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.
Mike Birbiglia: A comedian, storyteller, director and actor who has performed in front of audiences worldwide, from the Sydney Opera House to Broadway. His shows, “My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend” and “Thank God for Jokes,” were both filmed for Netflix. His most recent show, “The New One,” ran for 99 shows at the Cort Theatre.
In addition to performing live, Mike is an author and filmmaker who wrote, directed and starred in the films Sleepwalk with Me and Don’t Think Twice. Mike’s book “Sleepwalk with Me and Other Painfully True Stories” was a New York Times bestseller and a finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor. As an actor, Mike has appeared on “Inside Amy Schumer,” HBO’s “Girls” and “Broad City,” as well as in the films Trainwreck, The Fault in Our Stars and Popstar. He plays the role of Danny Pearson on “Orange Is the New Black” and Oscar Langstraat on Showtime’s “Billions.” He is a contributor to “This American Life” on public radio. In 2017, Mike was honored with the Kurt Vonnegut Award for humor.
In this week’s episode, Chelsea Handler has achieved massive success, from her latest Netflix special The Feeling to her worldwide tours to her Las Vegas residency. But as she discusses with Mike, and details in her new book I’ll Have What She’s Having, she wasn’t always on top of the world.
Chelsea tells Mike about bombing badly at Just For Laughs, and how some advice from Jane Fonda helped her during a difficult time. Plus, the story of when Chelsea unintentionally drove a giant bag of cocaine across the country, and why she felt compelled to confront Woody Allen with a very dark joke.
Chelsea Handler: Chelsea Handler was born in Livingston, New Jersey, to a Mormon mother, Rita (Stoecker), who was born in Germany, and an American-born Jewish father, Seymour Handler. She was the youngest of six children. In 2002, Chelsea was one of the stars of Oxygen’s Girls Behaving Badly (2002). Chelsea got her start doing stand-up comedy, she has since performed nationwide to sold out audiences. Chelsea is a best-selling author, writing the books “My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One Night Stands”, “Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea” and “Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang”. Chelsea is a late-night talk show host, with Chelsea Lately (2007).
