Kumail Nanjiani | Oh, Mary!, The Big Sick, and a Return to Stand-Up | Working It Out Podcast
Kumail Nanjiani is a stand-up comedian, a movie star, and an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter. Now he’s returning to stand-up comedy after a six-year break and co-starring as Abraham Lincoln in the hit Broadway show Oh, Mary!. Kumail sits down with Mike to discuss all the twists and turns of his career, including co-writing The Big Sick with his wife Emily Gordon for producer Judd Apatow. Plus, how Kumail coped with the unexpected reception of the Marvel movie Eternals, and what Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg really think of the show “Silicon Valley.”
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Website: https://linktr.ee/kumailnanjiani
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Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kumailn
Hosted and Produced by Mike Birbiglia
Producers: Peter Salomone, Joseph Birbiglia, Mabel Lewis
Consulting Producer: Seth Barrish
Associate Producer: Gary Simons
Video Editor: Nick Demetriolakus
Video Consultant: Graham Willoughby
Special Thanks: Marissa Hurwitz, Josh Upfal, David Raphael, Nina Cwik, J. Hope Stein, Oona
Music: Jack Antonoff and Bleachers
@chrismartin542
September 20, 2025 at 4:36 pm
Man I wish there was a video of him and Martin doing the bit at that event
@texwan
September 20, 2025 at 4:36 pm
Great episode! Delightfully drawn in and want to see the next!
@chrisel4349
September 20, 2025 at 4:36 pm
lol the last two minutes when they’re bending themselves over backwards to not mention Isra eel starving an entire people. “Operation starvation”…USA did it, they think get away with it now. Say WHO is committing the crimes.
@LC-le9ew
September 20, 2025 at 4:36 pm
Pour one out for poor Pete the punching bag!!!
@demitasse22
September 20, 2025 at 4:36 pm
49:45 ok though…these are legit the kind of questions they ask in tech interviews. They don’t want an answer per se, they what to “see how your mind works”, except it usually involves sandwiches. This is so effing funny on a deeper level
@RichardsShortHorrorFilms
September 20, 2025 at 4:36 pm
My wife and I were at one of the shows in Chicago where they filmed for Kumail's Hulu special. His show was really good but when he got to that last 15 minutes that he talks about here, it got great.
@destructoblog
September 20, 2025 at 4:36 pm
Back in the Indoor Kids days, I remember writing into the show a few times and they read the dumb things I wrote (I don't remember what I wrote) and then when Kumail came nearby to do a live show, I met with both of them after the show and they were so, so cool and nice. Ironically enough the only other famous person I've really met was Marc Maron, and he was also nice but not as nice.
@johnjacobjingleheimersmith9923
September 20, 2025 at 4:36 pm
Kumail is so brilliant! His energy and enthusiasm shine through, and his wit is as keen as it can be without cutting himself (too much, I hope).
@Yintii
September 20, 2025 at 4:36 pm
Oh and for the record Kumail, I LOVED you in Eternals! The movie wasn't AS bad as everyone made it out to be….im sorry you had such a bad experience with the aftermath of it, but lots of us love you!
@Yintii
September 20, 2025 at 4:36 pm
Oh man, this was just lovely. Such a treat to listen to!
@Roneish1996
September 20, 2025 at 4:36 pm
Eternals was good not amazing but good I wish we’d gotten more of Kumail in it tbh but it was rather busy, anyway just want him to know that he deserves to return in the MCU and if the rumours of him being booster gold in the DCU are true I am extremely excited to see him take on that role as well. He is always someone I love to see no matter what he is doing so this is a blast.
@PoppinC-l3w
September 20, 2025 at 4:36 pm
Please add some timestamps.
@boris2835
September 20, 2025 at 4:36 pm
I’m I the only one who liked it? Rushed yes but cool
@johnobrien2643
September 20, 2025 at 4:36 pm
Watching you two bust Pete's balls warms my Masshole heart. That is our love language, and I know Pete must love it.
@jermainethigpen2531
September 20, 2025 at 4:36 pm
Doomcock was here!
@saintg4fun829
September 20, 2025 at 4:36 pm
Roids bulkup. Nobody cares about anything after Avengers.
@ddust102
September 20, 2025 at 4:36 pm
Got that new jaw for nothing
@DolphinDER
September 20, 2025 at 4:36 pm
44:00 He starts talking about eternals.
@BaronVonCarrot
September 20, 2025 at 4:36 pm
no gigs but kept on the juice
@revive
September 20, 2025 at 4:36 pm
No timestamps is wild. I don't wanna watch the whole episode to see the part where he talks about Marvel 😭
@RosefrmVenus
September 20, 2025 at 4:36 pm
I loved the movie. I think the critics are nitpicking way too much.
@Blaah6
September 20, 2025 at 4:36 pm
Him being an Indian super hero is the worst character rep. Hollywood need to see how Indian super hero looks like
@johnnyresin
September 20, 2025 at 4:36 pm
I love that your show has a format, but it works so well that the same guests can come back over and over and it never gets stale.
@joebove4
September 20, 2025 at 4:36 pm
It’s still crazy to me that Eternals is considered a bad movie. I found it to be smart, poignant, and engagingly philosophical. And Nanjiani himself was just great in it, so to hear him say it was so bad he had to go to therapy just does not make sense in my head.
@Thr3-Words
September 20, 2025 at 4:36 pm
36:25 Great advice for creatives
@tonyhamilton9764
September 20, 2025 at 4:36 pm
Everything is Tuberculosis is an amazing book and Mike nailed it, this is so curable and if the world wanted to eradicate this or end hunger it would be so doable. Great podcast love Kumail.
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