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Daily Inspiration Quote by Lisa Kudrow

"Shirley MacLaine said, You're so funny, then gave me a hug. Everything went white. I couldn't hear, I couldn't see. I thought I was going to pass out"

About this Quote

Fame, in Kudrow's telling, isn't a pedestal; it's a short circuit. The line lands because it captures the oddly bodily nature of validation, especially when it comes from someone who has already been ordained by the culture. Shirley MacLaine doesn't just compliment her - she touches her, and that physical closeness detonates Kudrow's composure. "Everything went white" is the language of overload, like a camera flash in the nervous system. It's comedy described as near-fainting, a neat reversal: the person paid to project ease and timing is suddenly stripped of both.

The intent feels disarmingly unglamorous. Kudrow isn't polishing an origin myth about confidence or destiny; she's confessing to a kind of fan panic that most people associate with teenagers, not working actors. That mismatch is the point. In an industry built on poise, her honesty reads as quiet rebellion. She lets us see the unspoken hierarchy: even successful performers carry an internal scoreboard, and approval from an elder icon can still feel like being "chosen."

Subtextually, the hug is doing narrative work. MacLaine's "You're so funny" is a credential, but the embrace is the benediction - a moment of belonging, not just praise. Kudrow's sensory blackout signals how rare that can feel in Hollywood, where admiration is often transactional and affection often performative. Here, the body betrays the truth: validation doesn't always uplift; sometimes it destabilizes, because it forces you to suddenly believe yourself.

Quote Details

TopicExcitement
SourceHelp us find the source
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Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
Kudrow, Lisa. (2026, January 15). Shirley MacLaine said, You're so funny, then gave me a hug. Everything went white. I couldn't hear, I couldn't see. I thought I was going to pass out. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/shirley-maclaine-said-youre-so-funny-then-gave-me-153764/

Chicago Style
Kudrow, Lisa. "Shirley MacLaine said, You're so funny, then gave me a hug. Everything went white. I couldn't hear, I couldn't see. I thought I was going to pass out." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/shirley-maclaine-said-youre-so-funny-then-gave-me-153764/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Shirley MacLaine said, You're so funny, then gave me a hug. Everything went white. I couldn't hear, I couldn't see. I thought I was going to pass out." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/shirley-maclaine-said-youre-so-funny-then-gave-me-153764/. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.

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About the Author

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Lisa Kudrow (born July 30, 1963) is a Actress from USA.

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