Frances Ann Lebowitz (/ˈliːbəwɪts/;[1] born October 27, 1950) is an American author,[2] public speaker,[3][4] and actor.

She has been the subject of two projects directed by Martin Scorsese, the HBO documentary film Public Speaking (2010), and the Netflix docu-series Pretend It's a City (2021).

[23] Her father agreed to pay for her first two months in the city on the condition that she live at the women's-only Martha Washington Hotel.

[18] She then stayed with friends in New York apartments and Boston college dormitories, surviving by writing papers for students.

[20][18] Lebowitz refused to wait tables because she claimed that sexual intercourse with the manager was a prerequisite for hiring at many restaurants[26] and that she "can't smile at people for money".

[27] At age 21, Lebowitz worked for Changes, a small magazine "about radical-chic politics and culture"[28] founded by Susan Graham Ungaro,[29] the fourth wife of Charles Mingus.

[19] Andy Warhol then hired Lebowitz as a columnist for Interview magazine,[30] where she wrote two columns: "The Best of the Worst", which reviewed bad movies, and "I Cover the Waterfront".

[31] During these years, she made friends with many artists, including photographers Peter Hujar, whom she met in 1971, and Robert Mapplethorpe, who often gave her photos, many of which she threw away in the 1970s.

[33] After its publication, Lebowitz became a local celebrity, frequenting Studio 54[34] and regularly appearing on television talk shows.

This was followed by Social Studies (1981), another collection of comedic essays[11] mostly from Mademoiselle and Interview,[35] in which she explored topics such as teenagers, films, and room service.

When discussing her writer's block, she said: "My editor—who, whenever I introduce him as my editor, always says, 'easiest job in town'—he says that the paralysis I have about writing is caused by an excessive reverence for the written word, and I think that's probably true.

"[21] Due to her writer's block, Lebowitz has largely supported herself with television appearances and speaking engagements.

[40] In addition, she has made several appearances on Late Night with David Letterman[13] and had a recurring role as Judge Janice Goldberg on the television drama Law & Order from 2001 to 2007.

[6] She does still write journalistic pieces; Lebowitz has been employed as a contributing editor and occasional columnist for Vanity Fair since 1997.

Through her public appearances, Lebowitz has reached a wider audience who have come to know her trademark style.

She is known for her clever quips and observational humor on a range of topics, including New York City, gentrification, art, literature, and politics.

She typically wears men's suit jackets (made bespoke by the Savile Row firm of Anderson & Sheppard),[41] white shirts, cowboy boots, Levi's jeans, and tortoiseshell glasses.

[42][43] She often speaks of her treasured pearl-grey 1979 Checker cab, the only car she has ever owned, which she describes as "the only monogamous relationship I've ever had in my life".

[44] In September 2007, Lebowitz was named one of the year's most stylish women in Vanity Fair's 68th Annual International Best-Dressed List.

[51] On November 17, 2010, she returned to the Late Show with David Letterman after a 16-year absence to promote the documentary.

Lebowitz also made an appearance as a judge in Scorsese's 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street.

She has also been critical of the large numbers of wealthy people in New York City, as she believes they do not create anything of value but only consume things.

In the 1980s and 1990s, many of Lebowitz's gay male artist friends, including Peter Hujar, Paul Thek and David Wojnarowicz, died of HIV/AIDS.

[54]In 1987, Lebowitz published a piece in The New York Times titled "The Impact of AIDS on the Artistic Community".

She has been a vociferous critic of the Republican Party for many years and more recently of current president Donald Trump.

"[61] Lebowitz has spoken of her dislike for Bernie Sanders, calling him at one point "an unbelievably irritating, narcissistic old man" who took votes away from her candidate of choice, Hillary Clinton.

"[64] Lebowitz has said she believes the Second Amendment has been misinterpreted, and guarantees individuals the right not to bear arms but rather to form militias.

I was an 18-year-old penniless girl in the middle of a dangerous city and I was never as afraid as these men in Texas, living in a state of terror.

[62]In May 2019, Lebowitz jokingly suggested on Real Time with Bill Maher that Trump should suffer the same fate as Jamal Khashoggi, The Washington Post columnist who the CIA and multiple other intelligence agencies believe was tortured and assassinated by Saudi operatives on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's orders.