Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out

By Mike Birbiglia

Comedy

What's Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out about?

Comedian Mike Birbiglia welcomes a different comedian or creator each week and together they work out original, untested material. And, occasionally, uncomfortable topics. Join them as they work it out.

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Sterlin Harjo: Comedy From ...

11.28.2022

(Recorded September 2021) Filmmaker Sterlin Harjo co-created the smash comedy hit Reservation Dogs for FX about four Indigenous teenagers growing up on a reservation in Oklahoma. Sterlin tells Mike about the time he accidentally taped over someone's wedding video while ...

Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out episodes:

11.28.2022 Sterlin Harjo: Comedy From Tragedy and Reservation Dogs (Recorded September 2021) Filmmaker Sterlin Harjo co-created the smash comedy hit Reservation Dogs for FX about four Indigenous teenagers growing up on a reservation in Oklahoma. Sterlin tells Mike about the time he accidentally taped over someone's wedding video while ...
11.21.2022 86. Wendy MacNaughton: Putting On Your Art Eyes Wendy MacNaughton is an acclaimed visual artist whose work you’ve probably seen and/or love. Between illustrating the bestselling cookbook Salt Fat Acid Heat, drawing for the New York Times, and teaching “Draw Together” online art classes for kids, she somehow ...
11.14.2022 Drew Barrymore: Do What You Love (Recorded May 2022) Mike’s first-ever major movie role was in Going the Distance, starring Drew Barrymore. Now, 12 years later, Drew takes Mike through her journey from starring in E.T., to hosting SNL at age 7, to producing and starring ...
11.07.2022 Ben Stiller: Get Some Sleep (Recorded June 2022) Ben Stiller joins Mike to talk about everything from leaving the SNL cast within weeks of joining to early nerve-racking test screenings for his film “Zoolander.” They also break apart Ben’s genre-bending hit series “Severance” on AppleTV+. ...
10.31.2022 85. Iliza Shlesinger: When You're Hot Forever Iliza Shlesinger is one of the most prolific comedians on the planet, with six specials including her latest, Hot Forever, and a new comedic memoir, All Things Aside. Mike and Iliza bond over their hard-to-pronounce last names, Iliza explains why ...
10.24.2022 84. Chloe Fineman: The SNL Star Who Can Literally Do Anything Chloe Fineman’s first TV appearance was doing bird calls on Letterman. Now she plays a multitude of beloved characters on SNL and a role in Noah Baumbach’s forthcoming film White Noise. Mike and Chloe discuss how she got noticed with ...
10.17.2022 83. Chris Gethard: Don’t Think Twice About Being Naked Mike has seen Chris Gethard naked. So has the cast and crew of Mike’s film Don’t Think Twice. Chris shares his memories of being nude on set, as well as why he was reluctant to return to the world of ...
10.10.2022 Hasan Minhaj: Sometimes Living Through History... Sucks (Recorded July 2020) Mike just announced that his show The Old Man and the Pool is coming to Broadway. Tickets at birbigs.com. Today we’re re-airing one of our favorites. Mike and Hasan are friends who share a love for the ...
10.03.2022 82. Sam Morril: What Did You Do? My Act. Sam Morril tells well-crafted jokes but sometimes they make people angry. Sam is known for dealing with provocative subject matter but he doesn’t consider himself a provocative comedian. He and Mike dissect the difference. Then, on the heels of Sam’s ...
09.26.2022 Jimmy Carr: Life is Better With Laughter (Recorded October 2021) Legendary British comedian Jimmy Carr begins his conversation with Mike by saying, “I wrote a book in lock-down because it was that or a podcast and I figured a book would be more dignified.” This begins an ...
09.19.2022 81. J. Hope Stein: Jokes and Poems Mike welcomes his wife, the poet J. Hope Stein, a.k.a. Jen, a.k.a. Clo, on the release day of her new book of poems "Little Astronaut.” Mo and Clo have a deeply candid chat about poetry, creativity, and what it’s like ...
09.12.2022 Mo Amer: The Creative Savings Account (Recorded January 2022) Mo Amer started doing stand-up when he was 14, and now he's being introduced by The Rock in his latest Netflix special, Mohammed in Texas. Mike talks with Mo about that journey, growing up Palestinian in Houston ...
09.05.2022 80. Larry Wilmore: Putting It Out There Larry Wilmore’s credits are endless. In Living Color, The Bernie Mac Show, The Office, The Daily Show, Insecure, and more. Now the legendary writer and performer sits down with Mike to share some of the wisdom he gained from working ...
08.29.2022 Pete Holmes: Paperback Pete and His Soft Body (Recorded September 2021) Mike welcomes back one of our most beloved guests, Pete Holmes, to celebrate the paperback release of The New One. Pete has a lot to say about hardcovers, hardbodies, and how his father asks him questions just ...
08.22.2022 79. Sarah Sherman: From New Faces to SNL Sarah Sherman a.k.a. Sarah Squirm is the first and only Working It Out guest to show up wearing a t-shirt of the band Cannibal Corpse. The breakout SNL star sits down with Mike and the two comics cover everything from ...
08.15.2022 Taylor Tomlinson: She's Not Like Us (Recorded March 2022) The last time Taylor Tomlinson was on "Working it Out," she had just released her first Netflix comedy special Quarter-Life Crisis. Now, Taylor returns on the heels of her latest special Look At You. Mike and Taylor ...
08.08.2022 78. Jimmy Fallon: Dip It in Ranch This week Mike literally picks up Jimmy Fallon in his car and drives him to the studio for this joke-filled and joyful episode of Working It Out. The two friends share stories about everything from camping out with their daughters ...
08.01.2022 Jack Antonoff: Jokes Are The Melodies Of Comedy (Recorded May 2021) Mike welcomes Jack Antonoff who, in addition to writing the music for this podcast, is a Grammy Award-winning musician and frontman for the band Bleachers. He has collaborated and co-written songs with Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen, ...
07.25.2022 77. Joe Birbiglia: Who Doesn’t Like Free Stuff? Mike welcomes his longtime collaborator and lifelong brother Joe Birbiglia. They discuss what it’s like to work together as family—from differentiating between work and family phone calls to Joe being mistaken for Mike at the merch table. Joe explains the ...
07.18.2022 Ira Glass: The Highly Anticipated Return (Recorded December 2020) Since Ira Glass was Working It Out’s inaugural guest in June 2020, listeners frequently requested his return. In December of 2020, the podcast welcomed its first return guest and its first second draft. We also learn what ...
07.11.2022 76. Jessi Klein: This Is the Reason For Comedy Jessi Klein is an Emmy-award winning comedian, writer, actor, and author, with a resume that includes Inside Amy Schumer, Saturday Night Live, Transparent, Kroll Show, and the voice of Jessi Glaser on Big Mouth. On top of all that, WIO ...
07.04.2022 Rosebud Baker: Addicted to Comedy (Recorded November 2021) Rosebud Baker can make anything funny. She has jokes about the tragic death of her sister, her own struggles with addiction, and why nurses seem to be a little too cocky. Mike and Rose kick around jokes ...
06.27.2022 75. Zarna Garg: Humor is a Strategy Comedian Zarna Garg immigrated to the U.S. from India at age 16 and started performing stand-up comedy in her forties. As Zarna’s daughter Zoya explained in her New York Times-published college essay, it was not an easy path. Zarna sits ...
06.20.2022 John Green: The Fault in Our Birbiglias (Recorded December 2021) In addition to his new hit book “The Anthropocene Reviewed,” John Green has written several novels that have debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list including “The Fault in Our Stars” which was adapted ...
06.13.2022 74. Ben Stiller: Get Some Sleep This week Ben Stiller joins Mike to talk about everything from leaving the SNL cast within weeks of joining to early nerve-racking test screenings for his film “Zoolander.” They also break apart Ben’s genre-bending hit series “Severance” on Apple TV ...
06.06.2022 Hannah Gadsby: Solo Shows and Spectrum Gazelles with a Master of the Craft (Recorded June 2020) Mike discusses Hannah's award winning Netflix specials “Nanette” and “Douglas” and together they dig deep into the solo show process and how her new show may end up including a “spectrum gazelle.” Please consider supporting: https://www.safehorizon.org/
05.30.2022 73. Michael J. Fox: When Your Hero Comes on Your Podcast This week Mike welcomes one of his all time heroes, Michael J. Fox. Not only is Michael a five time Emmy award winning actor who has starred in ‘Family Ties’ and ‘Back to The Future,’ but his foundation has raised ...
05.23.2022 Hannah Einbinder: The Joke’s on You For Loving a Clown (Recorded December 2021) Hannah Einbinder received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her breakout performance in HBO’s “Hacks.” Today Hannah and Mike discuss what it means to be yourself in auditions, risking rejection in front of audiences, and the miracle ...
05.16.2022 72. Drew Barrymore: Do What You Love Mike’s first-ever major movie role was in Going the Distance, starring Drew Barrymore. Now, 12 years later, Drew takes Mike through her journey from starring in E.T., to hosting SNL at age 7, to producing and starring in some of ...
05.09.2022 Jimmy Kimmel: Spilling the Meatballs (Recorded September 2020) Last year Jimmy Kimmel cooked Mike meatballs and then Mike dropped them on Jimmy’s front lawn. This interview goes better than that! Join Mike and Jimmy for a candid chat about schoolyard fights, right wing hit jobs, ...
05.02.2022 71. Alex Edelman Returns: The 25 Word Pitch Mike welcomes back Alex Edelman. Since his last appearance on the podcast, Alex has opened his solo show “Just For Us,” received rave reviews, appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and has been nominated for an outer critics ...
04.25.2022 Aisling Bea: The Right Amount of a Bit Much (Recorded May 2021) The last time Mike and Aisling Bea spoke, Aisling was frantically making pizza from scratch for one of Mike's Worldwide Comedy Pizza Party virtual shows. Now that the dough has settled, they dig in for a conversation ...
04.18.2022 70. Judd Apatow Returns (Again): He Has Fettuccine in His Heart Judd Apatow returns for a record third appearance in support of his latest New York Times-bestselling book Sicker in the Head. He turns the tables and puts Mike in the hot seat for an interview tracing Mike's journey from "funniest ...
04.10.2022 Gary Gulman: The Joke Nerd Summit You've Been Waiting For (Recorded March 2021) These two comedy nerds discuss the elements of math, science, art, and music that go into constructing the perfect joke as they trade collected wisdom about writing from Steve Martin, Mary Karr, Robert Lowell, Philip Roth, and ...
04.04.2022 69. Atsuko Okatsuka Returns: How to Become Yourself When Atsuko was first on the Working It Out podcast, Mike only knew her from her viral Instagram videos and some of her stand-up. Since then, Mike and Atsuko toured together and their "pandemic friendship" became a real friendship. Now ...
03.28.2022 Quinta Brunson: Flinging Cats, Lovingly (Recorded May 2021) This week Mike welcomes Quinta Brunson, the comedian, actor, and writer who blew up from her “He Got Money” memes and viral videos. She has since pivoted into mainstream success as the creator of the hit show ...
03.21.2022 68. Taylor Tomlinson Returns: She's Not Like Us The last time Taylor Tomlinson was on "Working it Out," she had just released her first Netflix comedy special Quarter-Life Crisis. Now, Taylor returns on the heels of her latest special Look At You. Mike and Taylor discuss why Look ...
03.14.2022 Stephen Colbert: Laughter As An Act Of Love (Recorded October 2021) Fresh off his Emmy win (with stage companion Conan O’Brien) Stephen Colbert joins Mike for a discussion of comedy, anxiety, and why he’ll never run for Senate. He explains that the reason he loves improv is that ...
03.07.2022 67. Lynn Shawcroft: How Mitch Hedberg Wrote Jokes Last summer, Mike revistied to the classic comedy album "Strategic Grill Locations" by his friend, the late great Mitch Hedberg. The listening experience was so transcendsnt that it inspired Mike to call Mitch's wife Lynn Shawcroft and ask if she ...
02.28.2022 John Mulaney: Shooting Hoops with the Michael Jordan of Comedy (Recorded 2020) On the heels of John Mulaney hosting SNL for the 5th time, we are re-airing one of our favorite (and 2nd ever!) episodes. The two friends discuss the Chicago Bulls, getting beaten up by their brothers, and John’s ...
02.21.2022 66. David Cross: Fully Committed Dad This week Mike welcomes David Cross, who is a legend in comedy and also makes cameos in Mike’s dreams. The two comics discuss the origins of Mr. Show, why Tobias from Arrested Development is so different from David himself, and ...
02.14.2022 Aubrey Plaza: A Four-Quadrant Superstar (Recorded March 2021) Aubrey Plaza is a beloved comedic actor for her role as April on Parks & Rec & many acclaimed indie films including "Black Bear" which she not only starred in but also produced. The two discuss their ...
02.07.2022 65. Jon Laster Returns: Playing Legacy Ball When Jon Laster was last on the podcast in the summer of 2020, Mike and Jon talked race relations in America and the relationship between tragedy and comedy. Now Jon returns to discuss his thoughts on what has changed, what ...
01.31.2022 Judd Apatow Returns: Judd Has Notes (Recorded July 2021) Judd Apatow saw Mike's entire new show in progress, and he's got a lot of feedback. As they break apart Judd's notes, they veer into topics like dark joy vs. light joy, why we exercise, and how ...
01.24.2022 64. Mo Amer: The Creative Savings Account Mo Amer started doing stand-up when he was 14, and now he's being introduced by The Rock in his latest Netflix special, Mohammed in Texas. Mike talks with Mo about that journey, growing up Palestinian in Houston and later performing ...
01.17.2022 Jo Firestone: Onomatopizza and the Fyrestone Fest (Recorded April 2021) Mike welcomes one of the most uniquely funny people alive and the two comics go deep on deep dish pizza. Jo explains her controversial take on eating pizza crust first and builds on Mike’s already over the ...
01.10.2022 63. Sarah Millican: Put The Email Address In Last What started as a poem by Sarah Millican about a bad divorce sprouted into one of the most popular comedy careers in England in the last 20 years. Mike and Sarah discuss how hitting rock bottom can lead you to ...
01.03.2022 Jim Gaffigan: We Met in 1997 at a Pizzeria Mike met Jim Gaffigan in 1997 when he cold-called Jim’s landline. They went out for, of course, pizza and Jim gave him advice that Mike has not only used but also shares with others. The two comics discuss the insanity ...
12.27.2021 62. Hannah Einbinder: The Joke’s on You For Loving a Clown Hannah Einbinder received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her breakout performance in HBO’s “Hacks.” Today Hannah and Mike discuss what it means to be yourself in auditions, risking rejection in front of audiences, and the miracle that is crowd ...
12.20.2021 Malcolm Gladwell: 10,000 Hours of Jokes You can hear the excitement in Mike's voice as he welcomes legendary author Malcolm Gladwell, host of Revisionist History & author of Outliers as well as his latest The Bomber Mafia. Malcolm brings Gladwellian theory to why the re-telling of ...

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