Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out

Jaksot

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  223. Emmy Blotnick: Don’t Take That Deal 14.09.2026 46min

  Mike is joined by comedian and writer Emmy Blotnick, whose new special “What’s Her Secret?” hit YouTube this summer. Emmy, a former writer for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, talks about getting more personal in her new special, discussing on stage her challenging relationship with her father, and her brother’s imprisonment for financial crimes. Emmy and Mike also dive deeper in Mike’s “hot people industry” jokes, as Emmy has many thoughts about Sephora. Plus, Emmy recalls a vital piece of advice Mike gave her about a bad show business deal.
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  The Working It Out Creativity Supercut 07.09.2026 40min

  This week Mike presents a selection of some of the best bits of advice about creativity from some of his favorite episodes. Featuring: Lin-Manuel Miranda Jenny Slate KC Shornima James Acaster Ira Glass Elizabeth Gilbert Jack Antonoff Pete Docter Bridget Everett Josh Johnson Stephen Colbert
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  222. Joe List: How to Survive a Comedy Panic Attack 31.08.2026 56min

  This week Mike welcomes to the podcast comedian, and fellow Massachusetts native, Joe List. Joe talks about what it’s like to be married to and raise a chid with another working comedian, Sarah Tollemache, and Joe tells a story about how he worked through a panic attack moments before doing stand-up on Conan. Mike and Joe also discuss Joe’s documentary feature that he directed about a comic who dropped out of traditional show business to run a comedy club in Key West, Florida. Plus, they work out new jokes about the military history of M&Ms, strange childhood memories, and the worst thing you could say to a child.
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  Michael Che: An Amateur Therapy Session 24.08.2026 1t 10min

  (Recorded December 2025) Mike started this podcast so that one day Michael Che would come on. Today is that day. In this all-timer episode, Mike and Che work out tons of jokes and discuss the advice Lorne Michaels gave to Che that he’ll never forget, how Che went from designing and selling t-shirts on the street to being a stand-up comic, and what keeps him coming back to SNL. Plus, the time Che nearly did something to Colin Jost on air that he would really regret.
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  221. Ron Funches: Say What You Want 17.08.2026 47min

  This week Ron Funches joins Mike on the podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about finding your comedic voice vs. faking it, Ron’s recent autism diagnosis, and Ron’s stint on the reality show, “Traitors.” Plus, Mike and Ron work out tons of new bits about remaking famous Black movies with all-white casts, death by chocolate, and the problem with a haircut Ron got in Budapest.
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  Chloe Troast and Mike Answer Your Questions About Improv and Sketch 10.08.2026 37min
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  220. Jo Firestone Returns: You Better Marry My 40-Year-Old Daughter 03.08.2026 56min

  Working It Out favorite Jo Firestone returns for a triumphant fourth appearance, this time pregnant and rocking a Phantom of the Opera Toronto production t-shirt. Jo talks with Mike about pregnancy, her “shotgun wedding” at city hall, and her new book Sex on Murder Island, the sequel to Murder on Sex Island. Plus, much talk of Lord of the Rings, including why Jo relates to Frodo and why Mike sympathizes with Gollum. Subscribe to Working It Out Premium on Apple Podcasts for a special *extended version* of this episode!
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  John Mulaney: He's Funny and Here's Why 27.07.2026 1t 9min

  (Recorded January 2026) For the 200th episode of Working It Out, Mike sits down with one of his oldest friends and one of the podcast’s first ever guests, John Mulaney. The two discuss monkeys wearing space suits, old stories from the road, and how John’s career changed after having kids. They work out new jokes about the time John asked Mike to go skydiving, getting yelled at by substitute teachers, and a story about an interaction with Frank Sinatra that—until Mike tells it on stage—John cannot find peace. Plus, John brings a literal buzzer into the interview so that he can hit it if he finds Mike guilty of a certain tendency.
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  219. Michelle Buteau: From TV News to Her Own TV Series 20.07.2026 50min

  Michelle Buteau was a local TV news editor in New York until she tried stand-up for the first time, only days after 9/11. Since then she’s become an international touring comedian, bestselling author, and co-creator and star of her own Netflix series Survival of the Thickest. Now Michelle talks with Mike about figuring out who you are as a person, sharing embarrassing personal stories in a writers room, and why comedy is a family business. Plus, new jokes about parenting, yoga class, and Mike and Michelle discuss whether Mike should go on the Breakfast Club morning show.
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  218. Jane Wickline and Liva Pierce Return: Comedy Duo Therapy 13.07.2026 45min
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  Fred Armisen: Is He Joking? 06.07.2026 48min

  (Recorded August 2025) Having recently toured together with John Mulaney, Mike and Fred sit down for his first in-studio appearance on Working it Out. They discuss Fred’s SNL audition, his best sketch writing advice, and the manners of navigating video exhibits in museums. Plus, Fred borrows Mike’s guitar to demonstrate how cultures around the world play the acoustic guitar.
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  217. Aaron Chen: High Quality Jokes from a Low Capacity Kind of Guy 29.06.2026 47min

  Comedian Aaron Chen may be known internationally for his role on the hit Australian TV series Fisk, but he’s been a working stand-up since the age of 15. In fact, he might be the only Working It Out guest who learned to drive commuting to and from comedy clubs with their dad. Now he’s got a hit Netflix special, Funny Garden. This week, Aaron sits down with Mike to discuss his journey from the suburbs of Sydney to opening for Ali Wong to headlining his own shows across the world. Plus, Aaron and Mike open up about the instances early in their careers when they regrettably lashed out at audiences, and how they became more adept at navigating difficult shows.
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  Jon Rudnitsky and Mike Answer Your Questions About Failure and Jokes 22.06.2026 37min

  This week, the very funny Jon Rudnitsky joins Mike to answer listener submitted questions. The two of them discuss how long it was before they started earning money from comedy, the complete loss of dignity required to make it as a stand-up, and what it is that keeps them showing up every day. Plus, how Jon caused what he believes to be one of the greatest mistakes in SNL history.
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  216. Wanda Sykes: Mike's Dream Guest 15.06.2026 45min

  Wanda Sykes is one of Mike’s original dream guests for the podcast. Now, on the heels of her new Netflix special, Legacy, Wanda talks with Mike about how they both started in DC, and why Wanda left her job at the NSA to pursue a career in stand-up comedy. Wanda tells the story of how she moved from the writers' room of The Chris Rock Show to acting in sketches, how she got tricked into auditioning for Curb Your Enthusiasm, and the weird requests she gets from Curb fans. Plus, new jokes from Mike and Wanda.
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  215. Phil Lord and Chris Miller: These 2 Dorks Made Every Movie You Love 08.06.2026 49min

  Filmmakers Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s resume is a laundry list of hits: Project Hail Mary, The Lego Movie, 21 Jump Street, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and more. Their success with projects that didn’t initially seem like good ideas has even spawned a verb in Hollywood, “to Lord and Miller” something. Now they sit down with Mike to discuss the positive and negative ramifications of that. They also discuss the test screening process of Project Hail Mary, and working with Nicolas Cage on their new series Spider-Noir. Plus, they reveal the five films that would be on the syllabus of Lord and Miller University.
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  214. Robby Hoffman: It's a New Dawn 01.06.2026 56min

  This week Mike and Robby Hoffman sit down for their first in-depth conversation like, as Robby puts it, two cats cautiously getting to know each other. Mike and Robby work out new jokes about vending machines and AI, share advice about marriage, and Robby begs Mike’s fans to stop sending him emails. Plus, Robby tells the stories of how she got cast in Hacks, and how her outspokenness at a writers guild meeting drew the attention of John Mulaney, who went on to direct Robby’s Netflix special Wake Up.
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  Jenny Slate: Unafraid of Sadness 25.05.2026 1t 9min

  (Recorded October 2025) The great Jenny Slate joins Mike this week for a wide-ranging conversation about getting hypnotized after being fired from SNL, a graduation speech Jenny gave to a class of one person, and making art to feel less lonely. Plus, jokes and stories about seeing your friends naked, improv classes for the elderly, and the time Jenny’s faked case of appendicitis went too far.
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  213. Jack Antonoff Returns: Music’s Biggest Producer Records Mike’s Pizza Song 18.05.2026 59min

  Ahead of the release of his new album “Everyone For Ten Minutes,” Jack returns to Working It Out. Mike and Jack break open why Jack has never listened to Mike’s podcast, what Jack wanted to say about marriage and loneliness on his new album, and what Bill Burr, Frank Langella, Jon Bernthal, Andy Milonakis, and the Indigo Girls have in common. Plus, Mike and Jack play guitar as they work out a new comedy song, “Remember Pizza.”
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  212. Pete Holmes Returns: Selling Crepes at a Junkyard 11.05.2026 44min

  This week, Pete joins the pod to talk about his new special “Silly Silly Fun Boy,” work out more jokes, and of course roast Mike a lot more. The two discuss the concept of comedy justice, the benefits of a YouTube special, and why there’s no music for rich people. Plus, against all odds, Pete manages to slip in a piece of shameless self-promotion so shameful he asks Mike to cut it out afterwards.
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  211. Nish Kumar Returns: Dinosaurs Before the Meteor 04.05.2026 54min

  British comedian Nish Kumar returns to the podcast to discuss the humbling nature of stand-up comedy, lessons learned from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and more. Nish explains the concept of his new tour, “Angry Humour From a Really Nice Guy,” and how he finds the comedy within his pessimistic views about humanity. Plus, Mike and Nish discuss different kinds of heckling, and why Nish’s voice caused an audience member’s Apple watch to call an ambulance.