Don't Be Alone with Jay Kogen

By Straw Hut Media

Don’t Be Alone with Jay Kogen is a comedy/advice podcast trying to fight the isolation of modern life. Each episode, Award winning TV writer/comedian/philosopher Jay Kogen has a conversation with a fr... more

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FAQs about Don't Be Alone with Jay Kogen:

How many episodes does Don't Be Alone with Jay Kogen have?

The podcast currently has 90 episodes available.

Don't Be Alone with Jay Kogen episodes:

June 03, 2025 Director Jon Turteltaub Explains Why Jay Shouldn’t Be Happy.
Jon and Jay talk about having writer dads, the pressure of trying to succeed as a second gen show biz kid, how to direct movies with being a jerk, being right, the value of being lucky, and the why Captain Crunch is better than Peanut Butter Crunch.

Bio: Jon Turteltaub has been an elite producer and director of hit movies for the past 30 years. He is known for directing a series of hit films including 3 Ninjas, Cool Runnings, While You Were Sleeping, Phenomenon, National Treasure, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Last Vegas, The Meg and others that clearly weren’t such big hits but did okay. His last film was the worldwide blockbuster The Meg, grossing over $500 million worldwide. Jon has also produced and directed several television projects, including the smash hit "Jericho" on CBS and “From the Earth to the Moon” for HBO. Jon was born in New York and raised in Beverly Hills before attending Wesleyan University and USC film school. His father, Saul Turteltaub, is a legendary television writer and producer known for "The Carol Burnett Show", "That Girl", "Sanford and Son" “Love American Style” and "What's Happening!". Jon has been married to Amy Eldon since 2006 and together they work extensively with The Creative Visions Foundation, supporting artists and activists. Jon has also served on the DGA Western Directors Council, as advisor to Represent.Us, and on the board of the Inner-City Filmmakers program. Jon and Amy have spent considerable time in Africa where they fund an orphanage in Kenya and work to protect and rehabilitate child soldiers in Uganda. Jon and Amy have three young children and, therefore, no time for anything fun.
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50min
May 27, 2025 Comic Andrea Abbate’s Hard Life Was Easier Before Jay
Andrea Abbate talks about her amazing tumultuous life, including addiction, bad partners, bad parents, bad relationships, and surviving through comedy to land in a good place.

Bio: Andrea Abbate has proven herself to be a powerhouse in the world of comedy. She’s found success as a stand-up comedian, television writer, actor/performer and producer. Andrea seamlessly blends sharp, edgy humor with an inviting charm that draws audiences in. Her ability to tackle bold, often controversial topics with a clever, relatable twist sets her apart in the comedy scene. She finds hilarious ways to highlight the absurdities of life and bring people together through laughter. Her talents have earned her opportunities to work with Bill Maher, Bob Saget, Niecy Nash, Earthquake, Paul Rodriguez and Adam Carolla. She’s reached a national audience with several performances on “Evening At The Improv” and nine appearances on “Politically Incorrect”, as well as guest starring on many TV shows. Abbate is a favorite guest on Earthquake's SiriusXM radio show, “Quake’s House”. The LA Times wrote, “She's as sweet as a perfumed eviction notice or a sugar-coated bullet.” Beyond the stage, Andrea is a successful TV writer and producer, and is known for her distinctive voice and sharp comedic sensibility. She’s created TV shows for Showtime, HBO, NBC, CBS, ABC, Disney+ and Freeform. Whether performing live, writing TV shows, or acting in them, her bold, fearless humor makes her an undeniable talent and a standout force in comedy.
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47min
May 20, 2025 Maggie Baird Tells Jay Why He’s Ruining His Son’s Career
Maggie Baird - Actress/writer/ & mother of superstars Billie Eilish & Finneas gives Jay the recipe for not messing up your kids and letting them flourish. She also talks about living small, rewarding effort and experience over awards, & the value of an artist’s mindset and working for love vs. money. And she talks about trying to change the world with her Support + Feed charity she formed to help fight food insecurity. She also talked about the value of publicists, good people in the music industry, and letting your kids yell at you when they need to.

Bio: Maggie Baird is a climate activist committed to building equitable solutions that move all of us to action. Mother of Grammy-Award-winning Artists Billie Eilish and Finneas, she ispassionate about helping the music industry implement comprehensive sustainabilitystrategies. A lifelong vegetarian turned vegan, she engages audiences through her popularweekly Instagram Live streams on the climate impacts of our global food system, and she isa frequent speaker and panelist on food and sustainability within the music, catering, andenvironmental spaces. Baird’s passion for the health of our planet, her plant-based cookingtips, and conversations with youth activists, have inspired thousands to change their lives.In 2020, Baird founded Support+Feed, a US nonprofit focused on developing innovative,intersectional strategies to ensure underserved communities have access to nourishingplant-based food while driving systemic change toward a more planet friendly global foodsystem. Under Baird’s leadership, S+F has reached 41 cities globally, has a consistentpresence in 11 anchor cities in the US, and is now expanding through partnerships in theEU, UK, and Australia. Since launch, S+F has provided 1.5 million plant-based meals andpantry items and related education in underserved communities through partnerships with190+ community organizations, 100+ local and minority-owned restaurants, and 350Volunteers.

Baird is a co-producer of Overheated, a climate summit hosted by Billie Eilish and S+F thatfeatures youth activists from around the world, and in 2024, she was featured in Forbes’ 50Over 50 list and was honored as one of Glamour’s Women of the Year. She also makes aregular appearance on climate scientist Chris Turney’s podcast “Unf*cking the Future”which is dedicated to addressing the climate crisis and exploring potential solutions withleaders in the entertainment, academic, and environmental spaces.
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50min
May 13, 2025 Neal Brennan Says Happiness Is Possible For Everyone But Jay
We talk about deciding if you are a writer or a performer, confidence in bad joke, comedy as team sport, Neal being “groupless”, John McEnroe’s good sportsmanship, gratitude, the day the Chappelle Show died, ayahuasca & MDMA & how it made him believe in God.

Bio: Neal Brennan has been a force in comedy for over three decades with both his own standup performances as well as working behind the scenes as co-creator of Chappelle's Show and writing, producing and directing with other comedians like Chris Rock, Amy Schumer and Seth Meyers. His landmark Netflix specials, 3 Mics, Blocks, & Crazy Good set the standard for comedy. On his ‘Blocks’ podcast, Neal talks in depth with people about their issue. Neal continues to perform comedy around Los Angeles and the world.
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49min
May 06, 2025 Bruce Vilanch Tells Jay He Needs To Market Himself Better
Bruce talks about stumbling into writing and finding a home. His feud with Barbra Streisand, writing for Richard Pryor, George Carlin, and Lily Tomlin. He talks about how being your own weird self is the best marketing and he discusses his new book “It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time: The Worst TV Shows in History and Other Things I Wrote” He talks about t-shirts, Elmo, Hollywood Squares, The Star Wars Holiday Special and surviving as a writer forever no matter what he’s asked to write.

Bio: Bruce Vilanch is an American comedy writer, songwriter and actor who has won two Emmy Awards for his work on the Annual Academy Awards. He is also known for his appearance as a celebrity participant and head writer on Hollywood Squares for four years. Here are some facts about his life and career: He was born on November 23, 1948, in New York City and was adopted by Jonas and Henne Vilanch, an optometrist and a housewife. He started his career as an entertainment writer for the Chicago Tribune, where he interviewed celebrities and wrote about the industry culture. He moved to Los Angeles and wrote for various shows and artists, such as The Donny & Marie Show, The Star Wars Holiday Special, The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, Bette Midler, Robin Williams, Lily Tomlin, Billy Crystal, Roseanne Barr, Rosie O’Donnell, Paul Reiser, Elizabeth Taylor, Steven Tyler and Aerosmith. He wrote the lyrics for the farewell song that Bette Midler sang to Johnny Carson on his final broadcast of The Tonight Show, which won him an Emmy Award. He was a panelist and the head writer for Hollywood Squares from 1998 to 2002, where he sat next to his friend and client Whoopi Goldberg. He was the head writer for the Oscars from 2000 to 2014, after being a co-writer for the previous ten years. He collaborated with hosts such as Whoopi Goldberg, David Letterman, and Billy Crystal. He also acted in several movies and TV shows, such as The Ice Pirates, Law & Order, You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, and Celebrity Fit Club. He performed off-Broadway in his self-penned one-man show Bruce Vilanch: Almost Famous in 2000. He played the role of Edna Turnblad in the Broadway musical Hairspray in 2005. Within the last several years, he has written the book for 2 jukebox musicals. He is openly gay and has been involved in various philanthropic causes, such as AIDS awareness, gay rights, and animal welfare
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48min
May 02, 2025 BONUS EPISODE! Actor Jim Turner Gets Stuff Done While Jay Doesn’t.
Jim Turner talks about doing one of our first pilots, Monkey World, being friends for 32 years, being the kind of guy who shows up at shows, makes shows, raises money for important causes, The Good Deed Corporation, Harry Styles, poker games, basketball games, Des Moines, Randy of The Redwoods, running for President, and almost talking about almost dying in Italy.

Bio: Jim Turner was an actor for many years in teevee shows and movies. He’s got an IMDB page and everything (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0877642/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1) He still does the actorizing now and then but he spends most of his time (and money) working to register young people to vote. He ran for President twice – once as Zippy the Pinhead in 1980 and then as Randee of the Redwoods in 1988. Neither of these fictional characters were elected – or received any votes.
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30min
April 29, 2025 Manager Liz Kamlet Proves Jay’s Destroying His Son’s Music Career

Liz Kamlet answers all the music questions the dad of an aspiring musician has from Social Media to publishing to concerts to recording to warnings about the music contest TV shows. We also talk about the old school acts like Stephen Bishop, David Pack, and Michael McDonald! Liz is the smartest voice in music and promotion on the planet!

Bio: Liz Kamlet is an accomplished music industry professional with over a decade of experience collaborating with world-renowned artists, leading record labels, publishers, composers, film studios, and top executives. Her multifaceted expertise encompasses artist management, social media marketing, technology, touring, sync licensing, and consulting. Liz’s skill in crafting and executing effective marketing and branding strategies has supported artists at all stages of their careers—from producing sold-out arena performances to securing advantageous record and publishing deals. The artists she has worked with have collectively sold over 100 million records, accumulated 2 billion streams, and amassed a combined social media following of over 50 million. She is currently the CEO of Windsong Entertainment and the host of the podcast "Liz The Music Manager.” Liz earned a BA in History and Music Technology from the University of Colorado at Boulder, an MA in Music Industry Administration from California State University, Northridge, and an MBA in Management and Digital Media Design from Harvard University. She is also an avid collector of vintage acoustic guitars, owning a personal collection of more than 50 pieces. Liz is married to legendary singer-songwriter Stephen Bishop.
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49min
April 25, 2025 BONUS EPISODE! Comic J. Elvis Weinstein Says Jay Jokes Wrong
J. Elvis Weinstein was a head writer on many shows so he knows a good joke while Jay just jokes often from character. On this show we sort out the differences. Also J. talks about his funny family. Hobbies like ice cream, bad jokes, bubble gum jokes, fortune cookies, losing money on documentaries, saving your marriage by wasting less money than your wife thinks, Mystery Science Theater, old credits, and how jokes ruin dramas, hack jokes, improvisations, the perfect punchline, and hating Seinfeld.

Bio: J. Elvis Weinstein began his stand-up comedy career at age 15 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. At 17, he was one of the founding writer/performers of "Mystery Science Theater 3000” (MST3K) as the original voice/puppeteer of robots Tom Servo and Gypsy, and the role of Dr. Lawrence Erhardt.

Since moving to Los Angeles, he has worked as a writer/producer on a wide range of network TV comedy, including "Freaks and Geeks", "Malcolm and Eddie", "Dead Last", and "My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star.” He was also the Head Writer on "America's Funniest Home Videos" and "Later with Greg Kinnear". In 2008 he reunited with his MST3K co-stars to form “Cinematic Titanic” which toured U.S. Theaters as a live show and produced 12 DVDs, now available as a box set.

J. Elvis has written and directed 3 films - 2 feature documentaries (“I Need You To Kill” & “Michael Des Barres: Who Do You Want Me To Be?”) and a comedy short (“The Mediocre Samaritan”). As a performer, he continues to perform as a stand-up (releasing the album “Chunks” in 2019), co-hosts the podcast “Thought Spiral” with comedian Andy Kindler, and recently co-starred in the feature film “The Fiddling Horse” (2020).
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30min
April 22, 2025 Jay Gets Andy Kindler Angry
Andy and Jay talk about anger, falling down, therapy, neuropathy, parents, the power of singing, audio books, back aches, Quakers, the State of The Industry, the Thought Spiral podcast, Binghamton University, LSD, The Stump, and Moon Zappa’s new book “Earth To Moon”, and running away from Jay Leno.

Bio: Andy Kindler currently recurs on Fox’s hit animation, Bob’s Burgers and Comedy Central’s long-running Tosh.O. He is also a regular on the critically praised Canadian web series, But I’m Chris Jericho (for which he was nominated as Best Supporting Actor by L.A. Webfest 2018). Andy was the host of Season 4 and 5 of Hulu’s standup series, Coming to the Stage as well as a series judge on the seventh season of NBC’s Last Comic Standing, the star of two half-hour Comedy Central Presents specials and was a frequent guest and correspondent on The Late Show with David Letterman with over 40 appearances. He has previously recurred on Everybody Loves Raymond, Showtime’s I’m Dying Up Here, Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place, IFC’s Maron and Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. Other noteworthy credits include Portlandia, the HBO Young Comedians Special, Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist, Home Movies and The Larry Sanders Show. In July 2022, Andy became the first comedian to perform as a hologram, delivering his notorious State of the Industry Address from the relative safety of Van Nuys, CA. while appearing 3-dimensionally live at the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal.
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47min
April 15, 2025 Zak Penn Explains Why Jay Knows Nothing About Show Business
Screenwriting legend Zak Penn talks about how he got so savvy in the business of show. We talk about how coming to LA and scouting out the city geared him up for his big move after college and his sale of “The Last Action Hero” started him on a 35 year journey of being one of Hollywood’s most sought after writers. We talk about the good times with Speilberg, JJ Abrams, Shawn Levy, Ryan Reynolds, & Dwayne Johnson and we talk about the bad times with others.

Bio: Zak Penn’s career began as a screenwriter when he sold his first script, LAST ACTION HERO, at the age of twenty-three. Since then, Penn has become known for his work on numerous films based on Marvel comics, including X-MEN 2 and X-MEN: THE LAST STAND, ELEKTRA, THE INCREDIBLE HULK and THE AVENGERS. He has also dabbled in other genres, writing scripts for disparate films such as P.C.U., BEHIND ENEMY LINES and SUSPECT ZERO.Penn’s shift into independent cinema began when he collaborated with his idol, Werner Herzog, on the script for RESCUE DAWN. Penn directed and co-starred with Herzog in INCIDENT AT LOCH NESS, his award-winning “hoax” documentary about the legendary director’s attempts to make a film about the equally legendary monster. THE GRAND, Penn’s second completely improvised film, was his third film with Herzog, and featured an eclectic cast including Woody Harrelson, David Cross, Ray Romano, Cheryl Hines, Dennis Farina and Gabe Kaplan.

In addition, Penn co-wrote the original story for ANTZ and produced the animated film OSMOSIS JONES. He has also acted in a number of independent films, including STAR MAPS and CHUCK & BUCK. His first foray into television was the critically acclaimed original series ALPHAS starring David Strathairn. Penn directed the documentary ATARI: GAME OVER for Xbox Entertainment Studios.

More recently, Penn adapted the New York Times bestselling novel READY PLAYER ONE for Warner Bros. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film was released in 2018. Penn also co-wrote the script for the action comedy FREE GUY, starring Ryan Reynolds and Jodie Comer. The film is directed by Shawn Levy and was released in August of 2021.
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49min

FAQs about Don't Be Alone with Jay Kogen:

How many episodes does Don't Be Alone with Jay Kogen have?

The podcast currently has 90 episodes available.

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