SmartLess - "Ike Barinholtz"

Episode Date: July 6, 2026

Keep talking to the hand— it’s our friend Ike Barinholtz. Hustling, trivia, college, bottle-service, true mirrors, and a Southwest flight home. “Hey guys, where did you go?” It’s an all-new SmartLess. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of SmartLess ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello, this is Captain J.B. up here in Skycopter 4. What are we looking at today? Well, there's a little bit of a congestion over there. Jay-B, you lost your license. Bring the chopper back. You lost your life. You're not supposed to. The world's going to switch other programming here.

Welcome to Smartless. Doesn't Jason kind of look like he just woke up? He just woke up. He's going to have a bowl of cereal and watch cartoons. I've had cereal. I've had my granola, my sugar-free gluten-free granola, with my unsweetened almond milk. I want to just blow my brains out.

That sounds like, Jesus. It's halfway describing it. It's just terrible. You're finally getting it. You're finally getting it. Fuck. My sugar-free, urbamate, fucking. It looks like urine.

It's not worth it, right, Will? Didn't you say I was going to, I was going to die without a whole lot of water retention? but it'll all be young. And remember, and the whole idea is that I was going to be at your bedside eating a Sunday with 30 years to go. Right, and me and my wooden teeth will be sitting in a casket. J.B., you got like a really, like you got like a sort of sexy,

like post-sex look. That's what I'm saying. Right? Well, does the hand count? Oh, no. No, I don't do that. Talk to the hand. Keep talking to the hand.

Keep talking to the hand. I just, I'm just, I was telling Sean, I just did some reading, that's all. This is just me and reading, reading, reading. This is reading for the, for the movie you're doing, yeah? For maybe what might follow. You know, we, we, you know, we're hustlers, you know, us people. We're constantly getting hired and fired, and you've got to try to build a bridge to the next check. That's right.

Always. Yep. I know. You're so exhausted. Stop. How about we just stop? Let's just stop. You know, because you know what?

I hear it from you if we stopped. Let's just chat. We'll just chat once a week. You know, and we don't have to do any reading, and we don't have to do any, you know, getting up at crazy hours and being away from our families. Oh, my God. Your voice is kind of worbly. Well, I'm here and lonely in New York. I know.

I'm going to be there soon, J.B. and for the first couple of weeks I'm going to be across the street from you until I move in to my place. Yeah? Yeah. I'm going to be right there

so I'm going to come and I'll come and spoon you at night. I'm there in June, late June. We're good. We're going to be going to. So, yeah, J.B., but I'm going to... I knew that was coming. See, that's what's generous about us three.

We each take turns. It's setting each other up to hurt our own feelings. Now, J.B., do you like being isolated like that by yourself there and all that stuff? I do. You know, I was thinking the other day that I have lived in a number of these temporary situations because of work in various places around. Yeah.

And I was actually, I was thinking, well, I'm kind of surprised it. I've made a friend of that and I'm kind of comfortable with that because you know, you know me. I'm so, I'm so locked and committed and comfortable in my cave at home. Like, I don't, I don't leave. But you create a cave. You create a cave everywhere you. It's true. I'm good about like immediately.

Every time you get into rental, I remember in Atlanta when I was living in that building underneath you, you had your cave there with your couch and your thing, right? Yeah, the couch has got to be in a situation where I can be laying down perpendicular.

Yeah, so that I'm looking across my body, over my feet, right to the TV. The couch is, again, perpendicular to the television. Yeah. And then... If I've got that, I'm comfy.

Remember on tour, every hotel immediately couch. Right in the corner. And then the TV on, Jay B Wood. Right on the corner. And then you come out to Long Island,

you get to my house. Everybody's outside and J.B.'s on the couch. I know, but then unfortunately, that's usually the host's spot. That's your spot. No, no, because remember I had those two. You do the corner.

I have those two corners. Yeah, you do the other, why do you do that? Well, but every single, yeah, and every single time you come over here, Jay, you got your spot on the couch, exactly how you just described. And I feel bad that this must be,

this is the prime spot. Sean, I'm sorry I'm in your spot. Will, I'm sorry I'm in your spot. You're not. You don't. You don't care. Nobody, you got, that's your spot. But I do the same.

Like last summer somebody came in and we were watching soccer. And Bradley and I were in that same configuration. And we were both asleep. And my brother came in. We were both on the couch midday. Quick. Quick, quick. Chuck, Chuck, Chuck, Chuck, Chuck.

Okay, good. Wait, but Jason. Chuck Arnette. Quick shout out to Chuck Arne. Hey, Charles. Charles. Charles. Wait, but, Chase, I just need to know that you.

You don't get, so after a while of being isolated, don't you miss people and the opposite of that? I would if in those situations, when I'm isolated by myself, in a foreign city, I'm not spending 12 hours during the day with hundreds of new people and my new family on each one of those. Right. So, again, it's that black-white situation. Are we now able to, are we allowed to talk about your new family?

Because I didn't know if the public knew about this or whatever. That one, not that one. This is exciting news that we're getting to do it. We've just scooped Card 11 at TMZ. With three children. Yeah, it's amazing. I'll tell you what's amazing. Oh, really?

Our surprise guest, he is one of the greats when it comes to comedy. Uh-huh. He got his start on Mad TV. He's been in over 100 episodes. He's been in so many things that we love. These days, he's in a show that he created with Mindickely. that's coming back for season two called Running Point. But he's also lately been known as one of the breakout,

amazing, hilarious stars of Apple TVs, the studio. Guys, it's our friend. It's Mike Barrett-all! First, can I just shout out Chuck Arnett real quick? Is that cool? Of course. Chuckie. It's my guy.

Yeah, yeah. My guy. Oh, Ike, this is great. This is this, now this is a guest, Will? Yeah. I know. This is a guest. This is one of the guys.

This is one of the guys. I'm so glad you're here. I was thinking about this morning. I was pouring myself a coffee this morning, and I said to myself, I said, Oh, great, fill us in. What did you? You put some sugar in it too?

No, Steve, yeah. Well, if I'm being real, truvia, and then some ripple half and half. Because it's pea-based. It's so good. Donnery. It's pea-based? Gonderry.

Ripple? You're talking about cheap liquor? Yeah, so. And it's pee-based. Like, you and I, You and I met, I don't know, it is P-Base. It's made in Canada, by the way, don't you know, eh? What is that right?

Hey, hey, bud, I got some P's here. Should we make some half and half? Give her. Fucking letter ripple. Give her. Fucking giver, bud. Who is that right, eh? Wait, Ike, where are you?

So, I just want to say, before we find out where you are, Ike, we've known each other for about 20 years. And I was thinking, and I was thinking, Ike is one of those guys you're always happy to see in person on the screen doing stuff

it's a rare no you're one of the rare ones is there something darker there that you've kept hidden from let's talk about it first time my dad beat the hell out of me I was six hey guys I just say first I'm a huge fan of this show I'm a massive fan I've listened to I think every episode so I really

this is my plan to is to really... What's your favorite? What's your least favorite? No, kidding. Of the three of us. We can't name names. You can't name names.

Last time I saw Ike in person, I surprised him on a morning. He was staying at Amy's apartment in New York and I was coming to pick up a jacket or something. Can we stop there? Yeah, yeah. No, that's not breaking news. It's not breaking news.

They're not taking... Amy and Ike are not together anymore. No, no, not anymore. She let me her apartment while I was doing a Broadway show. He was doing a Broadway show. He was the greatest thing ever to stay in that place. My God. So,

so Ike was doing... Ike was doing this play on Broadway. Yes. And you were kind of right in the middle? Were you just starting or forget? We were right in the middle when I saw you. What was it? Yeah, I was Chicago.

I was playing Roxy Hart. It was... I got blasted by the critics, and rightfully so, quite frankly. They didn't buy it, huh? They didn't like it. They didn't like my take on it. Because I played it...

Just as like a bro. Yeah, you followed Cheetah Rivera. Yeah, it didn't catch. You didn't try to do anything feminine at all with it? No, I just had a total bro take? Yeah, no, like, yeah, I reached for the gun. Now, Ike, have you done a bunch of theater? Or was that just the one pop there, Chicago?

I started with, you know, improv in Chicago back in the day, but that was my first time doing the Great White Way. Okay, okay to say that? Did people come backstage and visit you after the show? Oh, no, we're not. Hang on, shut up, shot up. We're creating a consensus here. Did people come and say about how do you after the show?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And did you enjoy that? I did, yeah. I mean, we had friends come backstage, but then you do the stage door, which is crazy. It's called Act three. Act three, you go out and you're schmooze and you sign autographs and take selfies, and that really touched me, I thought.

And you give it to other people because you do it for them because it's not all about you, right? Go ahead, Jason. It's not all about me. Hold, Sean, why wouldn't we call that act four outside? Are we talking about a typical three-ad structure? Because usually things are in two acts. Yeah, aren't they?

There we go. Usually it's a three-act plays. Well, in plays and musicals, there's two. God, I got to get you the internet. Just because of the, what you can call it, the halftime there? The intermission? Is there any show during halftime?

Hang on, I'm gonna do everybody, Jason, I'm about to do your favor. Today's guest, it's Ike Barrenholz. Hey-ah! Good quick edit point there. We can just take it all of that. No, you like people coming back, because Jason's right, we are trying to figure out,

this is a long-term study that we're doing over here at Smart. I hear that you are supposed, if you are somewhat famous, you are somewhat obligated to go backstage afterwards, regardless of whether you know anyone in the cast, and go, you know, say hi to them and tell them what you thought about the show. And I've just thought that that would be presumptuous and also would delay those actors getting home and resting. Ike, thoughts?

It really depends on the celebrity. Like, for instance, Jason, if you were there and you came backstage, it would be so exciting. We would take pictures. Everyone would be excited. But if like, I don't know. Oh, careful. Rob Schneider showed up.

I'm just using a name. I'm throwing out there. Shots fired. But like, you know what I mean? There's someone who was like, oh, we've got to stay behind for a person X, Y, or Z. Right. Yeah.

So it goes both ways. How fun would it be, like if you were backstage and all of a sudden, Jason came back and he just actually said it on the night. He just said, hey, I'm famous. So I'm coming back to. So let's talk, and where should we sit? Because I've got notes. Do you want to just go back into your dressing room?

Is it locked? Just famous guy to famous guy, you know? I know what you were going for, but let me tell you what's reading. Well, you can go ahead and take the wink out of it. That would be, that's a lot. That's a lot. Now, I was sitting about mid-house, and I really wasn't feeling there in the third act. You were mid-house?

I hate famous, Jason. I hate famous Jason so much. Wait, the fact that you have. at the ready, I know what you were going for, but here's what's reading. Like, you have that in your head ready to go. Well, I'm getting ready to direct over here. You know, I'm in prep. Yeah, he's in prep.

I saw a video of J.B. and our buddy, Sam Rockwell, at the Knicks game. And it was footage at MSG and they're walking. And Jason's talked to him, it looked like he was giving him notes on the way to their seats. We haven't started shooting yet. And if I'm Rockwell, I'm like, hey, man, I just came to me. watch the fucking next game. I know what you're planning on doing. Let me tell you how that's probably going to read.

And Sandy's so nice, he probably just took it, but God, what exhausting. Shout out, before we're done here, shout out to the nice folks over there at MSG for accommodating me. They are the best. They're the best. Front row center. Thank you, Trey, and the group over there. It's just in those Knicks, they brought it home that night.

They're a classy organization. I don't know when this is airing, but it's a good time. They're looking good. That's what, Sean's been saying this. all season. Yeah. So. Just on a loop.

What a fucking loop of up. Are you guys talking about Knicks? Yeah. Oh, here we go. Spell it. Spell it, Sean. Spell it real quick. K.

K.N. And what's it short for? Nicaragua. Nickerbockers. Oh, is Nicaragua. Oh, is it really Nicarbocker? Yeah, it is. Higher, higher, Sean.

Hey, now, listen. It's it really Nicarbock. Listen. Are we? Higher and just a dash more gay. Okay. And still rolling? Okay.

Is it really? Is it really? Nickerbocker? Welcome Ike Baranholtz to the show. Welcome to the show. It's Ike Barronholz. Another cut point. Wow.

Hey, now listen, I was going to have a different intro for Sean. But I was going to open with because Sean, because I, Ike, I'm from Chicago. And obviously the question is, I'm from Glen Ellen. Oh, Jillis. I'm on Glen Ellen. Have you been to Glen Ellen? I have been at Glenn Allen.

I've been all the Glens. A lot of glens in Chicago. Glenn View. Have you ever been to... Portilloes. I've been to be Pertillo's many a time, my friend. Chocolate cake shake. They have a milk shake where they dump a big slice of cake.

Jason said in Ozark, chocolate cake shake from Pertilis, and he doesn't remember that. Catherine Hahn, by the way, is watching Ozark now. The best. Oh my God, she just sent me a text yesterday as a matter of fact. That's weird. You must be working with her. So she sent me to tell you said, hey, I'm really embarrassingly late on this,

but you're great in Ozark or something like that. Who says that? Catherine Hahn, the greatest love of my life. And I said, I was just so excited that she's seeing it for the first time. I was just like, I was so tempted to say, what's your favorite part? Yeah, she would come to set and she's like, Ozark is amazing. We're like, we know. I wonder why she started watching that.

I wonder if it. She must have, she must have tapped. everything else out. All her subscriptions had maxed out and she found an old iPad that belonged to a neighbor and it was loaded up.

Han told me a story. She had Laura Dern's phone number and she would text Laura Dern sometimes and had like a little bit of a texting relationship with her. And then when David Lynch passed away, Han reached out and was like,

I'm so sorry about your collaboration. I know how much he meant to you. And the person said, I don't think this is who you think it is. And it was... The worst. Tina Faye Stand-in from This is where I leave you.

And there's years of texts. Ten years of text. Who she thought was Laura Turner. Just staying in loose, casual contact with over the years. No fucking way. Yeah. Oh, got it. Wait a minute.

Where are you? Are you in New York right now? I'm in London, night. Here's your proof. I'm in London. Look, the bottle lid doesn't come off. I know. How annoying was that?

On all the plastic bottles, they don't come off. They just hang there. Is that true? Yeah. That's not a bad design idea. It's kind of smart, actually, if you think about it. But it's hard to screw it back on. And then you do sometimes like, yeah.

I was wondering why you got your mic jacked on your rolling luggage. Yeah, this is no video? Is that on your luggage? Rob was like, you got some books, right? I was like, no, this hotel room doesn't have any books, so I have it on my roller bag. I love you. You said, wait, wait, it's no video, right?

It's no video. It is a great composition there with your little frame. There's one little wheel, bottom left. Are you shooting the studio over there right now? Is that what's happening? We're actually here for the Bafters, mate. We're going nominated for a bloody Bafta. Oh, that's great.

Congratulations. Yeah, it's very cool. It's weird, though. It's the best foreign. show. So all the other shows that are nominated, some of them I've heard of, but a lot of them are like BBC One shows that are like, are you quite through now, sir, you know what I mean? It's like weird British shows that you don't know in the States. Well, that's fun. Congrats on the thing. So, so, dude, you've done so much stuff we mentioned.

So let's talk, you did start in Chicago. We're talking about... Did you grow up in Chicago, I? Yes, I grew up in Uptown, exactly one mile away from Wrigleyfield. Oh, wow. in the city right in the heart of the city right there yeah in the city not some bullshit 80 miles away you know from Chicago nothing but fucking tire treadmarks all over the road no I used to well rigley near Wrigley is the is boystown I basically honestly kind of grew up in boys town yeah yeah all the gay everywhere we would go to the gay parade it's super gay around Wrigley field yeah is that

right yeah yeah yeah we'll be right back. And now back to the show. So you grew up in the city and I know that you, so you're sort of... Second City and all that. Yeah, was improv. You kind of, you started an improv on stage. Big improv guy. I saw,

yeah, I, college didn't really work and then I went to the Improv Olympics, like 10 year anniversary show and I saw Amy Polar, I saw Adam McKay, Tim Meadows in particular, was so, so funny that I was like, I'm going to sign up for

and I really just immersed myself in that whole... That's amazing. The trifecta, the trifecta. Were there people who were kind of in your year back then, who you still are work with or tight with? Like, who else? Oh, yeah. I mean, Jack McBrayer is a very dear friend in mind.

No, we don't consider him. You don't really like Jack. No, when Jack is a person in like Greta. Yeah, he's not that great. But like Seth Myers was kind of my generation. Sedakis was around there. John Lutz, like that. Cruz was around there.

Lutz. One of the all-time greats. One of the all-time grades. Love Lutz. Yeah, Seth. I mean, between Second City, UCB and Groundlings, I mean, if there was like a little Olympics going, how do you think those three would do? Well, there's so much crossover. Right.

Yeah, there is a lot of crossover now. I mean, Groundlings is more like I was. UCB doesn't go back that far, right? Which is the oldest? Yeah, like in like 95 or so, Amy and the guys kind of left. And Matt and Matt and Ian. So Del Close, he knows this, Del Close was the guy at Improv Olympic,

and they all studied with him, and he was your director. Was Groundlings or Second City the oldest? Second City is the oldest. Second City was like 1962. Like Ed Asner was in the original Second City. Oh, wow. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So that goes way back.

Groundlings, I think, is more like mid-70s hippies. So, and did you not go, do I have this wrong? Did you go to Amsterdam? Sorry, Sean, we're recording something. Wait one second. Look at. This is Favro. This is at Second City.

Favro. That's me right there. That's Jack McBrayer right next to me. Wait, were you at a touring company? No, that was, we just went back for like a, and Ramos, Harold Ramos right there. And then we just went back for like an anniversary. But the fact that you said Jack McPrayer or Second City, that's crazy, all those people that came out there, including yourself from that whole troop and all of those things in Chicago, it's just, It doesn't happen anymore, it feels like.

The mid-90s improv scene was, it was really fun. And then I would work at Second City as like a bus boy, and I would see like Tina when she first started, like Scott Adtson, Brian Stack, a lot of the, you know, Cohen guys, Jerry Miner, just amazing killers. Stack one of the all-time grades. Yeah, one of the all-time grades. You know, Willie, anytime anybody brings up these folks,

you know them all, but did you ever do any time at one of the time? of these improv groups? No, I was too dumb. Like, I was living in New York and there wasn't that same thing and I wish I had. I didn't know about it. You were going to a lot of them

and you were hanging out with them a lot. This is even before Amy, right? It's probably how you met Amy. So when Amy first came to New York with Matt and Matt and Ian as UCB, they did the bucket of truth and they did the West Bank downstairs and one of my then agents,

a man by the name of Peter Principato. My current manager. His current, Mike's current manager. said to me, you've got to go and see this group that I represent, these were doing this thing called Bucket of Truth. So I went there, and that was 1996. They just moved in January of 96. I know all this.

They moved in January of 96 to New York. I went and saw a bucket of truth with my buddy, our buddy Duff, and my then-girlfriend, Missy Yeager. I know Duff. Yeah. But anyway, I remember seeing those guys and be like, holy shit. And this is what was going on in Chicago, what all you guys were doing.

Yeah. And it wasn't in New York. And they brought it to New York, UCB, Amy and those guys. But it didn't exist. I wish I had done it. I was too dumb. And by then I got to know everybody obviously because I was around all those. Will, do you remember in like 2000,

maybe two or three together? We did a reading of Jerry Lewis's the day the clown cried. Fuck, yes. You meet Cross. John Glazer. John Glazer. God, who else? Rob Hubel. And for my sister, the day the clown cried is about a clown that visits

the kids in the Holocaust. Yes. And it's a movie that famously was never released, right? Yeah, yeah. It was Jerry Lewis plays a Jewish clown who entertains the children as they're about to be murdered, and for some reason, they never released it.

Yeah. But was it, was it Jerry Lewis that killed it? Did he, like, try to bury it? Or was it, was it the financier? No, he. I think Jerry Lewis himself was like, no, no, no, we can't show anyone this. But the rumor is,

the rumor is that Harry Shearer has a copy of it. Like, isn't that really? There are some clips on YouTube. There's some clips on YouTube, but you can type it in and see, like, like, little small. small moments and stuff. Oh, really?

The whole thing isn't out there yet. Whoa. Yeah, we did that. I forgot about it. And there was a crate, that was so much fun and everybody, and not just everybody on the stage, but everybody in the audience,

it was so much people of that era. It was the first time I felt cool on stage doing comedy. Like, there was cool people around, and I felt very cool for the first time. Now, let's go back. I heard you say something like, college did not work out for you,

or something like that. It was a bit of a breeze over there. Let's double back. to that and let's talk about um so from day one he loves pain points he loves hitting pain points so you show up you got your suitcases and go from there i i want i went into boston university hoping i would be a politician and then really really yeah yeah are you still interested in politics um i'm disgusted by it right yeah but i i i do yes that's a yes i'm perverted i know a lot about it we don't have to talk about politics but i'm just just curious okay so you're studying poli

at Boston U, so you're not a dummy. I was going to, and then right away, I went crazy where I was like, oh my God, if I'd never smoked pot or done mushrooms before, that started happening quite a bit. Oh, you started to have some bad trips. And then I was just, the freedom of not having to do anything took me over, and I kind of went crazy for a couple weeks

and watched movies over and over again. And, like, I watched 2001, like seven or eight times. Same Zee's? Yeah, and I kind of halfway. through the semester, I was like, this isn't, I'm not. I need more structure. Yeah, and I just wasn't enjoying that. And so I, I, I couldn't handle the freedom.

I couldn't handle the freedom. I felt bad for my parents, so I told them everything was status quo and it was going great. And when I came home and finished the year, my dad is a reward, took me to Las Vegas and LA on a vacation because I finished my first year of college. And literally on the way to the airport, my mom called. and was like, I just got a letter from BU. They're kicking him out. And that was problematic.

Trips still on, right? The trip was literally, we were done and flying back home. And, like, we sat on a Southwest flight. And my dad for, like, three hours was like, how could you do this to us? And I was like, I'm really sorry. But now they're very happy and everything's good. Of course, they should be.

So then you stay in Chicago and you just start some odd jobs and going to the comedy clubs and at what point did you go all in on having a conversation with your parents about I'm going to pursue entertainment? They knew that I was really enjoying improv and everything, and at that time, your kind of goal is to be on the second city main stage and then eventually SNL.

That's the ultimate trajectory. And after a few years, I auditioned for this theater group in Amsterdam called Boom Chicago. You know, a lot of our friends have gone through. And that is where your job is acting. You don't have to have another day job, you just have to do shows at night. And I got hired by them and my parents.

I told them, hey, this is it, I'm leaving. I'm doing this now. I'm an actor. And they have been, they're like the most supportive parent. My dad became an actor. Like, you know what I mean? It's like, it's crazy. They are very, very probably.

Wait, wait, wait. I'm now remembering the reason I brought up in him to him. I think the first time we met was like 2001 or maybe two. And you and Josh Meyer, Seth's brother, came back from Amsterdam and came to Amy, our old old apartment. Yes. Do you remember that?

Yeah, and Farrell was there. Yes. Yes. It was right after she got hired by SNL. Yes. Yeah, it was that first season because Seth got hired at the same time.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's crazy. It's crazy. I've known you a long time, Will. That was 25 years ago, dude. Yeah, it's nuts. Wow. Okay.

It's crazy. All right. So you, so you, then they go, okay, great. You're going to do it. You're going to be, and they're supportive. Very supportive. and... Do you have brothers and sisters?

Younger brother, and then he decided he wanted to be an actor too and I was like, dude, don't do it. But he now, he works, he was on Superstore for years and creates shows and stuff. So we're like a... We're a showbiz family now.

We're like the Arquettes. So mom is the only one without a sad card at this point. Mom is the only one we're trying to taft Hartley her and get her to like be on something. But she'll be tough, but we'll get her there. We'll get you there, Peggy.

But how did you get dialed into that whole crew of all the comedy? How did you get in? What was your first foray into that world? Well, moved to L.A. with Seth Myers and Josh Myers and my buddy Dave. And for like a year and a half, it was like a bus boy and just trying to break into stuff. But it was Mad TV was my first gig.

I got hired with Josh Myers. And I did five years on Mad TV. Wow. I watched a lot of those. I used to love you and Josh on that. Truly. It was, you know, it was one of those shows. I loved doing it until I didn't.

It was tough at the time because SNL, I think that's the best SNL cast ever, that like 2002 to 2008-ish, you know what I mean? That was just like Polar and Will and Whig and Fred, and it was just wild. And we would always get compared to them. And it was just tough because sometimes you wanted mad to be a little bit better. You wanted it to kind of not have kind of like,

guests and stuff, but it was a great job. Didn't you guys have like a half hour jump start before? Did you guys come on at 11? We did. We came on at 11, so we had a little bit of a head start. And it was, I will say, it was very fun. My first TV show, I'm still friends with those guys. Like Jordan was on there.

Jordan Peel is like one of my best friends. And we had a, it was very fun. But towards the end, I was getting restless. And I was like, I need to be on a different show. I want to be on a sitcom. And then I left Mad TV and they literally did not work for like three and a That is the curse of a series, right? He starts feeling like all the things you're not being able to do

and then you leave and it's like, oh, there's a lot of crickets out there. Who is the guy who famously did that? What was the guy he was on that show? He was on NYPD Blue. David Caruso, baby. David Crusoe, yeah. Well, in fairness to him, there's a long list of folks that think that's pretty having a very long career and he had a big show after that too.

He was awesome. Yeah, he did do CSI. But then you did, and correct me if I'm wrong. So then after that, you do that and you do a couple things here and there, but it was then the Mindy project, right? Yeah. That was the next big. Well, basically, I did get, Danny McBride did cast me on Eastbound and Down at a time.

Oh, okay, got it. I just was not working, and that was like a big deal for me. Yes, that show. That show, that group. Oh, they're the best. They are the best. I just saw him. I love them.

They're so cool. They're so original. And that was the first time I went. onto a show that I was a die-hard fan of. So was it a little nerve-wracking at the beginning then? Was it what you thought it was going to be just as a viewer? I was nervous enough just like, I hope I'm as funny as these guys, but I also had to be a baseball player.

I had to be like the best pitcher in the world. And you don't have a lot of baseball talent? I have a little bit of baseball. I'm like a solid five, but that was a little bit of pressure. You don't look like you're throwing with your left hand, you know. don't look like, no, no, no. I've seen, like, bad, like, Robert Redford's son in The Natural. Like, when he throws it, it looks so bad.

It looks so bad. I'm not that bad, but I'm not bad. I just saw a clip of the natural the other day, and Robert Reffield, you know, when he strikes out that guy, when the train pulls over. Joe Don Baker, yeah. And Redford had a pretty good release. He had skills.

He was a good athlete. You could tell he was a good athlete. Who's not? It's pretty clear when you watch him. But, yeah, there was pressure, but it was like so much fun and I love those guys. And from there, would you consider yourself the Redford of Eastbound and Down?

Oh, for sure. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, yeah. The Redford and the Newman, quite frankly. And the Newman, of course, yeah. Whatever I mean. Both of them. So you do Eastbound and Down with those guys,

but then the Mindy project you do it for a few years. You guys did like a lot of episodes. It did six seasons, man. Yeah, six seasons. Wow. It's crazy now. We complain about 10 episode shows, and it's like, we used to do 22 episodes.

It was nuts. A year every year, yeah. Yeah. It was nuts. And through that, process you and Mindy get closer because you've ended up collaborating since then and you guys have written together you guys created Running Point I think I mentioned that in the open with Dave Dasen my writing partner and best friend who is the true showrunner but the three of us we love her

look we're not here to talk about Dave okay can we just talk about him for just a second no I mean we're here to talk about you okay and Chuck Arnett but we're not here to talk about Dave okay I don't know I don't know if Jason remembers this but in like 2019 I sat next to Jason at the Emmys my wife and I He does not remember. He does not. Right at the time. Right at the time. Right at the time.

He's starting to come back. Some horrible, like, abortion ban hit Georgia. Oh, Atlanta. Yeah. Yeah. And we were talking about it. And I was like, yeah, I actually do a lot of work with the ACLU. Uh-oh.

And Jason goes, have they filed a lawsuit yet? And I go, you know what? I don't know. He goes, well, you really have your talking points in order, and they're lucky to have you as an ambassador. Wow. Like, lucky. And locked and loaded and ready to go.

I didn't know him that well. I was a lot. I figured we'd skip a few dates and I'd just get right to hurtful. Sorry, I must have been nervous that night. No, it was very funny. You were too busy winning multiple Emmys at that day. No, I didn't.

Didn't Ozark win some Emmy? Ozark won a lot. That was, was that when I won for directing? Maybe. Yeah, I think I've had a few SAG Awards. He acts like it. Yeah, let's go back. Is that what I won for directing?

I didn't remember. Oh, sorry, that's my cue. Oh, you won for directing? No, no, no, no, no. Guys, just trim this part. Or just tag it and we'll just... Why are you saying trim it, but you're shaking your head, no. Wait, is my camera on?

So, but I wanted to get, like, so you, what's awesome is, is that you, that you do all these shows and stuff, and now you're kind of, you've expanded, and you're writing and creating shows with Dave, your writing partner. And you guys are, and you've got a kind of a very robust career going in a lot of different ways. And you're doing, you're creating Running Point, you're on that. You're doing the studio with Seth and Evan, those guys, which is awesome. I mean, you're so good on that show.

Real busty right now. Yeah, it's such a good show. You are so good on that show, dude. It's amazing. That's really nice to you guys. It's really fun. We're like, we got three weeks left of shooting season two, and it's, it's, it's, it's been long but really fun

and really yeah I love that I went to Venice for two weeks we shot for two weeks in Venice I saw that yeah with Madonna in the show oh that's right

yeah yeah you know wait to drop that fuck it I'm like the Fred Norris of this show yeah hey Fred pump it

okay give a reel up in the field eyes I was so ready I'm just doing old old I would love to what are you saying

I would love to I would love to Shut up Sit out You idiot Don't touch it you idiot I told you not to be stupid You moron

Wait so I When you do all Sorry Sean What were you asking Yeah Sean What were you saying Sean do you want to say something Go for Sean

Wait is that on your third button On your phone So it's always there and ready It's ready to go It's so fun I'm having a lot of fun right now I'm so jacked up on coffee. Ike's here.

Ike likes to fuck around. I'm in a Yerba Mante sweat. Yeah. Oh, man, guys. Okay, so Sean, you had something? So I had a question about how do you balance family? Oh, for fuck, sake. You know, for real?

Right. What's your great? Working life. Well, because like you said, you're like in Venice and you're doing this. You're doing like 18 shows at the same time, but you have how many kids you have? I have three daughters. Come on. Wow.

Curled down. And I'm not home as much as I like, but my wife's boyfriend is a great guy. Oh, I'm sorry. And he, it was kind of rocky at first between me and him for obvious reasons. But now it's got modern. He's, like, really good, and he's really good with my kids.

Yeah. You're not crying? So, yeah, we're just kind of letting that ride. Is he still doing the M.MA stuff? Is he still into that? Yeah. Well, you guys know Andrew Tate. You've heard of Andrew.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He's actually not as bad. Yeah. And how do your daughters get along with his four pit bulls? Is it like pretty good?

Now, yes. Now they have the mouth guards. Sure. Yeah, the muzzles. They can't bite now. But it was a little touch and go from it. Oh, my God. And we will be right back.

And back to the show. How old are the little angels? The little angel. Hello, little angels. They're listening. They are eight, ten, and soon to be 13. Wow. Right in the zone.

So nice. You know, it's fun. I watch an interview with Bob Odenkirk and Mike Barbiglia asked him. He's like, who are you jealous of? And he meant like professionally. Yeah. And Bob goes, oh, anyone that still has little kids at home. And I was like, oh, it's so sweet.

I got a 14-year-old still in the house and I'd just like to keep her in a box. I'd stop it right there. I know. And does. And you do. I do. I do. I put a punch little holes in the top of it.

Yeah. It is true. It is true. It is the best part is keeping them young. It's so good. Don't. I got a little six. My guy's about to turn six. Yeah. Yeah. And I saw. What are you going to do for him? Hold on, Ike. We're doing a, we're doing a party at a place called. Don't you just say the name of the place.

I like it because it's got ninja in the name, but it doesn't matter. Are you looking for a break? No, you're looking for a break on the place. I want a mind. By the way, they're crushing me on the price for this thing for a couple kids. You want it on the weekend, right? You do it during the week, you get a real deal. Fucking Brooklyn. Jesus Christ. It's going to be fun.

It's going to be a lot of fun. Anyway, so Ike, so Ike, so you're the life, work-life balance that John Lernernerner is so desperate to know about, it's fine. You figure it out, you're working, everybody knows, dad's on the... Yes. And by the way, we talk about it all the time, we go away. But everybody has busy... My dad wasn't an actor, but he was busy a lot. He was off working, and he had to be busy a lot.

He was off working, and he acts, he was like, I got to provide for the family, so he's off doing his show. He's driving down to... He's driving down to Moulson, and he's checking the taps, and then he's coming home, you know? Still fresh, boys. He's not flying off somewhere. He was on the road a lot, right, Sean? Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. What's a Knickerbocker? Oh, well, this is an old phrase from New York City. It means like a metropolitan fellow, maybe. Where I believe it is, yes, let's go with that. I believe it is a, no, I don't think it's necessarily a dandy. I'm not to that since you said it. But Will, are you, are you searching it?

I'm going to search it up here. No, I'm not. Let's go to our next question. Hey, Siri, what's a Knickerbocker? Oh, descendant of the original Dutch settlers. Or knickers in the United States are a form of baggy knee britches. No, is the person descended from the original Dutch settlers of New York or more broadly a native or resident of New York City?

Do you guys like trivia? Are you guys, are there any of you trivia heads? No. I wouldn't do. I'm a little bit. I watch Jeopardy. So I was going to mention this, Ike's got a trivia podcast that he's doing now

that we're always going to plug after. Oh, for real? Yeah, yeah. Funny, you ask. So Will was going to do it and he texted me. And he's like, hey, man, I can't do it. And I thought it was going to be like, I didn't sound like that one text, by the way. But, go ahead.

That's how I read your text. And I thought it was going to be like, you know, a work thing came up or a kid thing. And he's like, I can't. Bateman really wants to go golfing. Oh. You, how dare you will? I sold you out.

I sold you out. You go, because Jason, well, it was here, I did tell you this like. Was that, that thing a couple weeks ago? It's the last time he played, yeah, it was the last time he was playing before he was leaving town. Before he's moving for New York. So Bavon says, I'll do it. And so Bavon texted me, well, why don't you just reschedule? I don't sound like that on text.

Why do you just reschedule with I can do it on a later day and join me on the golf course tomorrow? I don't want to sound like Paul Lynn. That's who it is. That's who you sound like. I've been trying to place it. Now, but did he offer... And so I had to be honest. I wanted to be honest with...

And I truly appreciate that. Because if he would have been like, I have a work thing, and then I went golfing and saw him there, I'd be crushed. Did you offer him a rescheduling date? Well, he did. He did. I did. He's out of town, and I'm waiting for him to get back and I'm going to do it. We're actually going to do it right after we finish this pot.

Yeah, we're going to do it. Wait, you got some questions, I do have some questions for you guys. I started a trivia podcast because I love trivia, right? I'm obsessed with trivia. I've gone on... Have you been on Jeopardy? I won Celebrity, Jeopardy, Mr. Bateman.

Wait, whoa, wow. I didn't know that. I won celebrity Jeopardy. He's one who wants to be a millionaire. Whoa. I want celebrity who wants to be a millionaire. What's the game in the bars? In the bars?

Oh, pub trivia? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, I've done that before. That's very fun. That's very fun. But I want to do a podcast where I interview friends of mine who are, like, funny or cool, and then ask them trivia questions

about subjects that they kind of... I'd love to read for it. We are out to your people, I'm sure. Do you guys want a couple of questions? I wrote some questions for you. Obviously, obviously. Okay, let's go, let's go. You can just call out the answer if you know it, okay?

There's no buzzer? No, just say your name for the buzzer. Okay. Okay, blah, blah, when the Battle of the Hastings... Jason. What do you got? Sorry. 1940.

The Battle of the Hastings, this Norman King was the conqueror. William the Conqueror. Okay, I blew that question. Ready? Here we go. This American car company... By the way, 1066. Yes, 1066.

This American car company ceased production in 2004. This American what? This American car company ceased production in 2004, but was part of GM. Yeah, I know what it is. Jason. Olsmobile. Yes, Jason Bateman's on the board. Oh, wow.

How do you know that? Name another Mark's brother besides Groucho or Harpo. Yeah. Sean. Groucho, Harpo, and You were in the fucking movie Richard. No, that was the three stooges.

No, wait, it starts with a P, right? Does it start with the P? There's a C, a G, and a Z. Zpo. Zippo. That's right. Looking for Chico, Gummo, or Zepo. The eastern region of Canada,

the eastern region of Canada consists of three provinces and is known as what? is known as the... Commonwealth, Jason Commonwealth. No, no, no, no, no. In the... Maritimes.

Yes. Who was the 10th U.S. President? Oh, God. Jason! Yes. Lincoln. McKinley. No.

John Tyler. This actress has won more Emmys than any other actor. Jason. Yes. Is it Julie Louis-Dreyfus? It is Julie Libby Dreyfus. Isaac Newton, Charles Dickens,

and Oliver Cromwell are buried in one. London landmark. Jason, it is the big church, the big cathedral, the big... Westminster Abbey. Boom. Two more. This man is the NHL's all-time leading score. Sean.

Wayne Grisky. Jason, Wayne Griskin. No, it's Ovechkin. No, score of goals. Score, I was including points. Oh, okay. Sorry. I knew it was Oveston.

Most goals. Sorry. Last one. Infant insects are called nymphs or small bugs. Jason. infant instex are called or larvae. Larva is correct.

Nice job, guys. You guys got the majority of those right. God, that's so cool that three of us could get 20% of them right. Welcome to SmartList. Yeah, no shit. Oh, my God. Well, what's the name of that podcast there?

That podcast, Jason, and thank you for asking us. It's called Funny You Ask. Oh, Funny You Ask. That seems like a tune-in. And you just had our friend, you just had our mutual friend, Adam Pally, on there,

who hosts a podcast for us. Which I love with him and Gavris. Yeah. What's that one called? Cross-plug. Staying alive. Staying alive. And it's a smartless media podcast.

Check it wherever you get your podcast. Yeah. With Gabris and Adam Pally. Adam Palli is so fucking funny. He is. He is so fucking funny that dude. He is a great guest. He is so fucking funny that dude,

isn't he? He said, I was asking him. what would you do if the Knicks could win the championship? And I named a bunch of things. Like, would you change your middle name to Stalin? He was like, yes. Yes, I said.

I was like, would you, every time you turn on the TV to the rest of your life, it's only kill Tony. He's like, yes. The one thing he said he wouldn't do is give up chicken parm. Yeah, I saw that. I can't, I can't give up chicken. I'm sorry, I just cute.

Now, do you have a co-host on your show? No, it's all me, man. It's solo. Wow. It's once a week? It's once a week. And I write all the questions for my guest. It's one hour.

You do all your own questions. I write the questions for the guests. And I really love doing that. It's a fun way to kind of like get into their head a little bit. And then my producer, Annabel, writes the questions that the guest asks me because I also want to do a podcast where I answer questions. But that's still like a lot of work that you're doing. Considering all the shit that you're doing, you're writing running point, you're EPing that show. you're doing the studio,

you're doing this podcast, you're running around and doing all this. Like, how the fuck? You got an Adderall addiction? I have a minor speed addiction that we're trying to kick right now. Cut this. Let's get this.

Can I get a number? With the podcast and the movies and the being a father and everything else, when do you slow down? What do you do to slow down? Yoga. Yoga. When Jason was saying I like to watch TV,

that's like my favorite thing to do. It's like at the end of the day is to watch like, What's your favorite? Is it reality TV? Something dumb? The only reality TV, not too much. We just finished beef season two.

Sure. I like watching good TV shows as much as big a comment. And the we is, is that the girlfriend or the wife? That's the wife. The girlfriend does not like TV. The girlfriend wants to go out to nightclothes. Yeah, she wants to take her out to nightclub. She likes bottle service.

You know, my wife and I... She actually works at the club and does the bottle service. Of course. I don't know if you guys had this with your wife where my wife does want to go to bed like earlier and earlier. Yeah, she worked for a while. And so there's some nights where it's like 8.52 and she's like, should we just go to bed? And it's like this, it's like a push and pull.

We're like, no, we have to watch like 46 minutes of a TV show right now. But what about, why can't, but you're not watching the TV shows in bed? We don't, we did not put a TV in our bed. That's smart. It's terrible for your sleep. Shut up. I didn't either. You both keeping the sex alive by no, yeah.

TV in there. This is bullshit. But so you're watching, by the way, that Beef Season 2, can I just a shout out, obviously, Chuck Arnett, but Carrie Mulligan. Yeah. The great Carrie Mulligan. The great Carrie Mulligan.

Carrie Mulligan is the most underrated actor of our generation. She's really good. She is. And Carrie's great. I fucking love her. I will say, though, that always sounds like a bat, like that always sounds like a backhand compliment. I will say to those who know what they're talking about,

she is not underrated. They're talking playing about her. I just mean she should be lauded. There should just be permanent billboards of her, not even promoting a movie, just because she's... I agree with you. You should buy some, take them out. I will.

I don't know if Marcus will, her husband will love it. He might think that, you know what I mean? It's a little strange. It's a little bunch. Anyway. Hey, yeah, we are at hour one. I know we're at hour, but I just... Let's get to our first question.

I love fucking Ike. I just love hanging out with Mike. I was so excited. I said to Sean before, we were FaceTiming before, you know, the core part of SmartList for FaceTiming before, just Sean and me. And I was saying, he was saying, is your guest good? I said, oh, our guest is so good.

We just want to hang out and laugh and we'll do it. Like, that's exactly right. Do you have any questions, Will? No, fuck no, I do. You don't, do you? I had a bunch. Like, what's a note that you've gotten as an actor or a writer that really change how you put your work?

You collaborate with a lot of comedic voices. What do you think makes a collaboration? Who fucking cares? Who fucking cares? This is the hang. This is it. This is the show. Did you J.O. today?

Let's just say I'm in a hotel room by myself. Nuff said. I, first of all, when does season through the studio come out because I can't wait? That's going to come on next March, I believe. Fuck all. March 2027? Wow. Takes them that long to cut it together?

Fucking, what's up with Rogan and fucking Evan? What are they doing? Man, they're smoking dobies, man. I know. There's guys smoking the grass. I bought one of, I told us, I bought one of Siss, his standing asterase. No, I bought two of them. And I sent him a pick and I said, hey, I'm supporting the cost.

As an investor, I say thank you. Oh, no shit. Yeah, a little bit. Fucking, what, you guys want to cut me a deal? I fucking paid retail on the fucking website, dude. I only invest in my friends companies. We had no money in the market, no mutual funds, no Roth IRA. I just invest in my friend's small business.

That is so. What's your email? I'm going to send you a prospectus on something. It's an old email. It's dumbass Ike at AOL. I got to show it for myriad reasons. You're four minutes over, Will. I know, I know.

I just want to say, I love having you. I love that you, I love that the rest of the world appreciates what a fucking great, funny dude you are increasingly. And I've loved watching the success you've had with the studio. I'm just fucking always rooting for you as you reach these crazy heights. and everybody, when the studio came out... You said it earlier. I light up every time I see you.

100%. You always have a great vibe and then now you've taken to the next level and everybody's like, have you, people are like, have you seen Ike Barrenholtz on the fucking studio? He's so fucking funny.

You're so fucking good. And aside from all that, you get hired over and over because you're normal and easy and kind and a good person. You are. You are. Aside from all the talent.

It is true. If you're listening out there to our listener, And you've got a script. If you got a script, Ike is the guy to send it to. Give me the email one more time. He'll put his name on it.

I might not be the best actor or the funniest actor, but I'm on time. And I'm respectful. And that is all that matters. You are truly, for our listener, I will say truly, you're one of the fucking great good dudes out there. And I really mean that.

This is a guess. This is a bucket list thing from you guys. Talk about a performance. What a guy. This guy. Take another bow. Ike Fadden holds. The one and only.

Thank you, Ike, for joining us, my friend. Give our love to everybody over there on your cast that you guys are doing the Baptist with, tell them we say hi, we love you guys, and we love you. Amazing, love you guys. Hurry home. Thanks, Mike. Bye, everybody. Bye, Mike.

I love that, dude. I love that, dude. That's one of those fellas that I have not yet worked with, and I'm not happy about it. You know, and you know who else? Like, you know, like Seth, Evan, Judd Apatow. Like, I've never been, never been included in that group ever. No one's ever, you know, said, hey, won't you come on over and play? Play, play a little bit.

Now stop. No, stop for a second. Take a beat. And let's look at ourselves, Jason. Let's look at ourselves for a second. What's my part? What is your role in it? What is my part in it?

Hang on, let me get a mirror. Let me get a mirror. Don't get one of those true mirrors. Don't get one of those true mirrors. What's a true mirror? Have you ever seen those where it's not even just a reflex like it kind of sees like what the world sees of you? It's just inverted. It's inverted.

It's scary a. Wait, really? It's different that you just your face is flipped the other way around? Yeah, you look. Yes. Have you never done it? I think the iPhone, if you reverse the camera, is that's the way people see you. I don't know.

No, you just see the room you're in. I don't know. Yeah, but I mean, that's the perspective of people looking at you. Oh, you're in luck. MIT just called. they have an opening. Like what I'm looking at right now on this Zoom, I'm assuming that is

the perspective that you would have if you were sitting across from me, right? Because the camera's in front of me. Yeah, yeah, I guess so, yeah. I'm not sure, can we get Tyson, Neil DeFeson on the blower, please? This is so depressing. Wait, Sean's going to, here he comes.

I'm just going to see his eyes. Oh, here it is. Scotty just DMed him. Just DMed him a little bye. No, no, let me see. Oh, okay. I'm looking up something else, has nothing to do with. Scrolling, scrolling.

Do you remember the... Oh, hey, do you guys... Hey, this is a weird thing I was just thinking about. Do you remember that Beatles song or Paul McCartney's song where he's singing about a bird or something? Oh. Oh. Blackbird?

Yeah. Talk about it. Talk about it out of left fucking fields. Yeah. That's Wrigley Field. That's Wrigley Field. And when the... And when the ball goes out of Wrigley Field,

you say what to it? You say, bye-bye ball. Bye-bye, Blackbird. Hey, you guys, where did you go? Blackbird, bye. Hey, bye. Smartless. Smartless is 100% organic and artisanly handcrafted by

Rob Armjarf, Bennett Barbico, and Michael Grand Terry. Smart less.