Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out - 214. Robby Hoffman: It's a New Dawn

Episode Date: June 1, 2026

This week Mike and Robby Hoffman sit down for their first in-depth conversation like, as Robby puts it, two cats cautiously getting to know each other. Mike and Robby work out new jokes about vending machines and AI, share advice about marriage, and Robby begs Mike’s fans to stop sending him emails. Plus, Robby tells the stories of how she got cast in Hacks, and how her outspokenness at a writers guild meeting drew the attention of John Mulaney, who went on to direct Robby’s Netflix special Wake Up. Mike's tour dates: https://www.birbigs.com/tour-dates Text BIRBIGS to 917-444-7150 for updates Find Mike: Website: https://birbigs.com/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/birbigs/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/birbigfans TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@mikebirbiglia Find Robby: Website: https://www.robbyhoffman.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robbyhoffman/ Hosted and Produced by Mike Birbiglia Producers: Peter Salomone, Joseph Birbiglia, Mabel Lewis, Gary Simons Sound Mixed by Ben Kruse Supervising Engineer: Kate Bilinski Video Consultant: Graham Willoughby Special Thanks: Marissa Hurwitz, Josh Upfal, David Raphael, Nina Cwik, J. Hope Stein, Oona Music: Jack Antonoff and Bleachers Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I don't know you. Just like you didn't know me, I don't know you as well. We are getting to know each other. Yeah. And I'm enjoying this. Me too. Yeah, we're kind of like two cats, you know, like, oh yeah, I know that building's got a cat. Yeah.

I got a cat. And now the cats are like meeting at the gate. Right. You know, there's a fence. Yeah, yeah. They know some cats. Yeah. Smilling him.

me smelling me. Working it out because it's not done. Working it out on. That is the voice of the great Robbie Hoffman. Robbie Hoffman's on the podcast.

We are thrilled. Robbie is having quite a moment in culture. She has a new special on Netflix that was directed by my buddy John Malaney. She is on hacks.

She is on rooster. She is everywhere right now. She's having quite a moment and it is awesome. She's super funny. It's such a gratifying thing when you see someone who's super talented and worked really hard and they're just having everything to work for them. We've a great talk today. We talk about comedy, the state of the world, vending machines. We cover a lot of ground. She is one of a kind. I love talking to her. We work out bits, which is one of my favorite things. By the way, if you haven't signed up for Working It Out Premium over there on Working Out Premium. If you go on Apple Podcasts and you do click on Working It Out Premium and join the Birbilia

Familia. It's $4.99 a month. You get all the episodes with no ads. And then you get these bonus episodes. And we've done a bunch where we work out jokes, even more jokes, some of the listeners' jokes. So listen to that. And thanks everybody who's been signing up for the text message alerts. In addition to joining the mailing list, if you want to get text message alerts.

about my upcoming tour dates, text the word Burbigs, B-I-R-B-I-G-S to 917-44-7-1-5-0. This weekend I actually popped in at the Comedy Studio in Cambridge. The only people who knew, the people with the text message alerts. I'll be doing more shows like that soon, so sign up. As always, check on all of my tour dates at burbigs.com. For example, I'm going to Montreal and Nantucket this summer. I love talking to Robbie Hoffman today. This is long overdue.

If you don't know Robbie, we talk about her special. We talk about her on hacks, her relationship to her fans, marriage. You're going to love this one. Enjoy my conversation with the great Robbie Hoffman. There's always a couple more jokes to explore. Let's make more. So how's it going, Mike? Wow, you have a printout.

I got questions. Holy, holy shit. Holy shit. You're not going to get away from here without some questions. This is a professional production. I love it. You must have had such a year because when I met you a few years ago, I met you the seller.

Thirling me the time of day, by the way. Not true. By the way. By the way. 100% not true. Go ahead. Do your story. This is interesting.

This is interesting. Do your story. I'll do mine. Okay. I met you a couple years ago. I always found you to be so funny offstage. Well, just like you are now. You're like a live wire.

Yeah. But you had, I think career-wise, not a lot going on, and now you have everything going on. You're like massive. So when I met you, I had a lot going on. You were not privy to it. But I have not been the overnight success. I have been very slow and steady.

You took the words right out of my mouth. But it really has been, if you know, you know. Like maybe some of the last circles to know me was kind of this, you know, for lack of this old guard New York or like, you know, like the big pillars of the scene may not have known about me. That is true. The way that they knew you. But I think the people and the hubbub and the whispers and the deep...

The whispers were big. Redits and stuff like that. I think I was... I think that's where I was like... It was interesting that I was so well known in some places, and then in more established places, I was not very known. So it's interesting that when we met, yes, we wouldn't have, I would consider you in pretty much like an official stand-up or, you know, comedy scene. Okay.

You know, kind of big pillars of stand-up, people who are doing these big tours, big Broadway productions, stuff like that at the cellar. but I think I was kind of boiling and bubbling in a very word of mouth way. Yeah. So it's, I've always felt kind of known and unknown simultaneously. That makes sense. Because when I met you, this happens very rarely. You meet someone, you don't know them. Right.

You go, this person's going to be huge. Thank you. From talking to them. It's just always nice when I'm like, he doesn't know me yet. Like he's at the table with the big guns. Okay, I'm here. Don't worry. Sit tight.

Yeah, yeah. Slow and steady wins the race. You always knew. I love to kind of come up through the rear of you. Like I... But I knew. I'm kind of in the back. I knew.

I know. Come on. I know. Come on. Come on. You didn't know. Yeah, I did. No, you think you knew.

100% new. You think you knew. But you needed a little bit more. What you needed was you needed other people to tell you I know to. No, I didn't. You needed the Malaney. Nope. Who, by the way.

Shouts out to Malaney. Shout out to Malini. Friend of the show. Friend of the show, friend of mine, incredible. This is a man who's John Malaney, out of nowhere, decides to put his weight, his power behind me. I know. This is, this is ally ship.

This is allieship. Yeah, yeah, this is what we're asking for. This is all we're asking for. Yeah. It's for a tall man from Chicago. Yeah, never mind that he's probably a bigger ally than I am. Sure. But, you know, use whatever you need.

No, but I think that, I think that this is perfect. timing. It's good timing. To be. John, you met because this is a wild story. You said something controversial at like a union meeting and people booed you and he thought

it was funny. No. We were in the right. We were. Yeah, yeah, we were picketing but I don't think there was a meeting or I wasn't at a meeting like the one you were at. Okay, we had to go to this meeting before the picket, before the strike.

that like if you didn't go, your demerit points were docked or something part of the union. Like you had to log in. I remember you had to go on the iPad. Yeah. Robbie Hoffman is here. Or, you know,

maybe it's because we were just, a bunch of us were just joining the union. I was, you know, just starting to write professionally. And I was pissed about having to be out of work. I just started getting work. I just, I just thought, bro, I get it.

Like this is. I thought you were cult favorite. I thought you were like a huge cult hit sensation though. Well, that's true, but writing-wise is very establishment. Writing television, you've got to get the mic per big list, got to let you in. Do you know what I mean? So I get the card. I get, you know, you see that types of all this, okay?

I've never written for television series. He sits on the board and it's actually, it goes through him. People don't know. But if you want to write in this town, you've got to go through and you send them a sample. In this town, you mean New York City or? I never lived in Los Angeles, if that's what you mean. I just mean the industry. Right, the industry.

Yeah, yeah. You know, it's a global town now. Right, right. It's a global marketplace. So I was kind of like, I was pissed because I'm like, bro, I just started making me. Just got out here. Yeah. That these rich people are.

Like, what is going on? Right. Then they force us to this meeting. Again, unpaid meeting. At this point, I can't write so all I could do is stand up. I should be out doing stand up. Right. So I'm just going to do stand-up every day.

The writing is on hold. The writing was a great supplement. Yeah. Who were you writing for? Okay. I sold my own show. Oh. I was writing on many things.

Working moms. Right. I was getting... You had a cult thing going on. Well, I was getting into a status and writing. And then I could do stand-up every night and would be good. Right. But now here's a night.

They're telling me you're not working. You're going at this meeting. It's unpaid. Right. It's a Q&A, though. Ask any questions. Throughout the day, I started to generate a curiosity. Okay, as my anger, I'm like, wow, like what a day of nothing.

I'm bringing in $0 today. By force, I could make money. I get, by the time I get to this meeting, I've printed the statements, their financial statements. Yeah. And there was a couple things that stood out to me, just as a layman reading financial statements. You can go to any company now, print out three basic financial statements, their income statement, their balance sheet, their cash flow.

Okay. A lot popping up to me on these. When you hear of an Amazon factory striking, it means that that union has exhausted all litigious heifers. They've done everything. Not the guild. The guilt throws us out first. We haven't even litigated yet. We're about to answer negotiations.

Yeah. And we're striking. Striking should be a last resort. It's criminal. Robbie, don't yell at me. No, because everything goes through you, and I know you have the connects at this level. It's shocking.

And it was criminal. Yes, I was booed. At first, the people were with me. They were like, why do we have milk? Like, some people don't know, like, all this is going on. Interesting point, I think. Yeah, or why do some of the heads of these unions make, like, a ton of money for membership dues?

And there was so many things. Why do we have to report our income to pay? Or just tell me what I owe you, Yeah. You know what I made? Yeah. What are you? Like, taxes now?

The government, guess what you made? Is it this? No, jail? Like what? Yeah. Just tell me if you have the stubs. Yeah, yeah. We're artists, when in?

So they were booing you. So they were with me for a while. So then when I asked the guy. He checked in on the iPad. One of the guys who was speaking, the head of the union or head of something, I saw salary $2.1 million. Mm-hmm. Now that's a, that seems to be a volunteer position.

Are you serious? For a non-for-profit. Is that real? Yeah. And you know. 2.1 million? 2.1 million. To run the guild?

So this is what I asked, right? I never got a answer. I said, so it says here, executive salaries that you're taken home 2.1 million. I just wanted to know. That's coming from membership. The revenue is called membership dues. Yeah. So is that coming in?

Like, what are we doing with us to? That's when it went awry. When I asked him personally, and he goes, We have been working tirelessly for three weeks. Three weeks are 2.1? I would do that. Yeah, yeah, I'd take that. He'd him taking three weeks.

I think any of us would take that. He should for four years, every time he's renewed. He should be working day in and day out for 2.1 a year. Yeah. And they should be litigating, you know, like the biggest Sony and all these studios have Stanford, Harvard lawyers who had any, any tiny thing they're litigating. They're suing. We should be revolving door in the courts. Right.

We're beating them every. We just should have our 2.1 million. All of our money should just go to hiring the greatest lawyers ever. We should be going up against studio lawyers. Yeah. Studio lawyers are from Harvard. They're from Stanford. We got a husband rider who's negotiating for us.

It's like bringing a knife to a gunfight. It's, it's so at this point it's bad. Okay, they have. They're booing you. You're getting booed. Yeah. And what I should have said to this guy, I should have responsible.

responded to that room in the way that they're used to being spoken to. By that, this guy, after that said, you need to sit down. He tells me. So now I'm crying inside. Whoa. Okay, you need to sit down. Okay, my friend Carmen Christopher, shout out.

He's with me. Very funny as well. He goes, rom, rum, rum, we got to get you out of here. It's starting to boo. It's like 3,000 people. It's like, and by the way, I'm not used to, by the way, I don't buy them on the road. Like, I'm not used to, by the way,

by the way, this is my first, you know, people ask me, what's it like. I don't know what it's like. Yeah. Now I know what it's like due to my peers at the WGA. Wow. So I go. So he goes, you need to sit down. So I'm at this point, I cry, you know, it's very intimidating and very scary.

You know, it's all those people booing. So I'm sitting down. But what I wish I had the strength for, but I was already done. Once you're crying inside, if somebody even asks you, how are you? You could cry. You know, even if it's a good question or like, you know. Of course.

It's like it's going to come. So I have to sit. We leave. I should have said, you mean to tell me that a cis white rich man? A cis straight white rich man is going to tell a young queer woman to sit down when she has a question. Right. Right. They didn't even see the opt.

Like they're so about the. language? No, I wish I had. See, I would have been huge. That would have been huge. And the dig was like, not that it's just what, I don't care is the point. Right. But they care about that stuff so much. It's their universe. Yeah, like there's a democratic like thing that really bothers me and I don't

I don't pick size in that way where it's like, well, you're going to get the pride parade, but you're not going to get health care. It's like. Right. Okay, like, can we just, you know? Holes would be nice. Yeah, like, you know what I mean? It's just like, it had that vibe. Yeah. So. So that's, yeah, I got booed.

I should have, you know, but then as time went on. Yeah. It was just going nowhere. Yeah. Negotiations and there's sandstills. People didn't know really what was going on. We were getting, it kept going. I started getting DMs.

I started getting people like, hey, where did you find those statements? Or like, oh, wow. I started getting people like, oh, you had a point. Like, why aren't we litigating? Right. Why do we have this writer from season nine of whatever going to the Lloyd? Right. Why don't we have Stan for Lloyd?

We have the money. We're one of the biggest unions. Right. What are we doing? Right. And for so long, the union has just not, because they didn't fight it every little thing. Yeah. Then it's like by the time they get to the negotiates, it's like, we have the smallest ones.

It's like they didn't, you know what I mean? It's like they signed bad deal after bad deal after bad deal. deal. Yeah. Studios seeped in, seeped in, seeped in, slow and steady

to the point that, like, now what can we really change, this or that? No, I know. They can't give us major. They've won.

They've won big. Yeah, they've won big because we just weren't, we weren't, we should have just been litigate, like, oh, they want to do this, we're here.

Every small change, catch you. Boom, fight that down, hit that down, hit that down. We didn't. For $2.1 million a year,

you'd think that guy would be on it. You would think. And by the way, He no longer works there. And I'll tell you something else. Good on you. I'll tell you something. And I don't know what happened there,

but I'll tell you something else. What's happening right now in the union? I don't know. The own employees. The union employees are suing the union. Oh. The union employees are on strike. In the writers guild?

Yes, because they see what these guys are bringing home. And they're not bringing home the same. They're going, well, sharing this for embezzling, let's all embezzle. Right. Right. So I stand with the employees at the W.SHA. So I'm going to credit it.

Now, I'll preface all of this with, I don't know what I'm talking about. All of this is, all of this I'm going to just cite as something that John Mullaney agreed with. Yes. And then over, and then over time, people came back and people were like, wow, that was really bold. I think so, yeah. It shouldn't be brave to like, say, you know, I'm on our side. I'm like, guys, like, I'm here. I'm for the people, by the people of the people.

Yeah, of the people. Yeah, of course. I'm not. This is our money. That seems great. So then John, I think, saw you do that. Yes. Thought it was funny. I thought it would never work again.

Okay. And so then John reached out to you and then the rest is history. He directed your special, took you on the road. I go on the road with him sometimes. And he talks about how much you kill, but then also like split the crowd in half sometimes. And he loves it. Yeah, I like to rough up his crowd. What I love about Malaney and I is,

like an odd, you know, I was really taken aback with somebody like that is A, um, likes me or gonna throw their weight behind me because he is a buttoned up. Yeah. You know, guard a comedy, kind of like really classy. Like I think he's like the classiest man I know probably. Yeah. And then it's like, I'm some like rats that he, you know, that he like, I'm like surprised. Like I feel like it is unbecoming for him to be in a room with someone.

somebody like me. But then at the same time, it really works. It's such a good vibe. You're like an old Jewish couple, I feel like. Yeah, it's really, really. He's not Jewish and you're a strain. He's class all the way. He's class all the way, super generous. And it makes sense perfectly why he would love your comedy. We both do have a polishedness about us. I think maybe his, it's funny, we both have both. Like, he seems polished and then he has some real grit. See, this is a tachotomous individual that I like. I like some of him. somebody who's got both. For sure.

I think that you're saying this really nice thing about John that he's dichotomous. I think you're missing that I am also dichotomous. I don't know you. Just like you didn't know me, I don't know you as well. We are getting to know each other. Yeah. And I'm enjoying this.

Me too. Yeah, we're kind of like two cats, you know, like, oh yeah, I know that building's got a cat. Yeah. I got a cat. Yeah, yeah. And now the cats are like meeting at the gate. Right.

You know, there's like, they know a cat in common. Yeah, yeah. They know some cats. Yeah. Smelling him. He's smelling me. I was really happy for you when I saw you pop up on hacks. Oh, thank you.

I was just like, great. Robbie's hilarious. This is a score. This show's hilarious. It was great. You fit right in. Yeah, no, it was great. It was great.

Were you nervous when you're? I mean, you don't seem nervous ever. So, like, how do you feel when you got hired for that? With the hacks thing, what was nerve-wracking about it, and this I blame them, is the process of getting the hacks thing, because they called me, they wrote this part for me, obviously. But then I got to audition for it. And so that's even, let's say I didn't get it. Right?

Let's say you psych yourself out, you know, the pressure is too much, whatever. all you had to do to tap it in and you missed it. Yeah. Okay. It's even worse. Yeah, you audition for yourself. You didn't get it. Then you have to kill yourself.

Yeah, it's even worse. It's like, okay, if I had to audition to play Merrill Streep, crying, you know, okay, fine. Like, you know, I didn't get it. They were looking for somebody around 72. You know, they thought they could. Like, I'd be like, okay, you did what you could. Yeah, yeah, sure. But if it's for you.

And then I'm thinking, well, what if they cast for it? Yeah. First of all, anti-Semitic. And second of all, It's like, am I getting a writing credit? Like, you told me you wrote it for me, based on, like, what's? Like, you can't. Right, what kind of AI bullshit is this?

Like, what is going on? But thank God I dunked it the funk in. The funkin? You dunked it. You dunked it. I got it. Yeah, yeah. And I got the job to play a very similar character.

Variation of yourself. And that's what I do with all my characters. Somebody goes, oh, you know, her and Roos is. Yes, I'm doing. Imagine Ben Stiller in different things. Okay, we are doing slightly different versions of us. I was a very sexual character and dying for sex. People were like, oh, I didn't see you as a...

I was... Well, there it is. There it is. So, yes, it's still going to be me, but I'm just going to be doing different roles. I always say that to people. Like, oh, if you've seen me in things, you want that to be in your movie?

It's like the same... Yeah, it's just... It's really nice to play. with different, you know, and Hacks, I'm very eager. I'm a very, um, eager, hardworking, very type A person. But Hacks and Rob, my real life character, we have so much in common in that, like, in the show, she wants to be a good assistant, she wants to make it, you know, she wants to keep this job, she wants to be in the industry.

And in real life, it was like my first acting. I want to do, do it. That's nice. I want to keep on the show. Will they write me and more? So we kind of, our, my character and me had a very, similar thing going, I'm do well as an actor. Yeah.

You know, do that justice. Am I enough of the, you know, the eagerness and what they wanted to achieve? That version of me. And, you know, and then in Rooster, I'm a very lazy at-home grad student. And that's another part of me that I can tap into. I can sit in a robe all day. I don't mind that. You grew up in Queens?

No, originally from Crown Heights, right here. Oh, from Grand Heights. So you have a Hasidic family growing up? Yes. You're one of ten. Yes. And was it, tell me what the level is, because I see Hasidic people. I don't know.

I think I don't know any of them. No, they don't want to know. Right? I don't think they want to know me. But I see them. They live in Brooklyn. That's fine. But like, what is the level?

Is it the outfits? Is it the walking behind people? What do you mean the level? What are the conventions of Hasidic that your family was going by that I as a non-Hasitic person. What do you mean? What's conventions mean? Like, for example, the hats.

I see the hats. Yes, they wore the hats. What is the hats? What are the hats? Beautiful hat. But like, what is it from? I'm sorry to put you on the spot, but I just don't understand it. So a lot of these Hasidic communities, and fact checkers get me wrong, because there are a lot of them.

But for the most part, they come from Eastern Europe. Russia, Poland, Poland. You know, and a lot of the sects names come from the people who originally them back in Eastern Europe, the turn of the century, turn of the last century, 1900, not, you know, 2000. And so I was born into the Lubavich community, which is what you find in Crown Heist. Now that is more if there's also Shabad, which is more of an outreach. It's a more, what we would say, a more casual. It's like a little more relaxed. To you, it might look as in. insane. But to me, when I look at them, they seem more chill than what I was born into. It's like a more reformed version of it. Almost. But it's still, you know, it's still, they're still in the black hats and whatever. Okay. The hat and the yarmaca specifically. So the hat is more traditional based on the area. But the Kippa is to always remind, it's to remind you of

ego that there's always something bigger than you. Why do you leave? My mother left. Your mother left. And did you, at the time, did you think, okay, this is a good idea? We all wanted to get out. Yeah, like, I mean, we left for a multitude of reasons. I mean, my father was extremely abusive. My parents had a terrible marriage due to his, you know, the way that he was. And that didn't exist.

We knew some very good families who didn't have that who had great fathers and great parents. But for the most part, yeah, my parents had 10 kids by 30. I think it's extremely reckless. And I think, you know, I think it's, yeah, they're bound by, yeah, it's a very oppressive. It can be very oppressive. And I think particularly of women, of course. And I would say that for most traditional religious communities in Judaism and beyond to other religions, I think most fundamentalist sects of any religion originate at times.

when women weren't. Yeah, they're bros before hoes, which is one of the names of my jokes on the one. Bros before hoes. That's how they would categorize it. You're one of ten siblings. Yes. I give short answers, huh?

I give short answers. Okay, go ahead. How many kids is too many kids? I'm having no kids. Oh, you go no kids? Yeah, Gabby is my baby. I'm hers. That's why we're doing it.

That's your wife. Yeah, that's my wife. 10 is a lot, but I'm 7. down the line. Can you, so it's tough to say? Can you rank your siblings from funniest to least funny?

There's so many who are funny. I mean, I come from such a funny family, but yeah, a bunch of them are funny. A bunch of them are funny. Chaya's really funny.

Yehudis is really funny. I can't say this brother's name because he's like, I don't have people coming up to him. And like, nobody is coming up to you. You know, he acts like he's like the most famous. He's like, I can't even go to work anymore.

But he's very funny, as you can imagine. My brother Schmali is so funny. I mean, I come from, we're very funny. So your wife is Gabby. What are the top three lessons your wife Gabby has taught you? And what are the top three lessons you've taught Gabby? These are hard questions because when you say top three or something, it's something that I'd have to take a long time to think about.

Or what's a lesson? I would only be giving you things off the top of my head. And then I'll be going home later and be like, you know what, that wasn't the top. Let me rephrase. I actually thought of this. You know, but it's like, what's the top I can think of now? Let me rephrase.

It's like somebody asking my favorite color. I go, well, I like a lot of them now because I'm not six. No, you're right. So it's hard to pick one, you know, one movie. It was Mabel. That was Mabel's question. I go, look, I like a lot of movies now. I'm out of point.

I've seen some. Point this to Mabel. Maple. Top of the head right now. Brokeback Mountain, best. Okay, I'm going to rephrase. So is there a thing in marriage that you feel like you've taught Gabby and a thing Gabby's taught you? Yes.

Twofold. First of all, love being married. Yeah. I really recommend that if you find the person that you really are excited to get married. Because I don't care. I didn't care otherwise. You know, I wasn't sure if I would get married or not get married. married but it wasn't but now I meeting Gabby I needed to be married to Gabby and I just love that

marriage to me feels like a hack you know I used to come home um and see you know a bunch of my brothers I have five brothers and you know and um yeah they just I and I have a brother a year older than me I have a brother two years old to me I have a brother three years old than me and a brother a year younger I'm I'm really in this cluster of boys which explains a lot but um I used to look at them and be like uh these fucking guys like like I can't even. I would tell my mother like, Ma, let's take a good picture of me,

throw me up for adoption, see if something comes up. Yeah. I could, you know, move to the city. I could, I feel like I could do well because my brothers, I really hated them. And she would say things like,

and we were violent, and we all were, we were poor and living on top of each other and it just wasn't good. And she would say, they're your brothers. They're your brothers. Yeah.

You know, you don't pick your family. You don't choose your family. I realize with marriage you do. Yeah. You get to one time. Yeah, one time. Pick your family. Yeah.

And it's the best. I'm like, these fuck or something, this is my family now. This is my family. This is the actual family. So I, that is, that was a huge hack that I chose my family. Yeah. And it's Gabby.

And it feels unbelievable. So that's one thing. Something that I've taught her is, I think Gabby always, Gabby doesn't like conflict at all. Uh-huh. Like she used to not like, like, if she, she would be worried that I'm mad at her or something, I'd say. Right, right, right. Right.

Versus, like, I don't know, like, it's, she would think that she grew up in a house and she'd have to speak to this and you'll have to have her on. But she grew up in a house where, yeah, if she did bring something up, it was, she was in trouble. Something was wrong. Right. And I was born into conflict. I was born where six of my siblings were already there. There, three more were coming. Yeah.

I was, you know, we were living on top of each other. I always shared room with multiple of my sisters. So let's say we had a fight. Yeah. So my sister and I were arguing over something. That bitch wore my shirt. Yeah. Okay.

And now it's dirty and now laundry's not, you know, Ma's not going to wash this again. Who knows what it is. Yeah. It's not like I could just say, well, fuck you. I'm going to my room and, you know, and closed up. We didn't, the bitch is in my room. Right.

Right. So we got to go to sleep that. conflict is present. Yeah, it's like, it's not like we could go to our own room. Bye, bye, I'm not talking to you. It's like, well, we got to sleep somehow. Like, we're resolving this because lights, like, I got to sleep. Yeah.

We can't be in this tension to sleep. Yeah, there is something to that. So I'm very good at like the day to, like, and she would be like, think I was mad at her. Yeah. Like, let's say her dog went outside. Yeah. But right outside the door. I said, babe, does he's got to go by the door?

Yeah. Can you go a couple feet? And she would be like, you know, but we now, she now, it's like I always... At first she would think you're mad at her. Meanwhile, you're like, no, no, I just want the dog to move away. But she would also then not tell me things. Right. She'd think it would make me mad at her.

If she told me something that I, a, bothered her, or she thought maybe it would make me... It's just anything she would think that if she brought me whatever she was thinking about a relationship, that I would be mad. I relate to this. So, so that's, but we've, that was like so early on. Yeah. But it's just so nice. Like, like, so that's something that I think I brought to her and something that she brought to me. That's great.

That's a good breakthrough. Was that after you married or before? No, it was before. Like, this was in our first few months of dating. I noticed that like so many small, like, we almost have nothing. Like, now it's like, this is nothing. Yeah, like she would be like, oh my God. Like, you know, and I'm like, babe, we're going to have a million of these things.

Yeah. In my head, I'm like, are you kidding? Going to move in? There's going to be millions of things. I'm not mad. You're not mad. We're figuring it out. Yeah.

You know, but she would not want to bring me her feelings sometimes because thinking I'm going to be upset. I guess I would unpack that. Which, by the way, let's say I am upset. Let's say something uncomfortable. Okay. Who's expect? It's like when somebody's offended by my comments sometimes. Well, you think to live a life of knowing.

No offense. You think you're going to live a life? Is that what we were doing? Is that what we're... The life of no offense? Like, it doesn't make any sense. It's like, that's okay. It's okay that you're offended.

It's okay that you're sad. To unpack this for people who might be listening to this and go, oh my God, that's my marriage. What would be your advice to those people? What do you mean when they're... Like, they're listening to this. They go, oh my God, that's like me and my wife. That's like me and my husband where the person thinks I'm mad at them all the time.

What's the thing? way to attack that because i feel like i jenny and i've dealt with that over the years too i probably baked into our childhood in some way but it's like is there advice that's outward for people it just brings it so much well no like i think um i think first of all it's not the worst thing if you tell your partner something and it does upset them you know what i mean i think you have to say what you're feeling and if it upsets them okay they're they can talk that out now too. But it just brings us so much closer. Like since having those few hiccups, yeah. And what solved it for Gabby to give you this was she was, was the commitment.

Was when we became girlfriend, girlfriend even early on. Yeah. She felt just so much safer. Then when we got engaged, she felt like everything married, she like doesn't have any fear. I think, I think we had this too. It's so funny. I never believed in marriage until I got married. And then once we're married, I'm like, oh, yeah, this is easier because the barrier of exit is much more extreme than it was previously. But it's also she knows I'm not going anywhere. That's what I mean. I mean, that's what I mean. It's like, you're not going anywhere.

And if you are, it's going to be a whole thing. But she, what we had, yeah, we unpack our childhoods with each other. I mean, a healthy marriage, a healthy relationship can help you heal each other, heal yourselves, you know, you get your reflected yourself. is reflected back to you. Yeah. Through another partner, you can see your behavior because it's hard.

Yeah. It's hard from this vantage point, this very, you know, it's not objective at all. Yeah. What does Gabby impart on me? Yeah. See, I answer very pithy.

I have pithy answers to everything. Gab, at the same time, is just, has allowed me to care less about what other people think. she doesn't give a shit. Yeah. She doesn't give a shit about other people. What I mean by that is she won't do what she doesn't want to do.

If she wants to stay home at seven, she's in bed, she's in bed. And I used to get kind of, because I grew up without any connections or any pedigree, and then I'm navigating kind of this Hollywood elite thing, I'm thinking like, oh, I should go to that thing because I could meet Mike Berbiglia. Maybe Mike Berbiglia could. I don't live. You know what I mean? No, could help me. You know?

This is insane that you're putting this on me. And she doesn't like think like that. She'll be like, I'm tired, I'm not going. Yeah. Like, we'll get, you know what I mean? That's a good quality. And so I'm a lot more like, I just trust in us a lot more. Mm-hmm.

You know what I mean? Versus others because she just doesn't give a shit who you are, what you are. She just wants to sit in the corner. Have a SIGI and go to bed How, like, when I do shows, if I do like an edgy topic in a show, I'll often get like emails from people being like,

hey, I prefer you to talk about this, et cetera. Do you have that from your audience ever? No, they know not to send me an email. Okay, I am not looking at this email, okay, and that's that. No, they know not. They just know. No, maybe you invite,

why is your email even there? I don't have an email. How's that? Okay. Okay. No, no, they don't. It's because maybe you set yourself up. I think when you set up, you know, when you're the Will Smiths, the Ellins, the Mike

Barbiglius of the world, the problem is you purport this kind, this, this woke. Who were those people? Nothing wrong with it, too, because I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm all these things, too. But I'm saying, if you. Just want to unpack who those three people are. You said Will Smith. Yes. And he said Ellen.

And Mike Barbigli. Okay. I just want to understand that. When you have, or maybe this was painted for you, or maybe you set it up, like, you're like a good guy, is what I mean. Right. Okay, Will Smith's a good guy. Right.

Good guy, was a good guy, promotes being a good guy. Ellen, she is kind. She's out there dancing. Okay, you can't beat the dancing. Okay, nothing kinder than dancing through her audience, okay? And so maybe you're like, oh, Mr. Like, I'm Mr. Ally, I'm Mr. I'm Mr. I love everybody. So then people hold you to that standard. Right.

Right. So then when Will Smith slaps a bitch out on stage, while we're going, the whole world, the shit shatters. Okay, when Ellen, you know, waterboards or employees, you go, holy shit. You go, holy shit. The world crumble. See, I don't come out it. I have never purported to be the nicest personal life.

In fact, if you see me, do not say hello. Do not say hello. Okay? No, no, no, I am not. I get it. You know, I come off rough around the edges. I am aggressive. I'm not approachable.

I don't think anybody thinks sending me an email is going to go well. Yeah. You know, so they don't do it because, you're absolutely right. You're wise to it. That said, it will come out one day that I'm kind. You wait and see. Yeah. Because even though I'm rough around the edges.

That'll be a good scoop. I'm actually a fucking delight to work with. Was it a guy come in here nice? Mm-hmm. Yeah, we're nice. Yeah. So, you know, I'd rather that. So I would say for you, don't even email, Mike.

He's done with your fucking emails. Start it now, okay? All right. Here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to create a clip of you saying that. So maybe say that to camera here. Do you answer these emails? No, here's what we're going to do.

I'm going to make a clip of it, and then I'm going to send them the link. Do not send Mike an email. He's done with your emails. Why am I done with that? You had a good run, you had a good run where he would run. write them back and he felt bad he said some shit those days are over he has since met Robbie Hoffman and it is a new dawn thanks for doing that the uh that said follow Robbie Hoffman on Instagram too far Patreon only my podcast oh Jesus I think we're going to go to

material I have a question do you have new material you're working on someone who work out ideas for premises, half premises. Oh, I have tons because I just went on tour. Yeah. One of the premises I really want to work on is I think AI is autistic, like the bitch is off. Like I can't. Like, I'm trying to work on this thing that's like, like, nothing wrong. Also, nothing wrong is somebody who's been accused myself.

Like, nothing wrong, but it's like, she's cool sometimes. But it's like, sometimes I'm like, bitch, are you? Okay. Like, you know what I mean? Like someone answers, I'm like, okay, I see what you're saying, but like, oh, she's okay. Yeah. You know, I'm going to tell her like this instead. Yeah, AI's on the spectrum.

Yeah, AI is for sure on the spectrum. And then, and I think she's on the spectrum because I think, well, who's inventing her? We got guys like Elon Musk and Sam Altman. That's right. We got the most autistic fuckers on the planet. Right. Who are at the base of her. Right.

Right. And so now all of our AI is going to be autistic. Right. Autistic's going to be the main way to go. It'll be the standard. Right, right. It's going to be way bigger disaster, socially speaking, than we realize. I think that's true. People know the economic, you know, fallout from this and all that.

But I think socially, you're going to be at the bar with a bunch of autistic fucking robots. The vibe. All the vibe of that. It's like, I'm always just like, hey, you guys, I'm impressed by the AI. But when's cancer again? No, exactly. When's the cure for anything? Yeah, by the way, we are getting very good cures.

We're getting very good cures for a lot of stuff. Oh, are we? Yeah. That is true? Well, you could die of AIDS 10 years ago. Look at you now. Well, that's true. No, that's true, but I don't think that's because of AI.

No, no, I'm just saying, but we've had, like, who thought that AIDS would be curable? When I was a kid, we would, like, scare each other with AIDS. Unbelievable. That's a good bit, though. Yeah, I think that, yeah. Have you done on stage? The AI on the spectrum? Yeah, so I just did AIs on the spectrum, but I haven't worked out.

I'm still going to, I'm going to start talking about why I think now. It's because of, like, these guys are on. And by the way, nothing wrong. But I just think, like, you know, it's kind of like who wrote history. Right. I had this debate with this guy years ago, friend David in Toronto, and I was telling him I was doubting history.

You're talking about things I didn't believe things. Yeah, sure. And I was like, well, who wrote the actual books of history? It's probably white men who, like, you know, you don't have, like... Had an agenda. Black historians. You don't have female historians. Certainly, yeah, yeah.

Like, so who wrote the actual story down? Yeah. So it started doubting it. That's like what we're doing with AI. Who's writing the AI? A hundred percent. So that's what it's going to be. It's like who puts it down on paper?

Yeah. E's an important part because it means whoever's not part of that process is not reflected in the process. No, 100%. So I think socially speaking, forget economically sure, but your chill is also fucked. Nothing wrong. What's your chill? Like, sure, your job may be fucked. Yeah.

You know, and all this stuff. But also what may be fucked is like hanging out with all these AI robots. Which, by the way, if you're already autistic and you like that, fantastic. Good for you. It's a good fit. Yeah, but... Yeah, that's a good bit. Yeah, so I'll work that out.

That's a bit that, for example, I would get emails about. Oh, you would? You would not get emails about. What would they say in the email? Yeah, they would just go like, well, it's not nice to joke about autism, et cetera. And I would just go, no, no, I'm not joking about, I'm not joking at the expense of it. I'm joking about a thing that is a real thing. But also it's like, it's kind of like when people weren't joking, like, well, you can't

make fun of they, them. It's like, what are we the most? First of all, it's like, is it the most, it's the one not, like, it's like, okay, so do we want to be considered equals or not? Everybody's getting it. Yeah. Autistic people like autistic comedy? Yeah.

Just like, I want to, you know, people yell at me for being a dyke, whatever it is, okay. Yeah. It is what it is. And I might be both, by the way. People, you know, now that people, when people put me on a spectrum, I consider that my, my, my, my territory. Until proven otherwise. Wait, what's your, wait, what, you talk about in the special, but what's your, where do you stand on, they, them? You do, you go.

I joke about it. You go she, right? Yeah, because it was too annoying. I'm already Jewish. How much more annoying could I be? Yeah. If I did, they, them. I don't actually care.

People go, well, you're so respectful in life. Like, you know, I have trans fans and I have, and I go, you don't actually care. I just think it's annoying. It's not illegal to be annoying. Yeah. It's annoying and we'll do it. It's annoying and we'll do it.

It's like fine. It's annoying and we'll do it. It's fine. Yeah. It's another thing. On the plane, actually, do you have, actually, do you have a cutlery? My box didn't come with it. And they go, it's annoying.

But we'll go get you. So what? Yeah. What is so wrong? It's like when people don't want to be offended, people don't want to be hurt. I told Gabby in our relationship, I'm going to be hurt. Yeah. Sometimes you will hurt me.

Yeah. And that is okay. You're not intentionally, yes, but unintentionally being hurt because you're saying, like, we will hurt each other. We don't want to. Yeah. But it is a reality. We love each other and care for each other so much. We're going to have hurt feelings.

I don't. I don't. Where it gets weird is when people are malicious. Yes. And then they go, no, I'm not calling you that. No, we're all joking and we're all in on it. Yeah. You're all in on it.

And, yeah. But there is that, by the way. There is the malicious version. Yeah, there's the malicious. And by the way. That's where it gets muddy, I think. And there's people who are allowed to be mad at me, too. Yeah, for sure.

It's like people can be mad at me too. It's, that's okay. Yeah. Like, it's kind of like, you know, a few years ago, Chappelle was saying something like, you can't say anything anymore. You know, you can say, bitch, you can say whatever you want. Of course you can. You are.

You are right now. You're saying it. You're watching you on the thing where... Other people can say stuff to you too. Of course. So that's it. You can say what you want and other people can have a response. You have to know that it's not like you can't say anything. You can at your own risk.

Yeah. You can do whatever you want at your own risk. You can kill someone if you want, but expect to face a trial. Yeah. You might be on trial that. You might get away with it. And most murders are unsolved. This is a fact that really...

It actually is much easier to kill someone. To quite a turn. Then you realize. I didn't realize that, you know, you can just, most drive-byes, you could just drive, kill somebody, move on with your life. Yeah. Gary's thinking about it. Oh. This is a thing that I feel like you would, I wrote down that, that I feel like you would be also annoyed by, which is sometimes you go to a vending machine, you click D6 or whatever, and it like spins the gatorade around, you know?

Especially if it's like a soft drink. Yeah, there's a little dance. I know, no. And I'm just like, you could just have it not do that and be 50 cents less. I don't need the dance. But where are you going at these vending machines? You're still at the Greyhound stops? Where are you?

That really got naval. Is he at the crayon? No, no, this is very on brand. I'm at Swim Meets. I wrote that down at the Swim Meat. My daughter's Swim Meat the other day. Oh. Yeah, because we're at like high schools and colleges with pools.

Yeah, because the vending machine It's been a minute And then I wrote this down as a possible I mean, we're a brown, so we're in a beautiful You know, I don't think Mike Burr Bigley At the fucking vending machine With the Doritos and the Gatorade, my God Jesus

Okay, and then I wrote That's why I don't overperform my jokes I don't want to be the vending machine that's doing a little dance. I just want to give you Gatorade at a fair price. I don't. This vending machine is not my... No, because it's not my... Because it's...

Yes, I don't know if enough people know it does the dance. Because we're not at the vending machine. Oh, that's interesting. We're not at the vending machine a tremendous amount anymore. Oh, that's interesting. If I'm at a vending machine, it is bleak. Like, my grandmother's in the hospital. Like, I'm trying to think, like, I'm at the Greyhound.

Here's what I'll say. Like, I'm not, like, the least of my problems is the vending machine. This is good feedback. You know what I mean? This is good because I, because this is just making me go. Because I have a bit about my daughter being a swim meet and, and how miserable it is, because you basically have to watch other people's kids swim for four hours. And then you watch your daughter swim for 90 seconds.

Why do you have to go to the swim meet? Well, when you have a child, you go to. to their events. You know what I mean? You go to the swim meet. Nobody ever came to see me at anything. This is the kind of thing that parents do. Okay.

That's a good thing. I'm really teaching you a lot. No, it's amazing because I think you're an amazing dad. And I actually think that that's great. But it reminds me of when Noem came to watch me at the cellar. So I killed at the cellar when I started, like I started doing the cellar, really having fun. And then Esty and Noam wanted to watch me.

Yeah. But I've never been watched my whole life. Nobody came to a recital. nobody came to anything. Interesting. I'm not in the mood to be watched all of a sudden by somebody. And it really threw me off that he watched. Yeah.

And I, but then over the years, I've started, I had to tell myself, you've got to get comfortable people watching you. I got to get to be like Tiger Woods, which doesn't matter. Right. How many people are around him,

he's got to make this put, this whatever. All he has to do is tap it. And that's not the hard part. It's a everybody is watching. I got to be able to do it alone. I got to be able to do it stadium. I've got to be able to lock in no matter what.

And so I think it's very good that she's going to get used to people watching her and the judgment of it because that is part of so many things that you... It might not be part of a world, but if it does, if she does enter something where that is part of it, that muscle will have been developed.

The thing that's helpful in the feedback. Right. A lot of times on the show, it's like a joke will work, a joke won't work, or you'll learn something about a joke that, oh, the next time I'll put it with this, which is, I'll put it, with the swim meet thing and the vending machine

so that people have a context of why the hell I'm using a vending machine. Because now I have the full narrative. Yeah. Oh, the vending machine is a machia. It's the light of this swim meat. That's right. If you're at the swim meet and you're like,

oh, maybe I'll get a snack. If they have a vending machine, you know, thank God. Yeah. Because the swim meat is so boring. And swimming seems like the most boring. Oh, it's so boring. Except when your daughter swims. And then it's amazing.

You're like, oh, this is the best. Yeah, but you know what they should have. set lists like comedy like when is she up yeah so the final thing we do is working out for a cause and if you have a non-profit you like to contribute to we will contribute we give money to mexicans on my podcast okay okay we're doing this we're running the not too far 1k are you in l.A for the Netflix fest yep well we're doing a 1k i don't know when this comes out may 10th the sunday okay okay it's called the not too far one Not too far, 1K.

We're going to be running about one kilometer. I would do it if I were there. Okay. And we're going to be raising money, pay what you can, and money goes to Mexicans. What we mean by that is we don't take IDs, we don't look at papers. If you are Mexican come up to the table after and say you'd like some money, we're going to give it to you. And just... We've been doing that a bit on the pot.

If you're Mexican, you're Mexican, you're going to pay. Yeah. You just get money at the 1K. That's it. Okay. We just give cash. Mexican American or Mexican? I don't care.

I don't check anything. Okay. Either one. I don't care. We do it based on, you tell me, I don't care. Is it because, I mean, I could get it. Because of ice. Oh, because of ice.

Right. Right. Because ice doesn't discriminate actually weirdly or in their discrimination, they don't discriminate. They don't look at papers. They don't care. They don't care. They're just barging into any shit. Right.

Right. So you're just like, it's your way of saying. I'd like to not care for a positive. Right. It's your way of saying like, hey, this is insane, what ICE is doing. We're just going to give away money. We give away money. Yeah.

It's on my Patreon. The Too Far podcast. Patreon. Patreon. And also people can just find it on your Instagram. Yes, that's correct, too. Robbie Hoffman. At Robbie Hoffman on Instagram.

Robbie, I think this is the beginning of a long beautiful friendship. Really? I think so, yeah. You think so? I feel like we have a lot in common. What do you think we have in common? I think we both like shooting from the hip. The hip?

Yeah, you ever heard of that? No. That's an expression shoot from the hip. What does that mean? It just means tell your own truth. Speak your own truth. Well, I think there's only one truth. There's not a one truth.

Okay. Thank you so much. Thank you. Working it out because it's not done. Working it out. That's going to do it for another episode of working it out. You can follow Robbie Hoffman at Robbie Hoffman on Instagram. Her special Wake Up is directed by John Malaney. It's on Netflix now.

Listen to her podcast Too Far. That's on Patreon. Check out berbigas.com to sign up for the mailing list. Go sign up for text message alerts. Our producers are myself along with Peter Salomon, Joseph, Barbiglia, Mabel Lewis, and Gary Simons. Sound Mixed by Ben Cruz, Supervising Engineer, Kate Balinski. special thanks as always to Jack Antonoff and bleachers for their music that episode with Jack

has been so great response. I actually, I have to tell you, I felt really self-conscious sharing my song Remember Pizza on the episode because it's so not done, you know, and then he came in with those chords and he had a bridge and he had all these things that I have to tell you like some people have asked like, did he know the song before? He's like, no, no, no, that's literally. what he does. He's able to just create original music in real time in this way that I find

magical. So we always thank Jack Antonoff and bleachers for their music. Oh, and bleachers for their questions for Jack. Some really good bunch of questions for Jack Antonoff. Special thanks, as always, to my wife, the poet, J. Hope Stein, the author of Little Astronaut and our daughter, Una, who built the original radio fort made of pillows. Thanks most of all to you who are listening if you enjoy this podcast, rate us and reviews.

on Apple Podcasts. At this point, almost 5,000 user reviews. It really helps. It helps people go, oh, that's a podcast. That exists. People listen to that.

Without the user reviews, I think what happens, people skim through because there's just so many darn podcasts. And we put a lot of care into this thing, and we love it, and we water it, and we put it in front of the sun.

So you'll listen to it. That metaphor falls apart at the end. but we're going to have to keep it in. Keep it in. Thanks most of all you are listening. Tell your friends, tell your enemies, tell the head of your union, whatever union that might be.

Next time you're at a meeting, maybe things get a little heated, just get, hey, calm down. Take a breath. Maybe we should all take a break and listen to this podcast. Mike Barbigley is working it out. It's where Mike Barbigley works out jokes

and talks about the creative process with other comedians and writers. So motion to listen that Mike Berbigley is working it out, motion passes. Thanks, everybody. We're working it out. We'll see you next time.