Comic Morgan Murphy discovers she's just as funny post-brain surgery

Jun. 23—Many people dream about retiring at 40. However, Morgan Murphy isn't one of those folks. But Murphy was resigned to ending her career as a television writer/stand-up comic when she had brain surgery in 2020.

Murphy, 40, had a brain stem issue. The quirky comic thought her career was over.

"I've been fortunate enough to use my brain to make a unique living," Murphy said. "I was afraid of losing the ability to write comedy. I was pretty fatalistic about it."

However, Murphy, who will perform Friday and Saturday at the Spokane Comedy Club, is back onstage and in the writer's room. The humorist, who has written for such hit shows as "Modern Family," "2 Broke Girls" and "Roseanne," is writing for the sitcom "Abbott Elementary" and is a consulting producer/writer for the forthcoming "Beavis and Butt-Head" reboot.

"I couldn't be more excited about working on "Abbott Elementary," Murphy said. "I love the show since (Abbott Elementary creator) Quinta Brunson has such a clear vision and it makes it easy and fun to come up with great material," Murphy said during a call from her Los Angeles home. "I love that the show is set in Philadelphia. I love that we use the names of real restaurants and places in Philly. It's great being part of that."

And then there is "Beavis and Butt-Head," the hilarious animated show that was a huge hit for MTV during the '90s.

"The best thing about working on that show is working with ('Beavis and Butt-Head' creator) Mike Judge, who has so much artistic integrity," Murphy said. "Beavis and Butt-Head is silly on the surface but it's deeper than most people think. Look at what Mike's done in film. Mike's movie 'Idiocracy' is so prescient. I'm thrilled to be working on that project."

The Portland native is just as pleased to be back onstage. "I'm having a blast just going up and talking about what's on my mind," Murphy said.

When Murphy isn't working, she relaxes by watching sports.

"That's my passion," she said. "When there were no games during the pandemic, that was a problem. Sports, much like comedy, is an escape, and I love to escape."