Episodes

Jo Firestone joins Mike for her second appearance on Working it Out. In addition to just being named the head writer of the newest late night show on network TV, Jo just published a comedic murder mystery called “Murder on Sex Island” and proclaims she is *nothing* like the book’s protagonist even …

On the heels of the release of his new special “Domestic Shorthair,” Todd Barry sits down with Mike this week for a conversation about his 35 years in comedy. The two talk about whether or not Todd invented crowdwork, if Bill Burr was right when he said Mike was “doing” Todd when Mike was first sta…

Ramy Youssef was one of the first and most popular guests on Working It Out back in 2020, and now he’s back with updates to some of the same very material he worked out the first time around. Mike and Ramy discuss which Death Cab For Cutie songs make Ramy cry, unfriendly encounters in Jacksonville,…

25 years ago, Mike won Georgetown University‘s funniest person on campus contest. This week's guest Gary Simons won it three years ago. Now, Gary has been opening for Mike’s new tour and has a lot of questions: How do I get an agent? How do I go from doing 5 minutes to doing an hour? Any relationsh…

Comedian Greg Warren is one of Mike’s oldest friends in comedy. Greg and Mike often work out jokes on the phone but today they bring their collaborative friendship to the podcast for an hour-long discussion on setups, punchlines, and what makes a good partner to work out jokes with. All that plus G…

Mike and Gary Gulman have been friends for a long time, but what kind of friends? Real friends or just work friends? Gary returns to the podcast and he and Mike evaluate the true level of their friendship. Plus they discuss vulnerability in comedy, unhappiness vs. depression, and the advice that Ga…

Comedian Nimesh Patel joins Mike this week for a joke-filled conversation about how to find your comedic voice, how to turn your saddest stories into standup, and whether or not Buddhism and comedy can peacefully co-exist. Plus, Nimesh goes deep on the infamous time he was yanked off stage at Colum…

Hasan Minhaj was one of the first guests on Working It Out back in 2020 and it remains one of the most popular episodes because of Hasan’s natural inclination to work out bits. Off-air Mike and Hasan often trade notes and ideas and today it spills into the podcast. Hasan compares comedy craft to St…

Joe “Joey Bag O’ Donuts” Birbiglia returns to the podcast. Last time, Mike and Joe broke down what it’s like to work together as brothers. Now, in honor of Mike’s upcoming Christmas shows in Boston, they share their favorite Christmas and Boston memories—from the time Joe broke the news about Santa…

Mike lost his mind laughing at Kate Berlant’s new comedy special “Cinnamon in the Wind.”  So he dropped her a line and asked her to discuss it on the podcast. Mike and Kate discuss working with director Bo Burnham, the looseness of the special, and how the special almost didn’t come out. They discu…

Mike met Jim Gaffigan in 1997 when he cold-called Jim’s New York City landline. Jim appeared as a guest on Working It Out in 2021 and now, between touring with Jerry Seinfeld, releasing his 10th comedy special “Dark Pale,” and raising money for the Georgetown Scholars Program, Jim sits down with Mi…

British comedy sensation Liz Kingsman has brought her acclaimed show ‘One Woman Show’ from London’s West End to New York City, just as Mike is preparing to bring ‘The Old Man and the Pool’ to the West End. Mike and Liz discuss parody vs. earnestness in comedy, why cotton candy is sometimes called f…

Mike welcomes comedian, author, and podcast host Tom Papa. The two old friends get candid about a bump in their relationship and how they reconciled. They also share advice about the best ways to tell stories about real people in your life, and when profanity is and isn’t necessary. Plus, jokes and…

Elyse Myers has exploded into long form storytelling from a short form platform: TikTok. She tells funny and personal stories to millions of people on TikTok and Instagram and on her podcast “Funny Cuz it’s True” but doesn’t really tell stories on stage. That’s Mike’s focus today. He tries to convi…

Ira Glass was the first guest on Working It Out back in June 2020, and now he’s back for the 100th episode. The two friends and collaborators discuss Ira’s most famous pieces of advice for creatives, and Ira attempts to “work out” Mike’s life. Plus, a final version of Mike’s “cancer story,” which h…

Mike’s creative collaborator and director Seth Barrish returns for a special episode of Working It Out announcing the UK premiere of “The Old Man and the Pool” at the Wyndham’s Theatre in London as well as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August. Mike and Seth share their excitement about bringing …

When Mike became obsessed with the series “The Last of Us” on HBO he had questions. And he went straight to the source. This week Mike welcomes the writer/producer/director Craig Mazin, who co-created the" The Last of Us," starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. Spoiler alert. If you haven’t seen "…

Ray Romano has an iconic sitcom and a celebrated stand-up career under his belt, so what drives him to keep challenging himself artistically? Mike and Ray, who often follow each other at the Comedy Cellar, ponder the complicated answer to that question. Plus, discussion of comedy craft, joke-writin…

Mike and Bert Kresicher have known each other a little bit for a long time. Now they sit down for an in-depth chat about how to develop a story for standup, why Florida is so strange, and why Bert decided to change the course of his comedy career. Plus, they discuss their shared love for legendary …

Comedian Alex Edelman returns to the podcast for a victorious third visit, as his award-winning solo show Just For Us heads to Broadway. Mike and Alex defend the merits of kids jokes as well as vaudeville-style wordplay. Plus, a heated debate about the Boston accent which stems from a simple questi…

Nick Kroll and Mike met in college and started doing improv and sketch comedy together. Since then, Nick has become a comedy superstar, from his Comedy Central series Kroll Show, to Oh, Hello, to the animated series Big Mouth and Human Resources, to roles in films like Don’t Worry Darling and the H…

Mike and Jorma Taccone are old friends and former next door neighbors. Jorma also just so happens to be an acclaimed screenwriter, director, actor, and member of the legendary comedy team “The Lonely Island” with Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer. The Lonely Island made the Saturday Night Live classi…

Comedian Rachel Feinstein is a comic’s comic— the type of original comic who cracks up other comics. In this episode it definitely works. Rachel breaks Mike as she tells stories about her almost-too-supportive parents to her almost-too-unsupportive firefighter husband. Plus, jokes about marrying up…

In an age when many comedians talk about being cancelled, Vir Das was actually very nearly cancelled in a real way. When his YouTube monologue "Two Indias" went viral, a criminal complaint was filed against him in his home country of India. Vir talks to Mike about that experience and how he was abl…