Hi, it's Jesse. Today on the show, comedian and actor, yes, she is an actor despite what she says, Tig Notaro. So we're maybe three minutes away from dropping them off and we're in the front talking about something and they're of course in the back and they're a little booster seats. Right. And Stephanie's like, yeah, you know, I'm Bob Abon, I was saying how we're gay and then Finn try and send and he goes, uh, you're gay. This is Dinner’s on Me and I'm your
host, Jesse Tyler Ferguson. I first became aware of Tig Notaro after her 2012 logo set when viral. It's an incredibly moving, hilarious and heartbreaking 30 minutes in which we, the audience, listen to Tig, abandon a pre-planned comedy set to instead navigate the fresh news of a cancer diagnosis. It's absolutely incredible. The set was eventually released as an album titled Live and it even went on to be nominated for Grammy Award. I have been a tried and true fan of
Tig's ever since. Her newest comedy special, Tig Notaro, hello again, is streaming on Prime Video and it's absolutely hilarious. And her new podcast called Handsome that she co-hosts with Fortune Fimestar and May Martin is such a fun listen. They all have incredible chemistry together. I especially love listening to the stories of Tig and her wife Stephanie navigating parenthood. Her observations are so witty and sharp. I think maybe she and I are kindred spirits in some way.
Hi. No, don't you worry. Today, I took Tig to plant a cosina at her request. She's a vegan. I am not and I wanted to bring her someplace that she enjoys. So we went to their location on the water in Marina Del Rey and the space is absolutely gorgeous. It feels like you're in Mexico or Bali or something. It's very zen with peachy neutral hues and high ceilings. Now listen, I admit I was initially skeptical about vegan sushi. I mean watermelon instead of tuna. I don't know. Well, listen,
call me converted. Planta completely subverts any stereotypes that you might have about plant-based restaurants. And as someone with a little vegetable garden of my own, I also appreciate that some of their restaurants feature rooftop vegetable and fruit gardens that they source for their menus. Okay, let's get to the conversation. Hi. Hello. How are you? Plustered. Why are you flustered? Well, coming from far? It is a little far, but I-
This is the only vegan place we could find for you. I'm here by the water. This is one of my favorites. I'm so happy. I'm really excited to try this actually. I've been- I was waiting for this response from a doctor of mine. And she was like, oh, I can talk today during the time we originally had scheduled. And I was like, of course. Right. And then I got in the car, I'm driving over here, I take a wrong turn. And it's like the traffic. Yeah. Was no joke. Yeah. I'm like, are you fucking
kidding? I know I was here a half hour before they were and I thought they were going to- Oh my gosh. You've really been here. With no microphones. We'll just start on our phone, our, you know, on voice memo. Well, I pride myself on being on time. So I was having a stroke on the way over here. So please don't worry about it. I am so excited that you're with me. I'm such a big fan of yours. And I- Do you remember- I don't think-
At the Hollywood Bowl. You do remember? Yeah. Yeah. Who were you? You were with Stephanie. Yeah. See, I was convinced that you did not- because I know you famously don't recognize people. Yeah. No, I know who you are. Okay. Yeah. But was it after? Because you had that show, under a rock. Under a rock. Yeah. And Julie Bowen was on. And you truly did not know who she was. No. No. Do not know who she was. No. Okay. Come on over, yes.
Hello. I'm starving. Cool. So let you know this is my name is Gio. I'll be helping you out. Okay. You know I plan things and as the prepared it sent out. So I've been for sharing, just your wear. I'm not going to have alcohol, but I do like that you have a non-alcoholic sparkling rosé. I'm trying to have it easy. Yes. And my wife loves it. Is it good? Yes. Yeah. Okay. Well, perfect. We'll have two of those. What if I did? I'm also
interested in the- I like seed lip. The cucumber meal is very refreshing. Okay. I'll do the cucumber meal. I think just the sparkling water with 11 and lime wedges on the side, please. No eyes. Do you know what you want to eat? What do you like your treat? Street corn. What about these mushrooms here? Okay. And the street corn? That looks good. Do you like street corn? I do like street corn. I mean, should we do those mushrooms and street corn? Yes. Slam it. There's only a couple left. Wow.
Street corn, name desire is what I would call it. The eggplant, Nagiri here. Do you like Nagiri in general? Yeah, I do. Okay. That was nervous because I really like sushi. That was nervous of the vegan sushi was not going to be- Don't you be nervous? No. This is unbelievable. Okay. Were you just ordered from me honestly? Yeah. Since you know the drill. You know what? Let's do one of the eggplant, Nagiri, and one of the watermelon, Nagiri.
But you love sushi. I do. I do. Because the dragon roll is great too. Get the dragon roll. Yeah, my son loves. Yeah. Oh my god. Okay. Do you want to start off with just the sushi? I'll send out the street corn as well. Uh-huh. And then we'll come back around and see what else you guys are. We'll definitely find them out. You want the mushrooms too? Yes. Mushrooms as well. Yeah. Yes, please. Perfect. Sounds good. Sorry. Yeah. I knew who you were when I met you. Just because
I'm a gay person. Why did you- Why did you- If you didn't know Julie, it wasn't from modern family. If I- Where are you from? I think just from being a gay actor. I think so. Listen, there are perks. Okay. I mean, I listen to your podcast and I feel like a grasp of pop culture is pretty good. I mean, you know, like who like Taylor Dane is, which is pretty obscure. But I'm more into music. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. I followed documentaries and I follow music. Okay.
But as far as- It's like sitcoms and TV. Yeah. I was really into like 70s sitcoms. Okay. Like black 70s sitcoms. Okay. I'm so into Sanford and Sun and what's happening and good times and all that stuff. But I kind of tapped out like- Right. In 1979. So you grew up in Mississippi and Texas? Is that right? Yeah. Texas, you were born in Texas and then- I was born in Mississippi. Okay. And then we moved to Texas and then actually we lived in New Jersey for a couple of years.
Okay. But then back to Texas and- How was it growing up? Did you know you were queer back then? No. No, no idea. But then even when I did, I'm still so close with my friends and family and it wasn't- I don't have the story of like, you know, being kicked out of my house or like shun by my family or friends or like Stephanie and I got married in my hometown, which is 4,000 people in Mississippi and- And so when you were in Texas, I read that you were held back a few years
and like early like eighth grade, right? I failed eighth grade two times and then they moved me up to ninth grade just out of- Just out of pity? Yeah. I was clearly not going to be ever moving in. And then I failed that and then I dropped out. So I technically have a seventh grade education. That's incredible because I also find you to be so like razor sharp like your wit, it's incredible. I just like- It just goes to show like I think that you know the school system is not for everyone.
I didn't take college. I always say I went to performing arts academy where I got a certificate of completion basically. Yeah. But you know, I- I got a GED and my cat ate it. Wait what? Yeah. Yeah. It's true. I- there was so much emphasis put on me getting a degree and so it was like you know you should at least get your GED. Right. And so I did and I got the certificate and I left it on the kitchen table and my cat- That's incredible. And what's left of it is framed in my
office. There's like chunks missing with little bite marks. That's unbelievable. And it ended up in, you know, it ultimately ended up in the kitty litter box. Yeah. Yeah. After my cat ate it. Do you remember like when- Oh, these do like incredible. Mm-hmm. Whoa. Dragon roll with avocado and broccoli. Which might be the naughty sauce and this is the Aki watermelon and this is the Naga Ekmetni Geary. It is so pretty. Mind blowingly delicious. Thanks so much. I can't wait to see your mind blown.
I'm so excited. I'm going to go for this eggplant first. I expect a massive thing. Yeah. The pressure's on. I'm going to eat it like I do my sushi that I dip this. I dip the the fish in first and then I put it back on the rice. Okay. And then- Do you go ginger or no? You got to know fun your head. Oh my god. What did I tell you? That's incredible. I'm sick and tired of people not taking me seriously. I'm sick of it. I'll never doubt you again. That is really delicious. Mm-hmm.
Did being a haltback affect you at all? Like, is it- I mean, did you have like confidence issues with that? Yeah. Like how did you make friends when you're constantly- I mean, I just remember being friends with the people in my grade and you know, I can't imagine having to start over every year with a new group of friends. Well, I mean, I didn't ditch my old friends every year. Hey, I'm going to stay back here. You guys go ahead. You've heard the song Make New Friends,
but keep the old one is silver and one is gold. No, I don't know that song. Well, I lived by that. How good is that? That's watermelon. That is good. I really was shining away from the sushi because I thought it would disappoint me and it's incredible. It's really nice. Mm-hmm. Okay, I'm going to try this dragon roll. That's my son. This is your son's favorite. Max loves that. So you've been vegan since- for a while now. For about seven years? Okay. And it's all obviously health-related.
Mm-hmm. Did you eat meat before then? Mm-hmm. Yeah. Okay. I mean, you've gone through it health-wise. It might help you. It's like a dangle. My body is like truly jenga, but for health reasons, because I was still dealing with a lot of pain and but our whole family's being- Oh, really? Mm-hmm. And our kids are, they're hardcore about it.
Because we tell them that in our house, we don't have meat or dairy, but they're allowed to try and make their own decisions when they go out to eat or with friends or at school or at birthday parties. And they pretty much stick to it. Yeah. Yeah. That's so interesting. Yeah. It's like no McDonald's. No. Oh, my God. Stephanie's mother lives in, um, in Palm Springs. Uh-huh. And she was driving them to visit Nana for the weekend. This was two years ago when they were five. And Stephanie said, um,
or Finn had to go to the bathroom. And Stephanie said, you know what? I'll just pull over, um, and we can go here. And, uh, and he was like, what is that? And she said, oh, it's McDonald's. It's a fast food restaurant. And he goes, oh, what's fast food? Oh, my God. I mean, never. I mean, now, now they, they have an eating of McDonald's, though, but they'll eat it like, there's a place called Burger Lounge that's near our house. Yeah. Yeah. And they have vegan burgers and
vegan nuggets. Yeah. But it went until they were about five until they even had that kind of below their minds. And the first time they are maybe will never happen. Who knows when what they'll blow their minds when they first go through like a drive through. Yeah. I don't know. I really don't know if they have. Yeah. But how, because, you know, Justin and I, I'm about on the same track as you as far as like
gayness, gayness for sure 100%. But like, I have a four year old now. And I'm about four years younger than you. So like, is Stephanie younger than you? Yeah. So Justin's 10 years younger than me. I do a lot of that math. Like when they're at this age, I'm gonna be this age. And I try not to consider myself an old parent. But like, I do sometimes feel like compared to my parents that I am an old old parent. And then on top of that, yeah. I think so. We're also like at that, we're at that
place where we're starting to, Mother's Day just happened, for example. Yeah. And, you know, we got a note from the school and we're the only same sex couple at the school. And they were saying, you know, what would you like for us to do with Beckett from Mother's Day? All the other kids are making cards for their mothers. Like, would you like him to make one for grandma or a mother figure or like, you know, what would you like? And I was like, well, he should do whatever he
wants to do. Right. But then it also about this discussion about, like, what do we need to start talking about this thing of, you know, you don't actually have a mom figure. Is that why I'm here? That's why you asked him. I'm what I'm, I'm courting you to come home and be the mother figure.
Just like Wendy and Peter Pan. You're a mother now. But have you had that discussion with, with your twins about, I mean, like, and you tell this really funny story in your recent stand-up, hello again, about your, your one of your kids getting in between you and bed and saying, wait a minute, I don't want two mommies. I want three mommies. Yeah. It's a terrifying moment that really turned around after the beat that he took. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was truly like, oh no,
everyone this person's life. Have you guys discussed like what that will be or have you had those conversations with them? Well, I'm mostly asking because I want advice. Well, I am the wrong person to ask and I'll tell you why. Okay. We were driving them to school about six months ago. And their school is about six minutes from our house. So we're maybe three minutes away from dropping them off. And we're in the front talking about something and they're of course in the back and they're
a little booster seeds. Right. And Stephanie's like, yeah, you know, I'm off of a bond. I was saying how we're gay. And I don't know what she was saying, but she said, you know, we're gay. So. And then Finn, try and send and he goes, uh, you're gay. We're about to drop them off. And I was like, Stephanie and I are looking at each other like, what? I said, uh, yeah, we're gay. And he was like, what's gay? And I was like, Stephanie and I are truly like, what in the hell are kids? We've lived
with them for seven years and they don't know we're gay. And it's like, yeah, we're not only are we gay. Dare I say we're an iconic gay couple. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was like, um, we're gay. But I was saying, yeah, um, gay is, you know, when a boy likes a boy and a girl likes a girl, we had never had this conversation with them because we just assumed they knew. But we after I explain it, he's like, okay. And then I started feeling secure and I said, I said, what do you think of that? I said,
are you okay? That you have gay because I was like, oh gosh. Like, and he was like, yeah, I love our family. And I was like, oh gosh. And then we drop them off. And Stephanie and I truly drive home like two miles an hour going, our kids did not know we're gay. They know we're together. They know that we're married and that we are their moms. We had never talked about what gay was. Right. And we just assumed they knew what gay was. Sure. And it was such a crazy, crazy moment. So
that's where I'm realizing, what else do I not? I mean, you sort of take for granted. It's like there's a shorthand there that they don't know. Even when they were five, I was reading a book to them at bedtime and Finn interrupted me and he said, are you a boy or a girl? Five years have been living together. And I was like, I said, well, what do you think I am? And he said, I think you're a boy. And I said, no, I'm actually a girl. And he said, but you look like a boy, right? And I said,
yeah, probably. And he's like, yeah, I'm like, okay, anyway. So the turtle, and I'm sitting there going, my son doesn't know what my gender is. Doesn't know I'm gay. Does it, you know what I mean? So I don't know if I'm the right one to ask any sort of advice. My gosh. I also, I love how truncated that moment was for you though. It's like all of a sudden you were, you know, moments where from school and you're like dealing with this question that you probably would be such.
My son coming out your children. Oh, my God. Now for a quick break, but don't go away. When we come back, Tig tells me what it was like to go viral overnight in her 2012 standup set where she shares her cancer diagnosis, which is truly a work of art. I've listened to it like five times. Okay, be right back. Don't you just love it when someone looks at you and says, hmm, something's different about you.
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Of course there's a kiss and undeniable chemistry but Logan holds a hard boundary. Then a scandal rocks the resort threatening both of their futures while saving the resort bring them together or drive them apart. Sapphire Sunset is book one in his Sapphire Cove series and is currently available digitally on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited. It's also available in print and you can listen via audiobook. And we're back with more dinners on me.
When I became obsessed with you it was probably when a lot of people obsessed. I didn't know that was going on. Obsession is in 2012 when you had that incredible set at Largo. Was it Largo? It was Largo right? Were you talked about your... Thank you. So my talking mushrooms with chimitri, garp and sausage, it's a cold meat ass. Thank you so much. Thank you. That's perfect. These are mushrooms. Yes, it was at Largo. With a Largo, when you were doing that incredible set about just
finding out about your cancer diagnosis. It's so... Well I find it so refreshing because it seems so much of it was really so immediate. And so I have so many questions about what that moment was like, freewood, then I was like for you and I'm sure you've probably answered these questions before. Not once. Not once, not in the nary ones. I mean it's so beautiful to listen to this
because you also the audience was so... They were going through it too. They were also experiencing this moment where like, okay this woman actually is talking to us about this thing she just discovered. And you were kind of like figuring out, okay how far are they okay? You were at some point taking care of the audience. Yeah. And then there was a point in it where I just love so much where this guy says, no this is fucking awesome. This is incredible.
Yeah, because I had asked like should I stop? Yeah. I mean I've been very into doing stand-up. I was I was obsessed with stand-up and love doing it. During that time period I had pneumonia. I had this intestinal disease called CDIF that was like eating my insides. My mother tripped and hit her head and died. My girlfriend and I split out. And then I was diagnosed with invasive cancer and it was all in four months. Yeah. And so
I had seen how quickly life slips away. Yeah. And I was really right in the middle of all that. And so I had already had that show booked. It was already on the calendar. And when I had called Flanagan, the owner of Largo, to cancel, he said, just keep it on the books because you might want to perform and talk about it or you know, and I thought. So he knew what was going on. I'm very close with him. But I also thought, did he not hear when I just said?
But so I kept it on the books because he said you can cancel a second before you walk on stage if you don't want to do it. So I kept it on the books and as the days went by, I started to think, what if things just take a downhill turn even more so? And I don't get to perform again. So that was the deciding factor for me. You know, having CDIF and invasive cancer simultaneously, I could barely walk across the room. I was so wrecked. I was like, I had lost 20 pounds. I was
severely depressed, you know, losing my mother and my girlfriend. And so I don't know. It was a very intense time. But I just thought, before I go off and have surgery and get treated for everything, I just want to do one more show. And then I, yeah, that I decided I'm going to just share what's happening and hope I can make light of it and not horrify people. And I think both happened. For sure. Because I mean, also the jokes and the stories are so brilliantly structured.
And thanks. Which is, I mean, I think that's just sort of how you operate. I think you're just a great storyteller. And I'm sure you can do it very well on the spot. But there was a scrappiness to what you were doing because you're thinking there was. Oh, I was like, but also, we heard it. But it also felt very cohesive in the same way. I mean, do you remember what that night was
like for you as you were like kind of navigating these stories? And well, I had been because it was so in the forefront of my mind, everything, all of the tragedy and pain and disasters. That's all I was thinking about. And I just thought I should keep track of these ideas that I had. In case I did actually go on stage, which I was not convinced I was going to do. But that's kind of how I do stand up in general is I just have an idea of what I'm going to talk about. And then
I work it through live on stage. But when I went and did Largo, I asked him to record it just in case there was something in there. And so that's why because Largo doesn't typically record shows or anything. But I asked them to that night. And so I just strung it together. And then I think, God, you, you day, I just feel like it's one of those, it's one of those evenings that's going to go down
the history books is like a great moment. And not only to stand up comedy, but like it's just such a human, you're going to be such a human thing in front of these strangers through the vessel, which you do best, which is comedy. And I just found it incredibly moving. You know, when something blows up the way that that album did, people assume that,
you know, oh, I was, that was just an album I was planning on putting out. But when I went on stage, that night, I didn't know if I was going to die from medical complications, health complications. I didn't know what was in store for me. I probably went to bed at two, three in the morning, woke up the next day to a completely different world. I turned my phone on and so were they streaming it live? No, people were just tweeting, blogging.
Oh, wow. I wasn't on Twitter. Yeah. Well, and also the different comedians that were, there were like five different comedians on the show that night. Well, that was the other thing, it's like at the end of your set, you know, someone that's going on after you as a God to be that comedian. Yeah, all the tweeting and blogging that people were doing. And I wasn't on Twitter or anything. Yeah. And I was so confused when I woke up and I had hundreds of emails. Wow.
If my inbox. And I had, you know, rolling stone and all these different places calling to talk to me. I had book deal offers coming in. How? Over night. Over night. It's incredible. And I, I really felt like a great, great, great grandmother. I was so confused. I was like, what happened?
I really didn't know what happened. You were such a different person too. I mean, all these things that you didn't have children, you weren't married, you were, you know, suffering and the grief of your daughter, your mother, you were going to help issues and, and scares. And you really have this like moment in your life where like, it's, it's not even like a second act. It's like a whole other play that started. I don't know who I was before 2012. Yeah.
I really, I mean, aside from being married with kids, what I learned, it's that thing you can kind of only learn when you are deathly ill. And when life is on the line in that way. And I just, I really don't recognize myself when I, I was so like, yeah, who cares? And I don't even know how to articulate just the, the stakes weren't as high as I guess. Well, yeah. And you just, you, I always describe it as being pushed to an edge. You see how far you can fall. And then
somebody pulls you back. And you're like, I do not want to be at that edge ever again. But, you know, also, I'm human and life goes on. And then I lose touch with that. And I, and I become, I don't know in different and ways that it shocks me. And I can pull myself out of it and be like, the hell are you doing? Yeah. What do you, what do you not remember? And I'm like, oh, right, right. No, I do. I do, you know, it's, but I feel thankful. You know, it's that bitter sweet thing
of I would never want to go through that again. I hate that I lost my mother. I hate that I have ongoing health issues. But I feel very lucky for, I mean, as cliche as it is, but I feel very lucky for the lessons at that time period taught me. Yeah. And it's, it's very complicated. Yeah, totally. And but the good news is the girl that I was dating at the time. It was so, so we were not a good match. And it was really painful the end of it because I was going through
hell and she was having to deal with all that. We had only been together six months. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. But for years, we were so estranged. And then we came back into each other's lives as friends. We're both married with kids. And I love her. And I just, I feel so thankful for her because she's who encouraged me to go get checked out. She's who called her nutritionist when I had CIDIF and I couldn't eat food. And I would say for a good three months when she was back into
my life, I couldn't talk to her without breaking down into tears. And I was so thankful for her. And that's like, I never would have guessed it. We would have come through in such a way. Now for a quick break, but don't go away. When we come back, TIG shares an embarrassing moment in front of Reese Witherspoon. And what it entails to direct a comedy special for comedy legend Ellen DeGeneres. Okay. Be right back.
The island of Newfoundland keeps it secrets close. Trouts them in mystery. But once in a while, the fog is lifted. The truth comes out. I get a feeling it's something going on here. The whole body was shaken. You go to bed believing that you're a certain person one night and then all of a sudden the next day, everything that you've known is not true. This is not the life that I should have lived. I'm Luke Quinton from CBC. This is come by chance available now. I don't know about you,
but I can really nerd out about movies. Hearing from actors and directors about how they made them and analysis from writers and critics, I just love it. If you also like to go down the rabbit hole on Hollywood's newest films and TV shows, you have to check out Kermode and Mayo's take. Now across the pond in the UK, it is the most popular film review podcast and Kermode and Mayo are absolute legends. You can hit the archives to hear their take on all those Oscar-nominated films
from poor things to Oppenheimer. But there's also so many exciting episodes coming up, featuring bussy films and the people who worked on them. Some of the guests for April will include Dev Patel, who joins the show to discuss his new film, Monkey Man, which he wrote directed and did some amazing stunts for. They also have Kirsten Dunst on the podcast to talk about the hot new action drama, Civil War and Luca Guadagnino, who you may remember as a director of Call Me By Your Name.
He stops by to talk about his latest film, Challengers. Listen and follow Kermode and Mayo's take wherever you get your podcasts. And we're back with more dinners on me. Hello again. This is the new special on Amazon. What are we calling it? Prime video. It's what it's called. Prime video. Yeah. Hello again on Prime Video. I love your, there's this kind of ongoing theme that you do in your comedy where you will set up a scenario and then you'll reveal something that happens.
That's very funny. And then you'll take us back to the beginning. So let's just recap all the things that happened. Yeah, yeah, yeah, which I love and you do it with this Reese Witherspin story. Yes. So my wife and I have a meeting with Reese and her producing partner, Lauren. And Reese starts talking about the show she was on Big Little Eyes and all the different heights of the actresses and how she's so small, she said she was the smallest actress.
She said she was five two. I think I'm off like an inch with everybody's height, but she's five two, Lordearns, five, ten, Nicole Kidman, a six feet and Sheileen is five, eight. And I, while I preface the story with I don't have great hearing. Yeah. And I always misunderstand things. And so when she said that, I chimed in and said, Oh, that's interesting. Years ago, I dated a woman that was six feet tall. And I think she was insecure about her height. So she hunched. And
the room felt completely silent. Everyone's staring at me. And my wife, who were always on the same page, she's looking at me like, what in the hell are you talking about? And I'm thinking, you know, what happened? And in the in the special, I say like, Oh, I'm sorry, Reese, you can share your boring, high story. And as soon as I share mine, the whole room shuts down. But what I realized was that she had said Sheileen is five, eight. And I had heard the Nicole Kidman is six
feet and she leans five, eight. And so that's why I said, yeah, that I had dated a woman six. Complete sense. Yes. Otherwise, it makes absolutely no sense. And it was so offered because I had to finish the meeting thinking, why did I, how did I just kill the vibe? Because we had had such a fun meeting, we were laughing so hard. All four of us were like dying, laughing, having the best meeting. And then it just as soon as I said, I dated a woman six feet tall that hunched,
I was like, is that not PC? Or is my wife like, yeah, where's my wife? Like, why are you talking about an ex-girlfriend in a meeting? Which is not her style at all? Right, right, right. So I really was baffled. It's so funny. But yeah, the process of figuring out what had happened and then being mortified, mortified. Yeah. Oh, this is her menu. Take a look at your getting all the savoury. Well, one of my favorites is big cookie. Big cookie.
And that ridiculous. It's so good. Let's get the big cookie. You could sit it out now. Whatever it's ready. Could I get a decaphist presso with just like a dollop of oat milk? Yeah, presso right now. Thank you. Wait, I read somewhere that you, because I see how much acting work you're getting recently. It's quite impressive actually. Yeah. But you don't consider yourself an actor. No. Why is that? Because, oh my god, I love that street corn. I know. Look at that pile of street corn.
I know. Pile of husks. Oh my god. Oh, good. Well, it's so funny because friends that I grew up with that are still in Texas or Mississippi or wherever they'll call me like my friend Megan called after I was on the morning show and she with Reese with her spin. Yeah. Yeah. That's right. And Megan was like, so I'm sitting here on my couch and I'm looking at you in a scene with John Ham and I'm like, how did this happen? You know, because there's no history of me. I wasn't a drama. Yeah. I wasn't,
I was a failure dropout. Yeah. So I think I just feel, yeah, I guess like an imposter. I, you know, I know comedian sometimes end up in the world of acting. And I did. And I feel like I would be a liar if I was like, yeah, so I'm an actor. Yeah. That's right. Yeah. I didn't train. I didn't pursue it. And I just fell into it. And I, you know, if people have criticisms, I take it. I'm like,
I'm on your side, buddy. I'm open talk. Yeah. I'm like, look, I didn't, I just ended up here. So any note you have, like I always make the joke like when a director is walking over to me, I always stop them and say, before you say anything, just know I have no range. Now, what were you going to say? You know, and I feel like I'm TIG in space. I'm TIG as a cop. I'm TIG, you know, it's like I, I do enjoy doing it though. I do. I enjoy honestly hanging out with people on set and connecting and
laughing and. Yeah. And I understand where you're coming from, but also you keep getting these opportunities because there's something you bring to these parts that people love. So, well, I think it's my, well, thank you. I think it's my, you know, as a comedian and my delivery and everything. You're talking about being on Star Trek. See, no, I feel like giving an opportunity to be in the Star Trek universe is that's not something that people take lightly. They don't just offer that
to anyone. It's like a kind of. My friend runs the Star Trek universe. So they did. Yeah, actually they did. Jesse. Yeah. So I don't know what to say because they really did. They did just offer to Eddie. In fact, when he, his name's Alex Kurtzman and when he talked to me about this role, he said, you know, we'd love to have you as much as possible. I was like, oh, okay, cool. And I thought they were going to have me for an episode or two. Yeah.
And I did such a terrible job my first day. That dialogue is impossible. Yeah, because it's all made, it's like made up words. Made up science and engineering, globally, globally, which seems like you should be able to improvise your way through it if it's all made up anyways, but no, no, because it's all. It's all in the world. Yeah, yeah, right. So, I called him and I said, Alex, I am so sorry, but I think I was like, I did a terrible job.
I could barely get the words out of my mouth. And he was like, you know what? We edit right there on set. So I already got a rough cut and he said, it cobbles together just fine. He said, you're not going anywhere. First of all, they went out for said after days of work that we cobbled it together just fine. Yeah, I'm going to go into a full panic attack. But he also said, by the way, I'm going to make the dialogue even harder for you. And I was like, you. So and then they have,
I mean, and he was like, you're not going to be killed off ever. You're not going anywhere. And we're just going to continue to make this difficult. Do you want this last mushroom? No, you have it. What that is. Big cookie. I was once on, I was a guest on Alan, Alan de Generous's show. Penger ads. Well, yeah. Listen, I did the show almost 20 times. But I'm this one time she's doing like, I don't know, you somehow came up. You came up. I think I'm, I
remember why we're talking about you. And she said, TIG did the funniest thing the other night. I was at this party that Adele was at. And she got up and started playing the piano. And singing as if she was the doll. And she can't play the piano or sing. And I, which I, the just Alan telling me that made me laugh really hard. Well, imagine, Mike Lee, when I was watching your special, your new special hello again. And reenacted. And you reenact that exact
story. Well, as I say in the special, there's a grand piano drum set, guitars, microphones. And people are getting up through the whole night singing and performing. And there was this massive anticipation that Adele was going to get up there. And like really the greatest performers, a while we're getting up. Yeah. And all anyone cared about was, is Adele going to get up there. And then she didn't. And that's when I turned to Stephanie and said, I'll do it. I don't care.
Do you know if Adele thought it was funny? I don't even know if she was in the room still. I think according to Alan, she was still in the room. Oh, really? Yeah. Yeah. I didn't know. I had seen Adele outside earlier in the evening. I had seen her inside. The venue was so massive. Yeah. And um, but I think it's that part of me where I don't follow TV and film. So I didn't care who was there. Yeah. Um, but I love those kind of feelings of really putting myself out there.
And it's a very uncomfortable way. I love it. It's so brave. I, it's, I'm not even brave because I'm not scared. Yeah. That's the bravery is when you're scared and you move forward. Uh-huh. I'm not scared. I'm like, I don't care. Well, then I guess I just really admire. You're like, you giving no fucks about it. It's just, it's, it's quite remarkable. I really wish I had more of that. Would you not do that? I don't. Can you, you can sing? I can sing. Yeah. Yeah. Are you still
enjoying acting? I am. I enjoy it very much. Yeah. Yeah. I've been interested to see cocaine bear. It's pretty dumb. I love dumb. Yeah. It's pretty great in a dumb way. I need deeply depressing or the dumbest thing in the world. I have to have those extremes. Yeah. Okay. I loved the movie dancer in the dark. Oh God. That is so depressing. That's the movie. Yes. Yeah. Loved it. Oh my God. Boys don't cry. Yeah. Loved it. Yeah. Well, that movie is pretty great. Okay. You
didn't like dancer in the dark? I just, you know, I remember being incredibly bleak. She's a factory worker. Mm-hmm. I liked it because it was a musical. Yeah. Yeah. That's right. It was a musical. Yeah. Dancer in the dark. Yeah. A dancer in the dark and boys on the rise. And then I've never seen Schindler's list. Oh. You know, I haven't. It's right up your alley. But cocaine bear definitely appeals to me. Okay. Stephanie directed your recent comedy special. Yeah. What does it entail
to direct a comedy show? I always just assume that it's like where the cameras go and does she ask you to edit stories? What's that relationship like when you're working together? A director. Yeah. Yeah. Decides with the cinematographer or director of photography where the cameras will go. They help you come up with the stage. I mean, hiring the crew. Yeah. Coming up with what the stage is going to look like. It's like you're telling my dad what
directing is. Yeah. You know, they go to the venue. They look at where the cameras are going to go. Yeah. But it's mainly I would say, I mean, it depends on what the artist is hiring you for. Like I directed Ellen special. Yes. And I also went on tour with her and went to every show and gave notes and gotcha. And like, what was that like? Well, it was her big return to stand up. I love that. I love that. That's the one that just has already come out. Not the one that's about to
relateable. Relatable. Yes. Yes. You know, it was a surreal moment for me having grown up being a fan of Ellen's and being such an inspiration to me as a gay person, as a comedian. And then to have her, she came over to my house one day and was like, hey, do you want to direct my special? And I thought I wasn't hearing things correctly. But yeah, it was, it was a really exciting experience. And she's really good. Yeah. I mean, she's, but with my point of
mentioning that is that with Ellen, it was very hands-on. She wanted me to be there every step, every show, backstage, giving notes. You know, you're the captain of the ship and you just slightly slightly steer. Right. You know, no massive left or right turns. Yeah. Unless there's trouble ahead. But it's really getting the the comedian what they want. Are you going to continue to tour? When you do a show like this, do you tour with that show? Or is it that now you're
done with it? Pretty done with it. I did a corporate gig the other night where I mixed in new and old material. It was a disaster at that show. But oh my god, it was painful. But yeah, right now I'm working on new material. But I'm not rushing back. I'm going to be working on a couple of different TV shows coming up. So that's where the majority of my time will be spent. For, I mean, for someone who doesn't consider acting their main career, you're doing quite well. It's embarrassing like to sit
with an actor and be like, that's right. I'm an actor. You heard me right. I'm an actor. But well, I consider you an actor and I could show you an inspiration and I'm so so happy. You said yes to this. Well, thank you for having me. Your treat. You know, dinner's on me. Dinner's on you. Yeah. All right. This episode of Dinner's on Me was recorded in Los Angeles at Planta,
Cocina. Next week on Dinner's on Me, singer, songwriter Jason Miraz. We get together at Mel's Drive-in where back in the day, he used to smoke cigarettes and work on songs in the back of the diner. The self-described late bloomer tells me about his period of rebirth for him from coming out as bisexual to debuting a totally new sound for his dance album, mystical, magical, rhythmical, radical ride. God, I love that title. And if you don't want to wait until next week to listen,
you can download that episode right now by subscribing to Dinner's on Me Plus. As a subscriber, not only do you get access to new episodes one week early, you'll also be able to listen completely ad-free. Just click Try Free at the top of the Dinner's on Me Show page on Apple Podcasts to start your free trial today. Dinner's on Me is a production of Sony Music Entertainment and a kid named Beckett Productions. It's hosted by me, Jesse Tyler Ferguson. It's executive
produced by me and Jonathan Hirsch. Our showrunner is Joanna Clay. Our associate producer is Angela Van. Sam Bear engineered this episode. Hans Dill she composed our theme music, our head of production is Sammy Allison. Special thanks to Tamaica Balanced Classity and Justin Makita. I'm Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Join me next week.