In one of our first recordings, Actor, writer, director, and all around mensh, Greg Grunberg helps Jay settle in on what podcasting is and how it might help get people (and especially kids) more connected in their ever increasingly isolated life. And if we can’t fix that, then maybe, just maybe, we can sell them stuff.

Bio: Actor/Producer and epilepsy advocate Greg Grunberg has been an actor in TV/Film from Felicity, Alias and Heroes to Star Wars and Star Trek. But his favorite role is that of dad to three beautiful boys.

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Character actor extraordinaire, Richard Kind, talks about having the authenticity and self confidence to speak his mind and get away with it. He says having a healthy ego and approaching the world with joy give him permission to say just about anything. And how that confidence goes into his landing acting jobs and parenting his children. We also talk about the loss of Matthew Perry and the horror of eating dinner by yourself.

Bio: Richard Kind, a Drama Desk Award winner and Tony nominee for the Broadway hit The Big Knife, is an accomplished stage, screen and television actor who continues to redefine the term character actor. Kind starred as Sam Meyers in Red Oaks, and as Arthur in the Coen Brothers, A Serious Man. He appeared in the Best Picture Academy Award-winning Argo. Additional film credits include The Visitor and The Station Agent, among many others, as well as voicing characters in A Bug’s Life and Cars. In television, besides his infamous roles on Spin City, Mad About You, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Kind starred in the acclaimed HBO drama series Luck and Gotham. On stage, Kind has starred in the smash hit Broadway musical The Producers, The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, Candide, and Bounce, among others. Kind started his career in Chicago with the Practical Theatre Company, founded by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Brad Hill and Gary Kroeger. Then moved on to Second City and the rest… is history.

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Comedy hero and one of Jay’s best friends helps Jay work though the deep mysteries of friendship, UFO’s, their failed hit movie “The Wrong Guy” and how to stay pals for 30 years.

Bio: Dave Foley rose to fame as “the cute” member of the revered sketch group, “Kids In The Hall”. He went on to star in “News Radio” and dozens of movies and TV shows, He’s also the co-writer and star of the cult darling movie, “The Wrong Guy”. Currently he’s playing Danish Graves on season 5 of “Fargo” playing on FX.

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Dana talks to Jay about the ego death of change. You think you’re something and then you’re not. He talks about aging, dadding, growing comfortable with being who is and being damn lucky to be that.

Bio: Dana Gould began his professional comedy career at the age of seventeen with six solo stand-up comedy specials and done all talk shows from LETTERMAN to CONAN. As an actor, Dana has had memorable turns on SEINFELD, PARKS AND REC, his live-action self on FAMILY GUY. Dana was writer/performer on the original BEN STILLER SHOW, a Co-Executive Producer on The Simpsons and a producer on NBC's PARKS AND REC. Dana is the creator of the IFC horror-comedy STAN AGAINST EVIL and created the YouTube sensation, Hanging With Dr. Z, “the talk show Dr. Zaius should have had in the 1970’s and didn’t but now does.” Dana’s podcast, THE DANA GOULD HOUR, and released 2 comedy albums MR. FUNNY MAN and I KNOW IT'S WRONG. He also made the comedy concert film Joy Ride! with fellow comedian Bobcat Goldthwait. His next stand up special, the third season of Hanging With Dr. Z, and the premiere of the Peacock series TED TV, upon which Dana is co-executive producer, are all on tap for 2024.

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The brilliant Kevin Pollak forgives Jay for being late, talks about poker, growing up in San Francisco, becoming Don Rickles’ buddy, the loss of Matthew Perry, inventing podcasts and only does one Shatner impression on this week’s “Don’t Be Alone with Jay Kogen.”

Bio:Kevin Pollak is an world class actor, respected comedian, delightful impressionist and one of the original podcast hosts. He’s appeared in over 80 films; his roles include Sam Weinberg in Rob Reiner's legal film A Few Good Men, Jacob Goldman in Grumpy Old Men and its sequel Grumpier Old Men; Todd Hockney in The Usual Suspects, Phillip Green in Martin Scorsese's Casino, and Bobby Chicago in End of Days. From 2016 to 2022, he played a recurring role in Better Things. From 2017 to 2023, Pollak was a regular cast member on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon. And he’s a gambler who knows when to hold’em, when to fold’em and when to sulk in the kitchen.


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Josh talks about acting, podcasting, being proudly Jewish without being sure about being Jewish and about not being afraid to tell his friends he loves them.

Bio:Joshua Malina is an American film and stage actor (and writer) known for playing Will Bailey on the The West Wing, Jeremy Goodwin on Sports Night, US Attorney General David Rosen on Scandal, and Caltech President Siebert on The Big Bang Theory. And Mitchell Stewart in “The Good Doctor”. He debuted on Broadway in A Few Good Men in 1989 and returned this year for the Tony Award winning “Leopoldstadt.”

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Comic, author, producer, Wayne Federman discusses if there’s an expiration date to being funny. Are you stuck in your generation or can you speak to a broader audience? That, plus what underwear to sport when shouting “Get off my lawn!” at passing children.

Bio: Wayne Federman is a stand-up comic, actor, author, cultural historian, and producer. Wayne received a 2022 Emmy Award for producing the HBO documentary George Carlin’s American Dream. He is the author of the bestselling book, The History of Stand-Up: From Mark Twain To Dave Chappelle and has acted in numerous films and TV shows including Curb Your Enthusiasm, What We Do In The Shadows, Silicon Valley, The Larry Sanders Show, Living Single, Community, The X-Files, Legally Blonde, Step Brothers, The 40‐Year‐Old Virgin, and 50 First Dates. Wayne is a touring stand-up comedian and has appeared multiple times on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon and has his own stand-up special on Comedy Central. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California.

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Jay is completely enthralled with the depth of comedian/writer/actor, Pete Holmes, talks about religion, philosophy, keeping your artistic standards high, staying good while being human, the joy of seeing his daughter’s face, and making his new Netflix special not so “death-y”.

Bio: Pete Holmes is one of the best standup comics around. He’s the creator and star of HBO's Crashing (produced by Judd Apatow), The Pete Holmes Show, How We Roll, two HBO stand-up comedy specials and a new Netflix special I Am Not For Everyone. Pete's also the voice of the e*trade baby and was a guest writer/star on The Simpsons. He's also proud to be the dumbest Batman on YouTube (Badman), the host of the wildly popular You Made It Weird podcast and the author of Comedy S*x God. He wrote this bio in third person. He napped shortly thereafter.

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Singer-songwriter Aimee Mann explains creativity, writing musicals, knowing how to pick a good writing partner and how Jay should weather the crumbling TV streaming world. Just become a critically acclaimed voice of a generation. Easy peasy.

Bio: Aimee Mann is a Grammy- and Oscar-nominated singer-songwriter. Mann fronted the band 'Til Tuesday with their mega hit, “Voices Carry” then went solo making 9 amazing albums including the soundtrack from the critically acclaimed film Magnolia which featured “Save Me.” She has also made memorable cameo appearances in TV and films such as The Big Lebowski and Portlandia. Her latest album is the impeccable, “Queens of the Summer Hotel.” But her crowning achievement is doing my podcast.

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The funny and fabulous Julia Sweeney helps Jay fight through the fear of people, work, life, aging and the crippling danger of improv groups.

Bio: Julia Sweeney started with a dream of being a Hollywood accountant and wound up becoming an actress, comedian, writer, and director known for her years on SNL and her amazing comedic one-person shows such as “God Said Ha!” about her struggles with life, love and religion.

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