifelong ambition for Burke ’99. His comedic journey commenced as a mischievous student in the hallways of the New England prep schools where his father taught, continuing on stage at Harvard with the improv group On Thin Ice and the Shakespeare ensemble he co-founded. It then flourished in Los Angeles, honing skills with improv groups like The Groundlings and auditioning for acting roles.

While many might view a career centered around humor as a grand adventure, Burke expressed that it’s been notably perilous. There’s the risk of exposing oneself creatively, the chance of crossing boundaries with a joke, and of course, the fear of not “making it” as a full-time comedian.

Will Burke displays a "laugh" sign as Zach Galifianakis converses with Jimmy Kimmel. — Burke (left) on stage with Zach Galifianakis and Kimmel.

“The greatest risk was taking my Harvard diploma and trading the prestigious halls of Harvard for the dive bars of Hollywood,” Burke recounted. “I was turning my back on the pedigree and the connections.”

Burke recognizes that a Harvard degree can provide significant opportunities. However, he noted that when he relocated to Los Angeles post-graduation in 1999, he understood it wouldn’t automatically land him on television. He would need to endure the same open mics, auditions, and acting courses as countless other aspiring comedians in LA. Meanwhile, he was a bartender, tutor, cater-waiter, and comedian all rolled into one.

“In some aspects, you could argue that for a Harvard graduate, attempting this path is less risky since if it doesn’t pan out, you still have a Harvard degree, which can open doors in other fields. But after ten years or fifteen years, starting anew in a completely different profession poses its own risks,” he stated.

And ten years, Burke affirmed, was all the time he would allot before conceding defeat and heading back to the East Coast.

“As an actor, it took me around 150 auditions to land my first role,” Burke shared. “At that point, I had become somewhat disillusioned. I thought, ‘This is so frustrating. I’m not even interested in this commercial. It’s a dreadful Taco Bell ad, who cares?’ When you lose interest, they sense it. They think, ‘Oh, that guy’s fantastic. He’s indifferent. He doesn’t desperately need this job.’ That taught me a lot.”

“You’re wagering on your timing, your perspective, and sometimes you’re risking your dignity in hopes of sparking laughter.”

“I essentially verbally accepted a position — I went to HR, they photocopied my driver’s license and provided details on the 401K package. I thought, ‘This feels like the most sensible choice. I have mouths to feed.’ I could still scratch my comedic itch in Boston’s clubs on weekends if I wished. I attempted to reassure myself that I felt good about this — having a steady paycheck and a reliable career.”

Fate, according to Burke, had other intentions.

“Soon thereafter, I returned to LA and was offered a writing position for ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ Thankfully, I did. That was 19 years ago, and I’ve been there ever since.”

Since securing a spot on “Kimmel,” Burke expressed that every day at work, in pursuit of humor, remains a risk.

“There were stressful days when I believed I was on the verge of being fired,” he remarked. “You’d observe other writers getting let go. I thought, ‘Oh, he’s not proposing ideas. Jimmy isn’t fond of his or her concepts,’ and then next thing you know, that individual’s desk is empty. That’s a tangible risk. There’s immense pressure to consistently produce material that resonates, and you’re aiming to hit a moving target — the jokes that amused Jimmy last week no longer do. Humor evolves.”

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“It’s an ideal position. It’s what I imagined pursuing when I was a young child, watching ‘Saturday Night Live’ or even ‘The Muppet Show.’ The concept of a production taking place, paired with chaos behind the scenes, with a Stormtrooper, free chickens, Gonzo, and everything in disarray while the show must proceed.”

When asked about his strategies for managing near-constant rejection in the workplace, Burke mentioned that emotions are perpetually at stake.

“It’s unattainable to not take things to heart,” he stated. However, he noted a technique to shield oneself from excessive hurt.

“You enter the room believing that you are the sole person capable of portraying this character, perform your audition, and as soon as they express, ‘Thank you very much,’ you exit that room thinking you will never hear from them again and that you didn’t secure the role, so you avoid disappointment. It’s a peculiar strategy you play with your mind. Extending that to the writers’ room while pitching a joke, you begin to disregard others’ opinions, as your nerves become frayed.”

In his private life, Burke admits his sense of humor tends toward the audacious.

“Comedy can defuse tension. It can unite people. It can bring warmth to a setting, especially when you find yourself as an underdog or an outsider,” he remarked. “Occasionally delivering a risqué joke at an elegant dinner party is like, ‘Oh, we’re venturing there. Everyone enjoys a risqué joke, and now we’re all swapping these jokes, and it’s acceptable. This is an R-rated gathering.’”

However, there’s always the potential for a joke to cross the line. In a hypothetical situation that certainly was not him, he articulates the importance of context.

“At times, in attempting humor, it may overstep boundaries, and you gain insight from it, yet occasionally you need to go too far to recognize where that line resides,” he expressed. “I understand you thought it was hilarious to emerge downstairs wearing a bra on your head at the gathering, but we’re in my friend’s home, and that belongs to his girlfriend—whom you don’t know.”

Nonetheless, overall, Burke believes the likelihood of evoking laughter significantly outweighs the hazards of feeling embarrassed or losing your balance.

“It’s an ideal position,” he said. “It’s what I imagined pursuing when I was a young child, watching ‘Saturday Night Live’ or even ‘The Muppet Show.’ The concept of a production taking place, paired with chaos behind the scenes, with a Stormtrooper, free chickens, Gonzo, and everything in disarray while the show must proceed.”

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