Monday - April 21st, 2025
Apple News
×

What can we help you find?

Open Menu
Jerry Zezima Humorist, Author, Public Nuisance

I write a humor column for Tribune News Service, which distributes it to papers nationwide and abroad. If you have ever wondered why the newspaper industry is in trouble, it would be because of me.

I am the author of seven books, “Leave It to Boomer,” “The Empty Nest Chronicles,” “Grandfather Knows Best,” “Nini and Poppie’s Excellent Adventures,” “Every Day Is Saturday,” “One for the Ageless” and "The Good Humor Man," all of which are crimes against literature. They also come in handy for propping up wobbly table legs. If you suffer from insomnia, you might even want to read them.

As a chilling example of just how low journalistic standards have sunk, I have won many awards, including nine for humorous writing from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.

I have a strong social media presence, I have made many radio and television appearances, I have done several YouTube videos, I am a popular public speaker, and I am writing a sitcom. If you think TV is bad now, wait until my show gets on the air.

I live on Long Island, N.Y., with my wife, Sue. We have two daughters, five grandchildren and many creditors. I have no interesting hobbies.

Recent Content

Loading...
“Stuck on Post-its”

By Jerry ZezimaWhen you get to be my age (old enough to know better), it’s hard to remember things. At least I think so. I can’t remember.So you’d think modern Technology would be helpful,…

By Jerry ZezimaWh…

By Jerry ZezimaWhen you get to be my age (old enough to know better), it’s hard to remember things. At least I think so. I can’t remember.So you’d think modern technology would be helpful, but it isn’t.There’s Artificial Intelligence. Let me tell you something: I was born with artificial intelligence. It doesn’t work.Then there’s the calendar app, or the notes app, or whatever app on your phone that you can use to remember upcoming doctor’s appointments, haircuts, oil changes or anything else you have coming up. Unfortunately, I would need my grandchildren to help m…

Read More
“Stairway to Houseplant Heaven”

By Jerry ZezimaNow that my office has new flooring and is finally so clean that it could win an award from Good Housekeeping, I am turning over a new leaf.Actually, 17 new leaves, which belong t…

By Jerry ZezimaNo…

By Jerry ZezimaNow that my office has new flooring and is finally so clean that it could win an award from Good Housekeeping, I am turning over a new leaf.Actually, 17 new leaves, which belong to a houseplant that my wife, Sue, gave to me so I could have someone (or something) to talk to when I am lonely or need inspiration so I can write drivel like this.The plant is, fittingly, a dumb cane, which now has a dumb owner. It is known by the scientific name of Dieffenbachia, although I have named it Robert, after Robert Plant, the lead singer of the classic rock group Led Zeppelin.I a…

Read More
“The Dream Team”

By Jerry ZezimaAs a newspaper columnist whose specialty is doing nothing and writing about it, I thought I had a dream job.Then I met Raminder, a technician whose job was to watch me dream and r…

By Jerry ZezimaAs…

By Jerry ZezimaAs a newspaper columnist whose specialty is doing nothing and writing about it, I thought I had a dream job.Then I met Raminder, a technician whose job was to watch me dream and record what I did in bed — it was nothing to write home about — during a Sleep study.I participated in this diagnostic test, which required me to stay in a hospital overnight, because my wife, Sue, says that when I’m in bed at home, I snore — this is an exact quote — “like Mount Vesuvius.”That means I not only am loud, but also 2,000 years old.The study was scheduled after co…

Read More
“The Inside Story”

By Jerry ZezimaEvery 10 years, my internal clock, which I inadvertently swallowed while eating Jell-O, reminds me to have a colonoscopy.Unfortunately, the sulfate solution I took to wash down th…

By Jerry ZezimaEv…

By Jerry ZezimaEvery 10 years, my internal clock, which I inadvertently swallowed while eating Jell-O, reminds me to have a colonoscopy.Unfortunately, the sulfate solution I took to wash down the Jell-O and everything else I ingested on my one-day liquid preparation Diet would have lost to sewer sludge in a blind taste test.That’s the sacrifice I made to keep the situation fluid for a doctor to explore my innards and ensure everything was clear except, of course, for my internal clock, which read 11:15 a.m., the time I had the procedure.The day before, I had to prepare. This enta…

Read More
“The Fab Floor”

By Jerry ZezimaYou can make book on the fact that I’m not a guy to sweep things under the rug. But you may be floored to know that I brought the hammer down on our latest home improvement project…

By Jerry ZezimaYo…

By Jerry ZezimaYou can make book on the fact that I’m not a guy to sweep things under the rug. But you may be floored to know that I brought the hammer down on our latest home improvement project.That’s why I had to clean my office of enough books to bury Moby-Dick so new flooring could be installed with the help of yours truly and my trusty hammer.Actually, the hammer belonged to our contractor, Anthony Amini, who let me use it to pop a pair of planks in place.It wasn’t the least I could do, but it was close.The bulk of the work, which took a week, was done by Anthony, wh…

Read More
“Thinking Outside the Cookie Box”

By Jerry ZezimaI like to think I’m a tough cookie, but my sweet tooth, which may have a cavity, can’t resist the treats sold every year by the Girl Scouts.That’s why I have bought two boxe…

By Jerry ZezimaI …

By Jerry ZezimaI like to think I’m a tough cookie, but my sweet tooth, which may have a cavity, can’t resist the treats sold every year by the Girl Scouts.That’s why I have bought two boxes of cookies from my 8-year-old granddaughter, who represents the third generation of Girl Scouts in our family.They include my wife, Sue, and our two daughters, one of whom is the current Scout’s mother.To this impressive list you can add yours truly. I may not be a girl, and was never even a Boy Scout, but I once dressed up as a giant Samoa to help a Girl Scout troop ring up impressive c…

Read More
“My Week”

By Jerry ZezimaWhen you’re retired, you don’t live in the fast lane. In fact, my wife, Sue, and I are on the side of the road with a flat tire. The tradeoff is that you can’t get fired from a…

By Jerry ZezimaWh…

By Jerry ZezimaWhen you’re retired, you don’t live in the fast lane. In fact, my wife, Sue, and I are on the side of the road with a flat tire. The tradeoff is that you can’t get fired from a job you don’t have.Still, there has been great concern by a certain prominent person about how certain subordinate but no less important people spend their time. So, in case anyone asks, here is what Sue and I did last week.MONDAYThe highlight of the day is going to the pharmacy to pick up a refill of my cholesterol medication. Fortunately, it’s not one of those prescription drugs wi…

Read More
“No Snooze Is Bad News”

By Jerry ZezimaTo sleep — perchance to snore. Ay, there’s the rib, which my wife, Sue, pokes every time I snore while she’s trying to sleep.My unconscious imitation of a buzzsaw, which I a…

By Jerry ZezimaTo…

By Jerry ZezimaTo sleep — perchance to snore. Ay, there’s the rib, which my wife, Sue, pokes every time I snore while she’s trying to sleep.My unconscious imitation of a buzzsaw, which I allegedly do often enough that Sue has to go into another room to get a good night’s slumber, is the reason I have been signed up to participate in a sleep study, which presumably will determine if my overnight rumblings can be measured on the Richter scale.This scientific research, which also will record brainwave activity, if indeed there is any, was recommended by my primary care physician,…

Read More
“Puppy Love”

By Jerry ZezimaWhen you’re a grandparent, you want only the best for the newest addition to the family. That’s why my wife, Sue, and I went shopping in anticipation of baby’s first visit and …

By Jerry ZezimaWh…

By Jerry ZezimaWhen you’re a grandparent, you want only the best for the newest addition to the family. That’s why my wife, Sue, and I went shopping in anticipation of baby’s first visit and came home with everything the little one needs, including a bowl for food, one for water, a stick for teething, a bag of treats for snacks, toys for playing, a leash for walking and, for cleanup duty, a pooper scooper.As you can tell, we would spare no expense for our beautiful, loving and exuberant granddog, Opal.She’s a rescue, a tan-and-white dynamo, a Chihuahua who is about seven month…

Read More
“Don’t Sweat the Style Stuff”

By Jerry ZezimaRow, row, row my seat swiftly down the track.Warily, warily, warily, warily, my body’s out of whack.That’s the tune I sang to myself — because I didn’t want to scare ever…

By Jerry ZezimaRow…

By Jerry ZezimaRow, row, row my seat swiftly down the track.Warily, warily, warily, warily, my body’s out of whack.That’s the tune I sang to myself — because I didn’t want to scare everyone else at the gym — as I rocked and rolled on a rowing machine under the expert guidance of my very own personal trainer.I decided to go back to the gym because I have a heart condition and my cardiologist recommended it (going back to the gym, not having heart condition).I met assistant manager Antwone Bowen and said I hadn’t been there in a while.“How come?” he asked.“I …

Read More
“Taken Aback”

By Jerry ZezimaNo matter what I do, whether it’s good, bad or just plain stupid, my wife, Sue, has my back. And I have hers.But lately, neither one of us has wanted to make the exchange. That�…

By Jerry ZezimaNo…

By Jerry ZezimaNo matter what I do, whether it’s good, bad or just plain stupid, my wife, Sue, has my back. And I have hers.But lately, neither one of us has wanted to make the exchange. That’s because we both threw our backs out.I injured mine while cleaning the bathroom, which is what I get for trying to be helpful around the house.The irony was not lost on Sue, who appreciated my effort (“you’re so delicate,” she said, “but you did a nice job”) and told me that the best thing for a bad back is Exercise.The irony was not lost on me because a week later, she hurt …

Read More
“The Eyes Have It”

By Jerry ZezimaI have always believed that if you have an appointment with an eye doctor, you should show up late. When the doctor asks why you weren’t on time, you can say, “I couldn’t find …

By Jerry ZezimaI …

By Jerry ZezimaI have always believed that if you have an appointment with an eye doctor, you should show up late. When the doctor asks why you weren’t on time, you can say, “I couldn’t find you.”This will let him or her see — with the aid of prescription glasses, because eye doctors invariably wear them — that you are in the right place and will probably need a pair of specs yourself.That’s why I was late for my first appointment with Dr. Brian Cho, an optometrist who is nice, funny and, of course, bespectacled.“Welcome,” said Dr. Cho. “Did you have trouble fin…

Read More

Contributors

Show More

Keep Up To Date With Our Latest Baby Boomer News & Offers!

Sign Up for Our FREE Newsletter

Name(Required)
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.