Harris Wittels carved out an impressive career in comedy at an early age. He grew up in Houston and graduated from HSPVA.
After college, Sarah Silverman saw him perform stand up at an open mic in Los Angeles and offered him a writing job on her Comedy Central show. That led to other gigs, including as a writer/producer on the long-running NBC series Parks and Recreation, where he also played Harris, the stoner animal control guy.
He coined the term “humblebrag,” and wrote a book by the same name.
He even wrote jokes for President Obama and was working with fellow Parks and Rec alum Aziz Ansari on his Netflix series Master of None when his life was cut short by a heroin overdose at the age of 30.
Now, a new book from his sister seeks to shed more light on his life, his struggle with addiction, and his family’s struggle to help him. It’s called Everything Is Horrible and Wonderful: A Tragicomic Memoir of Genius, Heroin, Love and Loss.
In the audio above, Michael Hagerty talks with Stephanie Wittels Wachs about who her brother was and the revelations she reached through the grueling process of writing about his addiction and untimely death.
Wittels Wachs will appear at a Brazos Bookstore event tonight (March 6) at 7.
