Pete Holmes returns to help Mike Birbiglia punch up some last minute jokes before the premiere of Mike’s show The Good Life at the Beacon Theatre in New York. What follows is a heated debate about puns, an attempt to define and dissect the nature of “clean” comedy, and, yes,…
This week, the great Nathan Lane returns to Working it Out for a chat with Mike Birbiglia. Nathan recounts moments from his legendary career — discussing what it was like to work with Mike Nichols, Elaine May, and Robin Williams. He shares what he likes most in a director, who…
This week Rory Scovel returns to the podcast with his review of how doing a year of completely improvised stand-up went. Mike and Rory dive into the creative process and their own fears on stage, why Rory is jealous of other comedians, and why someone being married to a comedian…
Working It Out fan favorite Hasan Minhaj returns for a third episode. Mike and Hasan discuss the enduring memories of childhood crushes, an obsession with who was the fastest in middle school, and why comedy and politics move in cycles. Plus, Hasan keeps Google Image searching Mike, and Mike invites…
This week Mike Birbiglia sits down with Severance’s very own Ben Stiller and Adam Scott. The three of them dig into the behind the scenes of Severance season 2 and discuss what it is that makes them work so well together as actor and director. Ben and Adam share audition…
Matt Rogers is a beloved comedian, writer, actor, and co-host of cult hit podcast “Las Culturistas.” Matt sits down with Mike Birbiglia for a chat about the ups and downs of show business, the inside of writing for a hit TV series, and what it was like when Matt and…
This week the legendary Stephen Colbert returns to the podcast. Mike and Stephen discuss the behind-the-scenes workings of Stephen’s Late Night job as well as his Chicago improv days. Stephen shares wisdom passed down to him from David Letterman, Del Close, and Mike Nichols. Plus, Stephen’s thoughts on meeting George…
This week Mike has all-timer David Sedaris back on the podcast. Sedaris, of course, wrote Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, and Holidays on Ice, among other classics. The two discuss where the truth lies in autobiographical non-fiction, fact-checking comedy at The New Yorker, and how to navigate storytelling when…
In this special episode of Working It Out, Mike Birbiglia's old friend and frequent guest Pete Holmes sits down for a holly jolly discussion about classic and new classic Christmas movies. Mike and Pete sing the praises of Elf, examine the dark underbelly of A Christmas Story, and take the…
Hot off her new Netflix special Crushing It, Fortune Feimster sits down with Mike Birbiglia for a candid chat about telling personal stories on stage, dealing with audience complaints, and Fortune’s coming out journey. Fortune also explains her dynamic with her Handsome podcast co-hosts Tig Notaro and Mae Martin, and…
Mike Birbiglia welcomes back one of most referenced guests in Working It Out history, the legendary Maria Bamford. Mike and Maria discuss the importance of true confession in stand-up comedy, the financials of being a comedian, and why Maria works out new material one on one with strangers on coffee…
Working It Out Hall of Famer Gary Gulman returns to discuss his upcoming Off-Broadway show Grandiloquent. Mike Birbiglia and Gary break down, first of all, what “grandiloquent” means, and how the new show that looks back on Gary’s early life and looks ahead at the prospect of Gary becoming a…
Author Elizabeth Gilbert wrote one of Mike Birbiglia's favorite books about creativity, Big Magic. She also wrote a book that, to her surprise, become a cultural phenomenon: Eat, Pray, Love. Mike and Liz discuss the unexpected impact of Eat, Pray, Love, and what it was like for Liz to watch…
In the 90s, Michael Ian Black’s college sketch group The State got a show on MTV, spawned another iconic group, Stella, and led to the classic movie Wet Hot American Summer. Now Michael sits down with Mike Birbiglia on Working it Out to talk about how all 11 members of…
Bridget Everett, star of the hit HBO series “Somebody Somewhere,” joins Mike Birbiglia on the Working It Out this week to discuss creative risks and processing grief and loss through their work. Plus, that time Bridget and Patti LuPone performed together at Carnegie Hall. Also, Bridget describes the most outrageous…
On today's episode of Mike Birbiglia's Working it Out, in celebration of his new album, Warriors, Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, In The Heights) sits down with Mike for a wide ranging talk about writing musicals, riding the subway, and taking big creative risks. Lin explains why you need so many ideas…
Hannah Gadsby joins Mike Birbiglia in the studio for the first time. The two talk Hannah’s new solo show “Woof!”, a painful celebrity encounter with Anna Kendrick, and how to keep track of multiple contradictory ideas in the creative process. Plus, a robust Working it Out session solves the mystery…
11-time Grammy winner, celebrated rock star, and noted Working It Out theme song composer Jack Antonoff returns to the podcast. Mike Birbiglia and Jack discuss Jack’s performing with Taylor Swift and collaborating with Sabrina Carpenter, why cynicism can’t exist in a live performance, and the joys of Tim Robinson’s sketch…
This week on Mike Birbiglia's Working it Out Podcast, Matteo Lane joins Mike for an episode that has something for everyone. From Matteo’s hilariously scorching takes on modern pop stars to tales of secret families to insight about what Matteo did when he hit a wall in his comedy career.…
Comedian Jon Laster returns for his third appearance on Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out. Longtime friends from the Comedy Cellar, Mike and Jon catch up on Jon’s app Blapp, which highlights black-owned businesses, Jon’s more personal comedy material about his struggles with alcoholism, and why Jon calls his company “Thanks…
This week filmmaker and actor Zach Braff joins Mike Birbiglia to talk everything from Garden State to Ted Lasso to what it’s like to direct Morgan Freeman. Zach discusses the story of his ex once following him through Europe and Mike and Zach discuss the possibility that a story like…
Beloved Irish comedian Aisling Bea returns to Working It Out. Mike and Aisling discuss how to find your people, Catholic school health class, and dating app fails. Plus, new jokes about what Mike’s dad was doing while his family went to church and the most obvious and best thing about…
Mike welcomes fellow comedian and podcaster (Giggly Sqaud, Berner Phone) Hannah Berner to the pod. Known for her “Han on the Street” videos, Hannah discusses her journey from college tennis champ to stand-up sensation. Hannah also teaches Mike the meaning of the term “zaddy.” Plus, an athlete at heart, Hannah…
This week living legend and giant human Stephen Merchant joins Mike for an all time great episode of Working It Out. Stephen and Mike talk about actionable advice for creatives starting out, the behind-the-scenes politics of co-creating “The Office,” “Extras” with Ricky Gervais, and how Stephen could turn his story…