Amy Poehler Epically Derails Her 'Powerful People in Comedy' Q&A to Talk About Real Issues

Meredith B. Kile‍
Updated
The 'Parks and Rec' star went viral with a series of no-nonsense answers that would make Leslie Knope proud.

Amy Poehler is ready to talk about the real issues.

The Parks and Recreation star was honored as one of The Hollywood Reporter's"Most Powerful People in Comedy" this week, and her no-nonsense answers to the publication's Q&A have gone viral for pointedly ignoring the questions in favor of remarks about some of the more dire events unfolding in the real world.

Poehler's friend and former Saturday Night Live co-star Rachel Dratch shared a screenshot of Poehler's answers on Thursday, writing, "Her answers to these questions are genius."

And she's not wrong. When asked about her most memorable heckler, Poehler replied, "Who cares? The whole world is on fire." As for her guilty pleasure, she avoided the topic, pointing out, "Let's not forget over 4,600 people have died in Puerto Rico."

And, when asked for the funniest thing about the Trump administration, Poehler simply said, "Are you kidding me?"

This isn't the first time the actress has been refreshingly candid when presented with show business fluff in the face of real issues. During a Newsweek Emmy roundtable in 2009, Poehler cut off a query about the validity of women in comedy with a simple, "Ugh, this question is boring."

Poehler's friend and frequent collaborator Tina Fey even paid tribute to her pal's brash and forthright attitude in a chapter of her memoir Bossypants, recalling a moment when the young comedian -- who is currently in production on her feature directorial debut, Wine Country, which stars many of her former female co-stars -- stood up to her male colleagues in the SNL writers' room.

"Amy was in the middle of some such nonsense with Seth Meyers across the table, and she did something vulgar as a joke. I can't remember what it was exactly, except it was dirty and loud and 'unladylike,'" Fey recounted. "Jimmy Fallon, who was arguably the star of the show at the time, turned to her and in a faux-squeamish voice said: 'Stop that! It's not cute! I don't like it.'"

"Amy dropped what she was doing, went black in the eyes for a second, and wheeled around on him. 'I don't f***ing care if you like it.' Jimmy was visibly startled. Amy went right back to enjoying her ridiculous bit… With that exchange, a cosmic shift took place. Amy made it clear that she wasn't there to be cute. She wasn't there to play wives and girlfriends in the boys' scenes. She was there to do what she wanted to do and she did not f***ing care if you like it."

See more on Poehler in the video below.

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