Margaret Smith (comedian)

Her first book, What Was I Thinking? How Being a Stand Up Did Nothing to Prepare Me to Become a Single Mother, was published in 2008 by Crossroad Publishing. A reviewer at Book Apex commented:

Smith has produced and starred in her own independent projects, including her CD, As It Should Be. Released August 2000, it carries a liner note endorsement from Jay Leno: "The best comedians are the ones that write and perform their own material, and Margaret Smith is at the top of that list".

Studying improvisational comedy at Second City in Chicago during the late 1970's, it was after a move to New York City that she found there was no market for improv. Smith began performing stand up during the early 1980's in New York as a result of this. Initial stage fright almost ended her career before it began, and the rock bottom of the worst comedy clubs in the city was only a preface to the struggle she'd face in standup that decade: "It was hard enough for [the audience] to accept a woman stand-up," remarked Smith, to the Daily Herald in May 1999. Her biggest break came in 1984 when she was invited to perform on Late Night with David Letterman; she would eventually be invited back an additional six times. Her performances took her onto the screen for small movie roles, and even a position opening for George Carlin on tour. Despite these successes she was still described in papers as an "up and coming comedian" as late as 1988. Her performances into the early 1990's would be given a great deal more weight as she could at that time be billed as a nominee for Comedian of the Year from the American Comedy Awards.

The second youngest of six children, Smith was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1956 and grew up there for several years before her family relocated to Florida; there she was raised by her mother and step father. Smith has been very open about growing up in a "dysfunctional family", often using this as the basis for material in her stand-up comedy.