Comedian Ariel Elias rose to prominence after a video of her chugging a beer that an angry heckler threw at her went viral. But the real story is more interesting, notably how Ariel drew on the incident for her act. Mike and Ariel talk about how to write jokes about […]
Comedian, podcaster, and actor Stavros Halkias is having a moment right now but he’s been doing stand-up since he was 19 years old. Stavros talks with Mike about starting out in Baltimore and hitting rock bottom healthwise just as his career was skyrocketing. Stavros discusses acting in Bugonia and this […]
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 […]
Comedian Caleb Hearon shares with Comedian Mike Birbiglia who he is jealous of. The two also discuss things Caleb believed 10 years ago that he no longer believes now, in this clip from Caleb’s October 2025 appearance on the Working It Out podcast. Full Episode: https://youtu.be/nUyitBIKPKI
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 […]
Sal Vulcano from Impractical Jokers tells Mike Birbiglia how he got two Jaden Smith Tattoos. The two also briefly discuss how comedy comes before everything else in this clip from Sal’s June 2024 appearance on Working It Out. Full Episode: https://youtu.be/DqktsQL1fTU
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 […]
This week, the hilarious Chloe Troast joins Mike to answer listener-submitted questions. The two discuss what to do when an improv scene goes off the rails, Chloe’s relationship to comedy after SNL, and how being around other talented people makes everyone better. Plus, Chloe shares the “truth “about the Please […]
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 […]
Kumail Najiani shares with Mike Birbiglia how comedy director Judd Apatow got involved with Kumail’s movie The Big Sick! The two also discuss having more artistic control in entertainment in this clip from Kumail’s 2025 appearance on Working It Out. Full Episode: https://youtu.be/Y8zwAj3sYpc
