Stand-Up Comedy Episodes

Legendary British comedian Jimmy Carr begins his conversation with Mike by saying, “I wrote a book in lock-down because it was that or a podcast and I figured a book would be more dignified.” This begins an hour-long chat between friends that jumps from jokes to roasts to a genuine and vulnerable d…

Fresh off his Emmy win (with stage companion Conan O’Brien) Stephen Colbert joins Mike for a discussion of comedy, anxiety, and why he’ll never run for Senate. He explains that the reason he loves improv is that there’s nothing like failing with someone else and laughing about it with your scene pa…

Atsuko Okatsuka makes comedy videos featuring her grandmother & her husband, which Mike is convinced should be a feature film. The two comedians discuss Atsuko’s move from Japan at age 10, her grandmother’s run-in with a praying mantis, and why Mike might end up making a cameo in Atsuko’s feature f…

The last time Phoebe Robinson and Mike hung out, they were waiting to be picked up by an Uber on the side of a highway after their tour bus broke down. In this episode, they discuss Phoebe’s third book, "Please Don't Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes,” the eternal question "to prenup or not to …

Mike welcomes back one of our most beloved guests, Pete Holmes, to celebrate the paperback release of The New One. Pete has a lot to say about hardcovers, hardbodies, and how his father asks him questions just he so can answer them himself. Mike calls this "an expert's edition" of Working It Out be…

Mike met Jim Gaffigan in 1997 when he cold-called Jim’s landline. They went out for, of course, pizza and Jim gave him advice that Mike has not only used but also shares with others. The two comics discuss the insanity of charging large pizza prices for mediums size gourmet pies, deciding not to cu…

Judd Apatow recently saw Mike's entire new show in progress, and he's got a lot of feedback. As they break apart Judd's notes, they veer into topics like dark joy vs. light joy, why we exercise, and how many days per week it's appropriate to eat ice cream. Plus, Mike details a serious argument he h…

Before they became comedians, Mike and Neal both got their start working the door at different comedy clubs. Now, they sit down for a discussion of what it was like for Neal to co-create Chapelle’s Show, and the best advice that Neal received from Chris Rock on his hit Netflix special, “3 Mics.” Pl…

Mike is a huge admirer of Sarah Silverman and in this episode Sarah brings jokes, stories, and answers to tough questions like, “Why do so many of our comedian friends die young?” Along the way they discuss “coke lyrics,” Sarah’s priceless memory of Joan Rivers, and a story from when Sarah was a ki…

This week Mike is joined by British comic Nish Kumar and they discuss Brexit, the craft behind building a one person show, and the time Nish was told by a heckler to “go home” when he was pretty close to his home. Nish divulges his lifelong goal to not be Batman or even Robin, but rather the other …

In anticipation of this week’s “Worldwide Comedy Pizza Party” Mike welcomes one of the most uniquely funny people alive and the two comics go deep on deep dish. Jo explains her controversial take on eating pizza crust first and builds on Mike’s already over the top “onomatopizza” pun. Along the way…

These two comedy nerds discuss the elements of math, science, art, and music that go into constructing the perfect joke as they trade collected wisdom about writing from Steve Martin, Mary Karr, Robert Lowell, Philip Roth, and Anne Lamott. They also dig into the rule of 3s, growing up in Massachuse…

Taylor Tomlinson is only 27 and already has her own hit comedy special on Netflix called “Quarter-life Crisis.” Mike bonds with this prolific joke writer over her unique introduction into comedy when her dad signed the two of them up for a stand-up comedy class at church when she was 16. Mike and T…

Mike welcomes the great Randy and Jason Sklar as they trade jokes about how to say I love you to your parents without sounding like you’re in the Mafia, the difference between outsourcing and ‘Mom-sourcing,’ grandmothers owning sex robots, and what it really means to go skiing with Joe Bags. Listen…

Prolific, raw, and hilarious comic Nikki Glaser shares childhood memories of her mom in the Slow Round that she’s not yet willing to tell on stage but is willing to say on a podcast. Nikki and Mike both admit that their level of honesty with even their own diaries doesn’t hit 100%. Nikki declares h…

Keith and Kenny Lucas join Mike for an episode that alternates between utterly serious & supremely silly. They discuss their moving Vulture essay "Our Brother Kaizen," as well as jokes in process about "twin discrimination," and the difference between writing a will and meeting Will Smith. They als…

The award-winning co-creator and star of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Rachel Bloom joins Mike as the two of them crack into a format never explored in this podcast—the musical! Mike leaves his prepared material behind and pitches a concept for a musical. In turn Rachel pitches Mike her first comedy special—…

Mike welcomes award-winning comedian Ramy Youssef. The two friends discuss the unexpectedly controversial elements of his hit series “Ramy.” They also work on jokes about bad wedding speeches, getting kicked in the balls, and the time Ramy told people in Jacksonville that he was Muslim to which a w…

Jacqueline and Mike have toured together for years and Mike recently produced Jacqueline’s Off-Broadway hit “Get On Your Knees.” On this episode they get nerdy on joke structure: setups, punchlines, tags and secants. They also dig into memories of Jacqueline’s childhood friend getting eaten by a ga…

This week Mike welcomes Beth Stelling- the fearless star of the new HBO Max special, Girl Daddy. Beth and Mike discuss their joke nerd instincts and goal to turn pain into comedy. They trade jokes about sex in a rocket ship, middle school burns, flying weenies, and, yes, even dreams about sex with …

Mike and Pete are old comedy friends, which is why Pete does a pitch perfect impersonation of Mike, and Mike feels comfortable asking Pete for advice about Jesus. If you’ve ever listened to Pete’s legendary podcast “You Made It Weird,” you know that these two crack each other up. It’s a fun ride wi…

Maria Bamford has been one of Mike’s favorite comedians for a long time. Maria discusses the time she cold-called a Catholic priest even though she’s not Catholic, stories about Air BnBs, why Domino’s might be more helpful than a suicide hotline, unorthodox covid vaccines, and the recipe for grille…

Mike trades jokes with the great Tig Notaro. They discuss winning back ex-girlfriends in your favorite shirt, washing food during the pandemic, Billie Eilish's parents, and perhaps the most unlikely comedic run that involves both the Kiss and Indigo Girls. Do they also mention Ani DiFranco? Yes, th…