
Author Sarah Royal and the cover of her new book A.K.A. Lucy: The Dynamic and Determined Life of Lucille Ball
In this interview, Michaela Owens talks to Sarah Royal, a pop-culture historian and the author of a new book on everybody’s favorite redhead, the one and only Lucille Ball.
A television pioneer, comedy legend, and feminist icon — such heady titles would be hyperbolic for most people, but for Lucille Ball, they’re just right. A performer whose light hasn’t dimmed since she first appeared on the silver screen in the 1930s and, most memorably, the small screen in the 1950s, Ball’s life and career continue to fascinate us today, from her traumatic childhood to her storied (and culture-shifting) marriage to Desi Arnaz to her meteoric rise as a TV star and, eventually, the first woman to ever run a major TV studio. In her new book A.K.A. Lucy: The Dynamic and Determined Life of Lucille Ball, Sarah Royal, a bestselling author and co-host of the podcast Enough Wicker: Intellectualizing The Golden Girls, dives into the story of this incredible woman, giving us a vivid portrait of one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century. As someone who has worshipped Lucy since I first saw I Love Lucy reruns on Nick at Nite as a little girl, it was a joy to talk to Sarah about Ball’s cultural persistence, Desi Arnaz’s contributions to television, and more.
How did you come to work with the estate of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz? Did they approach you about the book or was it your idea?
The book was actually the brainchild of my editor, who had written a book about Lucy’s movie career (Lucy at the Movies by Cindy de la Hoz) several years back. She had the idea for a more approachable — and visual — biography of Lucy, a la the Notorious RBG book by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik from a few years back. Because Cindy had the relationship with the estate, once the pitch went through the proper channels, we had them review it, and they loved it and were fully on board.
What was your relationship to Lucy before the book? Did writing about her change that relationship?
I had a very similar relationship to Lucy as most people my age: my grandmother used to love watching her while my mom was very little (my mom was born the same year as Lucy’s son, Desi, Jr.), and she was the one to introduce me to I Love Lucy on reruns when I was little. I continued watching I Love Lucy and The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour on Nick at Nite, staying up late to bond with the wacky housewife I’d come to adore. And that’s pretty much it — I never knew much about her beyond those two shows, and certainly didn’t know the extent of her career or background. The way our relationship changed was that she became even more impressive to me as a performer, and more accessible to me as a person. I think that can often happen when you learn more about a celebrity’s life, but, like — Lucy is LUCY. She’s bigger than life itself, and so even learning that she started from nothing, making soup out of ketchup, was absolutely astounding to me, in the best way.
What was one thing you learned about Lucy that surprised you?
The biggest surprise to me was, I think, how vulnerable she was — not only to criticism and loss of love, but just in general in life. She was an exposed nerve in a lot of ways, and did a lot of work to get where she was and come from where she came from in her early days. There are so many people who were close to her — herself included! — describing how she never quite believed or understood just how famous she was, like it could all be suddenly taken away from her some day. It made her, this larger-than-life famous woman who loomed over my childhood, become so much more of a relatable human being to me.



What was the writing process like? What challenges came up during your research?
Well, the writing process was extremely unique, as I wrote the book over my four-month maternity leave with my second baby. (I talk about this in the acknowledgements section of the book, as there are many parallels between my life and Lucy’s when she had Lucie.) Essentially, I gathered all of my sources — most of whom were second-hand, as many people of course have passed away at this point — and populated my chapter outline with quotations, storylines, and thoughts as to where each piece would neatly fit. It was like doing a very fun puzzle, except you have lots of pieces left over at the end that don’t fit anywhere — there was a fair amount on the cutting room floor! The only thing challenging-wise, I think, was doing the work to ensure that certain quotes and stories were corroborated. Thankfully, I had the estate of Lucy and Desi to help with that, as well as folks at the National Comedy Center and the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum.
I know your book is primarily about Lucy, but obviously Desi was a huge part of her life and career and it seems like she always tried to give him the credit he deserved for his innovations and talent, both behind and in front of the camera. What was it like learning more about him?
I think in my mind one of the biggest things I knew about Desi before researching this book was, of course, the celebrity gossip about his infidelity. Which is so unfortunate, because he was an incredible, complex human being that deserves to be known more than for tabloid headlines. Yes, he and Lucy differed significantly in terms of how they viewed sexual dalliances outside of their relationship, but what I found fascinating about him was that he was supremely in love with her his entire life, through it all. He really broke the mold on our stereotype of a man sleeping around outside of a marriage, because he was incredibly dedicated to his wife. I also think one of the fascinating aspects of Desi was his riches-to-rags-to-riches story and background, and his ability to truly see the big picture when it came to innovations like filming a television show, featuring a live audience, and reruns (to just name a few!). He doesn’t get even half the credit he deserves for all he gave to television — Lucy was spot-on in giving him credit, always.

Lucy and Desi on their 10th wedding anniversary
How did the foreword by Amy Poehler come together? Was that something the estate suggested?
I actually suggested it, along with my editor, given that Amy’s approach with her documentary [Lucy and Desi, 2022] was very much the emotional, explore-the-full-person style that my book takes. We were lucky enough to be connected with her through the estate, and once she read the book manuscript, she signed on! I’m incredibly grateful for her support and her words, and hoping to meet up with her in a dive bar someday to split a whiskey.
There is such a wealth of material out there about Lucille Ball. What would you say is different about your book or your approach?
There is SO much out there on Lucy, and so many books at that! They’re all unique in their own ways, and I think what A.K.A. Lucy does is frame her story in a very accessible, visual way. Sure, you can read the book from start to finish like a traditional biography, but unlike a traditional biography, you don’t have to. I call it a “vignette-style” exploration of her life and career, since you can poke your nose into the chapter about feminism, and then read about the Red Scare, and then take a peek at I Love Lucy episode highlights. Additionally, I do weave together disparate quotes from different eras of Lucy’s life occasionally to make a point — it works very well when various people are essentially saying the same thing about her 40 years apart. Finally, like I said, the book is very visual, thanks to Tim Palin Creative, and I think that really helps bring the words to life in a way that many other biographies don’t.
Between Amy Poehler’s recent documentary Lucy and Desi, Aaron Sorkin’s film Being the Ricardos, and TCM’s The Plot Thickens podcast that focused on Lucy for a season in 2021, we’re seeing that people are still as fascinated and delighted by Lucy and Desi as they were in the ‘50s. What do you make of their cultural staying power? Why do we keep returning to their story?
Our world is very meta right now. It’s self-referential in ways where we’re seeing direct quotes or impressions from I Love Lucy in other television shows or movies, which are then being spoofed on their own. Female comedians, too, are more and more visible and more and more popular, and it’s only natural to trace back some of the influences of some of your favorite performers and wonder, “What made them inspired to be the way they are?” More often than not, you’ll find Lucille Ball underpinning that inspiration. Even more than that, though, is that Lucy and Desi were amazingly talented (and lucky), but they were also human. There’s so much humanity in Lucy’s story, especially, even though she was this mega star that just keeps getting more popular. I think that there are people, too, who are recognizing this, and trying to understand more of her background, to see that things aren’t just as black and white as they seem (I Love Lucy grayscale pun intended).
Finally, my most important question: what is your favorite episode of I Love Lucy?
It’s a tough choice, but I’d have to say “Return Home from Europe.” Lucy and the cheese baby on the plane is one of the funniest, most cleverly-written scenes ever — and I go into a fair amount of detail about it in my book! It’s just a gem, through and through.
Sarah Royal’s book A.K.A. Lucy: The Dynamic and Determined Life of Lucille Ball is out now. Buy your own copy today!
Want more Lucille Ball? Of course you do! Check out Laura Ivins’ 2022 piece “1940s Comedy Bombshell: Lucille Ball” or my 2019 write-up “Female Ambition and Friendship in Dance, Girl, Dance.”