I love Amy Schumer. There’s a deluded corner of my brain that believes someday we may actually break through this one-sided fan/celebrity dynamic and become the carb-loving, feminist buddies destiny secretly wants us to be.
Perhaps this is why I was surprisingly stung when I noticed her recent post on Instagram, posing alongside Oprah, with the hashtag #nonewfriendsexceptoprah.
The pair had just recorded an interview for O’s SuperSoul Sessions, where they bonded over being introverts who found social situations exhausting. In contrast to Oprah’s BFF Gayle King – a true extrovert who draws energy from being around other people – Schumer and Winfrey agreed they could only recharge by being alone.
Sometimes at parties they even hide in the toilets to get a few minutes to themselves (I did that two weeks ago – see, so much in common already!).
In fairness, who wouldn’t let Oprah into their inner circle – even if you are an introvert with a ‘no new friends’ policy? But this isn’t the first time Schumer has mentioned her closed shop policy on new people.
Recently while promoting her movie, I Feel Pretty, on US morning show Live with Kelly and Ryan, she was asked how she managed to keep her guest list so small at her last-minute Malibu wedding back in February:
“For a couple of years now, I have a no new friends policy. No new friends! No new friends!” she declared. “It’s too much to juggle.”
And last year, when asked about her friendship with Jennifer Lawrence, Schumer reportedly told Total Film magazine that, “Famous people are exhausting and too much work to be friends with, other than Jennifer.”