As a showbiz entity, Lily Tomlin actually consists of two people, herself and wife/creative partner Jane Wagner, who has written Tomlin's material since the early 1970s. While Tomlin basks in the acclaim, Wagner prefers to remain in the background.
However, Wagner made a rare appearance in the spotlight when the couple were jointly honored with their own star on the Palm Springs Walk of Fame. During their speeches, Tomlin paid tribute to Wagner. "I get credit for everything, people think I should be UN ambassador, I don't know what else," she said. "They think I'm so smart, but the brainy stuff really comes from her." However, Tomlin jokingly added, "She's willing to forgo that acknowledgement just so she can sleep late."
Tomlin discussed Wagner more seriously in an interview with Variety, explaining how Wagner is able to clearly express Tomlin's feelings in words, something Tomlin struggles with. "She can express in words what I feel about the world, about humans, about the struggle that we're in," Tomlin said, "and, presumably, not the inevitability of it all, something that I know speaks to other people."
