We Called Your Mom

In this episode you get 2 moms and 2 daughters! Beth Stelling and Cameron Esposito met many years ago in Chicago, IL where they started their stand-up comedy careers around the same time. In this episode we get to meet Cameron's mom Brenda, and hear about her life growing up in Gallipolis, Ohio. Diane and Brenda connected on both having three daughters, attending Ohio colleges (Xavier and Wittenberg) and growing up, they loved Broadway musicals and 60’s TV shows like Dr. Kildare and Ben Casey. They also shared their love of the arts with their children, which probably had a hand in leading Beth and Cameron to comedy. This episode also holds the answer to how Diane and Brenda really feel about their daughters' acts.

Binaifer grew up in a very artistic family in India. Her parents invited dancers, singers and actors over to practice for local productions. She fondly remembers there being “a diva in every room.” For more than 20 years she and her husband have been involved in community theatre in Syracuse, NY. Both have won many theatre awards, her for performing and Navroz for his scenic design. Performing reminded her of her father and took her mind off immigrating to a new country. She feels they are honoring their parents through their community theatre involvement. They’ve passed their love of theater on to Behzad, who you can find @behzaddabu and playing Simon Drake on How to Get Away with Murder as well as Amir on The Chi.

Ginger and Diane have a lot in common! Both retired teachers who love music from the 60’s on Sirius radio and watching their daughters perform stand-up. Ginger taught Special Education and has a passion for political activism, instilled by her parents who she grew up watching canvas for Democrat Adlai Stevenson in North Carolina. Fortune and Beth’s acts are based on real people in their lives, which often includes their moms. In this episode you can find the truth about whether Ginger’s ever actually eaten at Hooters. We think Ginger’s best gift to her daughter is: accepting her for who she is.

This is a hometown episode for us! Barb lives just a few blocks from Diane, so her talented son Micah grew up in the same school system as Beth. Beth and Micah’s friendship started around middle school/high school in the Ohio High School Speech League and continued on through their adult lives and careers in entertainment. Barb is a professor of Economics at the University of Dayton yet has always had a deep love of theatre that found its way to Micah, and in turn, has given her a front row seat for life. Micah is best known for his appearances on Broadway, in the Sundance breakout Brittany Runs a Marathon, playing Doug in the Netflix dark comedy series Bonding and he’s currently starring in the Disney+ original series The Right Stuff as astronaut Deke Slayton! From Micah’s Tony nomination alongside Nathan Lane to being Beth’s Conan holiday party date, Micah is very versatile.

This episode has connection issues but only of the internet variety! We connected genuinely with Noah’s mom Abbie. After success as a filmmaker and director with her twin sister, Carol (a clothing designer @ShoshNewYork), Abbie went on to found The Studio in New York City where she teaches the transformative practice of Katonah Yoga (@thestudio.yoga). Which we learned can shed light on your habits and offer fresh perspective and insight. Having a twin sister has made Abbie’s nieces and nephews more like siblings to her own children, and therefore a deeply connected family unit who not only supports but believes in and practices the family trade of self-awareness, enlightenment and expression. Abbie’s son Noah is currently playing Dr. Asher Wolke on The Good Doctor (ABC) and previously starred as Evan Hansen in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway as well as being the star of the ABC sitcom The Real O’Neals to name just a few of his artistic endeavors. Find him @noahegalvin

This is the first episode where the child of our mom-guest is present for the conversation! And we made an exception because they are a package deal! Ruth and Madisen make up the Americana Folk band called Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear. In this episode you’ll hear about the genesis of Ruth’s love for music and storytelling, and we’ll give you a hint: it ends with a dinner with Janis Ian! Check out their forthcoming podcast The Mad Mama Half Happy Hour! And of course their musical albums: “Skeleton Crew” and “Started With a Family.” Follow them @madisenwardmb Hope you enjoy our four-way conversation as much as we did!

It’s officially season 2 as we begin to share our 2020 recordings (we’re calling them the Zoom Years)! No better way to kick it off than with Ron Funches’ mom Karen. Getting to know Karen, it’s clear to see how Ron became a joy warrior. Karen was a social worker, nurse and worked in the jail system helping others. She and Ron share a great sense of humor and while they’re very close, Karen regaled us with an anecdote that Ron hasn’t heard. Our favorite quote of Karen’s is: “Who you spend your time with is important. Life is short!” For more Ron visit RonFunches.com and watch “Nice One!” on Quibi. His podcast Gettin’ Better is available wherever you get podcasts!

Our first LIVE episode! And with double the mom! We were invited to attend the prestigious Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal, Quebec last Summer, so we got Diane a passport and went international. Our mom guests are Toby (her daughter Sophie Buddle is the first female to win the Canadian Juno Award for Comedy Album of the Year)! And Linda (her son Andrew Goldberg is one of the creators of the cartoon hit show Big Mouth)! Beth thinks she could’ve been a better co-host to Diane, while Diane thinks Toby & Linda could’ve done it without us! Enjoy delving into the origins of comedy greats!

Episode 8 holds the secret to raising a Saturday Night Live superstar. Patti tells us the details of Will’s conception and how she discovered who her true friends were on the set of the film MacGruber. Patti is open, silly, thoughtful and endlessly kind so we guess that’s where Will must’ve gotten it. Beth met Will on the set of the film Good Boys filmed the summer of 2018 in Vancouver, B.C. Will accepted the role but didn’t want to leave Patti on her birthday so she came along and we celebrated her on set!

Episode 7 is a conversation with Chris, the mother of my best friends Tiffany and Danielle. On stage they're a stand-up comedy duo known as The Puterbaugh Sisters. Even though we grew up only an hour apart, we didn't meet until 2007 in Chicago but became instant friends and we've grown to be more like sisters. Diane says she would’ve been best friends with Chris if we’d all grown up in the same town! The Puterbaugh Sisters were a massive influence on the entire Chicago stand-up scene by bringing their silly, uninhibited, unapologetic style to any stage they stepped on, whether it was 2 inches or 6 feet off the ground. Everyone got sillier, looser and a bit braver with the Puterbaughs around. Enjoy getting to know their mother Chris!