TigerBelly is a no-holds-barred arena for half-truths, social no-nos, and animal behavior-featuring comedian Bobby Lee and his best friend Khalyla. In this week’s episode, comedy director Judd Apatow joins the podcast to discuss various topics including Apatow meeting Dr. Oz at the right time, Will Ferrell’s theory on why bears are funny, penis contraptions, and slouching Ben Affleck.
A film director, producer, screenwriter, and comedian, Judd Apatow is the founder of Apatow Productions, through which he produced and directed the films The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Funny People, This Is 40, Trainwreck, and The King of Staten Island.
Additionally, through Apatow Productions, he produced and developed the television series Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000), Undeclared (2001–2002), Funny or Die Presents (2010–2011), Girls (2012–2017), Love (2016–2018), and Crashing (2017–2019).
Apatow also produced the films The Cable Guy, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Superbad, Pineapple Express, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek, Bridesmaids, Begin Again, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, and The Big Sick.
Throughout his career, Apatow received nominations for eleven Primetime Emmy Awards (two wins), five Writers Guild of America Awards (one win), two Producers Guild of America Awards, one Golden Globe Award, and one Grammy Award.
Apatow began performing stand-up comedy at age seventeen, during his senior year of high school. In the September 1985 issue of Laugh Factory Magazine, he is listed as an Associate Editor. After graduating from high school in 1985, he moved to Los Angeles and enrolled in the screenwriting program at University of Southern California. While at USC, he organized and hosted a number of on-campus “Comedy Night” events, featuring headliners such as Saturday Night Live performer Kevin Nealon. Apatow introduced the acts at these events with short standup routines of his own. He also began volunteering at (and later producing) benefit concerts for HBO’s Comic Relief and performing and seeing standup at the Improv in Hollywood.
