Comic Sued by Mother-in-Law to Perform Sunday in Hackensack

Sunda Croonquist, the stand-up comic from Paterson, New Jersey who is being sued by her mother-in-law for defamation, will appear with other comics this Sunday, November 1, at 7 pm in Hackensack. The show, Ladies of Laughter, is a fund-raiser for Gilda's Club, the organization that provides support for men, women, and children living with cancer.

Gilda's Club is named in memory of Saturday Night Live comedian Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian cancer in 1989.

Croonquist gained national attention in August when her mother-in-law filed a lawsuit accusing her of defaming her and her family, using false and racist lies in her routine on television and in nightclubs.
Croonquist, who keeps a kosher home, is half-black, half-Swedish, and was raised Roman Catholic before marrying into a Jewish family. She sees nothing wrong in using her family as source material.

Is she going over the line in making jokes about her husband's family? You be the judge. For example, one of the central jokes in her routine is about her mother-in-law's reaction to news she was pregnant with her first child:

"OK, now that we know you're having a little girl I want to know what you're naming that little tchotchke. Now we don't want a name that's difficult to pronounce like Shaniqua. We're thinking a name short but delicious. Like Hadassah or Goldie."

Here's a 3 minute clip of Croonquist's routine.