Don't Be Alone with Jay Kogen

Tim & Jay talk about connecting, being in the moment, getting fired from “Friends”, the Groundlings, being brave enough for relationships, laughing during improv, Frosted Mini Wheats, auditions, serious acting vs not, The Playboy Mansion, being gay, coming from the middle of the country to Los Angeles, good pizza, and angels.Bio:Tim Bagley is currently on the 2nd season of Peabody Award winning "Somebody Somewhere" for HBO, streaming on MAX, with the 3rd season coming out soon!

10/8/24 • 45:18

Paul Reiser talks about his new film, “The Problem with People”, deciding to be a comic, comedy and heartbreak being from the same well, His love of Peter Faulk, Jack Lemon, and Alan Arkin, fathers, getting out of the house, building a music room just in case Billy Joel dropped by, Writing “What A Fool Believes” with and about Michael McDonnald, “Diner” “Mad About You.” “The Thing About My Folks”, acting and writing seriously, his sons, and realizing you can’t write a standup act but just holding a pad and thinking to yourself…”What’s funny?”Bio:  n Hulu’s recent critically-acclaimed comedy series “Reboot” from Modern Family creator Steve Levitan, Reiser plays Gordon, the original creator of the old sitcom being rebooted. Awards Daily says “Reiser truly excels, giving one of his very best performances…here, he reminds us just how very funny and experienced he is in the world of television comedy.” He also took his first step into bloody, superhero glory, joining Season 3 of Amazon Prime’s Emmy-nominated The Boys, playing “The Legend.” Also this year Reiser filmed “The Problem with People,” an original comedy feature film which he wrote, produced, and stars in alongside Jane Levy and Colm Meaney. Reiser currently stars in two hit shows for Netflix: Stranger Things—the company’s biggest series of all time—where he plays Dr. Sam Owens, a role created by the Duffer Brothers specifically for him; and Chuck Lorre’s The Kominsky Method, for which he received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in and Golden Globe-winning comedy ended in May 1999 and premiered 20 years later as a limited series on Spectrum Originals. All seven seasons of the original Mad About You and the re-visit are available for streaming on Amazon Prime. The multi-faceted actor also revived one of his most iconic roles in the highly anticipated return of Mad About You, the long-running hit 90s comedy Reiser co-created and starred in with Helen Hunt. The Emmy, Peabody and Golden Globe-winning comedy ended in May 1999 and premiered 20 years later as a limited series on Spectrum Originals. All seven seasons of the original Mad About You and the re-visit are available for streaming on Amazon Prime. Throughout his prolific career, Reiser has worked with both independent and mainstream filmmakers. Having earned acclaim for his supporting role in the Academy Award-winning film Whiplash, Reiser was also recently seen alongside Kevin Hart in the Netflix feature Fatherhood, John McDonagh’s War on Everyone and in frequent collaborator Jeff Baena’s “The Little Hours” and “Horse Girl,” which premiered at Sundance 2020, the fourth film the pair has worked on together. The veteran actor has garnered praise for notable performances in films such as Diner, Bye Bye Love, Aliens, One Night At McCool’s, Beverly Hills Cop I/II and The Thing About My Folks, which Reiser wrote for his co-star Peter Falk. Reiser is a fixture behind the camera as well. He co-created and co-produced There’s Johnny!, a seven-episode series which originally streamed on Hulu and now streams on Peacock. The show, a fictional story set behind-the-scenes of Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show circa 1972, co-created with filmmaker David Steven Simon and co-produced with director David Gordon Green in conjunction with The Carson Company, premiered to critical praise, with Decider saying There’s Johnny! is “a television experience unlike any I’ve seen on TV in recent years” and “unfolds like a dream, a memory fondly recalled.” As an author, Reiser’s first book, Couplehood, sold over two million copies and reached the number one spot on The New York Times bestsellers list. His subsequent books, Babyhood and Familyhood, were best sellers as well. Voted by Comedy Central as one of the Top 100 Comedians of All Time, Reiser regularly performs sold-out standup at venues nationwide with dates currently booked throughout 2022 and beyond. A SUNY Binghamton graduate of its prestigious music program, Reiser co-wrote the theme song for Mad About You, “The Final Frontier,” with Grammy-winning producer Don Was, and released an album of original songs with British singer-songwriter Julia Fordham called Unusual Suspects. Over the course of his career, Reiser has received multiple Emmys, Golden Globes, American Comedy Awards and Screen Actors Guild nominations. Reiser and his family reside in Los Angeles.

10/1/24 • 48:23

David Kessler discusses grief and loss and how it’s not that bad and why Jay is reluctant to grieve. We talk about accepting the end of our lives, how children deal with death, and why we are triggered to feel loss in the strangest moments. We talk about being honest with loved ones and not overreacting, and the value of using the ticking clock of death to live better today. We take listener questions and get ready for the best end we can create for ourselves. Bio: David Kessler is one of the world’s foremost experts on grief and loss. He is the author of seven books, including his latest bestselling book, Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief, as well as a new Finding Meaning companion workbook. He co-authored two books with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Life Lessons and On Grief and Grieving. He co-wrote You Can Heal Your Heart with Louise Hay and also wrote Visions, Trips and Crowded Rooms. His first book, The Needs of The Dying received praise from Saint (Mother) Teresa. His new online model of grief support, Tender Hearts, offers over twenty-five groups. Additionally, David leads one of the most respected Grief Educator Certification programs. He is the founder of Grief.com

9/24/24 • 49:52

Father and son actors, Lawrence & David Pressman talk about their journeys to becoming actors, what it’s like to grow up in Kentucky vs Los Angeles, knowing acting was your calling from a young age, the problem with drinking, acting out when you are young, having your dad bribe you to quit showbiz, and getting blown up in Independence Day and getting yelled at by Elia Kazan. Bio: Lawrence Pressman was born in 1939 in Cynthiana, Kentucky. A graduate of Northwestern University, he has appeared in over 150 roles on the screen and stage. Including, “Shaft” “9 To 5” “American Pie” “The West Wing” and “Doogie Howser MD” where he played the series regular role of Dr. Benjamin Canfield. He is still unclear who Jay Kogen is.David Pressman was born in New York City and was promptly whisked away to Sherman Oaks, California where he grew up.  He has appeared in a bunch of film and tv (ok fine, not as much as his dad) including “Independence Day” “Zoolander” “Tropic Thunder” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and the recurring role of Mr. Rusnak on the television series “Newhart”. His voice can currently be heard on episodes of Fox television's animated show, “Krapopolis”. David loves his dad.

9/17/24 • 47:19

Liza talks about her podcast, “Significant Others” and what makes someone devote themselves to making someone else famous, and how no one does it alone, and how empathic she and her husband, Conan, are to the world, and how the trees just might be killing us. Bio: Liza Powel O'Brien has an MFA in Fiction Writing from Columbia University's School of the Arts. Her work has been seen at The Geffen Playhouse, Echo Theater Company, The Blank Theatre, Unscreened LA, Naked Angels LA, Ojai Playwrights Conference, Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival, Hedgebrook, and Whidbey Island Center for the Arts.  Her podcast “Significant Others” tells stories of those who lived just outside the spotlight of history.

9/10/24 • 48:38

Entertainment reporter Richard Rushfield discusses how silicon valley and stockholders tried to make sure bets and wound up destroying the infrastructure of Hollywood. We also talk about comedy, movies, being a pessimist, and the notion that storytelling will continue no matter what. Bio: Richard Rushfield founded The Ankler in January 2022. Called a “hit Hollywood newsletter” by the New York Times the Ankler is the number one go to information source for Hollywood Insiders who really want to know what’s going on inside Hollywood.  has covered Hollywood and American culture as a reporter, editor and critic for over 20 years. A native of Los Angeles, he had a first career as a grassroots political field organizer, working for the 1992 campaign of Bill Clinton, among others. He began covering L.A. as a reporter for Los Angeles magazine, later working as a contributing editor of Vanity Fair and author of its long-running Intelligence Report column. Additionally, he was an editor and columnist for the Los Angeles Times, The Daily Beast, Gawker, BuzzFeed and Yahoo and was editor-in-chief of the website Hitfix. Richard is also the author of three books.

9/3/24 • 44:38

Blurb: Comedian Sierra Katow talks about her new special, being so insecure she conquers everything she sets out to do, Asian comics, hitting the comedy clubs with your dad waiting in the car, and throwing your Harvard Education away on jokes, when it’s right to start a family, and hustling to prove your not a typical type-A person. Bio: Sierra is a standup comic, writer, and actor who recently released her debut comedy special, Funt, with Comedy Dynamics available on Amazon Prime, AppleTV, YouTube, and more. She can be seen in the upcoming PBS series Roots of Comedy with Jesus Trejo and plays Evangeline on Mindy Kaling's The Sex Lives of College Girls on Max. Previously, she was a part of the main cast of The G Word with Adam Conover on Netflix, voiced characters in Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon, and performed standup on Last Comic Standing (NBC), Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC), Just For Laughs Digital, FOX, and MTV. She was a writer/co-producer for the upcoming Comedy Central series Golden Axe and has written for Exploding Kittens (coming soon to Netflix), Close Enough (HBOMax), Earth To Ned (Disney+), Eureka! (Disney+), and more.

8/27/24 • 46:50

Blurb: Husein and I talk about shared traditions, taking faith seriously but being open and curious to all cultures and not eating at Ramadan, writing a pilot together about South Asians, Canada’s Thanksgiving, India’s holidays, his father not trusting his career until Husein showed up in a suit and my father punching up the jokes my dates told. Bio: Actor and storyteller Husein Madhavji, has taken on diverse roles throughout his career most notably playing Dr. Shahir Hamza for 5 seasons in the hospital drama Saving Hope, on stage starring in the Soulpepper production of Yasmina Reza’s 'Art’ in Toronto, and the world premiere of Tarragon Theatre’s acclaimed play “Behind The Moon”. He was also in the Emmy award winning seasons of Schitt’s Creek and Daniel Tiger. He can be currently be seen in the Netflix film Donkeyhead, the Disney+ animated series Mira, Royal Detective and on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on Paramount+, and on Bell Media’s lighthearted drama “The Spencer Sisters”.  As a writer his short film “The Time Traveller” that he developed with director RT, won best short film at the Canadian Film Fest and a received a best foreign film nomination at the San Francisco Black Film Festival. And Husein’s pilots “Desi Family” and “Huse Right” both placed at the Launchpad Screenwriting Competition in the US. Prior to his acting career, Husein was a TV presenter where he hosted a daily national entertainment show in Canada, interviewing some of the most famous and celebrated faces in the world. 

8/20/24 • 44:32

The Great Laraine Newman talks about the growing up in Beverly Hills, founding the Groundlings, being part of the pioneering cast of SNL, raising kids who work in show business and still have integrity, fighting addictions, avoiding auditions, voice work, writing an audible memoir “May You Live in Interesting Times”, and what it’s like to make a movie that’s powered mostly by cocaine. Bio:Laraine Newman is an Emmy and Annie Nominated performer and an actual native of Los Angeles. She began studying improv at the age of 16. She, along with her sister Tracy Newman are amongst the founding members of The Groundlings, now the farm team for SNL.  Laraine has worked for directors ranging from Woody Allan to Guillermo Del Toro. She has a thriving career in animation and her credits can be found on IMDB. She has also written for Esquire,  The Believer and McSweeneys.  She is on the board of San Francisco Sketchfest, an alternative comedy festival now in its 20th year and appears regularly in the long-running award winning Broadway show Celebrity Autobiography.  Her memoire- May You Live In Interesting Times can be found on audible.com

8/13/24 • 47:48

Judd talks about Jay helping Judd’s career, Jay relentless hounding Judd to do the podcast, The Mike Douglas Show, how to spot talent, Totie Fields, The Cable Guy, stand-up now, being hungry, why it’s hard to make movies, too many apps, hoarding memorabilia, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, what it takes to be a producer, Walk Hard, and demanding a souvenir show mug. Bio: Judd Apatow is one of the most prolific comedic minds in the industry. Recently, Apatow produced Peacock’s Stormy Daniels documentary, Stormy, Peacock’s buddy comedy Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain and Universal’s romcom, Bros, starring and co-written by Billy Eichner. Apatow also directed, produced, and co-wrote with Pam Brady, the Netflix comedy The Bubble and produced and co-directed HBO Films’ Emmy®-winning documentary George Carlin’s American Dream with Michael Bonfiglio. Previous director credits include the Emmy®-award-winning documentary, The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up and The King of Staten Island. He produced Academy Award®-nominated The Big Sick and Bridesmaids, as well as, Superbad, Pineapple Express and Anchorman. For television, he executive produced Crashing, Girls, and Freaks and Geeks. Off screen, Apatow authored Sicker in the Head, a follow-up to his New York Times best-seller Sick in the Head.

8/6/24 • 48:53

Billy and I discuss being writing partners in Jr High, why MAGA loves to be afraid, why Kamala has a shot, why Biden didn’t have a shot, how to make the campaign work, writing for candidates, why we should fight to keep our democracy, how America agrees with Democrats even though some of them don’t know it, dirty tricks from the bad guys, and Lynn Swann.Bio: Billy Ray wrote the Oscar-nominated screenplay for Captain Phillips, for which he won the WGA award. Ray's films as writer, co-writer, or writer-director include "The Hunger Games," "Richard Jewell," "Shattered Glass," and Showtime's "The Comey Rule," which had the biggest debut of any limited series in that network's history. He is an activist in the Democratic Party, providing messaging help to 85 sitting Members of the House and Senate. He believes in democracy, justice, and the Dodgers.

7/30/24 • 47:22

Blurb: Matt and I talk about the legacy of The Simpsons, what it means to go from super fan to icon, always knowing he wanted to draw cartoons, having kid are better than making great art, how music makes The Simpsons great, how Jay could come back to work if he came back crawling on his knees, and how Jay agreed to crawl. Bio:  Matt Groening was born in Portland, Oregon, on February 15, the third of five children.  His father, Homer, was a cartoonist and filmmaker.  From an early age, Matt created his own cartoons, amusing his friends and annoying his teachers.  Groening attended Evergreen State College in Washington State, where he studied philosophy and continued his interest in cartoons, comics and music.   After his graduation in 1977, Groening headed to Los Angeles where he struggled in immobilizing but irksome poverty.  Increasingly frustrated by the traffic, smog, and his landlords, Matt began to vent his angst to his friends by sending them cartoons starring a bug-eyed rabbit named Binky.  Groening soon began to publish and sell these cartoons at the record shop where he worked.  Their popularity encouraged Matt to syndicate, and in April 1980, Life In Hell® formally debuted in the Los Angeles Reader and ran successfully in more than 250 newspapers around the world and half-dozen languages before Groening concluded it's production in 2012.  Life in Hell® has also been collected in a best-selling series of books with over two million copies in print, including Love is Hell, Work is Hell, School is Hell, Childhood is Hell, Akbar & Jeff’s Guide to Life, Greetings From Hell, The Big Book of Hell, With Love From Hell, How to Go to Hell, The Road to Hell, Binky’s Guide to Love, and Love is Still Hell.  In 1987 James L. Brooks approached Matt about creating animated shorts to fit between sketches of “The Tracey Ullman Show.”  Matt agreed, but instead of using the Life in Hell® characters, he created an entirely new cast: The Simpsons, which bear the names of his family members, Homer, Marge, Lisa and Maggie (Bart is an anagram for brat). The Simpsons were soon spun off into a half-hour animated series which first aired on December 17, 1989 with a Christmas special, followed by the series premiere on January 14, 1990.  It has since gone on to become the longest running prime-time animated show in television history.  An international hit, the series has also spawned a licensing and merchandising empire.  It has spanned a hit feature film and a revolutionary virtual coaster ride at Universal Studios.  He also created the Emmy Award-winning animated series “Futurama.” As a cartoonist, Groening began his “Life in Hell” weekly comic strip series in the 1980s, and concluded it in 2012. In 1993, he formed Bongo Comics Group, and continues to serve as publisher.  Winner of multiple Emmy Awards, the prestigious Peabody Award, Annie Awards and the Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year, the highest honor presented by the National Cartoonist Society, he also received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in February 2012 and was personally honored with designing five U.S. postage stamps.

7/23/24 • 71:07

Blurb: Actor Jade PettyJohn who was 14 years old when she first worked for Jay on School of Rock talks about her journey becoming an actor at 7 and being an actor at 23. They talk about what was good and bad about working as a child actor and how to make the lives of child actors better. They also talk about dreams, candles, the weirdness of growing up, dreams of a music career, and joys of cooking with friends, Jay throwing spaghetti on Jade’s head, Jay spraying nacho cheese on Jade’s head, how headbands hurt Jade’s head, and they mystery of why Jade’s head hurt alot during productions.  Bio: Jade Pettyjohn is a well known professional actress who has been working in the industry for well over a decade. She starred in Nickelodeon’s twice Emmy Nominated School of Rock. She moved on to work with the top artists of the industry starring alongside Laura Dern in Trial by Fire, Nicole Kidman in Golden Globe nominated “Destroyer” and Reese Witherspoon in Emmy nominated “Little Fires Everywhere.” More recently, Pettyjohn stars in Marcus Dunstan’s new film All My Friends Are Dead produced by John Baldecchi premiering at the TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL.Jade is currently working on Ryan Murphy’s Monsters, the Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story portraying the role of Jamie Pisarcik.

7/16/24 • 46:37

We talked about: Finding community, doing The Stump, Not doing Chandler on “Friends”, the wonderful and difficult friendship of Matthew Perry, doing theater as a kid, “easy” comics who took their time, playing villains, lying about knowing how to ride horses and almost dying on the horse, auditioning by “being that guy” to set you apart, The Great David Pressman, kind hearted Richard Kind, staring in broadway, fear of going out. my writing advice “how much pain can you take?”, always seeking connection. Saying “yes” to opportunities, Craig’s dog boo.  Rye New York. Somehow Craig thinks I project warmth and kindness. Windows in school that go all the way to the ground that give kids the confidence to be on the world. Bullies who don’t think they are bullies, the gain and loss of choice, and the idea that the journey we are all on must contain random gifts and failures to get us where we are now.  Bio: Craig Bierko made his Tony-nominated Broadway debut as “Professor Harold Hill” in Susan Stroman’s Broadway revival of Meredith Willson’s The Music Man. A familiar face to Broadway audiences, Craig most recently appeared in Conor McPherson’s Girl from the North Country featuring songs by Bob Dylan; as “Sky Masterson” in Des McAnuff’s revival of Guys & Dolls, and in Lincoln Center’s Thou Shalt Not featuring music by Harry Connick. Craig recently completed the darkly comic feature film D(e)ad. Other film work includes starring opposite Russell Crowe in Ron Howard’s Cinderella Man, The Long Kiss Goodnight with Samuel Jackson and Geena Davis, Larry David’s cult classic Sour Grapes and Terry Gilliam’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Craig has appeared in numerous TV shows, most recently on the hit Netflix series Sex/Life as well as on the Peabody Award-winning UnREAL. Craig appeared as Carrie Bradshaw’s love interest “Ray ‘The Jazz Guy’ King” on HBO’s iconic Sex and the City.  Craig bathed John Malkovich in his online talk show “Bathing with Bierko” and offers no apologies.

7/9/24 • 51:51

This is our most gossipy episode ever! Jim and Frank, one of my favorite couples, spill the tea on the icons you want to know most if it were 1983. Sarah Mills, Andy Warhol, and yes, humiliating yourself in front of Merril Streep are all on topic. We discuss occasionally overstepping and finding their way to any and every premiere and the joys of being a fan who gets to talk to the people they love. We talk about overstepping and We talk about the exclusive chat forum known as The Stump and how it affected all our lives.  Bio: Frank DeCaro is the author of the Rizzoli bestseller Drag: Combing Through the Big Wigs of Show Business, and the forthcoming pop-culture history, Disco: Music, Movies, and Mania Under the Mirror Ball. Other books include Unmistakably Mackie, The Dead Celebrity Cookbook series, and the pioneering queer memoir A Boy Named Phyllis. A graduate of Northwestern University, DeCaro writes frequently for The New York Times and Emmy magazine. As a performer, he is best known for his 12 years as host of The Frank DeCaro Show on Sirius XM, and his six-year stint as the movie critic on The Daily Show. In addition, he spent four years playing large venues across North America as the opening act for comedian Lisa Lampanelli.  DeCaro is active on social media at @frankdecaroshow. He and his husband, author Jim Colucci (All in the Family: The Show That Changed Television and Golden Girls Forever), live in Los Angeles and New Jersey with their puppy, Penelope Puggleston, who is the true head of their household.Jim Colucci is a Los Angeles-based freelance entertainment writer whose work has appeared in such publications as TV Guide and CBS’ Watch! magazine, where he served as a Deputy Editor.  He has appeared on such shows as CNN’s History of the Sitcom, and for a decade delivered a weekly on-air entertainment report on his husband Frank DeCaro’s self-titled show on Sirius XM radio.  His books include the November 2021 release All in the Family: The Show That Changed Television, co-authored with Norman Lear, as well as Will & Grace: Fabulously Uncensored, The Q Guide to The Golden Girls and the New York Times best-seller Golden Girls Forever.  He recently completed his next book, Love Boat Forever, while being constantly interrupted by the couple’s cookie-demanding pug mix, Penny.

7/2/24 • 46:40

Novelist/Environmental Activist, Stephen Markley talked about the coming environmental disaster and other laugh out loud subjects.  Stephen thinks there’s hope but mostly it’s by applying pressure to big business and government which sounded hard to Jay.  We also talked about writing for ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING  (Jay and Stephen shared stories about working with Steve Martin and Dan Fogelman), writing a 900 page book which also sounded hard. (Stephen loves writing. Jay would rather nap.) We also talked about why he has no relationship and it may have to do with spending all his time writing 900 page novels. And Stephen’s new book of short stories which I assume aren’t about romance. Bio: He is the author of 'Ohio' and most recently 'The Deluge,' which Stephen King called "a modern classic. More terrifying than The Stand. Because it's real." Weirdly, Markley also wrote for the Hulu show Only Murders in the Building.

6/25/24 • 45:13

On this week’s episode the versatile writer, creator, actor, & comic Larry Wilmore talks about growing up in Pomona, CA and finding comedy and magic, hanging with President Obama. We compare notes on LA, TV, the Dodgers, SNL, Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, losing a sibling and we challenge each other to do stand-up comedy.  Bio: Emmy Award winner Larry Wilmore has been a television producer, actor, comedian, and writer for more than 25 years. He can currently be heard as host of Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air. The show features Wilmore’s unique mix of humor and wit as he weighs in on the issues of the week and interviews guests in the worlds of politics, entertainment, culture, sports, and beyond. Larry is currently in development on the comedy series Lately for ABC, a  behind-the-scenes look at the upstairs-downstairs dynamics of the people who work at a late-night talk show. He also serves as executive producer alongside Kerry Washington, in the Hulu legal drama Reasonable Doubt. Larry hosted and executive produced a limited weekly special talk series WILMORE for Peacock. Wilmore is perhaps best known for his role as host of Comedy Central’s The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore. Off-screen, Wilmore serves as co-creator and consulting producer on HBO’s Insecure.  Wilmore also helped to launch ABC’s black-ish as an executive producer and is a co-creator of the spin-off Grownish.  Previously, Wilmore made memorable appearances as the “Senior Black Correspondent” on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and hosted his own Showtime “town hall”-style comedy specials, Larry Wilmore’s Race, Religion & Sex. He has written for In Living Color, The PJ’s (which he co-created), The Office (on which he has appeared as Mr. Brown, the diversity consultant), and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. He also served as creator, writer, and executive producer of The Bernie Mac Show, which earned him a 2002 Emmy Award for “Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series” and a 2001 Peabody Award.  In April 2016, Wilmore hosted the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, DC. Wilmore released his first book, I'd Rather We Got Casinos and Other Black Thoughts, in January 2009.  He currently lives in Los Angeles. 

6/18/24 • 43:44

Bio: Randy and Jason Sklar can currently be seen in the fourth season of FX’s WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS playing fictional Property Brothers ‘Bran and Toby Daltry’. The Sklars produced, wrote, and starred in THE NOSEBLEEDS, a UFC original series that released this summer on UFC’s Fight Pass. The series is a hilarious deep dive into UFC’s history featuring comedy sketches, field pieces, and in-studio character bits.The Sklars notably hosted and produced History Channel’s UNITED STATS OF AMERICA and created and starred in the ESPN cult hit series CHEAP SEATS, besides being guest hosts on JEFF ROSS PRESENTS ROAST BATTLE. Their television credits include GLOW, BAJILLION DOLLAR PROPERTIES, MARON, AGENT CARTER, PLAYING HOUSE, PARTNERS, GREY’S ANATOMY, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA, ENTOURAGE, CSI, LAW & ORDER, and COMEDY CENTRAL PRESENTS. They released their hour special, HIPSTER GHOSTS on Starz. They also recently produced the documentary, POOP TALK. The Sklars have recurred on the TruTV Series THOSE WHO CAN’T, several episodes of AMC’s hit series BETTER CALL SAUL, as well as the FX comedy WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWSRandy and Jason can also be seen in WILD HOGS and THE COMEBACKS, while their internet shows HELD UP, LAYERS, and BACK ON TOPPS have received critical acclaim. They also recurred as panelists on ESPN’s SportsCenter. They also developed an animated series DUMB PEOPLE TOWN, based on the podcast, with Will Arnett’s Electric Avenue and co-wrote the pilot VAL KILMER RUINED OUR LIVES with Bill Lawrence.

6/11/24 • 45:30

Conan O’Brien and Jay discuss the neurotic need to constantly make jokes at the peril of personal relationships and true communication.  They also talk about their kids and wives putting up with them, their long friendship, podcasting, comedy, growing older in comedy, Conan’s new show “Conan O’Brien Must Go”, and reading commercials. Bio:Conan O'Brien was born in Brookline, MA, and started his path in comedy when he served twice as the president of The Harvard Lampoon. Conan went on to become a writer and producer on several television shows, including "Saturday Night Live" and "The Simpsons," until 1993, when NBC tapped him to take over as host of "Late Night." Since then, he's won four Emmy Awards, seven Writers Guild Awards, and the People's Choice Award for "Favorite Television Host." He has hosted two Emmy Awards, and performed at the White House Correspondents Dinner for two presidents. In 2010, his comedy tour was the subject of the documentary “Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop,” and led to a second multi-city stand-up tour in 2018.In 2021, O'Brien concluded his 11 year run with "CONAN" on TBS, solidifying his 28 year career as a late night host and one of the longest tenures in late night history. His Emmy award winning “CONAN Without Borders” series has visited 13 countries and his podcast “Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend” currently has over 430 million downloads since it launched in 2018. His award winning digital brand Team Coco, which spans across digital and branded content, live events, merchandise and expertly produced comedy specials was acquired by SiriusXM in 2022. O’Brien recently completed production on an international travel series, “Conan O’Brien Must Go,” which premiered on MAX on April 18th, 2024.

6/4/24 • 45:32

Jay smothers Weird Al with love and appreciation for Al’s perfection in his parody. We talk about Mad Magazine, Looney Tunes, pizza, travel, doing what you want, the power of an orchestra, the two pulls of being a comic vs a musician, how a true showman can come out of Linwood, and giving up architecture for being a professional goofball/genius. Bio: FEW WOULD HAVE GUESSED that “Weird Al” Yankovic – who as a shy, accordion-playing teenager got his start sending in homemade tapes to the Dr. Demento Radio Show– would go on to become a pop culture icon and the biggest-selling comedy recording artist of all time, with classic song and music video parodies such as“Eat It,” “Like a Surgeon,” “Smells Like Nirvana,” “Amish Paradise,” “White & Nerdy” and “Word Crimes.”  Now in his fourth decade as America’s foremost song parodist, he has been the recipient of numerous awards, including five Grammys® (out of sixteen total nominations) and a string of Gold and Platinum albums.In 2015 and 2016, Weird Al’s Mandatory World Tour encompassed 200 shows throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia, including two nights at the Hollywood Bowl and a sold-out gig at New York’s Radio City Music Hall.  In the spring of 2018, Al performed 77 shows as part of his Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour, where he and his bandmates of over 35 years played setlists composed almost entirely of his original (non-parody) material, and without any of their signature over-the-top theatrics (no costumes, props or video screens). And in 2019 Weird Al followed up his most bare-bones tour with his most extravagant tour ever – Strings Attached – where he and his band were backed for each of their 67 shows by female singers and a full symphony orchestra.Weird Al’s 14th studio album, the Grammy® award-winning Mandatory Fun (2014), became the first comedy album in history to debut at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, and the first to even reach the top of that chart since 1963.  Yankovic set the U.S. record on Spotify for having the most tracks from one album in the viral top 10 at one time, taking the top four spots.  In addition, “Word Crimes” debuted in the Billboard Top 40, making Al one of only four artists to have had Top 40 singles in each of the last four decades (the other three being Michael Jackson, Madonna and U2).Al has remained active as a recording artist.  June 2017 saw the release of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (Dreamworks), for which Al co-wrote and performed the film’s theme song.  In August 2017, Al wrote and performed “The North Korea Polka (Please Don’t Nuke Us)” for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO). In November 2017 Legacy Recordings released Squeeze Box: The Complete Works of “Weird Al” Yankovic, a remastered 15-disc box set (including a rarities album) plus a 120-page book of archival photos, all housed in a replica of Weird Al’s trademark accordion. Al also recorded cover versions of the Squidbillies theme for Adult Swim and the Ramones’ “Beat on the Brat” for a Dr. Demento compilation album, and produced remixes of two hit singles for Portugal. The Man (“Feel It Still” and “Live in the Moment”).  And March 2018 brought us “The Hamilton Polka,” a frantic tour de force mash-up of 14 songs from the Broadway smash, commissioned by Lin-Manuel Miranda himself and released as part of his “Hamildrops” series.In addition to his cult-hit feature film UHF (1989), his late ‘90s CBS Saturday morning series The Weird Al Show and numerous AL-TV specials he has made for MTV and VH1 over the years, Yankovic has remained a staple of film and television, from appearances on The Simpsons, 30 Rock, The Goldbergs and How I Met Your Mother to performing live on the Primetime Emmy Awards and starring in his own concert specials for Disney, VH1 and Comedy Central.  In 2015 Yankovic took over as co-host and bandleader for the fifth season of IFC’s Comedy Bang! Bang!  Currently Al can be heard as the voice of the title character in Disney Channel’s animated series Milo Murphy’s Law (his other voice acting work includes appearances on Bojack Horseman, Gravity Falls, Adventure Time, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Wander Over Yonder, and the DC animated feature Batman vs. Robin). Yankovic added “New York Times bestselling author” to his resumé in 2011 with the release of his children’s book, When I Grow Up (HarperCollins), followed two years later by My New Teacher and Me!  An animated series based on his children’s books is currently being developed in partnership with the Jim Henson Company.   2012 saw the release of Weird Al: The Book (Abrams), an illustrated hardcover on Al’s life and career, and in 2015 Yankovic became not only MAD Magazine’s cover boy, but the first guest editor in their 63-year history.In 2017 NECA Toys released the second in its line of retro-clothed Weird Al action figures, and in 2018 Funko released two of its own POP! vinyl figures.  On August 27, 2018, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce awarded “Weird Al” Yankovic with the 2,643rd star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

5/28/24 • 42:53

Tony and Jay meet for the first time. We talk about the depth of his character, Primo, in “The Big Night” and why Jay can’t find that depth in real like. We also chat about growing up the 9th of 10 kids, the acting scene in Green Bay, WI., tailoring Monk for Tony, auditioning, the struggles of being an actor, & Tony’s biggest mistake which lead to his greatest joy, acting in Italian, being a creative producer, the magic of connection in live performance, and why we both wish we were Richard Kind.Bio: Tony Shalhoub is a Tony Award, Golden Globe Award and four-time Emmy Award winning actor with a diverse and extensive resume. Most recently, he returned to the iconic role of the beloved obsessive-compulsive detective Adrian Monk in Peacock’s critically acclaimed Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie receiving ‘Best Actor’ in a ‘Limited Series or Television Movie’ nominations from the SAG and Critics Choice Awards. Shalhoub was born and raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin. His father emigrated from Lebanon to the United States as an orphan at age eight. Shalhoub's mother was also Lebanese. Tony spent most of his early acting career in the theater, after graduating from Yale Drama School in 1980. From 1980-1984 Tony was part of the company with the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, before moving to New York. He met his wife Brooke Adams in 1990 while working together in The Heidi Chronicles. Prior to the Monk movie, Shalhoub portrayed Abe Weissman on Amazon Prime Video’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, for which he has won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and two SAG awards for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series. Most recently he received his third Primetime Emmy nomination for his role in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. On the Broadway stage, Shalhoub most recently starred in David Cromer’s The Band's Visit at The Ethel Barrymore Theater, winning a Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical. Prior to that, Tony starred in Terry Kinney’s revival of Arthur Miller’s The Price opposite Mark Ruffalo and Danny DeVito. Tony’s other theater work includes starring in the Broadway productions of Act One, Golden Boy and Conversation With My Father, receiving Tony Award nominations for each performance. Tony also appeared opposite Diane Lane in Lincoln Center’s Off-Broadway production of The Mystery of Love & Sex. Tony Shalhoub is perhaps best known for his work as Adrian Monk in the hit USA Network television series Monk where he was Emmy-nominated for ‘Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series’ for eight consecutive years (2003 to 2010), winning in 2003, 2005 and 2006. Additionally, Shalhoub won a Golden Globe Award and two SAG Awards for his work on the show. Other notable TV credits include ‘Antonio Scarpacci’ in Wings, Braindead, Stark Raving Mad, Too Big Too Fail and Nurse Jackie, Shalhoub’s film credits include Eva Longoria’s Flamin’ Hot, The Assignment, Pain & Gain, The Men In Black franchise, Galaxy Quest, The Siege, The Man Who Wasn’t There, Big Night, Barton Fink as well as voicing the character of ‘Luigi’ in the CARS franchise and ‘Master Splinter’ in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.

5/21/24 • 43:25

Toby and Jay talked about art and trying to see art (and life) from unique perspectives. Jay calls Toby a weirdo. And, like a weirdo, he accepts it as the compliment which is what it was actually meant to be. We talk about failing at school, meeting a guy called Magic who makes pipes out of antlers, and working as a janitor in a church and 10000 other blue collar jobs before he became a great actor and artist. We also talk about his love affair with creativity and imagining he’s Frank Sinatra’s bastard son. Bio: Toby Huss is from Marshalltown Iowa and paints and acts in movies sometimes and streaming or tv shows at others and has a photobook, American Sugargristle, coming out this fall. Also most likely a record of original songs and some covers. This is his third time appearing on the Jay Kogen Celebrity Cook-Off.

5/14/24 • 46:44

Entertainment Journalist and all around funny guy Kliph Nesteroff talks about a Canadian kid who got into collecting stories of strange and eccentric show business events. We both talk about our short lived stand-up days. Capturing worthwhile memories, and how Milton Berle was a jerk. I also stump Kliph when I ask him what else he would care about if I took show business stories away.Bio: Kliph Nesteroff is an author and comedy historian, best known for his 2015 history of stand-up, The Comedians. His latest book, just released, is titled Outrageous: A History of Showbiz and the Culture Wars.

5/7/24 • 86:40

David, fresh off of a weekend with Donny Osmond talks about a lifetime of celebrities. Idolizing them, meeting them, interviewing them, befriending them and eventually making them stars once again on his grammy specials. We also talk Neil Diamond, Joni Mitchell, Frank Sinatra, and Phil Rosenthal plus a special surprise call from Brad Paisley! Bio: David Wild is a Peabody and Emmy-winning television writer and producer, a New York Times best-selling author and prominent pop culture commentator. Wild was a College Scholar graduate of Cornell University who then worked at Esquire and Rolling Stone where he served as Music Editor and wrote numerous cover stories for over two decades. Since 2000, Wild has also been writing and producing well over a hundred high profile TV specials including all of The Grammy Awards since 2001, working with Grammy hosts from Jon Stewart to Queen Latifah to LL Cool J to James Corden to Trevor Noah, as well as countless other award shows and network specials including The Academy Awards and The Emmy Awards. Wild has received numerous Emmy nominations for his work, and was most recently nominated in 2021 as a producer for The Grammy Awards, that same year winning a Daytime Emmy that same year as a writer for The Independent Film Spirit Awards. In 2021, Wild was also an Executive Producer for Shine A Light, CNN's acclaimed 9/11 tribute special hosted by Jake Tapper, marking 20 years since Wild received his first-ever Emmy nomination as Head Writer for 2001's Peabody and Emmy-winning America: A Tribute To Heroes.  Since 2022, Wild has co-hosted the “Naked Lunch” podcast with Phil Rosenthal — their “Lunch” guests have included Jimmy Kimmel, Jane Fonda and Keanu Reeves, to name just a few. And just before the WGA Strike of 2023, Wild served as Head Writer for hosts Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks on the ACM Awards. Wild has written numerous best-selling books both as an author and co-author, including New York Times best-sellers with the cast of "Friends" and Brad Paisley, as well as penning liner notes for artists including The Rolling Stones, Ringo Starr, Hall & Oates, Fleetwood Mac, LL Cool J, Aerosmith and Stevie Wonder. Wild lives in Los Angeles with his wife Fran and their two sons.From Straw Hut Media

4/30/24 • 46:23

Eugene Garcia-Cross talks about growing up in Pennsylvania, losing his dad early, and becoming a literature professeur only to give it all up to be a Hollywood comedy writer. Only to wind up writing books on the side. He also talks about struggling as a 35-year-old assistant, how to be patient for the next job. making the most out of the writers room and having good times even on bad shows.Bio:  Eugene Garcia-Cross despite being born in Pennsylvania is an optimist. He received an MFA in fiction from the University of Pittsburgh, became a teacher and then threw it all away to pursue his dream of throwing it all away which forced him to find something else and that was becoming a professional writer. The author of the story collection Fires of Our Choosing, he lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two sons. As a TV writer, Eugene has written for NBC, the Disney Channel, and NBC’s Peacock streaming service.  His new novel, “Miss Me Forever” is on sale now.

4/23/24 • 59:12

Nicole talks about the difference between creation and nervous activity and how hard it is to distinguish between the two. We also talk about procrastination, Elvis Costello, the need to let ideas simmer, collaborating on a show, making an album, the meaning of music, the tricks to productivity, and the joy of baby steps. Bio: For two decades, Nicole Atkins has created her own brand of spectral American rock & roll. She's an old-school torch singer for the modern world, funneling her award-winning songwriting chops and genre-spanning influences — including psychedelic rock, Muscle Shoals soul, the pop grandeur of Roy Orbison, and the dark drama of Nick Cave — into six albums that have earned a global audience. Regularly featured on year-end "best of" lists by Rolling Stone, NPR, and The New York Times, Atkins has collaborated with artists from across the musical spectrum, including David Byrne, Chris Isaak, Spoon, Elvis Costello, Tommy Stinson, and the Old 97's. The title track of her major-label debut album won The ASCAP Foundation Sammy Cahn Award, and her songs have appeared in prime-time TV shows like Dexter, national ad campaigns for American Express, and on the Billboard charts, with tracks like "Domino" becoming Top 40 AAA hits. A road warrior who has performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall to Late Night With David Letterman, Atkins is also a professional illustrator and painter whose work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal and No Depression.

4/16/24 • 67:28

We talk about how to pronounce Bowie, the love of Monty Python, Elvis Costello, growing up in New York, the Ramones. John’s new play, Brushstroke, my love of John’s wife, Jamie Denbo, John’s possible love of Jay’s wife if he ever meets her, John Cleese, John’s dad who wanted to be an actor but never did it but then turned John on to great movies, the freedom of giving up on expectations, and how they should be friends but weren’t… yet.Bio:John Ross Bowie is an actor and writer originally from New York City. TV: “The Big Bang Theory,” “Speechless,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” two “CSIs,” “Feel Good” (Netflix), “Brooklyn 99,” “Generation,” “Reno911,” and others. FILM: Jumanji: The Next Level, The Heat, He’s Just Not That Into You, and What the Bleep Do We Know? THEATER: Inherit the Wind (Pasadena Playhouse) Life Sucks (Interact Theatre Company) Laughter on the 23rd Floor (Garry Marshall Theater), Bad Person (Riot Act) John’s memoir No Job for a Man was published in 2022 by Pegasus Books. If you must: @johnrossbowie on Instagram.

4/9/24 • 44:50

Paul and Jay discuss looking like losers and feeling like winners, and wearing clothes to match your goals and garner respect, being authentic, Mt. Clemens, Michigan, directing, collaborations, why Paul prefers dinners with girls, why I’ll have to fly to London to see him again, his next movie, his wife Laurie, drinking Artingstall Gin, Paul’s “Cocktail Time!” booze recipe book, and what made us think we could ever be funny.

4/2/24 • 46:24

We talk about trying to stay positive in a down comedy market, how Jay did or didn’t fit in writing a pilot with much younger people, what started the desire to perform, inspirations, Boy Meets World, and the trick to showbiz is just never leaving. Bios: Lucy Blehar is an actor, writer, and musician from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (home of Heinz Ketchup). She received her BFA in acting from DePaul University in Chicago where she made her TV debut as a murdered sex worker on NBC’s Chicago P.D. Since moving to LA in 2016, Lucy has studied and performed at The Groundlings, co-hosted a popular comedy show called "Titty Committee," and performed in various independent films and series. Lucy co-created and starred in the live show “Dickmatized,” with Mary and Kyle which had a sold out run at UCB before the global pancetta. Lucy plans to sort out her stomach issues this year once and for all.Kyle Kasabian is an LA based actor, writer & director who has been performing live comedy in Los Angeles since 2013. He is a regular writer/performer at the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theatre for shows such as Maude Night, Characters Welcome, Dickmatized, and the wildly popular Dynasty Typewriter show, Bad Drag Race. As an actor, Kyle has been seen on Peacock's "Girls5Eva" and has written for Nickelodeon, CBS, and BYUtv. His most recent project, "Oversharing" is being developed as a TV series by Merman, Naomi Odenkirk, & Jay Kogen, along with a webseries that has appearances from Sarah Silverman, Kate Flannery, and other comedy talents.Mary Ryan is an actress, writer, and producer from the second smallest state in the US, Delaware. After pursuing a BFA in Acting from Ithaca College, she studied improv and sketch at The Upright Citizen’s Brigade. Mary has worked on numerous projects, including, co-writing and starring in her first feature, "Mary Tyler Millennial."  Mary co-wrote and performed the stage show “Dickmatized,” with Lucy and Kyle, with a sold out two year run at UCB. By day, you can find her hustling as a personal assistant, but by night she is frantically writing silly sketches and performing comedy to make her dreams come true!From Straw Hut Media

3/26/24 • 49:57

We discuss our friendship since 1985, teaching at USC, the graphic novel “Defiant” about slave Robert Smalls who stole a southern ship and gave it to the north, Rob’s analytical brain, being teamed with a monster, being fooled by a first meeting, insane show runners with guns on the table, being a black writer, the sunk cost fallacy, making The Princess & The Frog, Will Smith vs Martin Lawrence vs Chris Rock and the slap, AI asking, “What is art?”, wine lessons, and oxtail fried rice! Bio: ROB EDWARDS is a veteran of movies and television who wrote and produced shows including "The Fresh Prince", "Full House", and "In Living Color" before writing two classic animated films for WALT DISNEY FEATURE ANIMATION, the Academy Award, and Golden Globe-nominated THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, and the Academy Award-nominated TREASURE PLANET. He consulted on TANGLED, WRECK-IT RALPH, and FROZEN. He also wrote and directed the award-winning animated short film THE PARK BENCH and is currently writing projects for LEGION M, SHOWTIME, SONY, MOFAC, Chris Rock, Lengi, and MARVEL STUDIOS. He is an adjunct professor of screenwriting at the Newhouse School at Syracuse University and the School of Cinematic Arts at USC.

3/21/24 • 62:23