How did Zarna Garg reinvent her life at 44? Comedian recounts journey from law career to late-start comedy success

Long before she made audiences roar with laughter, Zarna Garg was quietly surviving a story most people wouldn't believe: she was a runaway teen who rebuilt her life one bold choice at a time. Now, at 50, the comedian and author is turning that fearless reinvention into her greatest punchline yet.

In an exclusive interview with People, the lawyer-turned-comedienne talked about her journey and authenticity, narrating how luck played a part in her chosen path.

“I got lucky. I tell everybody else, you're at a time where being you could be your ticket.”

The Indian-American was only 14 when her life turned upside down. Her mother passed away while her father insisted on an arranged marriage. But instead of accepting her fate, Zarna Garg resisted and began living with one relative to another, using her resilience and humor to survive.

When she turned 17, she crossed Ohio, where she lived with her sister's family. There, she started attending college while she supported herself. After earning her undergraduate degree, she went to law school, and soon she became a personal injury lawyer. She recalled:

“I didn't look up, I didn't look left or right. At that time, that was my full-time obsession. But then I came up for air, and I started thinking, what should I do with my life, and I found myself in comedy.”

She met her now-husband, Shalabh Garg, and they got married. For sixteen years, she was a stay-at-home mother raising her three kids, Zoya, Brij, and Veer.

Was Zarna Garg “late” to start stand-up?

When Zarna Garg kick-started her stand-up comedy career, she was already 44. Despite this, the thought of being "late" to the game never crossed her mind.

“I didn't even think about it. Am I too late? There's billions of people on Earth. You need a handful of those to make your business or your career work."

In fact, her family encouraged her, and soon enough, she started making a name in New York. By 2019, she was already performing at open mics at the Westside Comedy Club.

In 2020, she headlined at Caroline's Broadway, and in 2023, she opened for well-known comedians Amy Poehler and Tina Fey on their Restless Leg tour.

In 2025, Zarna Garg hosts her streaming comedy specials One in a Billion and Practical People Win. Last April, she also released her memoir, This American Woman, which became a New York Times bestseller.

Meanwhile, Garg added that she manages her own social media pages by herself.

“Everything is going to be in my voice. There's no dilution of it anywhere. Not on social media, not on my comedy specials. People ask me, they're like, 'Who's managing your social media? Who's your team?' This is the team. You're looking at it.”

The award-winning comedian also credits her success to her authenticity, adding that being fake takes "a lot of work."

“People like what I'm about, authentically, so I don't want to mess with that. It's not what people come to me for. I like to give people what they want, which is how I built my whole business.”

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