I always enjoyed Brett Butler as a comedian and in her series Grace Under Fire. What is she doing now?
—Carole V., Alabama
She's back on the road doing standup comedy, on what she calls the Gravel-Throated Harpie Tour, and just signed a deal with USA network to develop a pilot for a series. She also has an official website, where she regularly contributes her random thoughts, off-the-wall musings, and commentary on events of the day. Butler, 44, was born in Montgomery, Ala. The oldest of five girls, she grew up in Georgia and showed a knack for comedy early. She recalls performing her first standup routine at a school Christmas pageant when she was 8 years old. She married briefly at age 19. When the marriage ended after three years, she started waiting tables at a club in Texas where she started her comedy career. As she gained experience, she found a fan in comedian Robert Klein, who encouraged her to try her luck in New York. Her luck was pretty good, and soon she was invited to appear on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Butler got her own cable special and eventually her ABC series, Grace Under Fire. She has written her autobiography titled Knee Deep In Paradise.
