Comedian, writer, and actor, Langston Kerman (Bad Poetry, Insecure, English Teacher) has picked on “Don Cheadle is Captain Planet” from the Funny or Die Vault. He and our host, Marcos González, cover everything from slam poetry to online embarrassment to imposter syndrome. Follow along as Langston and Marcos talk through Boston comics and where to put your hands when acting.

Langston Kerman is a comedian, actor, and writer. He has acted in shows such as on Adam DeVine's House Party, High Maintenance, Strangers, and Comedy Bang! Bang!. He was selected by host Chris Rock to write for the 2016 Academy Awards. He appeared in his first recurring acting role as Jered on the first season of Issa Rae's Insecure. Langston was featured in his own Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents half-hour special, Lightskinned Feelings. Langston is also a writer and recurring actor for the HBO Max series South Side. He was a series regular on the second season of Bless This Mess, and appeared in a recurring role on the second season of The Boys. Langston created the comedy podcast My Momma Told Me on the iHeartRadio Network. Kerman co-created and co-stars in the Peacock series Bust Down. Langston released his first standalone comedy special, Bad Poetry, on Netflix, directed by comedian John Mulaney. Langston appeared in a recurring role in the FX comedy series English Teacher.

Follow Langston: 

TikTok: @langstonkerman 

Instagram: @langstonkerman

X: @LangstonKerman

Key Moments:

(0:00) Intro

(2:09) Why Langston chose Captain Planet

(9:05) Similarities between slam poetry and stand up 

(17:12) Digital footprint with sketch comedy

(20:37) Writing on the Oscars

(22:25) Best and worst moments in stand up

(37:52) Oversaturation of online comedians

(44:31) Working with John Mulaney 

(52:34) Final speed round questions

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Emmy award-winning writer, actor, and producer Tracey Wigfield (30 Rock, The Mindy Project, Great News, Saved By The Bell Revival, The Four Seasons) has picked “President Barack Obama: Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis” from the Funny or Die Vault. She and our host, Marcos González, cover everything from tortured metaphors to reboots to news bloopers. Follow along as Tracey and Marcos talk through Obama’s acting skills and how shows evolve past their cancellation.

Tracey Wigfield is a writer, actor, and showrunner. Tracey worked her way from writer’s assistant to staff writer on "30 Rock" (NBC). She and Fey co-wrote the series finale, which won them each an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. Following the end of "30 Rock," Wigfield joined the writing staff of "The Mindy Project" (Fox/Hulu), and was eventually named executive producer alongside the show's creator and star, Mindy Kaling. She would also occasionally appear on the show, playing Dr. Lauren Neustadter. In 2017, Wigfield created her own series, the workplace comedy "Great News" (NBC). She also developed the Peacock teen sitcom Saved By The Bell, a revival of the original series of the same name created by Sam Bobrick. 

Follow Tracey: 

Instagram: @traceywigfield 

X: @traceywigfield 

Key Moments:

(0:00) Intro

(1:48) Why Tracey chose Barack Obama: Between Two Ferns 

(3:35) How Tracey got into TV writing

(7:35) Biggest lessons from 30 Rock

(11:39) Climbing up the creative latter 

(15:32) Writing the mother-daughter relationship

(18:29) TV reboots and nostalgia 

(21:30) Final speed round questions

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Emmy award nominated writer, actor, and rapper, Phil Augusta Jackson (Key & Peele, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Insecure) has picked “Bradley Cooper: Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis” from the Funny or Die Vault.  He and our host, Marcos González, cover everything from brat branding to Frankenstein to Wayne Gretzky. Follow along as Phil and Marcos talk through writer’s rooms and inspiration in the eleventh hour. 

Phil’s pick from the FOD Vault is “Bradley Cooper: Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis” from 2009: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVHAd3jwZy0 

Bio

Phil Augusta Jackson is an Emmy, WGA, and NAACP award nominated writer, actor, and rapper. His writing credits also include “Key & Peele” (Hulu) and Starz’s “Survivor’s Remorse” (Prime Video). Phil was a supervising producer and writer on NBC’s  “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”, where he also directed, and he was a co-executive producer and writer on HBO’s “Insecure.” He is the creator and showrunner of NBC’s “Grand Crew.” Phil has self-produced and directed shorts and music videos. Most recently, Phil co-executive produced wrote on  Peacock’s Mr. Throwback and his most recent album, Mr. Phil is out now. 

Follow Phil:

TikTok: @philaugustaj

Instagram: @philaugustaj

X: @philaugustaj

Key Moments:

(0:00) Intro

(3:17) Why Phil chose Between Two Ferns

(9:07) Brand strategy by day, improv by night 

(19:07) Phil’s journey to writing on Key & Peele

(31:23) Drafting scripts on Brooklyn Nine-Nine

(38:43) The writer’s room for Insecure

(42:10) Shooting your shot as a writer/performer 

(51:27) Final speed round questions

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Academy Award nominated writer and comedian, Jena Friedman (The New Yorker, The Daily Show, Borat Franchise) has picked “Billy On The Street with David Letterman” from the Funny or Die Vault.  She and our host, Marcos González, cover everything from true crime to American girls dolls to anxious emojis. Follow along as Jena and Marcos talk through field producing and TikTok rabbit holes.

Get notified when we drop new episodes, news, and show extras: https://norby.link/ctdAJD 

Jena Friedman is an Academy Award-nominated writer and comedian. She is the creator of Soft Focus on Adult Swim and True Crime Story: Indefensible on AMC+. Her writing credits include BORAT 2: Subsequent Movie Film, The Conners on ABC and The Late Show with David Letterman. She was also a field producer on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart from 2012 through the end of his tenure in 2015, where she wrote and directed field segments. ​She's a contributing writer to The New Yorker and her first book, Not Funny, recently published by Simon & Schuster, is a national bestseller. Additionally, she has appeared on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Conan, and the Sundance hit movie Palm Springs (Hulu). Stream her first stand up special, American Cunt (2016) on Spotify and her second special, Ladykiller on Peacock.

Follow Jena:

TikTok: @jenafriedman

Instagram: @jenafriedman

X: @jenafriedman

Key Moments:

(0:00) Intro

(1:29) Why Jena chose Billy On The Street

(6:27) Making light of serious topics 

(10:46) Jena’s American Girl Doll satire show

(15:57) How Jena’s trajectory had a throughline

(20:29) Comedy world in the internet age

(31:43) Intersection between comedy and true crime 

(36:18) Final speed round questions

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Actor, writer, and stand up Fahim Anwar (Conan, Goatface, House Money) picked “Jon Hamm: Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis” from the Funny or Die Vault. He and our host, Marcos González, cover everything the engineering and comedy double life to burgers as a form of payment to loving beans. Follow along as Fahim and Marcos talk through injecting comedy into troupes and seeing how a screen door is made.

Get notified when we drop new episodes, news, and show extras: https://norby.link/ctdAJD 

Fahim’s pick from the FOD Vault is “Jon Hamm: Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis” from 2010: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDwfQjxbFBM 

Bio: 

Fahim Anwar is a Los Angeles-based standup comedian, actor and writer. He's appeared on Conan, Late Night with Seth Meyers and performed at the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal. His recent Film/TV credits include Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Neighbors, Drunk History, Carmichael Show and Superior Donuts. Fahim served as head writer and starred on a sketch show special for Comedy Central with his comedy group Goatface (Paramount+). In his special There’s No Business Like Show Business (Hulu), Fahim displays some of the smartest stupid material with moments of poignancy. Fahim was named by Variety Magazine as one of 2019 Comics to Watch. Stream his most recent specials on YouTube: Hat Trick & House Money. 

Follow Fahim:

TikTok: @fahimanwarcomedy

Instagram: @fahimanwar

X: @fahimanwar

Key Moments:

(0:00) Intro

(2:16) Between Two Fern’s impact on comedy

(6:16) Fahim’s job at Boeing

(16:13) Dominos sketch with Aristotle

(24:41) Fahim’s Stallone bit

(35:17) Discovering comedy today

(37:39) Final speed round questions

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Stand up comedian, producer, actor, and podcaster, Megan Gailey (Conan, After Midnight) has picked “Michael Shannon Sorority Letter” from the Funny or Die Vault. She and our host, Marcos González, dig into everything from insane Greek life lore to graduating during the recession to Chipotle burrito C-sections. Tune in to hear about the weirdest regulars in Chicago bars and how the sweetiepie stand up persona is the worst person on Earth.

Get notified when we drop new episodes, news, and show extras: https://norby.link/ctdAJD 

Megan’s pick from the FOD Vault is “Michael Shannon Reads the Insane Delta Gamma Sorority Letter” from 2013: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dngOH9G4UPw 

Megan Gailey is a stand-up comedian, producer, actor and podcast host. She has appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,  The Conan O’Brien Show, @midnight, and After Midnight. She was selected as a "New Face" at the Montréal Just for Laughs festival in 2015. She has written for the 2017 ESPY Awards. Megan was an official performer at SXSW, Bridgetown Comedy Festival,  and she released a comedy album: My Dad Paid for This in 2019. She co-hosts the podcasts I Love A Lifetime Movie, Hysteria, and currently hosts the podcast, Sports Bitches. Megan performed in MTV’s Ladylike (2016), HBO’s Pause with Sam Jay (2021), Dealing with Dad (2022), and wrote for The Roast of Tom Brady (2024).

Follow Megan:

TikTok: @bettermegangailey

Instagram: @bettermegangailey 

X: @megangailey

Key Moments:

(0:00) Intro

(02:11) Greek life culture

(13:33) Graduating during the recession to starting stand up

(18:49) Zany regulars at bars

(24:44) Comedians getting their start on TikTok

(31:08) Worst stand up experience

(36:31) Best and worst comments online

(40:31) Childbirth horror stories 

(43:15) Speed round questions

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(00:00) Sponsored Bonus Segment: Meet Senzu The Milk-Bone Dog Who's Taking Hollywood by Storm

(02:55) Aida Rodriguez joins Marcos inside The Vault

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Comedian, writer, and actress Aida Rodriguez (Fighting Words on Max) digs up “Idiots” from the Funny or Die Vault. She and our host, Marcos Gonzalez make light of writing jokes in the age of the internet, surviving the apocalypse, and using ethnic influences to their advantage. Listen in on Aida’s stand up philosophy, being born on the same day as Michael Jackson, and how the trash always sees its way out.

Aida’s pick from the FOD Vault is “Idiots with Zoe Saldana & Kate Bosworth” from 2010: https://youtu.be/WVH5yS3x2Jg

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Dog actor Senzu on how he got started as an actor, and his upcoming (fake) trailer with #MilkBone, "Howl You Know."

Senzu's pick from The Vault is "Big Dog": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jdqw0I4Thdg

See more from Milk-Bone: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwUkM0F6lPC6BBOy83eZFmVnV_crghB-M

(04:25) Why Aida chose “Idiots” from The Vault

(08:06) Aida’s first stand up sets

(10:14) How stand up is an art and a science

(11:20) No matter the cultural background, being funny is undeniable

(18:11) How Aida picks comedians to open her shows

(22:27) Difference sensibilities between English vs. Spanish-speaking humor

(28:17) How the internet has changed the stand up scene

(39:31) Marcos’ speed round questions

Aida Rodriguez is a comedian, actress, producer, writer, and podcaster. Aida headlined the HBO LatinX stand up special Entrenos while also appearing in Showtime’s Shaquille O'Neal Presents: All Star Comedy Jam, one of only four women to have performed on the series in its 15 seasons. Prior to that, she had her own half hour special on Netflix’s hit comedy series They Ready. Aida was a finalist on NBC’s Last Comic Standing and has been featured on several comedy fan-favorite TV series, including Comedy Central’s This Week at the Comedy Cellar, HBO’s Pause with Sam Jay, and TBS’ Tournament of Laughs. Her most recent special Fighting Words (Max) is a political comedy about embracing her heritage and dating. Aida hosts the podcast “Say What You Mean.” 

Follow Aida:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@funnyaida

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/funnyaida/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aidarodriguez

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aida.rodriguez

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Get all 10 episodes of season 1 now, and stay in touch for new episodes, news, and show extras: https://norby.link/ctdAJD

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Actor, comedian, and podcaster Jon Gabrus (101 Places to Party Before You Die, High and Mighty, ActionBoyz) brings us “Gungan Style” from the Funny or Die Vault. He and our host, Marcos Gonzalez, take a deep dive into how the comedy landscape has changed since Jon got his start. From the internship to PA pipeline to TikTok dances and crazy stories on set, Jon and Marcos unpack where trend chasing is leading us.

Get notified when we drop new episodes, news, and show extras: https://norby.link/ctdAJD

Jon’s pick from the FOD Vault is “Gungan Style (Gangnam Style Parody)” from 2012

Bio: 

Jon Gabrus is an American actor and comedian, best known for his work on Guy Code, the podcast Comedy Bang! Bang!, and TVLand's Younger. He was a performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and hosts the High and Mighty podcast, as well as co-hosting the Raised By TV and Action Boyz podcasts.  To access a free episode to Jon’s podcast ActionBoyz, use the link: Free.actionboyz.biz 

(00:00) Intro

(03:17) Why Jon chose Gungan Style

(06:50) College comedy group to PA pipeline

(09:28) When video sketches started to take off at UCB

(16:00) How podcasting has changed

(25:23) The nature of trend chasing

(36:38) Bombshell story, best and worst gigs

(43:21) Drunk History story

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This week -  writer, actor, director, and creator of “Drunk History,” Derek Waters jumps into the origins of his hit show from the Funny or Die Vault. He and our host Marcos Gonzalez address every question Drunk History lovers have been dying to know. From getting drunk at networking events to test screenings in Las Vegas to Spanish pirates, Derek and Marcos uncover the past, present, and future behind the drunks.

Get notified when we drop new episodes, news, and show extras: https://norby.link/ctdAJD

Derek Waters is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and director. Waters has appeared on television programs such as It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Sarah Silverman Program, Santa Clarita Diet, and The Middle. He has also appeared in films such as The Brothers Solomon, Hall Pass, For Your Consideration, and This Means War. 

Waters co-created and hosts the Comedy Central series Drunk History. The show originally started as a series of shorts for Funny or Die. The show has won multiple awards, such as the jury prize in short filmmaking at the Sundance Festival and was nominated for seventeen Primetime Emmy Awards, garnering Waters eight nominations.

Instagram: @dw34

X: @derekwaterss

Key moments

(00:00) Intro

(03:10) Drunk History’s Origin Story &  Jake Johnson’s involvement 

(05:21) Michael Cera replaced Justin Roiland in the pilot

(13:41) Drunk History TV show development

(18:32) Alternative Show Titles 

(21:07) Lip Syncing Behind The Scenes

(35:42) The Unreleased Season of Drunk History 

(38:34) Speed Round Questions

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For the first episode of Inside the FOD Vault, we are joined by comedian and writer, Beth Stelling (If You Didn’t Want Me Then on Netflix). Beth has selected “The Landlord” from the Funny or Die Vault. She and our host, Marcos Gonzalez talk through starting out in comedy, stand up online, and the differences between internet and in-person performance. Whether you’re a seasoned comedy pro or just dipping a toe, Beth and Marcos have endless anecdotes to share.

Get notified when we drop new episodes, news, and show extras: https://norby.link/ctdAJD

Beth Stelling is an American stand-up comedian and writer. She has performed in the Netflix series The Standups and served as a writer for the HBO television series Crashing. Stelling has released two comedy albums, Sweet Beth and Simply the Beth, and two comedy specials, Girl Daddy (Hulu) and If You Didn't Want Me Then (Netflix).

Instagram: @bethstelling

TikTok: @bethstelling

Key moments

(00:00) Intro

(02:53) Pearl The Landlord

(06:43) Starting stand up 

(19:52) Social clips vs. full special

(22:41) Women in comedy

(26:14) Early inspirations in comedy

(39:24) Going viral 

(42:36) The rise of crowd work

(46:50) Combatting lack of confidence

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