Amy Sedaris has a lovely apartment in the desirable Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City, though she has often described it as a hutch. A rabbit hutch.
Until recently, Sedaris, an actor, comedian, and author, lived with a bunny named Tina — who’s male, a fact she learned years after getting him. Tina had free rein of the apartment and, like the rabbits who lived there before him, chewed through her bedding, the couch, and some of her clothes.
“Honestly, I lived with him. It was not the other way around,” Sedaris, who starred in Strangers With Candy, BoJack Horseman, and The Mandalorian, told me in an interview earlier this year.
Known for her unconventional brand of comedy, it’s not surprising her pets are unconventional, too. “I’m a rabbit person,” she said. Tina, who died in the fall, was one of a handful of rabbits Sedaris has cared for over the past three decades.
But although Sedaris is often doing a bit, her interest in these animals is actually quite serious.
She educates prospective bunny owners on rabbit care, she attends bunny conferences, she hosts fundraisers for the Humane Society, and she talks to people like me about why rabbits and other animals are worth our attention.
Why did I talk to her? I often look for new ways to pull readers into conversations about wildlife and nature. One route can be through pets: If you develop love and respect for a pet rabbit, Sedaris said, perhaps that love and respect will spill over into other parts of the nonhuman world. And respect for wildlife — much of which is in peril — is the basis for conserving it.
Our conversation, below, has been edited for length and clarity.
Benji Jones
When did you first bring animals into your life?
Amy Sedaris
Growing up we always had dogs and cats and fish and turtles. In the ’80s, I had my own cats. And then in the ’90s, I saw a rabbit in a window, and I was like, “I’m gonna go get that bunny rabbit.” And I did. I was just struck by how beautiful it was … the ears. I mean, you’re used to seeing dogs and cats, but to see a bunny? I was mesmerized.
Having animals in your life just gives you a better life.
Benji Jones
You’ve since had other rabbits. What is it about these animals?
Amy Sedaris
They’re just the best. You have to really pay attention to them so you know when they’re in pain or if something goes wrong. They’re the perfect little companions for me. They slept with me in bed; they came to me when I called. They’re just delightful. Dogs freak me out because I do think they see into your soul.