Simon Rich talks about how writing fantastical stories can still be authentic and personal.we also talk about growing up in a family of writers, why SNL is not a pit of vipers, John Mulaney & Richard Kind being in his new play, bad driving, Mad Magazine and why Jay is responsible for Simon's career because he watched The Simpsons as a kid. Bio: Simon Rich has written for “Saturday Night Live,” Pixar and “The Simpsons.” He is the creator and showrunner of “Man Seeking Woman” (FXX) and “Miracl...
Dec 10, 2024•48 min
The great Jon Lovitz talks about comedy, acting, stand-up comedy, dogs, The Groundlings, Managers, A league of Their Own, The Simpsons, The Critic, and the serendipity of show business. Bio: Jon Lovitz has been one of the best known comedians for the last thirty years. He got his start acting in High School plays and developing his skills at the University of California, Irvine where he earned a B.A. in Drama. He also studied acting with Tony Barr at the Film Actors Workshop. At the advice of To...
Dec 03, 2024•46 min
Moon Zappa talks about her book, “Earth To Moon” which details her family trauma, the desire to dance, what makes good art, not being perfect, wanting more from life, how trying to spend a few minutes with her dad, Frank Zappa, led to his biggest hit, tea can lead to joy, and how sometimes your first rodeo is your last. Bio: Moon is a writer, actor, yogi, podcaster and tea merchant.
Nov 19, 2024•47 min
Comic and writer Fahim Anwar and I talk about failed TV shows, Afghan and Ukrainian treats, performing at Largo, comedy today, working for Boeing, disappointing your parents by being a comic, the power of Margo Robbie, YouTube vs Netflix, crowd work, not playing sax for The Roots, having a great bit you can’t put online, hecklers, comedy persona, dancing in clubs, and convincing your parents you have value by wearing a tie. Bio:Fahim Anwar is a Los Angeles-based standup comedian, actor and write...
Nov 12, 2024•46 min
Jonathan talks about growing up the son of a minister, not ruining other people’s shows, not doing stand-up comedy, not staying with Conan, and not being the Jonathan Groff, the Broadway superstar! Bio:Jonathan Groff is a television writer, showrunner and executive producer, with over thirty years of experience. Recently, he was an Executive Producer alongside Fred Armisen on the HULU comedy THIS FOOL. He was with ABC's BLACK-ISH for all eight of its seasons, serving as Executive Producer/Showru...
Nov 05, 2024•48 min
Jennifer spills the beans on what it takes to be an actress in Hollywood. We talk "Beverly Hills Housewives", how your gal pal will cover your problem spots in lesbian love scenes, poker, glamour, getting hit on by producers, and the indignity of promoting yourself by going on to podcasts like this one. Bio: Jennifer Tilly received an Academy Award nomination for her role in Woody Allen’s “Bullets Over Broadway” for her memorable portrayal of the terribly untalented Olive, actress wannabe, and g...
Oct 29, 2024•46 min
Blurb: We talk about Philosophy, comedy writing, agreeing with the show runner, not being afraid of the truth, the power of walking sticks, trying to figure out if God exists is dumb, Brooklyn as a place to grow up, and whether to lie to your kids about Santa Clause. Bio: A native of Flatbush, New York, Eric Kaplan began writing for Spy magazine and the Harvard Lampoon before getting his first television-writing job on The Late Show with David Letterman. Before THE BIG BANG THEORY, he worked on ...
Oct 22, 2024•47 min
Steven sings some amazing songs and talks about The BareNakedLadies, Trans-Canada Highwaymen, the creative process, blowing up your life, breaking up with your partners, repairing your life, finding freedom working for yourself, being a self starter, zoom shows, Brian Wilson, Yoko Ono, band camp, and getting pelted with mac & cheese. Bio: Over the last thirty-five years, Steven Page has established himself as one of the most recognizable and enduring voices in music. The release of his lates...
Oct 15, 2024•54 min
Tim & Jay talk about connecting, being in the moment, getting fired from “Friends”, the Groundlings, being brave enough for relationships, laughing during improv, Frosted Mini Wheats, auditions, serious acting vs not, The Playboy Mansion, being gay, coming from the middle of the country to Los Angeles, good pizza, and angels. Bio:Tim Bagley is currently on the 2nd season of Peabody Award winning "Somebody Somewhere" for HBO, streaming on MAX, with the 3rd season coming out soon!
Oct 08, 2024•45 min
Paul Reiser talks about his new film, “The Problem with People”, deciding to be a comic, comedy and heartbreak being from the same well, His love of Peter Faulk, Jack Lemon, and Alan Arkin, fathers, getting out of the house, building a music room just in case Billy Joel dropped by, Writing “What A Fool Believes” with and about Michael McDonnald, “Diner” “Mad About You.” “The Thing About My Folks”, acting and writing seriously, his sons, and realizing you can’t write a standup act but just holdin...
Oct 01, 2024•48 min
David Kessler discusses grief and loss and how it’s not that bad and why Jay is reluctant to grieve. We talk about accepting the end of our lives, how children deal with death, and why we are triggered to feel loss in the strangest moments. We talk about being honest with loved ones and not overreacting, and the value of using the ticking clock of death to live better today. We take listener questions and get ready for the best end we can create for ourselves. Bio: David Kessler is one of the wo...
Sep 24, 2024•50 min
Father and son actors, Lawrence & David Pressman talk about their journeys to becoming actors, what it’s like to grow up in Kentucky vs Los Angeles, knowing acting was your calling from a young age, the problem with drinking, acting out when you are young, having your dad bribe you to quit showbiz, and getting blown up in Independence Day and getting yelled at by Elia Kazan. Bio: Lawrence Pressman was born in 1939 in Cynthiana, Kentucky. A graduate of Northwestern University, he has appeared...
Sep 17, 2024•47 min
Liza talks about her podcast, “Significant Others” and what makes someone devote themselves to making someone else famous, and how no one does it alone, and how empathic she and her husband, Conan, are to the world, and how the trees just might be killing us. Bio: Liza Powel O'Brien has an MFA in Fiction Writing from Columbia University's School of the Arts. Her work has been seen at The Geffen Playhouse, Echo Theater Company, The Blank Theatre, Unscreened LA, Naked Angels LA, Ojai Playwrights C...
Sep 10, 2024•49 min
Entertainment reporter Richard Rushfield discusses how silicon valley and stockholders tried to make sure bets and wound up destroying the infrastructure of Hollywood. We also talk about comedy, movies, being a pessimist, and the notion that storytelling will continue no matter what. Bio: Richard Rushfield founded The Ankler in January 2022. Called a “hit Hollywood newsletter” by the New York Times the Ankler is the number one go to information source for Hollywood Insiders who really want to kn...
Sep 03, 2024•45 min
Blurb: Comedian Sierra Katow talks about her new special, being so insecure she conquers everything she sets out to do, Asian comics, hitting the comedy clubs with your dad waiting in the car, and throwing your Harvard Education away on jokes, when it’s right to start a family, and hustling to prove your not a typical type-A person. Bio: Sierra is a standup comic, writer, and actor who recently released her debut comedy special, Funt, with Comedy Dynamics available on Amazon Prime, AppleTV, YouT...
Aug 27, 2024•47 min
Blurb: Husein and I talk about shared traditions, taking faith seriously but being open and curious to all cultures and not eating at Ramadan, writing a pilot together about South Asians, Canada’s Thanksgiving, India’s holidays, his father not trusting his career until Husein showed up in a suit and my father punching up the jokes my dates told. Bio: Actor and storyteller Husein Madhavji, has taken on diverse roles throughout his career most notably playing Dr. Shahir Hamza for 5 seasons in the ...
Aug 20, 2024•45 min
The Great Laraine Newman talks about the growing up in Beverly Hills, founding the Groundlings, being part of the pioneering cast of SNL, raising kids who work in show business and still have integrity, fighting addictions, avoiding auditions, voice work, writing an audible memoir “May You Live in Interesting Times”, and what it’s like to make a movie that’s powered mostly by cocaine. Bio:Laraine Newman is an Emmy and Annie Nominated performer and an actual native of Los Angeles. She began study...
Aug 13, 2024•48 min
Judd talks about Jay helping Judd’s career, Jay relentless hounding Judd to do the podcast, The Mike Douglas Show, how to spot talent, Totie Fields, The Cable Guy, stand-up now, being hungry, why it’s hard to make movies, too many apps, hoarding memorabilia, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, what it takes to be a producer, Walk Hard, and demanding a souvenir show mug. Bio: Judd Apatow is one of the most prolific comedic minds in the industry. Recently, Apatow produced Peacock’s Stormy Daniels documentary,...
Aug 06, 2024•49 min
Billy and I discuss being writing partners in Jr High, why MAGA loves to be afraid, why Kamala has a shot, why Biden didn’t have a shot, how to make the campaign work, writing for candidates, why we should fight to keep our democracy, how America agrees with Democrats even though some of them don’t know it, dirty tricks from the bad guys, and Lynn Swann. Bio: Billy Ray wrote the Oscar-nominated screenplay for Captain Phillips, for which he won the WGA award. Ray's films as writer, co-writer, or ...
Jul 30, 2024•47 min
Blurb: Matt and I talk about the legacy of The Simpsons, what it means to go from super fan to icon, always knowing he wanted to draw cartoons, having kid are better than making great art, how music makes The Simpsons great, how Jay could come back to work if he came back crawling on his knees, and how Jay agreed to crawl. Bio: Matt Groening was born in Portland, Oregon, on February 15, the third of five children. His father, Homer, was a cartoonist and filmmaker. From an early age, Matt created...
Jul 23, 2024•1 hr 11 min
Blurb: Actor Jade PettyJohn who was 14 years old when she first worked for Jay on School of Rock talks about her journey becoming an actor at 7 and being an actor at 23. They talk about what was good and bad about working as a child actor and how to make the lives of child actors better. They also talk about dreams, candles, the weirdness of growing up, dreams of a music career, and joys of cooking with friends, Jay throwing spaghetti on Jade’s head, Jay spraying nacho cheese on Jade’s head, how...
Jul 16, 2024•47 min
We talked about: Finding community, doing The Stump, Not doing Chandler on “Friends”, the wonderful and difficult friendship of Matthew Perry, doing theater as a kid, “easy” comics who took their time, playing villains, lying about knowing how to ride horses and almost dying on the horse, auditioning by “being that guy” to set you apart, The Great David Pressman, kind hearted Richard Kind, staring in broadway, fear of going out. my writing advice “how much pain can you take?”, always seeking con...
Jul 09, 2024•52 min
This is our most gossipy episode ever! Jim and Frank, one of my favorite couples, spill the tea on the icons you want to know most if it were 1983. Sarah Mills, Andy Warhol, and yes, humiliating yourself in front of Merril Streep are all on topic. We discuss occasionally overstepping and finding their way to any and every premiere and the joys of being a fan who gets to talk to the people they love. We talk about overstepping and We talk about the exclusive chat forum known as The Stump and how ...
Jul 02, 2024•47 min
Novelist/Environmental Activist, Stephen Markley talked about the coming environmental disaster and other laugh out loud subjects. Stephen thinks there’s hope but mostly it’s by applying pressure to big business and government which sounded hard to Jay. We also talked about writing for ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING (Jay and Stephen shared stories about working with Steve Martin and Dan Fogelman), writing a 900 page book which also sounded hard. (Stephen loves writing. Jay would rather nap.) We al...
Jun 25, 2024•45 min
On this week’s episode the versatile writer, creator, actor, & comic Larry Wilmore talks about growing up in Pomona, CA and finding comedy and magic, hanging with President Obama. We compare notes on LA, TV, the Dodgers, SNL, Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, losing a sibling and we challenge each other to do stand-up comedy. Bio: Emmy Award winner Larry Wilmore has been a television producer, actor, comedian, and writer for more than 25 years. He can currently be heard as host of Larry Wilmore: B...
Jun 18, 2024•44 min
Bio: Randy and Jason Sklar can currently be seen in the fourth season of FX’s WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS playing fictional Property Brothers ‘Bran and Toby Daltry’. The Sklars produced, wrote, and starred in THE NOSEBLEEDS, a UFC original series that released this summer on UFC’s Fight Pass. The series is a hilarious deep dive into UFC’s history featuring comedy sketches, field pieces, and in-studio character bits. The Sklars notably hosted and produced History Channel’s UNITED STATS OF AMERICA a...
Jun 11, 2024•46 min
Conan O’Brien and Jay discuss the neurotic need to constantly make jokes at the peril of personal relationships and true communication. They also talk about their kids and wives putting up with them, their long friendship, podcasting, comedy, growing older in comedy, Conan’s new show “Conan O’Brien Must Go”, and reading commercials. Bio:Conan O'Brien was born in Brookline, MA, and started his path in comedy when he served twice as the president of The Harvard Lampoon. Conan went on to become a w...
Jun 04, 2024•46 min
Jay smothers Weird Al with love and appreciation for Al’s perfection in his parody. We talk about Mad Magazine, Looney Tunes, pizza, travel, doing what you want, the power of an orchestra, the two pulls of being a comic vs a musician, how a true showman can come out of Linwood, and giving up architecture for being a professional goofball/genius. Bio: FEW WOULD HAVE GUESSED that “Weird Al” Yankovic – who as a shy, accordion-playing teenager got his start sending in homemade tapes to the Dr. Demen...
May 28, 2024•43 min
Tony and Jay meet for the first time. We talk about the depth of his character, Primo, in “The Big Night” and why Jay can’t find that depth in real like. We also chat about growing up the 9th of 10 kids, the acting scene in Green Bay, WI., tailoring Monk for Tony, auditioning, the struggles of being an actor, & Tony’s biggest mistake which lead to his greatest joy, acting in Italian, being a creative producer, the magic of connection in live performance, and why we both wish we were Richard ...
May 21, 2024•43 min
Toby and Jay talked about art and trying to see art (and life) from unique perspectives. Jay calls Toby a weirdo. And, like a weirdo, he accepts it as the compliment which is what it was actually meant to be. We talk about failing at school, meeting a guy called Magic who makes pipes out of antlers, and working as a janitor in a church and 10000 other blue collar jobs before he became a great actor and artist. We also talk about his love affair with creativity and imagining he’s Frank Sinatra’s ...
May 14, 2024•47 min
