Everything Judd Apatow touches turns to comedy gold. It’s been so since his days on The Ben Stiller Show, which he co-created and won an Emmy for in 1990, at just 24. Middle age proved just as fruitful, with Apatow writing and directing laugh-out-loud gems like The 40-Year-Old Virgin (“Oh, Kelly Clarkson!”) and This Is 40. And as a producer, his credits form a treasure trove: Lena Dunham’s Girls; Will Ferrell–starring hits Anchorman and Talladega Nights; Superbad; Pineapple Express; and the cult classic Freaks and Geeks. Now Hollywood’s King Midas is back with a new memoir, Comedy Nerd. To mark its release, Apatow shares his least favorite things. —Carolina de Armas
Film You Walked Out Of: The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland. We took Maude to see it when she was almost two, and the sequence when Elmo went down some intergalactic well and landed in Grouchland haunts her till this day.
Song You Never Want To Hear Again: “Surfin’ Safari,” by the Beach Boys. My friend Hugh Fink and I were doing a stand-up-comedy road gig in Fort Collins, Florida. When we arrived at the condo we were staying at we heard the M.C. making love at a high volume to that song on A.M. radio. It ruined all surfing and safaris for me.
