Liza Weil's Mrs. Maisel Character Slammed by Real-Life Bassist Inspiration: 'My Life Is Not a Joke'

Dave Nemetz

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Not everyone is a big fan of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel‘s recently released third season, it seems.

Legendary studio musician Carol Kaye, whose life and career serves as a template for Liza Weil’s Maisel character Carole Keene, voiced her displeasure regarding the portrayal in an interview with the New York Post. “A lot of people are saying, ‘That must be you. I love it!’ But I am not a cartoon — and my life is not a joke… Nobody contacted me. I didn’t know a thing about it. I thought that was pretty bad — kind of like slander.”

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Like Weil’s character, who befriends Midge Maisel in Season 3 during her tour with Shy Baldwin, Kaye was a highly respected bass guitar player in a music industry dominated by men. (She was also supporting herself and her children, and wore distinctive cat-eye glasses.) As part of the elite group of studio musicians known as the Wrecking Crew, Kaye played on a number of huge hits, from the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” to Sonny and Cher’s “The Beat Goes On.” But she doesn’t appreciate the homage paid to her on Maisel this season.

“It’s a Hollywood, silly fluff piece [that has] nothing to do with me or my history,” she tells the Post. “They took a few things out of my book and created a character that’s not even me at all… You have to understand, it’s not easy when you are older and it has nothing to do with you — but people think it is you. Don’t get me wrong, I have a sense of humor… but I am a professional. This is like a putdown to me.”

Season 3 of Mrs. Maisel, featuring Weil’s debut as bassist Carole Keene, debuted on Amazon Prime last month, and the show earned a Season 4 renewal shortly thereafter.

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