Comedy Legends' Archives Donated to National Comedy Center

On October 22nd, 2025, the National Comedy Center announced that Ben Stiller is donating the career archives of his renowned comedian parents, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, to the museum. This move comes just before the premiere of "Nothing Is Lost," a documentary directed by Stiller about his Hollywood family, which is set to debut on Apple TV this Friday.

Stiller expressed that preserving his parents' body of work at the National Comedy Center is deeply meaningful, as their material was "not just a gift for my family, but for anyone who wants to understand comedy as a creative process." The museum's executive director, Journey Gunderson, praised Stiller and Meara's groundbreaking work, noting how they "broke ground by mining their own lives for moments rooted in honesty and affection" and "mainstreamed conversations about cultural difference, interfaith dating, gender equity and the loosening of traditional relationship roles in a way that was quietly revolutionary."

The Stiller and Meara archives will join an impressive collection at the National Comedy Center, which includes the handwritten joke files of George Carlin, records of Lenny Bruce's obscenity trials, and production materials from iconic comedy series like "I Love Lucy" and "Saturday Night Live."