Claim OwnershipMike Birbiglia's Working It Out
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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.
150 Episodes
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Mike welcomes back old friend and Working It Out hall of famer Tig Notaro. They discuss the inevitability of finding your own comedic voice, how Tig had to come out as gay to her own children, and the time her brother fell into her stepfather’s grave. All that, plus tales from Tig’s lesbian party bus with Sarah Paulson and Allison Janney.Please Consider Donating To: World Resources Institute
This week Neal Brennan returns to Working It Out in celebration of his new Netflix special, “Crazy Good.” Neal and Mike go deep on what to do when friendship isn’t reciprocated, what all comics have in common with Seinfeld, and the irrelevance of the question “Is Kevin Hart humble?” All that, plus the listener email Mike received in response to his joke about joining a cult.Please consider donating to Amazon Watch
1Hasan Minhaj Returns: Good Boy Syndrome(Recorded August 2023) Hasan Minhaj was one of the first guests on Working It Out back in 2020 and it remains one of the most popular episodes because of Hasan’s natural inclination to work out bits. Off-air Mike and Hasan often trade notes and ideas and today it spills into the podcast. Hasan compares comedy craft to Steph Curry’s approach to basketball, explains what it’s like to interview Barack Obama, and confesses to the guilty pleasure of watching couples argue in public.Please consider donating to Vituity Cares
Jesse David Fox is one of the definitive voices in comedy history and analysis. He’s written for Vulture and New York Magazine and now he sits down with Mike to discuss his new book Comedy Book, which covers among other things the comedy boom of the past 20 or so years. Mike and Jesse break down what it’s like to write *about* comedy, and why Mike trusted Jesse to document his creative process in the Peacock documentary Good One, based on Jesse’s podcast. Plus, Mike holds Jesse’s feet to the fire on a controversial piece Jesse wrote about John Mulaney.Please consider donating to the National Network of Abortion Funds
In celebration of his new special “Terrified,” the Impractical Jokers star Sal Vulcano joins Mike for what starts as a normal interview and then turns into a podcast full of stories stranger than the last: Sal’s prank on an overbearing TV executive, how Sal ended up with *multiple* photorealistic tattoos of Jaden Smith, Sal’s never-ending eBay dispute, and how Sal put his foot in his mouth irrevocably with Rachel McAdams. All that, plus a few more stories that have Mike ending the podcast with the statement: “You shouldn’t even be allowed to be here.”Please consider donating to: Doctors Without Borders
Comedian Janine Harouni and Mike have a lot in common. They both survived severe car accidents, they have similar relationships with their parents, and they both value the quality of being vulnerable on stage. Mike and Janine discuss the process of turning a traumatic experience into a comedic story, and how Janine’s recovery from her car accident helped her better connect with her parents and inspired her to start doing comedy. Plus, jokes and stories about what it’s like being married to another comedian, Janine’s experience working at a mob-run restaurant, and why her dad wears serial killer gloves.Please consider donating to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
From the studio of Pete’s podcast, You Made It Weird, Pete and Mike record an all new episode of Working It Out. Pete brings new and improved roasts of Mike while retroactively responding to Mike’s roasts of Pete from their previous episode. Plus the two comics have one of the most pure Working It Out sessions of all time as they create jokes in real time about their complex relationships with their dads. Through the jokes and the burns Mike and Pete ultimately attempt to answer life’s big questions: Does God exist? Does Mike get residuals from tumbleweeds in Westerns? Does John Mulaney live in Los Angeles? Plus candid conversations about jealousy, cheating on tests in 9th grade, and Mike getting bullied while writing an article for the school paper about the aviation club.Please consider donating to Homeboy Industries
Working It Out hall-of-famer Rachel Feinstein returns to the podcast on the heels of her hit Netflix special Big Guy. Rachel explains why her firefighter husband loves being roasted in her special and why he pronounces the word “cash” like “quiche.” Rachel shares an absurd road story featuring Kevin Hart and Keith Robinson and discusses why you should never ask a comic how *they* felt about their show. Plus, new material about God getting sober, normalizing spa days, and Rachel attempting to cuddle with a boyfriend at the scariest hotel she’s ever stayed at.Please consider donating to Friends of Firefighters and The Billy Moon Foundation
Ramy Youssef Returns: You Already Love Him(Recorded October 2023) Ramy Youssef was one of the first and most popular guests on Working It Out back in 2020, and now he’s back with updates to some of the same very material he worked out the first time around. Mike and Ramy discuss which Death Cab For Cutie songs make Ramy cry, unfriendly encounters in Jacksonville, the perils of public restroom keys, and Ramy’s not-so-secret “secret marriage.” All that and why Ramy wants Mike’s next special to be called “The Arab Dad.”Please consider donating to Karam Foundation
For this very special episode of Working It out, Mike welcomes John August, the screenwriter behind Charlie’s Angels with Drew Barrymore, Tim Burton’s Big Fish, and his breakthrough film Go, which is celebrating its 25 year anniversary. John co-hosts the screenwriting podcast Scriptnotes with Craig Mazin (The Last of Us), which is not only Mike’s favorite screenwriting podcast, but his favorite podcast about the creative process (not counting Working It Out). John shares direct, practical screenwriting advice that you’ll actually use, whether you’re an aspiring screenwriter or you want to pursue creative work of any kind.Please consider donating to Miry's List
This week the legendary Judd Apatow returns to Working It Out for his fourth and best appearance yet. Judd tells behind-the-scenes stories from Bridesmaids and Funny People, as well as the most helpful filmmaking advice he’s gotten from other greats along the way. Judd and Mike also break apart the story of Judd’s first ayahuasca trip—and what that experience might have to do with both his parents’ divorce and his first sexual experience. Plus, jokes about how Judd somehow gained weight on Ozempic.Please consider donating to 826 National.
In Chris Fleming’s recent Peacock stand-up special Hell, he calls out some audience members who are married and shouts, “This show is not for people who have wives. You have a wife?! Go see Mike Birbiglia!” Fleming is fearless about dragging the names of other comedians into his bits: from Bo Burham to Nikki Glaser to Bert Kreischer and more. Chris is a Massachusetts theater kid turned comedian and it manifests in stand-up comedy that is simultaneously avant-garde but also crowd pleasing. Mike and Chris sit down for a truly productive session of working out new material and they break down why Massachusetts is so darn repressed. Plus, they do no-holds-barred impressions of each other in what is one of the most unhinged episodes of Working it Out of all time.Please consider donating to Best Buddies
Mike welcomes Rory Scovel, whose special made Mike laugh so hard he spit water all over himself. Rory talks about how telling the truth and being vulnerable on stage led him to his best bits, how his taking up abstract painting is similar to comedy, and how a week of fully improvised stand-up shows gave Rory a new perspective on his career. Plus, the best and most off-the-rails “Working It Out” section the podcast has had yet.Please consider donating to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Mike welcomes back the poet J. Hope Stein, aka Jenny, aka Clo, aka Mike’s wife of fifteen years. A frequent collaborator on Mike’s comedy specials and movies, Jenny describes her favorite type of creative feedback and why she’s most impressed by poetry that crosses over to audiences who don’t always understand poetry. The couple shares candid and embrassing stories from the early days of their romance including two stories that might make it into Mike’s new live show. Plus, Jen reads two new poems in celebration of Earth Day and announces the audiobook of her poetry collection “Little Astronaut.”Please consider donating to Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Chicago improv performer and teacher Liz Allen taught a workshop for Mike’s college improv group almost 25 years ago. Since then, Mike and Liz have found numerous ways to reunite and collaborate, most notably on Mike’s film Don’t Think Twice. Now Mike sits down for an in-depth chat with one of his favorite improvisers about the unique roots of Chicago improv, Liz’s (in)famous teacher Del Close, and the one-in-a-million coincidence that connected Liz and Gillian Jacobs.Please consider donating to Stepping Stones NetworkCheck out https://www.lizallenimprov.com for more info about improv coaching by Liz
On the heels of the release of his new special “Just For Us” on Max, Alex Edelman returns to the podcast for the fourth and best time yet. Mike and Alex break apart the story of the time Alex’s bank lost all his money, how a protestor recently disrupted his show, and what it feels like to be releasing his special after the death of his beloved director, Adam Brace. Plus, Alex’s recent and very strange run-in with Bill Gates.Please consider donating to: Sefaria
Mike sits down with comedian, actor, and writer Esther Povitsky to discuss her special Hot For My Name. Mike has a lot of questions about the time Esther crashed her fiancée's bachelor party in Vegas. Plus, Esther figures out Mike’s attachment style, and they discuss the differences between the LA and New York comedy scenes. All this, and jokes about adults dressed as babies, watching OnlyFans with your partner, and being outed as a comedian on the subway.Please consider donating to Rheumatoid Arthritis Foundation
Mike sits down with the legendary comedian and writer Seth Meyers for a conversation that reveals who is secretly the funniest of the funniest at SNL behind-the-scenes and who was the most popular Strike Force Five host. Then, Mike and Seth work out new material about serial killers, the D.A.R.E. program, and dropping acid in Amsterdam. Plus: who will take over for Lorne Michaels after he leaves SNL?Please consider donating to Sanctuary For Families
Mike became an instant super-fan of Ilana Glazer in 2014 when her hit series Broad City premiered on Comedy Central. This week on the podcast Mike and Ilana go deep on the origins of Broad City, Mike’s cameo on the show, honest takes on parenting, the development of Ilana’s new hour of stand-up comedy, and how *Broad City* Ilana is different from *real life* Ilana. Plus, jokes and stories about weed-induced anxiety and saying hello to strangers.Please consider donating to Out of the Closet
This week Mike responds to listener questions. How many of your stories are true? Who is your dream guest? What is your greatest piece of comedy advice? All these and more.
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Had an idea about why your "oil cylinder" reference didn't fly. What's an oil cylinder?
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Amazing podcast. Deep, intellectual, moving, and even kinda funny once in a while. Love both Hasan Minhaj episodes, all three Ira Glass Episodes, the Roy Wood Jr. episode (true classic), and the Tig Notaro episode, but the one I found to appreciate the most was the Chris Gethard episode. Mike always says to subscribe to his mailing list for show dates and I've tried to several times but it never works. I assume the internet thinks it's spam from Helix mattresses and deletes all the emails immediately. Also patiently awaiting the "Slow Round" conversational board game... Would love to use that to get all my friends who are into comedy to actually open up and stop doing bits... Thanks, Birbigs. Fix your dang email server.
This was a great conversation to listen to! I spent some years living in an Idaho college town, and whenever Ryan Hamilton mentions Idaho, I feel a kinship with his experience. And of course, he is hilarious!
so excited you had a DC show but it is the one week I am out of town. Bummer. not going to be able to see this show live.
get bill burr, Matt stone, trey parker on your podcast
Yes, my celebrity crush is here! True story, my six year old son once saw Stephen Colbert on TV and said "Mom, that's the guy you said you're going to marry if dad dies!" 😂 To be clear, I have no memory of saying that, but I'm not calling my son a liar.
Gaffigan can't seem to finish a sentence, his thoughts ping pong all over the place, almost incoherent. Couldn't finish it.
If the figurine was glass, it was not a Hummel. Hummels are ceramic and produced in Germany, not China.
Randall Park is very talented and I love seeing everything he's been in! He's hilarious in his appearances in the Marvel universe and I hope that his character is given more screen time in future projects!
This episode was the BEST! I've been listening to a ton of various stand-up on Pandora, and have gotten to hear a lot of Jim Gaffiigan's bits. Really fascinating to hear the depth of his thoughts on the history and evolution of stand-up as an artform.
I read Hoot with my kids this summer and then we watched the movie together. I was delighted to see Brie Larsen in it! My son said "Captain Marvel saved the owls!"
Jesus christ. you think this dude is gay? his voice is like nails on a fucking chalk board. hard no.
please note this is a re-release, not a new episode
my fave Massholes💕🔥
this podcast helps me take my mind off things
Does it feel like he rushed through this episode? of course the black female comedian gets the shortest episode.
very interesting to hear great comedians discuss their different processes and give each other feedback.
I was absolutely thrilled to learn Mike Birbiglia is doing a podcast. As a long time fan who's driven for hours to see him live, I could not be happier about having Mike and his witty friends keeping me company at work. I've listened to every episode (twice for Ira Glass) and am anxiously awaiting the next installment. Thanks for all you do, Mike, and thanks to you and your wife for your wonderful book The New One.
loving Mike Birbiglia's new podcast