Dinner’s on Me with Jesse Tyler Ferguson - Tig Notaro

Episode Date: June 4, 2024

Standup comic and co-host of the amazing podcast “Handsome,” Tig Notaro joins the show. Over vegan sushi, Tig tells me about flunking out of middle school, her overnight success after doing a set about her cancer diagnosis, and what it was like to come out to her twin boys in the car ride to school. This episode was recorded at Planta Cocina in Marina Del Rey, CA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hi, it's Jesse. Today on the show, comedian and actor, yes, she is an actor despite what she says, Tignitaro. So we're maybe three minutes away from dropping them off and we're in the front talking about something and they're of course in the back in their little booster seats. Right. And Stephanie's like, yeah, you know, blah, blah, blah. And I was saying how we're gay. And then Finn chimes in and he goes, you're gay.

This is Dinners on Me and I'm your host, Jesse Tyler Ferguson. I first became aware of Tigntaro after her 2012 Largo set went viral. It's an incredibly moving, hilarious and heartbreaking 30 minutes in which we, the audience, 12 Largo set went viral. It's an incredibly moving, hilarious, and heartbreaking 30 minutes in which we, the audience, listen to TIG abandon a pre-planned comedy set

to instead navigate the fresh news of a cancer diagnosis. It's absolutely incredible. The set was eventually released as an album titled Live, and it even went on to be nominated for a Grammy Award. I have been a tried and true fan of Tig's ever since. Her newest comedy special, Tig Nataro Hello Again, is streaming on Prime Video and it's absolutely hilarious. And her new podcast called Handsome that she co-hosts with Fortune Feimster and Mae Martin is such a fun listen. They all have incredible chemistry together. I especially love listening to the stories of Tig and her wife Stephanie navigating parenthood.

Her observations are so witty and sharp, I think maybe she and I are kindred spirits in some way. Hi! I'm so sorry. No, don't you worry. How are you? I'm doing well. Today I took Tig to plant a cocina at her request. She's a vegan.

I am not. And I wanted to bring her some place that she enjoys. So we went to their location on the water in Marina del Rey. And the space is absolutely gorgeous. It feels like you're in Mexico or Bali or something. It's very zen with peachy neutral hues and high ceilings.

Now listen, I admit I was initially skeptical about vegan sushi. I mean, watermelon instead of tuna? I don't know. Well, listen, call me converted. Planta completely subverts any stereotypes that you might have about plant-based restaurants. And as someone with a little vegetable garden of my own, I also appreciate

that some of their restaurants feature rooftop vegetable and fruit gardens that they source for their menus. Okay, let's get to the conversation. Hi. Hello. How are you? I'm flustered. Why are you flustered? Are you coming from far? It is a little far, but I- This is the only vegan place we could find for you.

Out here by the water. This is one of my favorites. I'm so happy. I'm really excited to try this, actually. You know, I was waiting for this response from a doctor of mine mine and she was like, oh, I can talk today during the time we originally had scheduled.

And I was like, of course. And then I got in the car, I'm driving over here, I take a wrong turn and it's like, the traffic was no joke. I'm like, are you fucking kidding? I know I was here a half hour before they were and I thought they were gonna, I was gonna be the only one here.

Oh my God, you've really been here. With no microphones. I was like, we'll just start on our phone, or you know, on voice memo. Well, I pride myself on being on time. So I was having a stroke on the way over here. Please don't worry about it. I am so excited that you're with me today.

I'm such a big fan of yours. And I you. Truly. Do you remember, I don't think you- At I am so excited that you're with me today. I'm such a big fan of yours. And I, you. Truly. Do you remember, I don't think you- At the Hollywood ball. You do remember. Yeah, yeah. Who were you, you were with Stephanie. Yeah.

See, I was convinced that you did not, because I know you famously don't recognize people. Yeah, no, I know who you are. Okay. Yeah. But was it after, because you had that show, under a rock. Under a rock. We're under a rock, yeah. And Julie But was it after, cause you had that show, under a rock. Under a rock. Under a rock, yeah. And Julie Bowen was on,

and you truly did not know who she was. No, no. Okay. Did not know who she was. No. Okay, come on over, yes. Hello. I'm starving.

Cool, so let you know this is my name is Gio, I'll be helping you out. Okay. Catching away from plant-based, and as a prepared, it's sent out. So a lot of it's meant for sharing, just so you're aware. Do you want me to drink it? I am not gonna have alcohol,

but I do like that you have a non-alcoholic sparkling rose. Yeah, make sure I have it in here. Yes, and my wife loves it. Is it good? Yes. Yeah, okay. It's like an out of both non-alcoholic drink. Well, perfect.

We'll have two of those. Okay, there you are. Wow. What if I did, I'm also interested in the, I like seed lip. So the cucumber meal is very refreshing. Okay, I'll do the cucumber meal. I think just the sparkling water with a lemon

and lime wedges on the side, please. No ice. Got it, okay. Is that corn for you? Do you know what you want to eat? What do you like here, Tate? Ooh, street corn. What about these mushrooms here?

I talked to mushrooms. Okay. And the street corn, that looks good. Do you like street corn? I do like street corn. Should we do those mushrooms and street corn? It's a street corn. Yeah.

I would recommend a couple left of street corn. Okay. There's only a couple left? Yeah. Let's do street corn for sure. Street corn? And I talked to mushrooms? Yeah, let's do that. Street corn named Desire is's only a couple left? Let's do street corn for sure. Street corn? And coffee mushrooms? Yeah, let's do that.

Street corn named desire is what I would call it. The eggplant nigiri here. Okay. Do you like nigiri in general? Yeah, I do. Okay. I was nervous because I really liked sushi. That was nervous that the vegan sushi was not gonna be.

Don't you be nervous. Really? No. This is unbelievable. Okay. Will you just order for me honestly? Yeah. Since you know the drill.

You know what, let's do one of the eggplant nigiri and one of the watermelon nigiri. But you love sushi. I do, I do. Cause the dragon roll is great too. Get the dragon roll. Yeah, my son loves. Yeah.

Oh my God. Okay. Do you wanna start off with just the sushi and I'll send out the street corn as well? Uh huh. And then we'll come back around and see what else you guys are hungry for. Well, definitely, you want the mushrooms too?

Yes. Mushrooms as well, yeah. Yes, please. Perfect. Sounds good, start there. Yeah, I knew who you were when I met you. Just because I'm a gay person? Why did you, because if you didn't know Julie, it wasn't from Modern Family.

If I, where I knew you from? Yeah, how did you know me? I think just from being a gay actor. I think so. Listen, there are perks, okay. I mean, I listen to your podcast and I feel like your grasp of pop culture is pretty good. I mean, you know like who like Taylor Dane is,

which is pretty obscure. But I'm more into music. Okay, okay, okay. I follow documentaries and I follow music. But as far as- It's like sitcoms and TV dramas. I was really into like 70s sitcoms, like black 70s sitcoms.

I'm so into Samford and Son and What's Happening and Good Times and all that stuff. But I kind of tapped out like in 1979. So you grew up in Mississippi and Texas, is that right? Yeah. Texas, you were born in Texas and then Mississippi? I was born in Mississippi. Okay.

And then we moved to Texas. And then actually we lived in New Jersey for a couple of years, but then back to Texas. How was it growing up? Did you know you were queer back then? No. Really? No, I had no idea.

But then even when I did, I'm still so close with my friends and family. And it wasn't, I don't have the story of like, you know, being kicked out of my house or like shunned by my family or friends or like Stephanie and I got married in my hometown, which is 4,000 people in Mississippi. And yeah. And so when you were in Texas,

I read that you were held back a few years and like early, like eighth grade, right? I failed eighth grade two times. And then they moved me up to ninth grade, just out of pity. Just out of pity. Yeah. I was clearly not gonna be ever moving on. And then I failed that, and then I dropped out.

So I technically have a seventh grade education. That's incredible. Yeah. Because I also find you to be so razor sharp, like your wit is incredible. I just like, it just goes to show like, I think that, you know, the school system is not for everyone.

I didn't take college. I always say, I went to performing arts academy where I got a certificate of completion basically. Yeah. But you know, I got a GED and my cat ate it. Wait, what? Yeah, yeah, it's true. There was so much emphasis put on me getting a degree.

And so it was like, you know, you should at least get your GED. And so I did and I got the certificate and I left it on the kitchen table and my cat. That's incredible. And what's left of it is framed in my office. There's like chunks missing with little bite marks. That's unbelievable.

And it ended up in, you know, it ultimately ended up in the kitty litter box. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. After my cat ate it. Do you remember like when, oh, oh, these do look incredible. Mm-hmm. Whoa.

This is the dragon roll with avocado and broccoli with my unagi sauce, and this is the aji watermelon, and this is unagi eggplant nigiri. It is mind-blowingly delicious. Thanks so much. I can't wait to see your mind blown. I'm so excited. I'm gonna go for this eggplant first.

I expect a massive thank you. The pressure's on. I'm gonna eat it like I do my sushi. I dip this, I dip the fish in first and then I put it back on the rice. Okay. And then. Do you go ginger or no?

You got enough on your head? Oh my God. What did I tell you? That's incredible. I'm sick and tired of people not taking me seriously. I'm sick of it. I'll never doubt you again. That is really delicious.

Did being held back affect you at all? Did you have confidence issues with that? How did you make friends when you're constantly, I just remember being friends with the people in my grade and I can't imagine having to start over every year with a new group of friends. Well, I mean, I didn't ditch my old friends every year. Hey, I'm gonna stay back here.

You guys go ahead. You've heard the song, Make New Friends, but keep the old, one is silver and one is gold. No, I don't know that song. Well, I live by that. How good is that? That's watermelon. That is good.

I really was shying away from the sushi because I thought it would disappoint me and it's incredible. It's really nice. Okay, I'm gonna try this dragon roll. That's my son. This is your son's favorite. Max loves that.

So you've been vegan for a while now. For about seven years. Okay. And it's all obviously health related. Did you eat meat before then? Yeah. Okay. I mean, you've gone through it health wise.

My health is like Jenga. My body is like truly Jenga, but for health reasons, because I was still dealing with a lot of pain. But our whole family is vegan. Oh, really? Uh-huh, and our kids are, they're hardcore about it.

Because we tell them that in our house, we don't have meat or dairy, but they're allowed to try and make their own decisions when they go out to eat or with friends or at school or at birthday parties. And they pretty much stick to it. Yeah. Yeah. That's so interesting.

Yeah. It's like no McDonald's, no. Oh my God. Stephanie's mother lives in Palm Springs, Stephanie's mother lives in Palm Springs, and she was driving them to visit Nana for the weekend. This was two years ago when they were five. And Stephanie said, or Finn had to go to the bathroom, and Stephanie said, you know what,

I'll just pull over and we can go here. And he was like, what is that? And she said, oh, it's McDonald's. It's a fast food restaurant. And he goes, what's fast food? Oh my God. I mean, never. I mean, now they haven't eaten at McDonald's still,

but they'll eat at like, there's a place called Burger Lounge that's near our house and they have vegan burgers and vegan nuggets. But it wasn't until they were about five until they even had that. Kind of blow their minds when the first time they, or maybe it'll never happen, who knows. When what?

They'll blow their minds when they first go through like a drive-through. Yeah. I don't know. I really don't know if they have. Yeah. How, cause you know, Justin and I, I'm about on the same track as you,

as far as like. Gayness. Gayness for sure, 100%. But like, I have a four year old now and I'm about four years younger than you. So like, is Stephanie younger than you? Yeah, so Justin's 10 years younger than me. I do a lot of that math, like when they're this age, I want to be this age. 10 years younger than you. So like, is Stephanie younger than you? Yeah, so Justin's 10 years younger than me.

I do a lot of that math, like when they're this age, I want to be this age. And I try not to consider myself an old parent, but like I do sometimes feel like compared to my parents that I am an older parent. And then on top of that- You for sure are. Yeah.

I think so. We're also like at that, we're at that place where we're starting to, Mother's Day just happened, for example. Yeah. And you know, we got a note from the school and we're the only same sex couple at the school. And they were saying, you know,

what would you like for us to do with Beckett for Mother's Day? All the other kids are making cards for their mothers. Like, would you like him to make one for grandma or a mother figure or like, you know, what would you like? And I was like, well, he should do whatever he wants to do. But then it also brought up this discussion about do we need to start talking about this thing of,

you know, you don't actually have a mom figure. Is that why I'm here? That's why you're here. So I'm, what am I, I'm courting you to come home. And be the mother figure. Just like Wendy and Peter Pan. You're a mother now. But have you had that discussion with your twins about,

I mean, like you tell this really funny story in your recent standup, Hello Again, about your, when your kids getting in between you in bed and saying, wait a minute, I don't want two mommies. I want three mommies. Yeah, it was a terrifying moment that really turned around after the beat that he took. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I was truly like, oh no, I've ruined this person's life. Have you guys discussed like what that will be or have you had those conversations with them? Well. Mostly asking because I want advice. Well, I am the wrong person to ask and I'll tell you why. We were driving them to school about six months ago and their school is about six minutes from our house.

So we're maybe three minutes away from dropping them off and we're in the front talking about something and they're of course in the back and they're little booster seats. Right. And Stephanie's like, yeah, you know, blah, blah, blah. And I was saying how we're gay and I don't know what she was saying,

but she said, you know, we're gay. And then Finn chimes in and he goes, you're gay. We're about to drop them off. And I was like, Stephanie and I are looking at each other like, what? I said, yeah, we're gay. And he was like, what's gay? And I was like, Stephanie and I are truly, like what in the hell,

our kid, we've lived with them for seven years and they don't know we're gay. And it's like, yeah, not only are we gay, dare I say we're an iconic gay couple. I was like, we're gay. But I was saying, yeah, gay is, you know, when a boy likes a boy and a girl likes a girl. We had never had this conversation with them

because we just assumed they knew, but after I explained it, he's like, oh, okay. And then I started feeling insecure, and I said, what do you think of that? I said, are you okay that you have gay parents? Cause I was like, oh gosh. And he was like, yeah, I love our family. And I was like, oh gosh.

And then we drop them off and Stephanie and I truly drive home like two miles an hour going, our kids did not know we were gay. They know we're together. They know that we're married and that we are their moms. We had never talked about what gay was and we just assumed they knew what gay was. And it was such a crazy, crazy moment.

So that's where I'm realizing, what else do I not? I mean- So to take for granted, it's like there's a shorthand there that they don't know. A million percent, even when they were five, I was reading a book to them at bedtime and Finn interrupted me and he said, are you a boy or a girl?

Five years, we've been living together. And I was like, I said, well, what do you think I am? And he said, I think you're a boy. And I said, no, I'm actually a girl. And he said, but you look like a boy, right? And I said, yeah, probably. And he was like, yeah. I was like, okay, anyway.

So the turtle, and I'm sitting there going, my son doesn't know what my gender is, doesn't know I'm gay, you know what I mean? So I don't know if I'm the right one to ask any sort of advice. My gosh, I also, I love how truncated that moment was for you though. It's like all of a sudden you were, you know,

moments away from school and you're like dealing with this question that you probably wish that you had. I'm coming out to my sons. You're coming out to your children. Oh my God. Now for a quick break, but don't go away. When we come back, Tig tells me what it was like to go viral overnight in her 2012 stand-up set where she shares her cancer diagnosis, which is truly a work of art. I've listened to it like five times. Okay, be right back. Don't you just love it when someone looks at you and says,

hmm, something's different about you. What were you up to last night? Well, no matter how late you were up the night before, Lumify Redness Reliever Eye Drops can help your eyes look more refreshed and awake than ever. Lumify dramatically reduces redness in just one minute to help your eyes look brighter and wider for up to eight hours.

No wonder it has over 6,000 five-star reviews on Amazon. You won't believe your eyes, and you know you can trust them because they're made by the eye care experts at Bausch & Lomb, and they're backed by six clinical studies. Eye doctors trust them too. They're the number one recommended redness

reliever eye drop. The one and only Lumify is an amazing drop that will have people saying, something's different about you, but in the best possible way. So check out lumifyeyes.com to learn more. You might know best-selling author Christopher Rice for his erotic romance or supernatural thrillers, or maybe the collaborations he's done with his mother, author Anne Rice. For the first time, Rice is writing under a pen name, C. Travis Rice. With this new pseudonym, Rice offers tales of passion, intrigue, and steamy romance between men. Mmm. The first novel, Sapphire Sunset, transports you to a

beautiful luxury resort on the sparkling southern California coast where strong-willed heroes release the shame that blocks their hearts desires. There's Logan Murdoch, a Marine now working security at the resort, and then there's Connor Harcourt, the handsome heir in a wealthy family who owns Sapphire Cove. Logan knows he can't mix business and pleasure and Connor is strictly off limits and that makes him all the more tantalizing. Of course there's a kiss and undeniable chemistry but Logan holds a hard boundary. Then a scandal rocks the resort, threatening both of their futures. Will saving the resort bring them together

or drive them apart? Sapphire Sunset is book one in his Sapphire Cove series and is currently available digitally on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited. It's also available in print and you can listen via audiobook. And we're back with more Dinners on Me. When I became obsessed with you, it was probably when a lot of people's- Obsessed? Obsessed, obsessed.

I didn't know that was going on. Obsession is in 2012, when you had that incredible set at Largo. Was it Largo? It was Largo, right? Where you talked about your, thank you. So my talking mushrooms with chimichurri, barbecue sauce, and chipotle dust. Great. Thank you so much. Thank you. So my talking mushrooms with chimichurri, barbecue sauce and chipotle.

Great. Thank you so much. Thank you, that's perfect, these are mushrooms. Yes, it was at Largo. It was at Largo. When you were doing that incredible set about just finding out about your cancer diagnosis. It's so, well I find it so refreshing

because it seemed like so much of it was really so immediate. And so I have so many questions about us, like what that moment was like for you, what that night was like for you, and I'm sure you've probably answered these questions before. Not once. Not once, not nary once. I mean, I, it's so beautiful to listen to this

because you also, the audience was so, they were going through it too. I mean, they were also experiencing this moment where like, okay, this woman actually is talking to us about this thing she just discovered. And you were kind of like figuring out, okay, how far, are they okay? You were at some points taking care of the audience.

And then there was a point in it where I just love so much where this guy says, no, this is fucking awesome, this is incredible. Yeah, because I had asked, like, should I stop? Should I stop the show? And I mean, I've been very into doing standup. I was obsessed with standup and loved doing it. And during that time period, I had pneumonia,

I had this intestinal disease called C. diff that was like eating my insides. My mother tripped and hit her head and died. My girlfriend and I split up. And then I was diagnosed with invasive cancer, and it was all in four months. And so, I had seen how quickly life slips away, and I was really right in the middle of all that.

And so, I had already had that show booked, it was already on the calendar, and when I had called Flanagan, the owner of Largo, to cancel, he said, just keep it on the books because you might want to perform and talk about it. So he knew what was going on. I'm very close with him. But I also thought, did he not hear what I just said?

But, so I kept it on the books, cause he said you can cancel a second before you walk on stage if you don't wanna do it. So I kept it on the books and as the days went by, I started to think, what if things just take a downhill turn even more so, and I don't get to perform again. So that was the deciding factor for me. You know having C. diff and invasive cancer simultaneously I could I could barely walk across the room. I was so

Wrecked I was like I had lost 20 pounds. I was severely depressed, you know losing my mother and my girlfriend and So, I don't know it was a very intense time, but I just thought before I go off and Have surgery and get treated for everything I just want to do one more show and then I yeah that I decided I'm gonna I often have surgery and get treated for everything. I just want to do one more show. And then I decided I'm going to just share what's happening and hope I can make light of it and not horrify people. And I think both happened.

For sure. Because I mean, also the jokes and the stories are so brilliantly structured. Thanks. Which is, I mean, I think that's just sort of how you operate. I think you're just a great storyteller and I'm sure you can do it very well on the spot, but there was a scrappiness to what you were doing because you were figuring out-

There wasn't? There was. Oh, I was like, I'm not sure you heard it. But it also felt very cohesive in the same way. I mean, do you remember what that night was like for you as you were like kind of navigating these stories? Well, I had been, because it was so in the forefront of my mind,

everything, all of the tragedy and pain and disasters, that's all I was thinking about. And I just thought I should keep track of these ideas that I had in case I did actually go on stage, which I was not convinced I was gonna do. But that's kind of how I do stand up in general, is I just have an idea of what I'm gonna talk about and then I work it through live on stage.

But when I went and did Largo, I asked him to record it just in case there was something. And so that's why, because Largo doesn't typically record shows or anything, but I asked them to that night. And so I just strung it together and then- Thank God you did. I just feel like it's one of those evenings that's going to go down in the history books

is like a great moment. But not only just stand up comedy, but it's just such a human, you're going through such a human thing in front of these strangers through the vessel which you do best, which is comedy. And I just found it incredibly moving. When something blows up the way that that album did, people assume that, you know, oh, that was just an album I was planning on putting out. But when I went on stage that night, I didn't know if I was gonna die

from medical complications, health complications. I didn't know what was in store for me. I probably went to bed at two or three in the morning, woke up the next day to a completely different world. I turned my phone on and- So were they streaming it live? No, people were just tweeting, blogging. Oh wow, people in the audience.

And I wasn't on Twitter. Yeah, well, and also the different comedians that were, there were like five different comedians on the show that night. Well, that was the other thing. It's like at the end of your set, you know, someone is going on after you. It's like, oh God, to be that comedian.

All the tweeting and blogging that people were doing. And I wasn't on Twitter or anything. And I was so confused when I woke up and I had hundreds of emails in my inbox. And I had Rolling Stone and all of these different places calling to talk to me. I had book deal offers coming in overnight. Overnight. It's incredible.

And I really felt like a great, great grandmother. I was so confused. I was like, what happened? I really didn't know what happened. You were such a different person too. I mean, all these things that you didn't have children, you weren't married, you were suffering in the grief of loss of your mother,

you were going through health issues and scares. And you really had this like moment in your life where like, it's not even like a second act, it's like a whole other play that started. I don't know who I was before 2012. Yeah. I really, I mean, aside from being married with kids, what I learned, it's that thing you can kind of only learn when you

are deathly ill and when life is on the line in that way. And I just, I really don't recognize myself when I, I was so like, yeah, who cares? And I don't even know how to articulate, just the- The stakes weren't as high, I guess, maybe. Well, yeah, and you just, I always describe it as being pushed to an edge. You see how far you can fall, and then somebody pulls you back, and you're like,

I do not wanna be at that edge ever again. But, you know, also, I'm human human and life goes on and then I lose touch with that. And I become, I don't know, indifferent in ways that it shocks me and I can pull myself out of it and be like, what the hell are you doing? What do you not remember? And I'm like, oh, right, right, no, I do, I do.

But I feel thankful. You know, it's that bittersweet thing of, I would never wanna go through that again. I hate that I lost my mother. I hate that I have ongoing health issues. But I feel very lucky for, I mean, as cliche as it is, but I feel very lucky for the lessons that that time period taught me.

And it's very complicated. Yeah, totally. But the good news is, the girl that I was dating at the time, it was so, we were not a good match. And it was really painful painful the end of it because I was going through hell and she was having to deal with all that. We had only been together six months, okay?

Yeah, yeah. But for years, we were so estranged and then we came back into each other's lives as friends. We're both married with kids and I love her. And I just, I feel so thankful for her because she's who encouraged me to go get checked out. She's who called her nutritionist when I had C. diff and I couldn't eat food. And I would say for a good three months when she was back into my diff and I couldn't eat food. And I would say for a good three months

when she was back into my life, I couldn't talk to her without breaking down into tears. And I was so thankful for her. And that's like, I never would have guessed that we would have come through in such a way. Now for a quick break, but don't go away. When we come back, Tig shares an embarrassing moment in front of Reese Witherspoon and what it entails to direct a comedy special for comedy legend Ellen DeGeneres.

Okay, be right back. The island of Newfoundland keeps its secrets close, shrouds them in mystery. But once in a while, the fog is lifted. The truth comes out. I get a feeling there's something going on here. My whole body was shaking. You go to bed believing that you're a certain person one night and then all of a sudden the next day, everything that you've known is not true.

This is not the life that I should have lived. I'm Luke Quinton from CBC. This is not the life that I should have lived. I'm Luke Quinton from CBC. This is Come By Chance, available now. Are you the kind of person who gets excited to learn no matter what the topic is? Did you grow up reading the Encyclopedia Britannica just for fun?

Are you your trivia team's secret weapon? Okay, if you said yes to any of these questions, then getting curious is the podcast for you. Each week, Jonathan Van Ness, you know, I'm from Queer Eye and Gay of Thrones, they sit down for a deep dive conversation with a variety of experts to answer all of Jonathan's burning questions on topics like the Northern Lights or foraging or one of my personal favorite episodes, the history of pockets. Make sure to check out some of the past episodes for history buffs.

Jonathan asks Dr. Steven Thrasher when viruses spread, who's the most vulnerable? So get excited and get curious. Listen to new episodes of getting curious every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts. And we're back with more Dinners on Me. Hello again, this is the new special. Hello again, yeah. On Amazon, Amazon? What are we calling it?

Prime Video. Prime Video. Is what it's called. Prime Video. Yeah. Hello again on Prime Video. I love your, there's this kind of ongoing theme that you do in your comedy where you will set up a scenario

and then you'll reveal something that happens. It's very funny. And then you'll take us back to the beginning. So let's just recap all the things that happened. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which I love. And you do it with this Reese Witherspoon story. Yes.

So my wife and I have a meeting with Reese and her producing partner, Lauren, and Reese starts talking about the show she was on, Big Little Lies, and all the different heights of the actresses and how she's so small. She said she was the smallest actress. She said she was 5'2".

I think I'm off like an inch with everybody's height, but she's 5'2", Laura Dern's 5'10", Nicole Kidman is six feet, and Shailene is 5'8". And I, well, I preface this story with, I don't have great hearing. And I always misunderstand things. And so when she said that, I chimed in and said, oh, that's interesting. Years ago, I dated a woman that was six feet tall and I think she was insecure about her

height so she hunched. And the room felt completely silent. Everyone's staring at me. And my wife, who were always on the same page, she's looking at me like, what in the hell are you talking about? And I'm thinking, you know, what happened? And in the special I say, like, oh, I'm sorry, Reese,

you can share your boring height story, and as soon as I share mine, the whole room shuts down. But what I realized was that she had said, Shailene is 5'8", and I had heard that Nicole Kidman is six feet, and she leans five eight. And so that's why I said that I had dated a woman six feet. Yeah, it makes complete sense. Yes, otherwise it makes absolutely no sense.

And it was so awkward because I had to finish the meeting thinking, why did I, how did I just kill the vibe? Because we had, we had had such a fun meeting. We were laughing so hard. All four of us were like dying laughing, having the best meeting. And then it just, as soon as I said I dated a woman

six feet tall that hunched, I was like, is that not PC? Or is my wife like, yeah. Or is my wife like, or is my wife like, why are you talking about an ex-girlfriend in a meeting? Which is not her style at all. So I really was baffled. It's so funny. But yeah, the process of figuring out what had happened and then being mortified, mortified.

Yeah. This is your video. Take a look, if you're getting full with the savory. Well, one of my favorites is big cookie. It is. Big cookie. It is.

Big cookie. Isn't that ridiculous? It's so good. Let's get the big cookie. It's so. Do you want me to send it out now or do you want me to do it? Whatever, it's ready.

Could I get a decaf espresso with just like a dollop of oat milk? Yeah, no problem. Yeah. Get the espresso right now. Yeah. Thank you. Wait, I read somewhere that you, cause I see how much acting work you're getting recently.

It's quite impressive actually. But you don't consider yourself an actor. No. Why is that? Because, oh my God, I love that street corn. I can't believe. I know you do. Look at that pile of street corn. I know.

Pile of husks. Oh my God. Oh good. Well, it's so funny because friends that I grew up with that are still in Texas or Mississippi or wherever, they'll call me, like my friend Megan called after I was on the morning show and she- With Reese Witherspoon.

Yes, that's right. And Megan was like, so I'm sitting here on my couch and I'm looking at you in a scene with John Hamm and I'm like, how did this happen? You know, because there's no history of me. I wasn't in drama. I wasn't, I was a failure dropout, you know? So I think I just feel, yeah, I guess like an imposter.

I know comedians sometimes end up in the world of acting and I did and I feel like I would be a liar if I was like, yes, I'm an actor. Yeah, that's right. I didn't train, I didn't pursue it and I just fell into it. And I, you know, if people have criticisms, I take it. I'm like, I'm on your side, buddy.

I'm open to all criticisms. Yeah, I'm like, look, I didn't, I just ended up here. So any note you have, like, I always make the joke, like when a director is walking over to me, I always stop them and say, before you say anything, just know I have no range. Now, what were you gonna say? And I feel like I'm Tig in space, I'm Tig as a cop,

I'm Tig, you know, it's like I- Do you enjoy doing it though? I do, I enjoy, honestly, hanging out with people on set and connecting and laughing and- Yeah. I understand where you're coming from, but also you keep getting these opportunities

because there's something you bring to these parts that people love. So- Well, I think it's my, well, thank you. I think it's my, you know, as a comedian and my delivery and everything. You're talking about being on Star Trek. See, now I feel like giving an opportunity

to be in the Star Trek universe is, that's not something that people take lightly. They don't just offer that to anyone. It's like a kind of locked down. My friend runs the Star Trek universe. So. They did. Yeah, actually they did, Jesse.

They did. Yeah, so I don't know what to say because they really did. They really did just offer. They did. Oh, that's funny. Yeah, so I don't know what to say because they really did. They really did just offer to anyone. In fact, when he, his name's Alex Kurtzman, and when he talked to me about this role, he said, you know, we'd love to have you as much as possible.

I was like, oh, okay, cool. And I thought they were gonna have me for an episode or two. Yeah. And I did such a terrible job my first day. That dialogue is impossible. Yeah, cause it's all made, it's like made up words. Made up science and engineering, gobbly gobbly.

Which seems like you should be able to improvise your way through it if it's all made up anyways, but no. No, because it's all. It's all in the world of the Star Trek. Yeah. Right. So I called him and I said, Alex, I am so sorry, but I think I was like, I did a terrible job. I could barely get the words out of my mouth.

And he was like, you know what? We edit right there on set. So I already got a rough cut and he said, it cobbles together just fine. He said, you're not going anywhere. Anyone ever said after days of work that we cobbled it together just fine? I'm gonna go into a full panic attack.

But he also said, by the way, I'm gonna make the dialogue even harder for you. And I was like, you? And they have. I mean, and he was like, you're not gonna be killed off ever. You're not going anywhere. And we're just gonna continue to make this difficult.

Do you want this last mushroom? No, you have it. But that is a big cookie. Big cookie. I was once on, I was a guest on Ellen DeGeneres' show. Congrats. Listen, I did the show almost 20 times, but this one time.

I did it like 17. During a commercial break, I don't know, you somehow came up. You came up. I think I'm, I don't remember why we were talking about you. And she said, Tig did the funniest thing the other night. I was at this party that Adele was at and she got up and started playing the piano and singing as if she was Adele and she can't play the piano or sing. And I, which I, just Ellen telling me that made me laugh really hard, but I was like, and singing as if she was Adele and she can't play the piano or sing.

And I, which I, just Ellen telling me that made me laugh really hard. Well, imagine Mike Lee when I was watching your special, your new special, Hello Again, and the piano comes out and you reenact that exact story. Well, as I say in the special, there's a grand piano, drum set, guitars, microphones, and people are getting up through the whole night

singing and performing. And there was this massive anticipation that Adele was gonna get up there. And like really the greatest performers alive were getting up. And all anyone cared about was, is Adele gonna get up there? And then she didn't. really the greatest performers alive were getting up. And all anyone cared about was, is Adele gonna get up there?

And then she didn't. And that's when I turned to Stephanie and said, I'll do it. I don't care. I do not care. Do you know if Adele thought it was funny? I don't even know if she was in the room still. I think according to Ellen, she was still in the room. Oh really? Yeah. Yeah, I didn't even know if she was in the room still. I think according to Ellen, she was still in the room.

Oh really? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I didn't know. I had seen Adele outside earlier in the evening. I had seen her inside. The venue was so massive. Yeah. And, but I think it's that part of me

where I don't follow TV and film, so I didn't care who was there. But I love those kind of feelings of really putting myself out there in a very uncomfortable way. I love it. You're so brave. I'm not even brave because I'm not scared. Bravery is when you're scared and you move forward. I'm not even brave because I'm not scared. Yeah. That's the, bravery is when you're scared

and you move forward. I'm not scared. I'm like, I don't care. Well, then I guess I just really admire you're like, you giving no fucks about it. Like it's just, it's quite remarkable. I really wish I had more of that. Would you not do that?

Can you, you can sing. I can sing. Yeah. Are you still enjoying acting? I am,. Can you, you can sing. I can sing, yeah. Are you still enjoying acting? I am, I enjoy it very much, yeah. Yeah, I've been interested to see Cocaine Bear. It's pretty dumb. I love dumb. In a great way.

It's pretty great in a dumb way. I need deeply depressing or the dumbest thing in the world. I have to have those extremes. Yeah, okay. I loved the movie, Dancer in the Dark. Oh God, that is so depressing. That is what I'm talking about.

The Bjork movie. Yes. Yeah. Loved it. Boys Don't Cry. Yeah. Loved it. Yeah, well, that movie is pretty great.

Okay, you didn't like Dancer in the Dark? I just, you know, I remember it being incredibly bleak. She's a factory worker. Mm-hmm. I liked it because it was a musical. Yeah. Yeah. That's right, it was a musical.

Yeah, Dancer in the Dark. Yeah. Dancer in the Dark and Boys Don't Cry. Schindler's List. And then, I've never seen Schindler's List. Oh God. No, I haven't. It's right up your alley.

But Cocaine Bear definitely appeals to me. Okay. Stephanie directed your recent comedy special. What does it entail to direct a comedy show? I always just assume that it's like where the cameras go and does she ask you to edit stories? What's that relationship like when you're working together? A director decides with the cinematographer or director of photography where the cameras

will go. They help you come up with the stage. I mean, hiring the crew, coming up with what the stage is going to look like. It's like you're telling my dad what directing is. Yeah. You know, they go to the venue, they look at where the cameras are gonna go. Yeah.

But it's mainly, I would say, I mean, it depends on what the artist is hiring you for. Like I directed Ellen's special. Yes. And I also went on tour with her and went to every show and gave notes and- Gotcha. And like-

What was that like? Well, it was her big return to stand up. I love that. I've never had to, this is the one that just has already come out. Not the one that's about to come out. Relatable. Relatable, yes.

Yes. You know, it was a surreal moment for me, having grown up being a fan of Ellen's and being such a inspiration to me as a gay person and as a comedian. And then to have her, she came over to my house one day and was like, hey, do you over to my house one day and was like, hey, do you want to direct my special?

And I thought I wasn't hearing things correctly. But yeah, it was a really exciting experience. And she's really good. I mean, she's, but with my point of mentioning that is that with Ellen, it was very hands-on. She wanted me to be there every step, every show, backstage, giving notes. You know, you're the captain of the ship

and you just slightly steer. You know, no massive left or right turns unless there's trouble ahead. But it's really getting the comedian what they want. Are you gonna continue to tour? When you do a show like this, do you tour with that show or is it that now you're done with it? Pretty done with it.

I did a corporate gig the other night where I mixed in new and old material. It was a disaster, that show. But, oh my God, it was painful. But yeah, right now I'm working on new material. Yeah. But I'm not rushing back. I'm gonna be working on a couple of different TV shows

coming up. Nice. So that's where the majority of my time will be spent. For, I mean, for someone who's doesn't consider acting their main career, you're doing quite well. It's embarrassing like to sit with an actor and be like that's right I'm an actor. You heard me right. I'm an actor. Well I consider you an actor and I consider you an inspiration and I'm so, so happy you said yes to this. Well, thank you for having me. Your treat.

No, you know, Dinner's on Me. Dinner's on you? Yeah. Okay. All right. This episode of Dinner's on Me was recorded in Los Angeles at Planter Cocina. Next week on Dinner's on Me, singer-songwriter Jason Mraz. We get together at Mel's Drive-In, where back in the day, he used to smoke cigarettes and work on songs in the back of the diner.

The self-described late bloomer tells me about his period of rebirth for him, from coming out as bisexual to debuting a totally new sound for his dance album, Mystical, Magical, Rhythmical, Radical Ride. from coming out as bisexual to debuting a totally new sound for his dance album, Mystical, Magical, Rhythmical, Radical Ride. God, I love that title. And if you don't want to wait until next week to listen, you can download that episode right now by subscribing to Dinners on Me+. As a subscriber, not only do you get access to new episodes one week early,

you'll also be able to listen completely ad-free. Just click Try Free at the top of the Dinners on Me! show page to new episodes one week early, you'll also be able to listen completely ad free. Just click Try Free at the top of the Dinners On Me show page on Apple Podcasts to search your free trial today. Dinners On Me is a production of Sony Music Entertainment and a kid named Beckett Productions. It's hosted by me, Jesse Tyler Ferguson. It's executive produced by me and Jonathan Hirsch. Our showrunner is Joanna Clay.

Our associate producer is Angela Vang. Sam Baer engineered this episode. Hans-Dyl She composed our theme music. Our head of production is Sammy Allison. Special thanks to Tamika Balanz-Kolassny and Justin Makita. I'm Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Join me next week.