Sunda Croonquist On The 'Today Show': Comedian Sued By Mother-In-Law Speaks (VIDEO)

This week news broke that comedian Sunda Croonquist was being sued by her mother-in-law over jokes she made during stand-up routines. This morning she appeared on the "Today Show" to shed light on the situation...and to continue to mock her in-laws.

Her mother-in-law claims that Sunda is defaming her with "racist lies" in material like this:

"I'm a black woman with a Jewish mother-in-law, you know the only thing we have in common is that we don't want to get our hair wet. So you know there was drama when we got the sonogram results cause she was real excited. 'OK, now that we know you're having a little girl I want to know what you're naming that little tchotchke. Now I realize there's a difference in the background with the African-American, colored, black, whatever you people call yourselves these days. Seriously, I just don't want a name that's difficult to pronounce like Shaniqua. Because in my mind I'm thinking of a name short but delicious. Like Hadassah or Goldie.'"

But Sunda suggested today that it may be her in-law's racism that's to blame for the suit "maybe she doesn't like Swedes" Sunda joked after telling Al Roker she's been asked to step out of family photographs. Sunda says she was "shocked and sickened" by the suit and that she's saddened that her kids don't have a grandmother at this point. Her husband, who is a lawyer, has his firm defending Sunda in court against his mother.


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Comments

[Almaz Ben-Adonai]

10:50 AM on 08/29/2009

My dear friend wrote a book just on this subject about a Black woman being married to an Ashkenazi Jewish man and the hatred she experienced in the first 10 years of her marriage. She and her husband have been together for almost 30 years and they have a beautiful daughter. Seasons in Sheol but Kush Miri. She too experienced the same things about hidiing the pocketbook and being excluded from family photos. Get this Mrs. Miri is Jewish also. Jewish way before she married her husband. So she and I can fully understand where the comedian is coming from. What she experienced is not an anomoly this happens more often than not. Racism in the Jewish community does exist and I am sure Miss Saunda experienced a lot more than this but she is making light of hit but I am sure it was very hurtful to her at one time. If the Mother in Law was not acting like such and arse to begin with. She would not have had any material to begin wth. Or maybe the material would have been a little bit more positive. I as a Jew of Colour have experienced this also.

So her MIL needs to dial it back a bit and take a good look at herself. Maybe she too can learn something from this experience

[centsable]

03:02 AM on 08/29/2009

They say all jokes have a hint of truth!!

[stagebandman]

02:41 AM on 08/29/2009

Best thing that ever happened to her. My father-in-law hated me, too, but I couldn't turn that into cash. More power to you, Sunda!

[Diana Hibbard LoCascio]

01:43 PM on 08/28/2009

I think this is great. The monster-in-law did not like her jokes and now the MIL has made them go viral.
I think the husband has the sense to know who is right and who is wrong.
More power to Sunda. We should all be so lucky as to actually have something good come out of having a miserable mother in law! I am still looking for the silver lining in my situation, lol.

[TotalRecall9]

12:19 AM on 08/28/2009

I saw her on Campbell Brown. She's selfish and clueless. She acted like nobody is going to think her mother-in-law is racist if she says to "hide her purse" when a black woman comes in the room.

And she also trashes on her other in-laws and tells everybody where they work. She says, "So...nobody is going to their work" to bother them. Well, how about their bosses and co-workers being tainted by her lies about them?

She said, "A black woman with Jewish in-laws...that's comedy gold...I'm not giving that up."

She has issues and I'm glad she is being sued.

[brooklyncitizen]

02:05 AM on 08/28/2009

Gee...what do you think about Sarah Silverman.

[seachild]

07:04 AM on 08/28/2009

well, actually the funniest thing about it all is that she's being sued by a JEW...she's undoubtedly have a jewish lawyer...of course she has more stereotypical material now...oy vey!

my hubby is russian-jew and we makes jokes about each other...but i can see how an older generation would have a problem with it...wish she would have told her daughter-in-law NOT TO DO THOSE JOKES...perhaps the comedienne ignored her...perhaps she never told her...either way, too bad it's gotten to this point...

and now the hubby is on his non-jewish wife's side...that's a historical switch

[karinova]

12:10 PM on 08/28/2009

Not that it matters, except for the irony, but:
Her lawyer IS Jewish-- he's her husband!
Just to make that clear: her husband is defending her against his mother.

[ckfan]

12:08 AM on 08/28/2009

This is a publicity stunt.

[roger37]

11:55 PM on 08/27/2009

Sunda: Do yenta jokes!

[Centaur]

11:54 PM on 08/27/2009

She is funny and cute. I smell a movie coming from this and Sunda has to play herself.

[cdub1991]

11:38 PM on 08/27/2009

Saw her this morning in MSNBC. She's actually quick witted. This does feel slightly staged, however; like she's trying to make a name for herself or audition for a reality show. But hey--this is America. Why not.

[CitizenIndie]

10:11 PM on 08/27/2009

She has television host potential. She's very natural, doesn't seem nervous and her jokes are right up there on the edge. She's also attractive.

Someone should think about getting her a show or some t.v. work.

[tmo7734]

09:19 PM on 08/27/2009

Oy vey!

[kitten645]

11:59 PM on 08/27/2009

LOL!

[swellsoire]

09:13 PM on 08/27/2009

Have an angst ridden Hanukkah!

[IDIOTA]

08:41 PM on 08/27/2009

It may have started out as a lawsuit, but it has turned into a stunt. And it is working. Croonquist was funny with Al. I could see him playing the straight guy in a routine with her.

[IDIOTA]

08:35 PM on 08/27/2009

Ms. Croonquist was much funnier with Al Roker than she was on stage. She's good on TV. I've experienced not being included in the family photo of the in laws side. It might have had to do with my race or the fact that my spouse and I were sinning out of wedlock.

[karinova]

12:20 PM on 08/28/2009

"'I've experienced not being included in the family photo of the in laws side."

Weak.
I swear, that old adage about "you're not just dating him/her, you're dating their whole family" is never so true as when you're brown and dating interracially. First you have to make sure HE'S cool (none of this "I've always wanted to say 'baby got back' non-ironically!"-- what am I, a fetish?), then you have to cross your fingers and hope his family's cool.

[IDIOTA]

03:23 PM on 08/28/2009

I don't know what you mean by "weak". Unless you mean that I should have interpreted my rejection as a racial one. Even though my experiences incline me to believe so, I wasn't sure if race had anything to do with it because they were very religious as well.

My spouse admits that my "otherness" is what attracts her, BTW, and I have no problem with that. I love her honesty.

My sister's fiancee is white, and her mother-in-law couldn't figure out who gave her a Mensa jacket. My sister replied that she bought it, implying that she was a member, but her mother-in-law asked, "Where? At a second hand store?"

So what should my sister think?

[pottery]

07:59 PM on 08/27/2009

This sounds like Croonquist's in-laws thought the jokes at her expense were like shooting fish in a barrel. All too easy.

Could it be that they're starting to feel her pain? Asked to step out of family photos?!!

I'll see if I can get tickets for the Laugh Factory.