Lawsuit as career advancement?

So…this is a joke, right?

Sunda Croonquist, a comedienne from New Jersey, is being sued by her mother-in-law for jokes she has told about her in her act. Apparently Croonquist has been doing this sort of thing for years, but of late, information posted on her website has made it easier for folks to figure out exactly who the oft-joked about mother-in-law is. And she’s had enough.

Now…I’ve never heard of Sundra Croonquist (although with that last name, I can see why she went into comedy). And she seems moderately funny in the footage of her act and in the interviews I have now seen due to the publicized lawsuit.

But I have to believe that this is just a publicity stunt. Heck, it’s a good idea. If you are a comedian — or comedienne, in this case — who has been working the circuit for a while with little national exposure, why not fashion a reality show-esque moment that will pull the TV cameras your way? (Her husband is a lawyer…it’s not that far-fetched that they might have brewed up this idea at home.)

So, before we shed any tears that this situation is tearing their poor family apart, let’s consider if the courts, the media, and we, the eager viewing public, are possibly being used to help Sunda Croonquist’s career.

That’s just not funny.