Happy Not Funny with Michael Malone

Ed Conover on identity, grief, and finding belonging through comedy—exploring family, therapy, and the quiet discipline behind vulnerability and self-awareness.

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Operations Manager of Brad Garrett's Comedy Club inside the MGM Grand, Ed Conover joins to talk about belonging, identity, and finding truth in quiet moments. He opens up about his immigrant experience, family, grief, and how introspection fuels his comedy. The conversation dives into emotional honesty, cultural duality, creative burnout, and the discipline behind vulnerability. Ed reflects on building a career outside the spotlight, balancing therapy and self-awareness, and the universal need for connection in an isolating world.

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Omid Singh on identity, faith, ego, and comedy—growing up Iranian in London, finding resilience through storytelling, and the cost of making people laugh.

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Comedian Omid Singh joins to talk identity, comedy, and resilience. From growing up Iranian in London to performing globally, Omid breaks down how culture, religion, and storytelling shape humor. The conversation dives into ego, faith, cancel culture, creative reinvention, and the emotional cost of making people laugh in divided times. He reflects on career evolution, vulnerability on stage, and finding meaning through laughter, discipline, and self-awareness.

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Forrest Shaw on stand-up, touring with Jim Jefferies, burnout, therapy, and the mental health side of comedy—where honesty, absurdity, and discipline meet.

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Comedian Forrest Shaw joins to talk about writing stand-up rooted in honesty, absurdity, and observation. He reflects on working with Jim Jefferies, the realities of touring, and balancing creative fulfillment with burnout. The episode explores social media’s pressure on comics, comedy algorithms, discipline, therapy, and the mental health toll of chasing success. Forrest breaks down joke structure, writing habits, crowd dynamics, and why true comedy still comes from struggle, curiosity, and connection.

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Danny Jolles breaks down the making of his interactive special You Choose—talking comedy, failure, grief, therapy, and why happiness might be the most radical thing in stand-up.

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Comedian Danny Jolles dives into the making of his interactive stand-up special You Choose, exploring creativity, risk, and failure in modern comedy. He breaks down how algorithms, crowd work, and social media clips have reshaped stand-up—and why storytelling, authenticity, and vulnerability still matter. Danny opens up about grief, trauma, therapy, happiness, and why comics don’t have to be miserable to be funny. The episode covers the evolution of comedy specials, artistic control, emotional burnout, and the future of comedy in the algorithm age.

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Comedian Shanna talks fear, self-doubt, and finding her voice on stage. She opens up about trauma, ADHD, therapy, and being a Black woman in comedy—balancing humor, healing, and authenticity.

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Comedian Shanna opens up about fear, confidence, and finding her voice on stage. She shares how she writes conversational comedy, faces anxiety, and navigates performing as a Black woman in stand-up. The episode explores self-doubt, ADHD, race in comedy, trauma, grief, assault, therapy, and the balance between humor and healing. Shanna and the hosts discuss authenticity, inclusion, industry bias, and the emotional work behind turning pain into laughter.

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A deep dive into Greg Warren’s comedy process—discipline, clean sets, crowd work, and the stories behind The Salesman, The Champ, and Farming.

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Comedian Greg Warren breaks down the craft of stand-up comedy, from his iconic “Flute Man” bit to his obsession with Jif peanut butter. He shares how discipline from wrestling shaped his writing process, why frustration and curiosity fuel his best material, and how clean comedy sharpened his voice. The conversation explores joke-writing, bombing, rewriting old premises, crowd work, corporate gigs, and the balance between trauma, frustration, and humor. Greg reflects on his specials The Salesman, The Champ, and Farming, and digs into creativity, discipline, silence on stage, and the future of stand-up.

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Emma unpacks happiness, self-worth, therapy, ADHD, codependency, addiction, and the tension between gratitude, fulfillment, and modern social media.

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Comedian Emma Willmann reflects on happiness, self-worth, and the ways society sells false versions of joy and sexuality. This conversation explores how consumer culture shapes our definition of happiness, how porn and media distort intimacy, and how self-awareness, therapy, and reflection can rebuild personal meaning. Emma and Michael dive into comedy, ego, resentment, ADHD, codependency, overconsumption, relapse, suicidal ideation, and the tension between gratitude and fulfillment. The episode covers addiction, relationships, boundaries, and the mental health impact of social media.

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