Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out Mike Birbiglia

Larry Wilmore: Putting It Out There

(Recorded August 2022) Larry Wilmore’s credits are endless. In Living Color, The Bernie Mac Show, The Office, The Daily Show, Insecure, and more. Now the legendary writer and performer sits down with Mike to share some of the wisdom he gained from working on all of those classic shows. Larry explains why writers never argue about endings, why his family calls him The Oracle, and why conflict was the driving narrative force behind The Office.

Mike and Jorma Taccone are old friends and former next door neighbors. Jorma also just so happens to be an acclaimed screenwriter, director, actor, and member of the legendary comedy team “The Lonely Island” with Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer. The Lonely Island made the Saturday Night Live classic digital shorts D*ck in a Box, Natalie Portman’s rap, Laser Cats, and literally a hundred others. One time Jorma even made Mike wear a wig to play a TMZ-type reporter in his film “Popstar." Jorma goes deep on the scrappy, DIY nature of the early Lonely Island SNL short films and how sometimes it’s better to show someone your absurd idea than to explain it to them.

Sarah Millican: Put the Email Address in Last

(Recorded January 2022) What started as a poem by Sarah Millican about a bad divorce sprouted into one of the most popular comedy careers in England in the last 20 years. Mike and Sarah discuss how hitting rock bottom can lead you to the top and what happened when Sarah’s childhood bully sent her a long letter as an adult. Plus, new bits about Sarah’s husband who may or may not be a robot, Mike’s dad’s excessive use of speakerphone, and that time Sarah got too comfortable with a sharp object.

Comedian Rachel Feinstein is a comic’s comic— the type of original comic who cracks up other comics. In this episode it definitely works. Rachel breaks Mike as she tells stories about her almost-too-supportive parents to her almost-too-unsupportive firefighter husband. Plus, jokes about marrying up vs. marrying down, pushy in-laws, and what to do when your husband’s romantic gifts are mostly from Costco.

Joe Birbiglia: Who Doesn't Like Free Stuff?

Mike welcomes his longtime collaborator and lifelong brother Joe Birbiglia. They discuss what it’s like to work together as family—from differentiating between work and family phone calls to Joe being mistaken for Mike at the merch table. Joe explains the differences between “Joe Bags” the character and Joe in real life and Joe and tells his story of trying to break into the comedy world in the early 2000s, crossing paths with The Onion and The Daily Show. Plus, a fly-on-the-wall joke writing session that mirrors the way Mike and Joe write together in real life.

In an age when many comedians talk about being cancelled, Vir Das was actually very nearly cancelled in a real way. When his YouTube monologue "Two Indias" went viral, a criminal complaint was filed against him in his home country of India. Vir talks to Mike about that experience and how he was able to turn the pain from the experience into the comedy in his recent Netflix special. They also discuss Vir’s journey from Bollywood star to international stand-up sensation, and why it’s important for a comedian to give the audience all they’ve got.