The Comment Section with Drew Afualo - A FEAR DUMP Ft. Joel Kim Booster | Episode 166

Episode Date: April 23, 2025

The incredible and hilarious Joel Kim Booster is here this week!! Joel and Drew talk being labeled as an “alt comedian”, getting unsolicited notes on Fire Island, how Joel met his fiance on vacation, college quidditch teams, managing call centers, eating salad with confidence, Drew gets extremely jealous that Joel was on The Great American Baking Show, and so much more. Shop Billie in-store and at https://www.mybillie.com Joel IG: https://www.instagram.com/ihatejoelkim/?hl=en Joel Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joelkimbooster?lang=en Follow The Comment Section on IG! https://www.instagram.com/thecommentsection/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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You know, I'd love to be in a big stupid. Like, I'd love to actually, I really want to be like the IT, like the tech hacker guy in the van while they're like doing the thing and be like, I'm in, you know? Like, guys, you're going to want to see this. Yeah, exactly. I see it now. It's perfect. The vision is so clear to me. Hey, everyone.

And welcome back to another episode of the comment section show starring me, your favorite. Everybody knows me. Who cares about me? on to the guest today. We have the iconic, the talented, the legendary, Joel Kim Booster. Thank you so much for having me. Oh my gosh. Thank you for coming to the show. I'm so excited. I hope your listeners know that you do

shoot in a haunted elementary school. Yeah, I do. Many different sets. I'm a man of many hats. I'm also the principal of a haunted school. So, you know, I'm so busy. I was like, that's why I moonlight as a TikToker. That's my main job. But I'm glad you said haunted elementary school because the last person who every time they go look they get scared

over there because it's obviously scary yeah um but they're one of my friends told me she goes it looks like porn wow that's it's a little fucked up that i went uh haunted elementary school and then so it's like a rorschach test you know like whatever you see is like what you are inside i guess yeah you found out enfj yeah over there well i'm so excited to have you i think you're an icon oh thank you so much. And we, I've been trying to nail you down for a while. Oh my gosh. Right. I've been chasing Joel for a minute. I'm so honored. I'm a little horny now. Nipples hard. Love to hear that. Nailed down and chased. Period. But obviously I know you as a very successful producer, writer, actor, obviously stand-up comedian. Speaking of a man of many hats. But I do, for people who aren't

unfamiliar with your lore, I would like to know how you got into entertainment, how you got into show business in general. Yeah, I mean, listen. I have always loved attention like we all do. Right. And I was like a little ham as a kid. And I remember seeing my sister in a school play. And like, I was like, I don't know, like six. And I was just like, I want to do that.

And literally from that point forward, that was all I was ever wanted to do, really. Like there was a brief moment where I wanted to be a youth pastor. So that was a brief. Don't know what that was about. Yeah, yeah. And then I came out and I quickly. shift gears back over to wanting to be an actor. And like I went to theater school for performance like musical theater.

I did like one summer of professional like summer stock musical theater and realized very quickly I did not like it enough to want to do it. Really? Well, because here's the thing. Like I realized like I'm an okay actor. I was an okay singer. Could not dance to save my life physically dyslexic. Do not know left from right. And I was like, oh, I'm not good enough at this specific.

area like the thing is I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and like Broadway and like musical theater and like community theater like that kind of stuff was like my only access to that's like my only conception for how you would be an actor yeah like doing musicals and like doing that stuff and being on Broadway and I soon realized like oh I'm not good enough at this like I was good enough to get into the school and I was good enough to like you know get parts in high school and stuff like that but like on a professional level I was like I'm not going to be competing with people who could actually like blow the roof up this place. Yeah, you're like this isn't my team. Like as an as a young person as a 20 something in like trying

off a Broadway rolls, you're only ever going to get cast in the ensemble. And that's if you can dance. You know? And I was like, so I'm fucked. So I went back to school. Oh, drop that dream. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And so I went back to school and I changed my majors of playwriting. Okay. Because I was like, you know, I've always been interested in writing as well. And, I had started to write like plays that I would direct at school in the student theater. And that's and it just felt more sort of, I don't know, gratifying to me in a lot of ways. Because I was like, because like I did my first one and everyone was like, wow, that was so great. And like no one had ever reacted to me that way after seeing a performance of mine.

So I was like, I was like, the high I've been chasing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, honestly. And so for the rest of school, I was doing that. still taking performance and acting classes and stuff like that, but just like sort of dropped the dance in the scene. And, um, and was just writing. And like, I went, I moved to Chicago because my first full-length play right out of college was being produced as a part of the fringe festival out there, which, um, was cool. And I just stayed. And there's a, there's a really vibrant, like,

storefront theater scene in Chicago. Yeah. Yeah. And, um, the more I got successful in the scene and the theater scene in Chicago, the more frustrating it would get, because I would be doing these, like, really, like, indie, like, plays, like, at, like, 60-seat theaters, getting paid, like, $25 bucks in performance, like, that kind of thing. Yeah. But then as I slowly started to, like, get, you know, more successful in that area and get called into, like, shows at Steppenwolf for The Goodman or something,

like that, like, the big theaters. This was, like, 15 years ago. Like, so it wasn't, we were not. having the conversations about diversity and casting that we're having now. And so the more higher up the parts that were the less interesting they became. They became more about like just like caricatury and like just not interesting parts. And so I was working on a play called five lesbians eating a kish as a writing assistant. It was an original play and it's exactly what it sounds like.

And the comedian best telling was starring in that play and she's like a pretty big comedian, especially with your comedy nerd, like right now. And she was the one who was like, you know, you write and you perform. You should try stand up if you're really frustrated with like, you know, what you, the parts that you're getting called in for. She was like, you can just like, do it yourself. And she was the first person that suggested that. And like up till this point, like, I didn't know that stand up would be like a place for me. Because like when I was in high school, like the biggest name in stand-up comedy was Dane Cook. And no disrespect to Dane Cook. made me laugh. But like nothing about what Dane Cook was doing said to me, oh, this is for you.

Right. And like every time I'd been to a comedy club, it was like, I'd never felt like in on the joke. That disgusting straight white. Yeah, no, I never felt like in on the joke with them. Oh, it's nasty. Yeah. So. And then I went and started seeing like really like all comedy in like bars in Chicago and like real and seeing people like Beth and Kumail and like you know people in who were and Hannibal in Chicago and I was like oh this is what stand-up could be I was like I had no idea and so I started doing it and doing well and it slowly became like it started as this like outlet for me to be like get creative again and like sort of like you know feel like myself on stage and then it just slowly took over and became way more interesting than anything else I was doing so

I moved to New York like two years in to like really pursue it and like the way you've lived a thousand lives is crazy like you're just mastering talents and then moving on no i mean like you're mastering these skills and then you're like well i'm at the top and it's boring up here well it's time to find something else i actually wasn't at the top when i moved to new york in chicago in fact a lot of people told me they were like you're too green to go to new york yet like you haven't done yeah x y z show in chicago you haven't done this theater in Chicago blah blah blah and the thing about that for me was is I kind of like figured this but like I moved to Chicago or to New York with a bunch of like the top people in Chicago at the time like

people many classes above me and the thing is is no one gives a shit what you did in Chicago once you move to New York you know like we all started from zero yeah and for me I was a lot closer to zero than some of these other people I moved with so it wasn't as big a blow to the ego I was like oh I'm going last to the open mic that's my life in Chicago too no I love that about you yeah I love that you're like a deep end diver. Yeah. And I always tell people, move a little bit before you're ready. Yeah.

Before the people, you know, above you say that you're ready or before you even feel ready. Right. I think it behooves you. Like, you know, to have like the base skill set. But like, you know, I no one thought I was ready to move to New York. And I'm so glad I moved to New York because I got a lot better, a lot quicker. Yeah. And like really, you know, honed in on things.

And yeah, and the rest of sort of history. Like I was in New York. grinding it out, like doing a lot of open mics and just like slowly over time there, like, um, started doing like festivals. There was a time in comedy where every major city had a comedy festival. Yeah. And like that was like a really exciting time in comedy. I'm so lucky I came up when I did because it really did feel like the golden age of stand-up comedy.

And um, because like so many people were into it and like, I don't know, like there was the economy for every major city to have a comedy festival, which is not the. case anymore. Yeah, totally. And it gives you the ability to kind of like even I feel like when you do comedy at the time that you were doing it was like it was coming out of this like Dane Cook like era where it's like all straight white guys I fucking hate my wife type energy and then you were right there where it's blossoming into so much more. And like it's so funny because what I was doing back then in like 2014 was like considered alt comedy because I was like a marginalized identity talking about my life

on stage. Because you weren't talking about hitting your wife. Yeah, no, I was referred to a lot as an all comedian. And I came up with a lot of like true actual all comedians like Julio Torres and like people like that. And like it was so funny because like what Julio was and is doing is all. Like it is very much left to center. What I was doing was like standard like storytelling like, you know, observations about

my life and the lives of others. And it was just happened because I was gay and Asian people lumped me in with the Brooklyn all scene. They put you on their other. Yeah. Well, and the thing is, is I did feel more comfortable doing those rooms. Yeah, totally. For the audiences.

For the audiences. Yeah. You know, because, like, it was, like, people who were, like, into comedy and, like, comedy nerds and, like, were not, like, we're just interested in, like, are you funny? Yeah. Yeah. How bad can you punch down for 40 minutes straight? Yeah.

Yeah. And at one of those comedy fuzzles in Portland, I randomly, that's where my manager saw me for the first time at, like, performing a 10 minutes. spot at a gay bar in Portland. And like I got back to New York and he called me and he was like, let's meet when I'm in New York. And I saw your son and I really enjoyed it. And this is what I will always say to people who ask me like, what can I do to really like make it? Like how did you get where you are? Like how did you do it? And the thing is I always say like you cannot create the moment that the door opens for you. All you can do is be ready for when that moment happens and be prepared. And I sat down with that, my manager, who's still a manager to this day.

He said, the set was great. Do you have a tape of you doing like 15 minutes? Do you have a spec script? Like a writing sample. Do you have like X, Y, Z things? And I was able to say, like, no, no, truly. But like, the thing was is I was sitting at my day job on my lunch break writing that script. And like, you know, running around the city with like my fucking digital camera, like making sure that I got those clips.

And I was able to say, like, when he was, when he. sat down with me like he was basically saying like are you ready to go and I was able to say yeah like let's do this like here's all my my my multitudes in front of you yeah and um so like that was really and like everything else like just sort of like started to happen right after that yeah and so yeah it's just like you can't you have to be you know it's so random how it happened like you know of all the places for him to be hanging out that night like watching the show yeah and like yeah it's just like it's so random, but you control how prepared you are for when it happens. I agree.

And it's hard. It's hard to do that work when no one's asking you for it yet. Yeah. It's hard to keep going. Exactly. And doing it. It's not the same by any means either, but I feel like for mine, I've told people something similar, but more specifically in the same kind of vein, I've been like,

you have to like really want to do it. Yeah. Because like sometimes people are like, I'll just quit my job and just do this full time. No. Don't do that. Right? I said, don't do that. I'm like, I remember.

No, not in this economy. Yeah, not in this economy. Especially not in this economy. And I've told people before, I'm like, don't do that. Like, because if you really want to do it, you'll make time. Like, you'll find the time to do it to keep going, to keep pursuing, regardless of what people say or do or whatever. And I mean, like, you say it's different, but like it is very similar being like what you do with social media and stuff like that. Because like, listen, you were putting stuff out on the internet before anybody gave a shit about you.

Yeah, that's true. Yeah. And it takes like a lot of time to build that momentum and get to where you are now. And like I think like I'll respect to you for that because like I try to do the social media thing. And during lockdown, like I was like, oh, I need to pivot to TikTok. And boy, do I not. That is a different skill set. That is a different skill set that I do not possess.

And so I respect you all the more. My brain is rotted from the inside of tar on the inside of my brain. Crack it open and like melted chocolate on the inside. But like no, I don't, I don't have it. So, you know. I think that's wonderful, though. I do have a question, and when it comes to writing, did you notice a big difference when you wrote for, like, theater stand-up and, like, the movie, like, movies or TV shows?

Like, is there a main difference other than, obviously, like, subject matter? I will say, like, stand-up is very different. I use a very different part of my writer-brain for stand-up than I do when I'm writing scripts. I will say, like, the transition from, like, plays to screen. writing like wasn't that big of a leap like you can be a little bit more dynamic and a little bit you know in certain ways and you can be a little bit more experimental in theater like sort of like the confines of like theater make it really exciting to write for because like it's like if you want to do something really interesting and this is my thing about theater now is like I don't want to see a

play where it's just like two people talking and like somebody's cutting vegetables and doing laundry like like these like because I'm like this could be a movie like anything that I'm like this could be a movie? Like, what makes it so immediate and so special as a play, as a piece of theater? Like, not loving your AT&T or T-Mobile bill? Yeah, we've been hearing that a lot. Good news. Bring your AT&T or T-Mobile bill to Verizon and we'll give you a better deal. So get away from that unfortunate phone bill and get to Verizon. Run, ride, canoe. Whatever it takes, we'll be here. Bring your AT&T or T-Mobile bill to a Verizon store today and we'll give you a better deal on the best network. A better deal. No surprises. That's Verizon. Best network based on Route

Patrick's best overall mobile network performing to US second half 2025. All rights reserved. It must provide a recent consumer mobile bill. In the name of the person, regained me the deal. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions apply. Because it's like, I see so many plays where it's like, oh, you wanted to be your screenplay, you know?

Yeah. It's like, what about it, like, makes it special in this space, like, with in front of a live audience, you know, like, what can you do, like, work around that? And so I, you know, it's, it's different in that regard, but like, the fundamentals are the same in screenwriting and play writing. And then first stand-up, you said you use it completely different. Yeah, because it's like. I go up and I like I'm not somebody as a stand up who like sits in a coffee shop and like writes down the jokes verbatim in my notebook and then goes on stage and says them a word for word from the notebook.

Yeah. Like I write down little like premises and ideas and thoughts and things like that. And then so much of my writing process as a comedian is about writing on stage. Like I get up on stage and like I have very little idea where I'm going when I'm working out new material. And so much of it is about like working in conversation with the audience and figuring out what the joke is and. what the angle is and what the funny thing about whatever I'm talking about is. Yeah. And like I, it's just, I record every set and I listen to it back and I said, oh, hey, that hit.

And then I write it down, you know, and then I like start to like craft it a little bit more. So it's a little bit less precise than I think like. Yeah. There's like a little bit more script writing. Yeah. Yeah. Improv. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Oh, that's so interesting. Because I do, anybody who's seen my show, like I do a lot of crowd work. Yeah. Which is my, one of my favorite things to do. I've seen a lot of your crowd work on TikTok. Yeah.

And it wasn't posted by you. Someone else was. Clipping it. I love to hear that because I don't know how. And yeah. And I think like the thing is about like this is like we are living in the moment where every comedian is posting crowdwork clips. Like everybody's got to. And I understand that like it's a necessity.

I'm very lucky that I did not come up in an age where I had to post content of myself doing stand-up, whether it be a joke that you're burning for the internet or crowdwork that you're posting because you have to put out like a new clip every week and you don't want to burn that material. But I see a lot of crowdwork where I'm like, okay, if the audience member that you're talking to is getting the bigger laugh and is being funnier than you are, then you're posting an L on your timeline right now. Like even when I'm doing crowd work, like I am in control. I make sure that I'm saying the funny thing. Right. You know, in response to whatever they're saying.

Exactly. Not like letting them be the interesting. Not you getting you working me at my show. Yeah. No. It's like, and I like, listen, that has happened to me before too. but I don't post it online. Nobody needs to know.

Nobody needs to know. So yeah. That's actually so true. I have a lot of sympathy for comedians who are going on now who need to do that. But I'm also like, baby, like let's really examine the material that we're posting here. Also, I feel like, because I've loved stand up for so long. Like that's been one of my favorite art forms of entertainment for a long time. And unfortunately,

When I started loving stand-up, a lot of the comics didn't age well over time, where I was like, right. Okay, that's a bummer. But now, like you said, there's been a whole new wave of comedians who are not, you know, making punching down jokes all the fucking time and being offensive for the sake of being offensive, which I find refreshing and I'm thankful for. But I think a lot of times, like what you said about TikTok sometimes, as wonderful as it is, it also can poison the well in a lot of ways. So now anyone who tells a joke that makes anybody kind of thinks they can do stand-up. And then on top of that, they think all stand-up is is purely just crowdwork. Yeah. And nothing more.

Yeah. Which I was like, you're crazy. Well, and it's interesting, like, talking, I mean, like, we talked about it earlier, but it is a different skill set. Yeah. And I feel like, I feel bad for a lot of these people who got, came up doing front-facing, like, comedy videos on TikTok. Yeah. And now we're being asked or think it's experienced. of them to do stand-up in tandem with that because the touring is really lucrative, you know,

like it's a great way to, you know, to get money doing what you love. But it is like, it's so different. And I recently was on a show where I was backstage and this very, I found out, like, very big TikToker was hosting the show. And it was funny, he had no fucking clue who I was. And I had no idea who he was. And, but he was like, talking to me and he's like yeah this is the first time I've ever performed live in front of an audience and I was like oh that's crazy interesting and of course he bombed and it was like how long was the set it was like it was like it was like first time 20 minutes yeah I know exactly and my thing was is like I didn't blame him I blame the producers I was like you should never have been put in this position in the first place right exactly because they don't understand they think like oh this person has a lot of followers and is funny online

he'll be great to get butts and seats exactly yeah exactly and then they throw Throw him into the deep end. And then it's just a tragedy. It is. And it's just like, it's a different thing. I know people who do both, but they will, they will cop to this. They don't, it's a, they use different skill sets to do both. Exactly.

Exactly. Yeah. And so, yeah, I feel, I feel bad. I think it's happening less now. I'm seeing it less. Because it's been so public. The flops. Yeah.

Yeah. Exactly. But yeah, it is interesting. No, you're so real. It feels like a whole different world. And I think like it's okay that we, we, you know, see them that way. Yeah. Yeah, I agree. And there's also no shame in it either. Like being a TikTok. And it's funny you say that because I, I have been sprinting away from stand up for so long

because I'm so afraid to find out I'm not good. Like I'm so afraid because I love stand up so much. And I was like, I don't want to do that. And bombing live would kill me. Right. And I've toured live. I've toured live many times, but that's like my podcast with my sister. So it's all improv. There's no like planned anything. We take audience submission things and then we make jokes about them on the fly and then do crowdwork too. It's like a kind of a twofer. So I've done that multiple times. But the only thing I've ever done is five minutes for Caleb. I opened for Caleb. But he he was like, please do it. Please do it for me. Like please like I'll help you. I'll help you write it. So he like helped me so much. And I think it went pretty well for my first five. But I was so I tell everyone when I

tell them about that. I'm like, I never get nervous. I never get nervous doing this. I never get nervous talking on stage performing left not that was the most nervous i have ever fucking been i was i read it a thousand times i was like sick to my stomach had fear dump right before if yeah oh a mess that is that will follow you when you've been doing it for 14 years um but like it it is um i mean if kaila was helping you that i'm sure it was great yeah i know and in his crowd too. Right. When I told Sabrina that, she goes, oh, I bet he was a tough critic. And I was like, oh, yeah. There were some jokes I told him where he literally was like, anything else. And I was like, yeah, I got so many other jokes. Yeah, of course. Um, I mean, but like, you were smart starting with five. Like, yeah, this poor kid like starting at, that's why I said 20 minutes. I was like, I, you know, it's a, you really do not realize how long five minutes is. No, for real. You're up there. I agree. Like, like. And it's like, whoa, this is a long of time. You're like, yeah, you're talking so fast and you look and it's like a minute 40 and you're like, right.

So I have four minutes and 15 seconds left. Okay. And I remember too when I, when Caleb asked me, he's like, do you want me to add you to the poster and like all that stuff? I was like, honestly, no, if you're cool leaving me off because it was just Caleb and friends. I was like, because I want to find out if I'm good. I feel like if I, my fans will come and I love them and I know, I believe them that they think I'm funny. But I was like, but I want to perform in front of people that are not my audience. I just want to see if I'm good.

It is like that's so real. Because like quite honestly, like post movie, post special and stuff like that. Like it's I came up when I started touring and headlining in 2016. It was based off of like my one appearance on Conan and that was pretty much it. I've seen that appearance. It was great. It was fantastic. And you know, I would be performing at these clubs for people who had no idea who I was.

Yeah. You know, and I would have to come out there every single night and, like, really prove myself and really, like, win them over. Yeah, totally. You know, by the first 10 minutes or I was screwed. And, like, that made me such a strong writer and, like, such a, like, word economy and all these things. And, like, getting to the punchline faster and, like, because you have to get to that punchline fast if they don't know who you are. Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

They're just sitting there waiting for you to make them laugh. And, like, so you learn that. And then, like, now there are moments on stage. where I'm like, that wasn't that funny. I don't trust you. I was like, you like, you like, you like, you like, you're like, you're being a little charitable. You're so me.

You're like, that was made at best. I don't know why you guys are laughing. So I love doing like, my favorite thing to do is like a secret headlining spot at like the store or something like that where like nobody, everybody just shows up and has. And again, like, it's like having these moments where like most of those people don't know who I am either. Like they aren't watching Fire Island. I ain't shown up on their office.

algorithm. And so it's like, it's like really necessary for me to do that. Yeah, totally. Because like, it really does pinpoint those spots where it's like, oh, that was a fan. There was a gas leak in the audience. Yeah. You guys are drunk. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm on at the end of the night. I opened first. I did my five and then Chris Fleming was after me. Oh my God. I know, for real. And then Caleb closed, obviously. And like, for Chris, after I did my five, I was like so nervous when I got off the stage. I thought I did pretty well. And then Chris, me came up to me and he was like this is the first time he and I had like ever met in person and he was like that's your first time ever and I was like yeah yeah I was like I hope it was

okay and then he was like I think you killed for your first time that's awesome yeah and I was like coming from Chris Fleming that's huge listen etched in the it's literally I play it like a memory of the all-time grades like for real it makes me believe that stand-up can be funny and interesting you know you're so me like he literally I I put it we're just talking about Chris Swimming I I put a bit of his that he posted about, but he called, he was talking about S&L 50, and he called Jimmy Fallon,

the Sme to Lauren Michaels Captain Hook. And then he said, Stephen Cool Bear was up there like, Cah, here's Jelly Roll. Like, he's just so ashamed. Dude, he's one of the funniest people. I literally said, I want to study you like Jane Goodall.

I just want to live amongst the apes for a little bit. You know what I mean? Just hang out. See how they interact and pick ticks out of each other's there. That's how I feel watching your crowdwork, honestly. Your crowdwork is some of the best I've ever seen. Thank you, thank you. Which is so funny.

And I love to know what's your, do you have like a favorite crowdwork story? Yeah, actually, I do. It's, so one of the, when I again, going back to 2016, when I first started touring, the only time I've ever done a comedy club and bombed pretty much all six shows for an hour straight every night was Phoenix, Arizona. the week before the 2016 election. And who hates you? I was doing this club and I was the last minute replacement for the comic who was supposed

to be headlining that week. And I was sitting there and like all the old comics like table-toppers and poster was still up. And I was sitting at the bar before my first show there. And this is like before my first show, this guy's sitting at the bar, ordered a drink, looks at the tabletopper and turns to the bartender and goes, this guy isn't too much of a faggot, is he? And I'm sitting there and the bartender knew I was the replacement. And she was like, oh, well, actually we have a different comedian than that one.

And like, I was just like, well, here we go. You said bad news for you. To make matters worse, the opener they had chosen for me, his closer involved getting the audience to chant, lock her up in unison with him. And I was like, and of course he was one of these guys who's like, I think they're both bad. I think they're both bad. but like, you know, he chose to end that way. And then I come on stage and they're like immediately like, you know, my entire person is politicized because of the way.

And so they're just like sitting there. And it was so rough. But like midway through that run of that week that I was there, I was like talking about, I have the joke about how I'm adopted, but my older brother who's biological to my family is also gay. And I was like talking about that. And I was talking about like, oh, guess it's nurture, you know.

Like, and, um, that's my theory. This woman shouts out from the crowd. You wouldn't have been gay if you were breastfed. And I, I turned, and what a gift because of all that entire week of bombing, this was the funniest I was the entire week. The only time I ever got the crowd on my side. Because I turned to her and I was like, I did not realize there was a scientist in the audience.

And I was like, got to talk to you. And I spent probably like 15 minutes interrogating this woman about like where she was getting this. And like what is the science behind it? And like what is the belief system that led her to that? And again, like even this conservative like crowd that hated me. Yeah. Hated her more.

And like, got you bitch. He said, I only needed to be one. It was the only time I had like ever gotten the audience that week on my side for that like short 15 minutes. And then of course they went back to hating me once I got back to material. Like I like I like, I like, I have a joke about her like that I, you know, right, you know, that ended up in my my first special. And like, again, like, like, like, I. I look back on that and I was like, she was a gift sent to me from heaven because. A reward.

Yeah. No, truly. For those six days. And I still like, man, I have so many scars from Phoenix. They tried to get me, they did get me to go back a couple years later by like luring me and by being like, oh no, this one, this shows in historic downtown Phoenix, which is like the Brooklyn of Phoenix. And let me be clear.

Let me be clear. There is no Brooklyn in Phoenix. Yeah, for real. Like, and historic downtown Phoenix. I'm sorry, you forget that, like, the entire West Coast is so new that historic downtown Phoenix looks like a Chipotle. Like, it is, there is nothing that feels like historic about it at all. Because I'm like, oh, this was like from the 70s.

Like, it's like, this is, this is, this place hasn't existed long enough to have history. Like right after the wallpaper and talk about. Yeah, exactly. It's like right after that. Yeah. What is that? 2010. And of course, those shows were bad too.

So it's like, never. Never, never going back. Never ever. Yeah, that has to be like one of the worst places to do that show. I will say like Tempe pretty cool, you know. But something about. We shan't be going back to Phoenix. Yeah, I shall not.

I ordered a Greek salad at a restaurant in Phoenix. And you know what they brought me out? A bowl that was like a third full of Tiziki, then cucumbers, and then fed on top of that and then more Tiziki on top of that. And I was like, this is disgusting. This is all the same texture. It's a bowl shower cream. Yeah. I was like, yeah, you gave me soup.

Like, this is not a salad. What do you think a salad is? You said racism. Fucked up Greek salads. Can you believe it? Yeah. Don't go to Phoenix. That's all they have there.

I can't recommend. So sorry to disrespect. Anybody who lives there currently or is from there who loves it. But it's just not every city is for everybody. No, you're right. You're right. Have you noticed any, I love asking people who have done, who are standups, like successful standups, if they have like a joke that they notice hits in every city.

or like just a general theme and ones that never hit or you found out only hit in certain cities? Yeah, I mean like I will say like I haven't really bombed since Phoenix. Thankfully. Thankfully. You're too good. And so like most of the material. And I don't change the material really switching up for audiences. I never have even.

And like I'm very proud of that. I've gotten some really nasty like very specific to me jokes like to hit and land. But you do have to like. really like get them on your side first and sort of like get them to trust you and then you can do the weirder shit and that's the stuff that like right now especially I love to do the most and like I have a joke right now that like is the buildup to it is that like it's time to refresh your yard during spring backyard days at the Home Depot get low prices guaranteed on propane grills starting at $179 like the next grill three burner gas grill or get $50 off a select Weber Spirit grill

and bring big flavor to your backyard. Then set the scene with Hampton Bay string lights that bring it all together. Shop spring backyard days for seven days at the Home Depot. Now through May 6th. Exclusion supplies to homedebo.com slash price match for details. I am in love with a horse. And, you know, bestiality is tough, especially in this climate. Judgment everywhere.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that joke, unfortunately, you know, it really does hit with some of them. If I'm performing me for like an alt comedy crowd. Yeah. You know who expects it to be weird. Yeah. And it's like again like I think like there's a difference in a crowd that's like comedy literate because they already know what the obvious punchline to a joke is.

Yeah. And so like we're all trying to stay ahead. And like honestly the internet has made it really hard because like you like tweet out a joke and it becomes a meme and it becomes disseminated around and everyone no one knows who started the joke. That's exactly what Caleb's told me. Yeah. Yeah.

And it's so frustrating because like you do that obvious punchline of the. joke you wrote and people are like oh that's from the meme and you're like no it's not bitch it's from my stand up it's from me I'm gonna kill myself no and like um it's not always super helpful because if you're performing for a comedy audience that has seen like maybe one or two comedy shows in their entire life they don't even know what the obvious punchline is yet yeah so if you're trying to go to step two and stay ahead of it yeah you just left them behind and they're confused you know and so I prefer to perform for crowds that have seen a lot of comedy I love comedy and like have a lot of context for it.

And then like, you know, you do have to sort of like when I'm performing here in L.A., especially at some of these clubs where it's a lot of tourists and a lot of people who've never seen comedy before. I do have to like stay cognizant of that and they may be like I don't change the joke too much. I just maybe like will stop a little bit before it gets to step two, you know? Yeah. There's like certain parts you can leave out. Yeah. You're like they only need the top stuff.

they don't need the underbelly. Exactly. But that's what makes comedy the best, in my opinion. I think. So I want to pivot to Fire Island. Okay. I would love to talk about Fire Island and just like how that, how it came to be the project and how it like kind of got off the ground.

And then obviously the reception of it. Yeah. I mean, it started as like we would go to Fire Island and I would, I remember the first trip to Fire Island. I brought Pride and Prejudice with me. And I would be reading it on the beach and like kind of look up and be like, wow, this is like really similar. similar to what we're dealing with this week.

And everyone was, and it started as a bit. I was like, I'm going to write like a gay Pride and Prided on Fire Island. And they were like throwing shit at me like, boo. Like, no. That's a dumb idea. And I, every year we would go, every summer we would go, I would read a different Jane Austen book.

It was like my like tradition. And like I, so cute. Just like it got in my head more and more. And it was like, I'm going to do this eventually. And so it was sort of a. dare like my friends were like okay to do it and I wrote like a 30 minute pilot spec script that was loosely the same story that would end up in the movie and it was just like you know it was going to be seven episodes and every episode would be a day on the island and I took that out and no one

wanted to buy it no one was interested again we were talking before we got on mic a little bit about like people being like it's a little niche and it's like okay I know what you really want to say but um And it's a slur. Yeah. And, but then, you know, I met with Quibi, R-I-P-Qibby. And say what you will about Quibi. They were taking some big swings. And I was one of those swings.

And they were like, actually, though, can you make this into like a movie that we can then cut down into 10 quick bites? And so I developed it there at Quibi, got the green light there. And we're supposed to start shooting summer of 2020. And yeah. And we were like in pre-pro, we were like trying. And there was like a moment before we really. knew what deep shit we were in as a country.

Like we were like, maybe we shoot it in North Carolina and like shoot it, like cheat it for Fire Island and like, you know, go to one place where that's open. And like it quickly became apparent that it was just not going to happen. And then Quibi shut down in December. And we were like, well, shit. But they were very kind. They gave us the script back right away. Like they reverted the rights back to me.

Oh, that's really nice. Because they were like, we believe in this and we wanted to happen if it's not going to happen here. And so we took it out and started. Light was pretty quick to like scoop it up and and and I really didn't have to make I didn't make that many changes from Quibi to searchlight it was like a pretty completed package already and of course like little like edits here and there as we started to cast and like you know originally Margaret Cho's character was like an older game man. You love Margaret here. It was like um I think I can say this um it was supposed to be

Alan coming but then he had to drop because he had to shoot something in Scotland. which of course, we realize now was traitors. And I was like, oh, it all worked out exactly as we're supposed to work out. Because it was like, Alan would have been amazing. But like Margaret was made it so much her own. And we like, it was so funny. She reached out to Andrew and I and our people and the studio and her reps were like, she would love to be a cameo on this movie.

She would like, you know, this was right after it was announced with me and Bowen starring. She was like, she would love to. And we, and we just found out we needed to replace this part. were like, oh, like, this could be really easily rewritten. I wouldn't have to change that much at all to make this fit Margaret. And so we met with her and like rewrote, you know, the part to fit her. And yeah, and we did that with a lot of the people that we cast. Like once we had like certain people on board, like, you know, we rewrote a lot of it for

them to be specific. And it was a really wonderful process and a really quick process, which is not normal. because they needed to thank God for Bowen being the busiest man in Hollywood, I have to say, because that made it so, like, they were like, we got to rush this through, we got to get this shot before Bowen goes back to SNL. Yeah. And so I'm very lucky in that regard, the best experience filming in my life. Like, just getting to make something with my best friends. Yeah.

And, like, all of these wonderful people, very, like, low budget. So we are, like, making a lot of concessions. Like, let me tell you, that rain scene. when Kira Knightley shot her rain scene in Pride and Prejudice, I bet the water was heated. And I can tell you that she has money like that. It was not heated. And it was September. It was the middle of the like, it was like 2 a.m. in September in New York.

So it was like 40 degrees outside. And we were walking through this freezing cold rain. And at one point, the medic, we were sitting in this warming van in between takes. And the medic came to take my temperature. And he was like, we have to take a. longer break because his temperature is so low it does not register on this digital thermometer. His lips are blue. He's hypothermic.

We were like in the like FEMA like tinfoil blankets like shivering. And so like poor Andrew like had a lot of different shots planned for that scene. And they were like, mm, you're going to have to get it in like a couple. Yeah. And so it's like. Let's bring them back to living body temperature. But even like moments like that, I was like, I make me a movie. You know?

Yeah. So it was really exciting. And I'm, you know, really grateful to the response to it too, you know. Yeah, I was going to say, what was that like seeing the response to it? It's, I mean, it's crazy. Listen, not everybody loved it. And that's fine. But it is like, I mean, talk about the comment section.

Like, I was in the comment section for a while. And it's so funny because my partner and my now fiancee, then boyfriend was like, he's gotten so good. Like now even I'll be sitting on the couch and he just can tell from my face. He'll be like, put it away. Get out of the comment section. Oh, my God. Me too. That's crazy.

You say that same. Yeah, and he's just like, no, no, no, no, you don't need to be reading whatever you're reading right now. It's not important. But for the most part, like, I saw a lot. No, we do. Yeah, we need that. Like, for the most part, like, people were really, you know, positive about it. I will say, like, no one is more willing to give me a note on that movie than a drunk gay guy at a gay bar.

The way they love to come up to me and say. I have some notes. Yeah, no. And I'm like, okay, while it's in the can, I'm not contacting Hulu to, like, when you cut the movie. Wait, let's edit the movie, actually. What's the most common piece of advice you get for it? I think, like, people don't like that, like, Bowen ends up with James. Like, people don't like that, like, he gets a happy ending.

They're like, that's unrealistic. Well, art is meant to provoke emotion. I know. And I'm, like, I'm making a rom-com here. Like, of course, somebody needs to have a happy ending. And, like, my character is a little bit more ambiguous. Like, what happens to them? And I like that.

I like being able to show both sides of, like, you know, like, sometimes you go on vacation and you meet someone and it's like you're there for life that's how that's what happened to me i met my fiancee on vacation in a in in port of iaraara america like having a gay old time and like and i brought them back to the real world and made him my real boyfriend yeah and then like sometimes you have a really intense like you know weak with someone and it and that's where it ends you know and like i wanted to just kind of show like both sides of that happening yeah and i think like People are like, but that's not realistic. And I'm like, yeah, but sometimes love isn't realistic.

You know, like what happened to me and my partner? Like, that was so unrealistic. Exactly. Yeah. Well, also, I love that the notes are like, I just feel like he should have ended up with. I feel like, I like, I like, I like, they're just like, okay, well, art's meant to make you feel something. So at least they're not like, I hated it.

Well, it's funny. I get negged a lot by guys too. Like, the amount of times I've heard, like, I don't care what anyone else says. I actually really liked your movie. And I'm like, okay, well, you could have said nothing. Yeah. Or you could have just said, I liked your movie. Yeah.

But I think, like, especially with, like, other gay men, like, there is this idea I think people have of me that I have a much bigger ego about the movie than I do. Right. There's this need to like, oh, let's bring him down a little bit before we like. Right. They're like, not too much. It was all right. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

No. I mean, truly. And I don't think people realize, like, I'm like pretty chill. Like, whenever someone's like, oh, like, I meet. someone and their friends like you know he he was a fire island guy and they're like oh sorry i haven't seen it like and get weird and i'm like i don't i actually prefer that like it's just fine and like you can like you don't have to do this theatrical performance in front of me i'm like oh sorry i haven't seen your movie like i don't need that i don't care i don't need that also you're a comedian

so that's a bold move for them right that's a bold move to try and neg you yeah that's crazy it is it is pretty crazy um necking in general is so wild like when l a And that day that it opened up, I was in high tops in WeHo, and they have some bomb salads at high tops in WeHo. I will say it's random, but they do. And I was eating this buffalo chicken salad standing up. It was packed because L.A. had just opened. And this guy comes up to head on me. And his opening line, though, was, wow, you really don't eat that salad confidently. And I was like, okay, new insecurity just dropped. Like, what? I was like, I didn't even know there was a right way to eat salad, like, let alone that I wasn't doing it confidently. And then he Ceded to try and hit on me and I was like no like you started off on I thought you were bullying me crazy place and like it was so it's so wild like and I'm sure like you know exactly what I'm talking Yeah men nagging yeah and I don't know why people think that this is a viable plan I know what's what what's To want to like continue to talk to them yeah if I end up standing here longer what happens after you just hurt my feelings I don't want to talk to you anymore hey fuck you

That's so funny. What's your sign? I'm a Pisces through and through. Archipical. Are you February March Pisces? I'm a leapier, maybe. I'm a February 29th Pisces. Ooh.

So a little extra. Extra special. Extra special. Well, that makes sense that you were like, you just hurt my feelings. Yeah. Like I'm no. And I feel it deep.

Do you know your big three? So I'm because of I'm adopted, and unfortunately, this is a, scary thing to say in this time. We all have that dream trip. We've been wishing we could go on. But too often life or usually price gets in the way. That's why Priceline is here to help you turn your dream trip into reality. With up to 60% off hotels and up to 50% off flights, you can book everything you need for your next adventure.

Don't just dream about that next trip. Book it with Priceline. Download the Priceline app or visit Priceline.com and book your next trip today. Price line. My original birth certificate is nowhere to be found. And so there is no birth time. So it's choose your own adventure. Yeah, we've kind of determined.

So I'm a Leo Moon, which is fucked up. And then I think, like, based, there's like two, there were two options based on like where the stars were. Yeah. I was born. Like if I was born during the day, then it was this. And if I was born at night, which they think. based on the description of my rising is Gemini.

Like that is, I guess, I'm giving Gemini outwardly. And, um, but inside I'm like, I'm a Leo. But I really do identify everything I've ever read about being a Pisces. I'm like, oh, you nailed me. Right. Um, I also think you, yeah, I think that's why you're really good writer too, because you're very emotional. Yeah.

And very like aware, like emotionally cognizant and aware of others and like how they move in this space. That's probably why you're such a good writer. I bet it's observing. You know, like constantly dreaming and constantly imagining and constantly living in a different like world basically. Yeah, I thought you might have Virgo in your chart because you're such a hard worker. Oh, I mean. You're just.

Well, you know, I do identify as a Huffepuff too. So maybe it's in there. Maybe it is in there. Well, speaking of Huff of Huffa Puff, I actually have some fun facts about you if we'd like to talk about them. This first one says that you were on your college's quidditch team. Yep. I sure was. Proudly?

Not proudly. What was your position? I was a beater. I was a beater on the play for Huffalo puff. It's so funny, like, my first class in college. And it is sort of like, it's tough to talk about it now because it's like RIP Harry Potter. I know.

That sucks. Thanks a lot, turf. I know. Sorry, I said that so. I said that so, like, I hate Jig Rowling. Oh, I do, but, I mean. And it's just, it's like, you could have been the most beloved children's author

in history. And now your legacy is like terrorizing trans people. I know. I know. Like you did this to yourself. Yeah. But my first class, my first like seminar in college was about Joseph Campbell on the hero's journey through the lens of Harry Potter.

And so we were all sorted our first week in college. Okay. And like literally like if you were late, you would, she would be like five points deducted from Hufflepuff. And whoever won as a house at the end of the semester would get. up a half letter grade. Damn. I know.

It was for shit like that's a good ass prize. Doing like like answering a question in class. Yeah. Five points to Gryffindor and I was like this is bizarre. I'm in college. But she was like it was like it does follow the hero's journey like you know. So like I was learning about Campbell, you know, but it was just like goofy like she made us make wands at one point. And I was like how does this have to do with the reading?

You know, that's an art school if I've ever heard one. Yeah. And so did you enjoy the quidditch team experience? I mean, I did. I had fun. It was like, you know, it was like a way to be athletic for people who were not athletic. And it was, yeah. But to feel included. Yeah, I know. My roommate broke her arm playing quidditch. Why or how? Listen, it was a contact sport at times and she got contacted. Sometimes you're a beater and sometimes you get beaten. Exactly. Were you a beater or were you beaten? Exactly.

The sex that says your first cat was named Rock Hudson. Yep. We had a naming convention for all our pets growing up where they were all old Hollywood names. So we had Carolina Dietrich and Errol Flynn and like those were like the names of our pets and stuff like that. And yeah, my mom brought this cat home and it immediately bonded to me. And so they're like, okay, Joel, this is your cat. Like what do you want to name it? And I was like eight and I was like Rock Hudson down.

And they were like, great. And like, I don't think my parents were even aware of the, like, secret gay life of Rock Hudson. And I certainly wasn't aware, but I think I intuit it, you know? And I, yeah. And so I had a cat named Rock Hudson growing up. And was he an ice cat? Oh, he was a cat who thought it was a dog. Like, literally would follow my dogs outside in the backyard and, like, just sort of, like, trot.

And every time, like, they would go to the front window and bark at somebody, he would be there, like, sort of, like, sort of like trying to make the same noises. It was so cute. And he was so affectionate and so great. And like, yeah, I loved him. Did you have a lot of pets grown up? Four dogs, five cats, two birds, and a lot of fish. Okay, Noah's Ark.

Yeah. Okay. And we, and not, I think the most we had concurrently was three dogs, three cats, and one bird. But like over the course of my time at home, that, it was that number. So it was a lot. And my mom was a home health nurse and most of them were strays that she would like find on her route and like pick up. And like my dad would be like you cannot bring another animal home. My mom would do the same thing actually.

That's why you know what? I love that you said that because I had a lot of family dogs growing up too, at least more than the average household. I feel like most times when you talk to people that were like, I had one dog for 20 years. I was like, I had like eight. Yeah. When I was growing up, it's not a good thing. But like the naming convention thing you said, it's so. funny because my mom like me and my two siblings all have the same initials we're all d-ta um so we're

my mom likes d names so like for the animals she would always ask like okay what should we name this dog and my sister and i would both be like i think we should name it this i think we should name you're like perfect okay um his name is duke so like she she would literally have the meeting and then pick the name so like a real boss does yeah she's like well i paid for the dog so his name is actually Desi. But I did have a snout. I had a husky named Desi Arnaz. Oh. Like that was his real name. That is exactly fitting with what my family was. Exactly. And if you're wondering if I was six and I like Desi Arnaz, I didn't. I suggested something else and she said, perfect. His name is Desi. And then she did that to me all throughout high school. Every time we got a new dog.

And it was funny because she got, my parents got my sister a bold dog for her birthday one year because that's what she really wanted. And she wanted to name it like taco or something. She had a very specific name picked up. And then my mom goes, what's his name? And she goes, I think it's Tacoo. She goes, or we could name it Duke. And then guess what his name was? Duke. Yeah. Which I was like, I love that. I love when parents are like, what do we think? What do we think? That's stupid. I'm going to pick this. Instead, I'm going to pick this name. Listen, you don't listen to the children. They don't know nothing. You don't know. I'm with you. Also, it says on here that you used to work for Groupon corporate. I was the 70-something employee of Groupon actually. Wow, you are old.

It was my first job out of college. I was a customer service temp. I started as a temp there. Answering phones for people who bought Groupons and had problems. And by the time I was 25 and left that job to move to New York, I was managing call centers in Virginia, Ohio, and Texas. And like remotely from Chicago. But I would have to go every quarter and visit these call centers. It was so funny because I was very young. And it's just this thing of like, back then that was like early startup culture. Right. It was like everyone was sitting on a yoga ball.

There's three snacks in the kitchen. There's a ping pong table. You know, like it was like the golden age. Everyone's seen jobs in the garage. Yeah. Groupon, Google tried to buy Groupon for $6 billion while I worked there. And they said, no. They said, actually we think we can get bigger than that.

And I was like, even then I was like, okay. I was like, real confident. Yeah. I was like, do you know what we do here? And yeah. And so it was like that thing of like when you start at a company that early that grows that fast, like they just start promoting you. Even though I was like a child. And like you're illiquid.

Yeah. And I like, I like, I only. You said 25 managing three call centers. I like, and the thing was is that when I had to go visit these call centers, the like 40 something year old guys who like ran the floor on these call centers who were like the actual managers on the ground. Yeah. hated me because here I like this twink coming in being like actually did you hit your numbers and like they literally despised that they had to report to me and I loved it and naturally I loved that yeah it was that the worst job you've ever had you would say uh no what would you say is the worst job

um I worked actually you know technically Grovlin was not my first job out of college my first job out of college was a place called total attorneys and it sucked because it was this place were like, it was not a scam, but it was just like, do you need a DUI attorney, a divorce attorney, this attorney, whatever, and they would fill out these forms, and then they would, we would call them, and they would think that we were, because we were called total attorneys, the person who was going to give them legal advice. And a lot of these people were in jail, like in processing, holding, whatever, and needed an immediate help. And our business model was like, oh, we'll connect you with one of the attorneys in our network. and like just basically and they'd be like oh so I could have just Googled this and like oh so you're

useless yeah and it was hey why do I need you for that heinous it was just a heinous job and I worked from like four to midnight like that shift and it was just like so you were getting like you really were getting the DUIs that were like people in jail shit and like yeah it was dark oh my god horrifying I worked this like a month and then I switched over and that was definitely beyond anything else like the worst job I've ever had and then you start cracking the whip over at group on You started working it like the Navy over there In your mid-20s It says that you were homeschooled until high school

Yep, I was homeschooled until I was a junior in high school Damn, how was the homeschool experience? Bad, I mean, I was homeschooled for religious reasons primarily They did not want me learning about sex revolution And they sent me to school when I was 16 junior year of high school And within the first month of going to school, A public school came out of the closet, smoked weed for the first time, smokes a cigarette for the first time, drank for the first time,

sucked a dick for the first time, chocolate took for the first time. Like, did it all. It's like you cannot keep a child under lock and keep. Damn, they unleashed you on the world. And then give me a little bit of freedom. It was like over. Too much slack on the leash.

Yeah. I like who you were like, I don't know how long outside time's going to last. No, I'm going to get it all in now. It's all happening in October. Okay. Second a dick by night. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, yeah.

It was like, it was honestly like the best thing that ever happened. to me was being able to go to public school because I don't know where I'd be like when I that was the that was the period where I was like maybe I should be a youth pastor um so like going to public school and like be like tasting freedom and like really being right I am and myself and being able to like be who I wanted to be yeah it was like life saving I think damn oh my god I know exactly what my life would have looked like if I were a youth pastor I would have been on the deal on grinder hooking up with musical theater majors home on break behind the target in my Subaru you know like That is the picture of that life.

And I know that because I was the musical theater major, home on break. I saw a lot of them. I frequented those many bands. Don't like him, man. That's crazy. Well, I'm glad you went to public school then. What a stark jump to for them to be like, not even put you in private school, but put you in public school. Yeah, no, it was tough.

Real deep end. It was like, honestly, like, because I was like really like, I want to go to college and like I need to take the ACTs and like, prepped for that and like at this point no one was like managing my my schooling at home yeah like my parents both went back to work so I was just like home chilling like reading and like that was your school getting the math answers out of the back of the book and like not learning it at all so by the time I went to public school I was like light years ahead of people and reading and writing but so far behind in math and science wow it was like really jarring for me and like I didn't learn I just actually told my partner this but like I really didn't understand how to do homework or study for tests until I was probably a sophomore

engineer in college like that skill set was like just lost on me yeah I did not know how to study I was like a test takeer great like any writing portion like nailed it yeah like that yeah like that's it but like taking a test and doing like homework I was like wait but like I just was at school for eight hours and now I have to do it more what do you mean I have to take this home yeah I was like I did not like it was just so strange I was like why aren't we doing this in school like Why were we talking about this shit? You know, like, but yeah, so it was a rough transition academically for me in a lot of ways. Spring just slid into your DMs. Grab that boho look for that rooftop dinner, those sandals that can keep up with you,

and hang some string lights to give your patio a glow up. Spring's calling. Ross, work your magic. I figured it out eventually. Yeah, obviously. Well, obviously you're incredibly intelligent, but also I feel like you're so self-aware. Like you're like, I feel like I need like real school. Yeah.

Like you're like a junior and I still going, I think I need to go to real school. Yeah. I need help in real school. Well, a big part of it was, a big part of it was is I got this job working at a cold stone my sophomore year of high school. Damn, you're on those marble slabs. Oh yeah. Yeah. Oh yeah. The Gia is what it's called. Thank you very much. The technical term for those slabs. Don't want to disrespect your craft. And like the Coldstone at this time was like the underground railroad for gay teens in my eight. high school basically

like they all worked at this Coldstone and so like that was like my first intro because they were like I would be telling them what I was doing in homeschooling and they'd be like that's crazy you need to go to school if you want to go to college and so that job really influenced

like everything shout out Coldstone you know like I went to school because I was like pressured by Coldstone creamery employees to do so and the gay people working at Goldstone Yeah, exactly.

Bullied me into going to high school. Exactly. And the best thing that ever happened to me. All swell that ends well, you know? You said, hey, a win is a win. Okay. All right here it says in 2016, you made your late night stand-up debut on Conan, obviously. But what was that like?

I would love to know what the call was like getting to do it. I remember getting the call. I was in Portland, actually, sleeping in a hostel, in a bunk bed in a hostel. And I was like doing a show out there. And I had just done like a showcase for TBS. And like in LA actually. And like it was like a really it was like I had like really crafted this five minutes of standup material. And like I knew like it was like all of my best jokes that from like the however many years I'd been doing standup at that point like four or five.

And like I knew that it was like just a killer set and I crushed that that showcase. And from that showcase, they booked. the Conan Booker was in the audience. It was like, we want you to do that exact set on Conan. And yeah, it was like a couple weeks later. I did it. And like, it was life-changing. It really was.

Yeah. I was going to say the reception after, I'm sure it was crazy. No, it really was. Like, I remember watching it on YouTube. I don't think anybody, like, the response from like the Asian community, the gay Asian community, the gay community, the adopted community, you know, it was like a big deal. Because like so many people had not seen anything. me yet in 2016. I'm very grateful that I'm not the only one holding the torch by any means now.

And it wasn't at the time either. But like, you know, there's just like there's so many of us now. And it is like really demonstrative of like the breadth of our experience as like queer people or people of color, whatever, what have you. And like I'm so glad that like, you know, I'm for the first time in my life, I'm on lineups with other gay comics, not the only one with other Asian. comics not the only one and like it just feels great because it's like yeah me and matoa lane who started like a week apart from each other in chicago and we're friends in chicago and we were coming up and we're friends now obviously but like we had this moment where like early on we realized we were not getting booked on the same shows because people assumed that we were just like the same person basically and we were like fuck that right you guys look so much alike

no and it was like we talk about completely different stuff yeah our material did not overlap at all Yeah. And it really, like, bonded us together and they, like, made us, like, really good friends because we were like, okay, this is bullshit. Yeah. Like, we don't agree with this. And, like, we started, like, demanding to do shows together because we were, like, we're friends and, like, we are different. And, like. And there's crossover in our audiences.

Exactly. Right. Well, no, you're so real for that, too, because I just had Grace Koolinchman on not too long ago. And she was telling me that, like, one of her favorite things is being on cards with, like, all gay people, like, all people in the community. like people that she's the people I have things in common with like our communities have things in common with like she's like I don't have any interest in like going into like straight spaces and like being on those cards like I don't want to be the token on other other lineups I want to be around people that are like minded we all like have things in

common I think that makes a lot of sense too because and there's an audience for it now too that didn't quite exist when I was starting out exactly like it was like and now like you don't have to yeah anymore because like The internet has made it possible for, you know, like, if you're seeking out a queer comedian, you can find a treasure trove of us on the internet now and, like, seek out and find us. And, like, I perform in a lot of different rooms. Yeah. But, like, it is so refreshing to be on the lineup of all gay comedians.

And, like, I can do one of those shows, like, once a week, and they're packed and sold out, you know? And, like, it's great. Yeah. They're always really fun. And they're down to laugh for the most part, which is nice. I was like, I think when I did Caleb's show, I was going to do one later on in the year for another comic that's really famous. But she asked me to do something too. But my schedule overlaps, so I couldn't do it.

But I was also nervous to do it because her audience and my audience are very different. And so I was like, I'm not, I didn't get enough reps in. I don't think. I was like, I need to workshop this set a lot more and kind of cut my teeth on it a lot more. before I take it in front of an audience that I know is not going to like a lot of the jokes. You're going to need to really work to get them on your side. Exactly. So like I was like I think there is a world in which I can tailor this to that kind of room.

But I haven't had like the reps first. I mean, I'll respect to you for being self-aware enough. Yeah. Because I was like, I don't want to bomb. Many people would not. I know. I was like, I don't want to go and do it. And then like especially because a lot of my five is about white people and like my own

experiences with them and like peace and love and unity. there's many of them in the room yes yes there's many whites find the camera peace and love and unity but i was like the audience i would be performing in front of is older and white and probably conservative so i'm like you know yeah don't put yourself in a position like yeah we're and then i was telling my team too i was like and then if i do it and i fucking bomb i'm never going to want to do that again which i don't want to scare myself out of doing it either because i'm really on you need to like feel the win a little bit like to like to leave you're like to leave you you through those moments of bombing, you know?

And I honestly, like, I feel that way so intensely about that, about stand-up, because I'm like, that's your only job is to make them laugh. That's it. Like, they sit there and wait to be, like, to laugh and be entertained. And I was like, and if I can't do that, what am I worth? Right. And I- Still a lot, but, you know, slightly less.

Yeah, exactly. And I think that was the best. move for me because I was like I'm going to workshop it a lot more and then get better at it especially because I know you've done multiple specials like memorizing an hour of material is crazy yeah it feels that way now but like once you're there it will feel I know I just I you fascinate me like I was like that is so like to stay on subject stay on time I like go off book a lot and that waste time right before my prepared material well because like I'll tell you what like when I was coming up in New York, again, like very like big time where a lot of people were trying to do standup. And so I would wait like upwards of two hours to do 90 seconds of material at an open mic. And like when you got 90 seconds, you learn what 90 seconds feels like and you learn how to get three jokes in, three punchlines in, get word economy down. And like and like and that is a skill set that I've kept with me and that I think like a lot of these a lot of, I think that's like the big issue with some of the like TikTokers that we've.

talked about is they don't have that innate sense of like getting to the punchline. Exactly. Totally. It's very like meandering and like sort of like telling a story but not writing punchlines around certain moments in the story. It's just like oh like I saw this comic recently and I was just like this is a good interesting story but you've done nothing but tell the story. You know, like you've done nothing to josh it up. Yeah. With some jokes. Makes what's your POV on what happened to you? Right. And like tell you. me that and like um that's what's missing i think from a lot of what i see it in young comics today yeah and i and you know what's funny is like when i was practicing with caleb i would like

read him my jokes but i would read it like he at first he told me just write them as if you're saying them write them all out and then send that to me and then we'll work it back from there because it's better to just get it all out and then yeah weaned back but he was telling me to like you got to get to the point like it's got to be quicker so let's cut out this part let's cut out this part because i'm a yapper so that's why i was like no i was like no those are great notes for me because then I'll go off book too much and you like you were saying it's like you don't even get to the good parts of your jokes because honestly my five minutes I think I went over like I think I did like six minutes like 30 seconds or something yeah that's not that bad but I left out my last

like three jokes because I was talking too goddamn much in the beginning so I was like got a tailor got to got to wean it back but that's why I'm taking all the notes I can for me on the many accomplishments you have okay last one says in 2022 you are a contestant on the great American making show. Uh-huh. Now, Joel, you have no idea what that show needs to me. Specifically, the Great British baking show and I'm so serious. I mean, I got Prue and Paul and we were in the English countryside in the tent. I need you to know. I have butterflies. And it was one of the most fun experiences I've ever had, even though I kind of flopped the final. Um, like, but you made it. I made it. Yeah. Uh, everybody did.

but it was like it was just like a one episode thing one off the like and it was like Marchon Lynch me Darcy Cardin like it was a putting you and Marchand Lynch in the same tent I know it was crazy yeah but I had a lot it was like so much fun and the thing is I was really reticent to do it because when they called me I was like I don't bake I've never baked day of my life yeah like I don't know that I could do that show and they were like listen like this is not nailed it Like we're not here to like see you flop. Like we don't want anyone to feel embarrassed. They have culinary producers on that show and they have them on the main show too.

And they aren't there to like do it for you. But it was a lot of like, hey, does this consistency look right? Can I put this in the oven now? And they'd be like, yeah, yeah. And so like I had a lot of help. And a lot of prep time. Like I basically met with those producers beforehand and they were like, so what would you want to bake if you could bake? And then we will sort of find a recipe that you can do that is close enough to what you have in your head.

That's what I need. And like, yeah, and it was really great. And so I didn't actually practice ever, but I did watch the YouTube videos many times over. And, yeah. And I got a handshake from Paul in the first round. Oh, and period. And that's all I really needed. That was that was the win for me.

I've never felt like true, almost sinister jealousy that I just felt. I'll be so real. I felt a little evil twinge in my spine just now. clocked it though you'll get there well I caught it I believe I'm honest to God so jealous like I when I tell you I love that fucking show that's the only show I never watch anything new for whatever reason I watch them I watch it kind of like when Chris swimming was on the show he said I'm a culture scavenger so he's like so you know 10 years after everyone stops loving it I go and I rifle through it like a raccoon that's me too yeah so I watch it like after everybody else does

And so, but the Great British Baking show, that is the only That's appointment television. Each September I said, fire it up. Put it on the fucking TV. It's so relaxing. It's the best show in the, it's just, and also the fact that they compete for nothing. Yeah, truly, just for the love of the game. Yeah, exactly for the love of the game.

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Me getting passionate. I was going to talk to Paul and Prue. but like on like together and I was like oh my god I'll freak out and then they were like actually they're not going to be in LA whatever um like for this show but they were saying I could do it virtually and I was like I just feel like that's a little too hard you want the handshed I need the energy yeah sorry need to see in person sorry invite me to the show but you had a fun experience I did it was it's a it's a really fun experience and they make it really fun that's so awesome and you and Paul and Prue are great and like um yeah it was just a blast oh that's

It's so fucking cool. I always say, too, I'm going out round one, like, easily. I can't bake for shit. I can't cook at all, really. But, I mean, I can cook, but I just, like, don't like you. Well, you'll be on a celebrity version like me. Exactly. Where they hold my hand.

And they give me training wheels. Exactly. But I was like, but the parts where you stand and make jokes the whole time, I'd kill it that. Put me in that part. And then someone else, my body double. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.

We'll just hire the rock to do it. He and I are built the same. About the same. Okay. So I also want to talk about your new show. Love Hotel. Yeah. On Bravo called Love Hotel.

Yes. We would love to talk about it. Please tell us. It is Bachelor in Paradise meets the housewives, basically. It is literally four housewives and a bunch of men. And we say, unleash them upon them. And it's really going to be a fun show. And it's like a really interesting.

I love that they're taking the housewives out of their natural environment and putting them in this different setting because you're used to seeing the women in conflict with one another. And on this show, like, they really do become this like sisterhood. And like there's plenty of drama on the show. But it's all between the women and the men. Very little between the women. And it's so nice to like get to see them like sort of, you know, sort of there to support each other and not there to like, you know, you know. do the drama that you normally see on Housewives for our benefit. You know?

Yeah, totally. They were in a, you know, out of their element. And so they really did sort of like hold on to each other because they were all like doing this new thing. And so that's like a fun aspect of the show that I think people can look forward to. And like, it's, it looks really lux. It looks really different from the Housewives shows. Yeah.

It's just, it's a new, it's a new thing. And I think like they picked four really funny ladies and like, yeah, it's, It's funny. I think it's real a lot of the time. Nice. You know, yeah, it's going to be interesting. And it's the first time I've ever done something like that. Yeah.

Because, like, Trutie, the reason I got this job is because I was originally off for Trader Season 3. And I turned it down. And it was so hard because I love Traders. I love it so much. I've seen every international English-speaking season. And, but I was like, I don't want to be a good. contestant on a reality show that's not like you know like beg off is one thing yeah but like it was for

charity yeah but i also was like you know i didn't want to work necessarily with an editor who was not maybe looking for my best takes and like and my boyfriend my fiancee put it out he told me this and i think it's a great point traders is so huge especially this season that we just aired the season i would have been on was so huge that i run the risk of being known especially to a lot of straight people as that guy from Traders. And I didn't want that, you know? Like, I want, like. That's so real.

Yeah. And so I was like, but I was like, you know, sort of like clocking what Alan was doing, I was like, I would host a reality show. And they were like, oh, that's interesting. You say that. We have this one that we think you'd be really great for. And I'm a huge bravo fan. And so it was, yeah, it was a, it was an easy sort of like, yes to make.

Like a lateral move. Yeah. And like, again, like I, um, Trafari Williams, our EP and showrunner taught me how to do that job. Like I had her in my ear the entire time. And she came from like Queens Corps and Bachelor Nation and stuff like that. So she was a pro. She knew what she was doing. She didn't know the housewives though.

And so like we were like a really great team of like, I was like, I know this world. You know that world. Yeah, a perfect duo. Yeah. Yeah. And so, and she was amazing. And I think she created a really incredible show. Oh, honestly, Bachelor in Paradise mixed with House.

Wives, the Bravo girls are going to eat that shit. And I hope they continue to do it because there's so many iterations of the show I'd love to see. I'd love to see Heather Gay on the show. I'd love to see Sonia on the show. You know, there's so many single women in the Bravo's world that I think like everybody needs to see like sort of be able to like have their pick of these guys. You know, it's just fun putting them in the power position. Oh my gosh. Yeah.

The amount of things I quote from Housewives. I don't even watch Housewives really. Well, it's easy. It's really easy. If you're spent any time on the internet, you know, like, certain things. I was explaining that to my fiance the other day. I was, like, telling him, because there was some joke that he made. It was like a clip from a sound bite or something.

And I was like, you know, that's from housewives. And he was like, really? And I go, a lot of things that people quote now are actually quotes from housewives. Like, my boyfriend referenced, who going to check me, boo recently? Yeah. And I was like, that's housewives. Yeah, that's housewives. that he hate it's like the one thing the one show i'm allowed to watch without him um and so i've

actually picked up a lot of bravo shows that i normally didn't watch because i'm not on the road and i'm like oh i can't watch our show without him and so i'm watching below deck now they're like you know and i'm getting in yeah exactly so funny i know my sister and i's one for a while was i want to have a baby i don't i don't it's like cam oh i want to travel hilarious joggers was another one joggers is this summer summer well how exciting you're just putting on every hat you can find yeah you are conquering the wall I'm trying I'm trying I'm so happy for you multi hyphenate to my bones yeah and fucking period I want to ask you as we kind of wrap well first I would like to ask you is there anything that you haven't done yet that you are looking forward to to maybe

doing one day? It seems like you've conquered every meeting. Yeah, I'm trying to think, like, I would love to do two things, be in an action movie and be in a horror movie. Those are like two things I would love to do. That's so cool. Especially horror. That's priority number one for me is like, I would love to be murdered.

Like, please, Daddy Murder Me. And like, I, you know, have had a couple of opportunities come up that haven't worked out or haven't aligned yet, but like I'm really waiting for that. And again, it might be like something that I'm like, maybe I need to write this myself, you know? Period. And you can and you will. And an action movie would be fun too.

You know, I'd love to be in a big stupid. Like I'd love to actually, I really want to be like the IT, like the tech hacker guy in the van while they're like doing the thing and be like, I'm in, you know? Like, guys, you're going to want to see this. Yeah, exactly. I see it now. It's perfect.

The vision is so clear to me. That's so cool. That is so. sick. I would love for you to do that, especially horror. I think you'd be great in horror. Oh, I, you know, I'm a scream queen, baby. Yeah, absolutely. Okay. And then my next question for you would be, do you have any advice for any aspiring arts, especially because you've done so many mediums, so many forms of entertainment? Do you have any advice for aspiring creatives now? Like, whether they're pursuing, it's acting, writing. Yeah, I mean, I said it earlier in the podcast.

It's just be prepared for when you're a moment arises, you know, like come to the table ready. And it's and it's and it's it remind yourself that like you're doing this work now for free on your own time. And it's an investment in yourself. Yeah. Like it is not useless busy work. It is an investment in yourself. And so just push yourself to do it. It's really hard to do.

It's really hard to self structure and self motivate to do that kind of to write an entire script when no one's asking for it yet. You know, it's like it's hard because writing sucks, man. Like I love. having written, but writing. The act of doing? No, no, no. It's tough. And so, yeah, just push through and, like, make sure you're making those investments in yourself.

I also, too, I want to say, first I want to give you your flowers just for being, like, such a trailblazer. I think you've blazed so many trails, just doing what it's you've been doing for as long as you've been doing it, too. And I mean, in all the different forms that you've conquered. Like, I just think you're so fantastic and wonderful. And I also think, too, I feel like you're a shining example of, like, you're a shining example of, like, creating art for the sake of creating art it's not necessarily to gain anything it's not to like I want to be the most famous actor in the world I want to be the best most famous director in the world like you're literally making them because they

matter and like that's what you really want to put out in the world and I think the universe has a way of rewarding creatives like yourself which is clearly it has because you're so talented I mean the thing is like I am so grateful every day I never imagined I would be where I am at and and that's actually like what my struggle is and it's a champagne problem again is that like I am now moving the goalpost for myself because like, you know, like my goals were very modest when I started out. Yeah. And I've accomplished a lot of those goals now.

And so now I'm trying to be like, okay, but like what's next? What's reasonable for me to expect for myself? Like what, you know, like, and so it is about like, it is, I'm so grateful and I'm so blessed to be in the position that I'm at. But like, it is now like a lot of like thinking of like, okay. So I did that. And now what? You're like, I need to re-motivate myself. Yeah, no, it's true.

It's real. No, but I think that that speaks to your spirit as an artist. Like, you constantly are looking for inspiration, which I think is a beautiful thing. And when I had a Lana Glazer on, she was telling me, too, like, it's wonderful to, like, take breaks in between projects and stuff because you get to go live life. And that's what refills your cup as a creative. And that's the thing about stand-up, too, is that, like, I, it's harder now because, like, when I was struggling, when I was working 50 hours a week at a day job and then going to do these shitty open mics at night in New York, like, I was writing material all the time because I was miserable. And now that I'm happy,

nothing. Yeah. It's tough. It sucks. Yeah, the goalposts do keep moving like you just said. But I think you're so incredible and talented and I'm so glad you came on the show. Thank you so much for having you.

This was so fun. Oh my God, it was. It was a key. I love you. I think you're amazing. And thank you all so much for tuning in to this episode of the comment section with my faith, Joel Kim Booster.

For those who maybe are born yesterday and don't know you, where can everybody find? I hate Joel Kim on Instagram. I got there before anybody else could. And yeah, that's all post. Like, if I'm touring, that's where the dates are, et cetera. So, yeah. Amazing.

Thank you so much for joining us on the show. We fucking love you. And thank you all so much. Don't forget new episodes of the comments section. Drop every Wednesday you can stream the audio on all streaming popfers, but the video list for free and exclusively on our favorite platform, Spotify. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you to my amazing guest, Joel Kim Booster.

And I'll see you next week. Bye. You can't reason with the sun. Trust us. We've tried. This summer, it's time to put that angry ball of fire on mute. Columbia's Omnichade technology is engineered to protect you from the sun's harsh rays that can burn and damage your skin. The sun is relentless, but so is our gear.

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