From The Sound of Music to Dead Man Walking, nuns have always had a place on the silver screen—but none of those movies have given personality to the women behind the habits quite like Sister Act. If Sister Mary Clarence and the sisters of St. Katherine’s made your toes tap, here are 14 facts you’ll give praise for.
1. Sister Mary Clarence was partially inspired by a real nun.
As part of his research, screenwriter Paul Rudnick visited the Regina Laudis Abbey in Bethlehem, Connecticut, to meet Mother Dolores Hart. Hart had been a Hollywood actress, singer, and dancer, starring in movies such as Where the Boys Are and King Creole. Though she left the industry to become a nun when she was just 24, she’s a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to this day.
2. Bette Midler war originally attached to star.
Though the Divine Miss M was originally onboard, she later backed out for reasons she came to regret: “I said: ‘My fans don’t want to see me in a wimple.’ I don’t know where I got that from. Why would I say such a thing? So Whoopi did it instead and, of course, she made a fortune.”
3. The name of the main character was changed when Middler left.
The original name of the singer-turned-sister was Terri Van Cartier. It was changed when Whoopi Goldberg was cast, because, according to Rudnick, “She’d always wanted to play someone named Deloris.”
4. Carrie Fisher helped rewrite the script.
When Midler backed out, script adjustments went far beyond a name change—but Disney only allowed writers two weeks to overhaul the script after the lead actress change. Additional writers were brought in to help doctor the script; in addition to Carrie Fisher, other contributors included Nancy Meyers and Robert Harling. Fisher, by the way, has a long history of fixing scripts—she also worked on last-minute rewrites to Hook, Lethal Weapon 3, and The Wedding Singer.
5. The writer “Joseph Howard” is not a real person.
By the time the movie was released, it had been rewritten so much that Rudnick didn’t consider it his work anymore. He suggested the work be credited under the name R. Chasuble after the priest in The Importance of Being Earnest. That was rejected, so Rudnick tried for “Screenplay by Goofy.” Another no-go. Finally, “Joseph Howard” was accepted. “It sounds like the name of someone who helped found the Mormon Church,” Rudnick later wrote.
6. Kathy Najimy based her character on Mary Hart.
Kathy Najimy wasn’t totally sure how she was going to portray such a bubbly, cheerful nun—until she happened to catch anchor Mary Hart on Entertainment Tonight. “I turn on the TV. It’s something with me and Sally Field running around, and they come back to Mary Hart, and she went, ‘That Sally Field, ya gotta love her!’ And I said, ‘Oh my God, that’s my nun!'”
Najimy later sent Hart a bouquet of roses. “[But] I didn’t say why.”
7. Some of the actresses got up to some mischief on the set.
The production spent some time filming in a Reno casino, which the actresses loved. “That was great, because I love gambling,” Najimy said. “Wendy [Makkena, who plays Sister Mary Robert] smokes, and we’d sit at the 21 table in our nun outfits with drinks in front of us. That was hilarious.”
8. No, that’s not really Whoopi singing Mary Robert’s part.
One of the subplots of the movie is Deloris’ efforts to bring the timid Sister Mary Robert out of her shell. We eventually realize that the soft-spoken sister can really belt one out—but it’s not really actress Wendy Makkena singing. She was dubbed by singer Andrea Robinson. Whoopi, however, did her own singing.
9. One of the scenes was changed at Najimy’s behest.
There was originally a scene that called for Najimy’s character, Sister Mary Patrick, to protest against a pornographic bookstore. Najimy felt it encroached on her First Amendment rights and asked the director to come up with something different. Instead, Sister Mary Patrick ended up selling raffle tickets.
10. The production was sued for plagiarism.
In 1993, Donna Douglas (better known as Elly May Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies) filed a $200 million suit against Whoopi Goldberg, Bette Midler, their production companies, Creative Artists Agency, Walt Disney Pictures, and more. Douglas had optioned a book called A Nun in the Closet, which they turned into a screenplay and submitted to the studio. They were turned down—and then Sister Act came out. The plaintiffs declined $1 million from Disney to settle, which was a mistake; eventually, the judge found in favor of Disney.
11. They were sued again in 2012.
This time, a nun by the name of Delois Blakely claimed that Disney and Sony Pictures sourced from her autobiography without permission. The filing stated that Blakely was a “young, Black, singing nun serving the street people and youths of Harlem,” which was the focus of her 1987 book The Harlem Street Nun.
12. Despite appearances, the church scenes were shot in an upper middle-class neighborhood.
The church scenes were shot at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in San Francisco, which is in an affluent area of town. To make it look rundown, which was important to the plot, the street was dressed with trash and cars that appeared to be abandoned.
13. The movie was made into a Broadway musical.
Sister Act opened on Broadway in 2011 and received several Tony Award nominations that year. Unfortunately, it was often up against The Book of Mormon, which took the Tonys by storm. When the show went to London’s West End, Whoopi Goldberg made a limited appeareance—but this time, she played Mother Superior.
14. A remake is in the works.
Could there be more sister shenanigans on the way? Maybe. Variety reported that writers and producers had signed on for the remake. Whoopi might be up for it:
“I generally say no to that, because so many of the nuns have passed and it just wouldn’t feel right for me,” she said on Watch What Happens Live. “I’m kind of old for it now. That’s not to say I wouldn’t do it, but it feels like there’s a new generation for Sister Act and so maybe I can be a nun now.”
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The Original Name for ‘Sesame Street’ Wasn’t Nearly as Catchy
The beloved show’s first title was the name of an actual street in the East Village.
BySabrina Reed|Nov 10, 2026, 12:00 PM EST
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Can you imagine a world where Sesame Street is called 123 Avenue B?
Before the beloved children’s educational program was launched on November 10, 1969, that was the name co-creators Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett were weighing with their team.
While the original show title doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, it is fun to say. Most importantly, it connected the series to New York City, the diverse populace Sesame Street would draw inspiration from in its design, character representation, and understanding of the world around it. But 123 Avenue B was deemed too on the nose because it’s an actual street in Alphabet City located in the East Village near the Lower East Side.
Naming the Street: From Alphabet City to Sesame
For a series sponsored by letters and numbers, Alphabet City would have been the perfect place to set the program. However, in choosing to name the show after a fictional street, a new idea took shape.
Sesame Street gets its name from “open sesame,” the phrase popularized by Antoine Galland’s translation of “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” from One Thousand and One Nights. In the story, the thieves use the phrase to open the secret entrance to their treasure trove. According to Sesame Workshop, the word ‘sesame’ is meant to invoke “a street where neat stuff happens,” and that’s exactly what the show has come to embody.
A Street Where Learning Happens
60 years ago, in 1966, the series was simply a thought based on the question of whether a television program could educate children. Cooney worked for the local PBS station, WNET THIRTEEN, as a documentarian. With the support of Morrisett, who was vice president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, she conducted a study that spanned three months—The Potential Uses of Television in Preschool Education. Cooney interviewed early learning experts as well as children’s television producers and filmmakers to answer this question, and it became the basis for Sesame Street and the Children’s Television Workshop (now known as the Sesame Workshop).
The series is the first preschool program to blend education and entertainment to teach children basic skills through play, pretend, and storytelling. Young viewers learn and practice their alphabet and counting. They also expand their reasoning ability and strengthen their literacy through the show. Sesame Street incorporates topics on health, science, art, music, and dance. It helps parents develop their child’s social skills and healthily navigate their emotions as well.
Since 1969, the show has broadcast daily and remained committed to taking a multicultural approach to discussing and teaching about the diverse world its characters and audience live in. More than 300 PBS stations carry the program, and it’s available on Netflix and YouTube. The series has been watched by hundreds of millions of children across the world in more than 140 countries. Per Sesame Workshop, “Indigenous co-productions reflecting local languages, customs, and educational needs have since been produced for audiences in the Arab world, Israel, India, Indonesia, Bosnia, Portugal, Turkey, Germany, France, Poland, Norway, Sweden, Holland, Russia, China, South Africa, Egypt, the Philippines, Canada, Spain, and Latin America.”
Finding Sesame Street in the Real World
Though Sesame Street is fictional, and Alphabet City didn’t become its home, it is actually possible to visit. The show itself is filmed in Astoria, Queens, at Kaufman Astoria Studios. But if you want to take a picture beneath its sign in New York City, you’ll need to go to the block of West 63rd Street between Central Park West and Broadway in Manhattan on the Upper West Side. That’s where the official “Sesame Street” is located, right next to Sesame Workshop’s headquarters.
In 2019, Mayor Bill de Blasio bestowed the address on the series for its 50th anniversary. It’s possible to reach Sesame Street by subway, just like you can in the program. So, if anyone asks, “Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?” you can say yes and show them the way.
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75 Holiday Jokes That Are So Funny, You’ll Want to Share Them With Everyone
These jokes are sure to add a little laughter to your Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s celebrations!
ByLogan DeLoye|Nov 10, 2026, 2:00 PM EST
The holiday season is knocking at our doors and nipping at our noses, with Thanksgiving, Christmas, Boxing Day, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s finally in sight.
Thanksgiving, the first to mark our calendars and fill our stomachs, occurs on the fourth Thursday of November in America every year, a tradition set by former President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The first Thanksgiving took place in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, in 1621; a feast celebrating fruitful harvests and peace (unfortunately only temporarily) between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe.
Next is Hanukkah, celebrated by Jewish people around the world. It begins on the 25th day of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar and continues for eight days. While the dates change each year, in 2026, Hanukkah will take place from December 4 to December 12.
Christmas arrives on its heels, celebrated on December 25 each year. For Christians, this date signifies the birth of Jesus Christ. For others, it’s a time for giving, family gatherings, and holiday nostalgia.
The day after Christmas is Boxing Day, observed in Great Britain and Commonwealth countries. It centers around sports, family time, relaxation, and discount retail shopping sprees similar to America’s Black Friday.
After Christmas comes Kwanzaa, a celebration of African American heritage and culture held from December 26 to January 1.
Finally, New Year’s rings in the end of one calendar year and the start of the next (cue “Auld Lang Syne”). Many consider it a fresh start, a new chapter, and a chance to set goals and intentions for the months ahead.
It’s almost time to carve the turkey, hang the stockings on the chimney with care, deck the halls, shop ‘til we drop, wrap the presents, rock around the Christmas tree, and celebrate culture and tradition. Here are 75 jokes covering three of these holidays, guaranteed to bring an extra hilarious helping of laughter to all your parties and gatherings!
Thanksgiving Jokes
1. Why did the turkey join a band?
Because it had the drumsticks!
2. What do you call a turkey on the day after Thanksgiving?
Lucky.
3. Why did the cranberries turn red?
Because they saw the turkey dressing!
4. What did the turkey say to the computer?
“Google, how do I get out of Thanksgiving dinner?”
5. Why did the turkey get a standing ovation?
It was an outstanding bird!
6. What’s the best dance to do on Thanksgiving?
The turkey trot!
7. Why was the Thanksgiving soup so expensive?
It had 24 carrots!
8. What did the sweet potato say when it won the pie contest?
“That was a sweet victory!”
9. Why shouldn’t you tell secrets in a cornfield?
Because the corn has ears!
10. What do you call a running turkey?
Fast food!
11. Why did the turkey go to the doctor?
It had a case of the gobble-gobbles!
12. What’s a turkey’s favorite dessert?
Peach gobbler!
13. Why did the chef put a bell on the turkey?
He wanted to make sure dinner was a-pealing!
14. What did one plate say to the other plate on Thanksgiving?
“Dinner is on me!”
15. Why did the pumpkin pie go to the dentist?
It needed a filling!
16. What’s the turkey’s favorite type of weather?
Fowl weather!
17. Why did the mashed potatoes get promoted?
They were always on top of things!
18. What do you call a turkey that tells jokes?
A comedi-hen!
19. Why did the turkey sit on the pumpkin?
It wanted to squash its competition!
20. What’s a pilgrim’s favorite kind of music?
Plymouth Rock!
21. Why did the gravy get invited to every Thanksgiving dinner?
It knew how to go with the flow!
22. What did the turkey say when it was complimented?
“Aw, shucks! You’re making me blush!”
23. Why was the Thanksgiving dinner so good at math?
It knew how to count its blessings!
24. What’s the difference between a turkey and a turkey hunter?
One wakes up early on Thanksgiving!
25. Why did the pie get in trouble at school?
It was caught cutting corners!
Christmas Jokes
26. What do you call an elf who sings?
A wrapper!
27. Why does Santa go down the chimney?
Because it soots him!
28. What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?
Frostbite!
29. Why was the Christmas tree so bad at sewing?
It kept dropping its needles!
30. What do you call a reindeer with bad manners?
Rude-olph!
31. Why did Santa’s helper see the doctor?
Because he had low elf-esteem!
32. What do snowmen eat for breakfast?
Frosted Flakes!
33. What do you call a snowman in the summer?
A puddle!
34. Why did the ornament get kicked off the Christmas tree?
It was acting a little shady!
35. What do you call Santa when he takes a break?
Santa Pause!
36. Why are Christmas trees so bad at knitting?
They always drop their needles!
37. What do you call an elf who runs away from the workshop?
A rebel without a Claus!
38. Why did the gingerbread man go to the doctor?
He was feeling crumby!
39. What’s Santa’s favorite kind of music?
Wrap music!
40. Why did the snowman call his dog Frost?
Because Frost bites!
41. What do you call a broke Santa?
Saint Nickel-less!
42. Why did the Christmas lights go to school?
They wanted to get a little brighter!
43. What does Santa use to take notes?
A candy cane!
44. Why did the reindeer wear sunglasses?
Because he was a bright star!
45. What’s a snowman’s favorite drink?
Ice tea!
46. What do you get if you cross a Christmas tree with an apple?
A pineapple!
47. Why did Santa’s sleigh get pulled over?
It was going too fast down the chimney!
48. What do you call a cat on Christmas?
Santa Claws!
49. Why did the elf put his bed in the fireplace?
He wanted to sleep like a log!
50. What is Santa’s favorite snack?
Crisp Pringles!
New Year’s Jokes
51. What does a ghost say on New Year’s Eve?
“Happy Boo Year!”
52. Why did the man put his money in the blender on January 1?
He wanted to make liquid assets!
53. What is a New Year’s resolution’s favorite type of music?
New year-oldies!
54. Why did the calendar get arrested on New Year’s Eve?
It was caught celebrating too many dates!
55. What did the champagne bottle say when it finally got opened?
“Well, that was bottled-up excitement!”
56. Why did the New Year’s Eve party hire a gardener?
It wanted someone to help turn over a new leaf!
57. What do you call a snowman who celebrates New Year’s Eve?
A party frost!
58. Why did the number six refuse to go to the New Year’s party?
It didn’t want to be caught in a countdown!
59. What did the clock say to the calendar at midnight?
“Time flies when you’re having fun!”
60. Why did the New Year’s fireworks get sent to the principal’s office?
They kept setting off alarms!
61. What do you call a New Year’s resolution made by a baker?
A fresh start!
62. Why did the man bring a pencil to the New Year’s Eve party?
He wanted to draw the night to a close!
63. What did the January calendar say to the February calendar?
“Your days are numbered!”
64. Why did the New Year’s party invite a mathematician?
It needed someone who could handle the countdown!
65. What do you call a New Year’s celebration at a shoe store?
A big step forward!
66. Why did the clock go to therapy?
It had too many second thoughts!
67. What did one firework say to the other at midnight?
“You’re a blast to be around!”
68. Why did the New Year’s Eve party have a great DJ?
He really knew how to ring in the changes!
69. What do you call a calendar that tells jokes?
A laugh-a-day!
70. Why did the man bring a suitcase to January 1?
He was ready to leave the old year behind!
71. What did the New Year’s resolution say to the gym membership?
“Let’s see how long this lasts!”
72. Why did the clock get a promotion in the New Year?
It was always ahead of its time!
73. What do you call a New Year’s party for cats?
A mew year celebration!
74. Why did the champagne refuse to argue with the soda?
It didn’t want to make a fizz-ical confrontation!
75. What did the old year say when it finally left?
“I’ve had a good run!”