Comedian Leanne Morgan says Hollywood is in a 'bubble' and misjudges what audiences want
Comedian Leanne Morgan criticized Hollywood for being out of touch with mainstream American audiences, saying industry leaders assume viewers want edgy content when many do not. She shared examples from her own film and TV work, including pushing back on scripted profanity for a Southern mother character.
Comedian Leanne Morgan is pushing back against Hollywood's creative assumptions, arguing that industry decision-makers live in a bubble and misjudge what everyday Americans actually want to watch. During an appearance on the podcast «The Women of Joy Show,» the 60-year-old comedian said she believes many people in the secular entertainment world are out of step with audiences in the middle of the country.
«Honest to goodness, I think in the secular world, I think people, no, I think a lot of people don't want to see all that,» Morgan said, responding to a discussion about Christian women seeking quality content without gratuitous sexualized scenes. «I think a lot of people don't want to see all that, and I think they're in a bubble out there, and they think people want to see that, but they're not in the middle of the United States.»
Morgan, who grew up in Tennessee, said she has firsthand experience challenging those assumptions on set. While filming the 2025 movie «You're Cordially Invited» with Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell, she played a Southern mother of four whose script called for her to curse in front of her children. Morgan told the director that the character would not speak that way.
«You know better than I do, Leanne, and you do what you think is best,» director Nick Stoller replied, according to Morgan. She said the exchange illustrated a broader problem: creators assume everyone wants edgy content, but that is not what she sees from audiences, particularly in the South.
«So I think they think in their minds, 'Oh, everybody's talking like this, everybody wants this,' but I don't think the majority of people do,» she said. «Or not in the south, especially when you're portraying southern characters. Or anywhere really.»
Morgan said she grew up in a home where no one used swear words, and while she has no objection to others using them, she prefers not to herself. That sensibility carried into her current Netflix series, «Leanne,» in which she plays a Southern mother in her 50s rebuilding her life after her husband leaves her for a younger woman.
The comedian said she felt a «darkness» after moving to Los Angeles to film the show. Her sons sent her a Bible study she could do on her own, and a friend helped her find a church to attend. She also felt the weight of the show's success resting on her shoulders, saying she was constantly reminded of the production's cost and how many people depended on it.
«I've prayed more than I've ever prayed in my life,» she said. «I really relied on my faith and would pray, 'God get me through this.' I just had to rely on the Lord and know that he had me there. There's a reason for me to be there. But I could feel that every day. Every day.»
Morgan began her career as a stand-up comedian, touring through the 2000s and 2010s before breaking through in 2023 with her Netflix special «I'm Every Woman.» That led to her national arena tour, the «Just Getting Started Tour,» and her feature film debut in «You're Cordially Invited.»
Reflecting on that film experience, Morgan said the cast and crew were supportive and eager to see her succeed. «Everybody on that thing wanted to see me do well,» she told People in September 2023. «They were precious. They answered my questions. They were so sweet and uplifting. I fell in love with everybody on that set, from the craftsmen that were cooking, to the little PAs. I could've squeezed every one of them. It's all so exciting. I hope I get to do more!»
