Louie Anderson is an actor and stand-up comedian, named by Comedy Central as “One of the 100 Greatest Stand-Up Comedians of All Time.” From 1994 to 2001, he created and produced the animated Emmy Award–winning Fox series Life with Louie, based on his own childhood. He won his most recent Emmy for his costarring role on Zach Galifianakis’ Baskets. When not in production, Anderson continues to tour, traveling the States doing what he loves to do: stand-up comedy.  Hey Mom is his fourth book.

Louie has been channeling his own beloved mom in his work for decades, but she passed away before seeing him reach new heights in a career-defining role inspired by her every mannerism, expression, gesture, and loving (or disapproving) glance. 

Hey Mom: Stories for My Mother, But You Can Read Them Too is Louie’s way of catching Ora Zella Anderson up on everything that has been going on in his life. By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Louie ruminates on his continued struggles with food, family, and forgiveness—as well as the many things that have changed for the better. He also shares plenty of laugh-out-loud memories about growing up in a “20 percent Norwegian, 80 percent butter” family with ten siblings, along with wry observations on the absurdities of life that only a 40-year comedy veteran can make.

In his first book, Dear Dad, Louie began unraveling his complicated childhood and the demons he still battles. Now, he brings a voice that is older and wiser, but just as candid, funny, and often emotionally raw to Hey Mom, his account of turning challenges big and small into joy—aided by his mother’s strength, humanity, and enduring presence in his life. 

Whether questioning why his mother stayed with his alcoholic father, extolling the creativity and camaraderie on the set of Baskets, grappling with the untimely death of his brother, learning to be kinder to others—and to himself, or revealing how he inadvertently caused legions of Romanians to proudly wear “cheesehead” hats, Louie brings bracing honesty and humor to every page.