The Commercial Break - TCB Informercial: Joel Kim Booster

Episode Date: July 15, 2025

The Commercial Break Podcast | EP#794 Joel Kim Booster Bryan & Krissy speak with podcaster, producer, actor, comedian, writer & TV host Joel Kim Booster. From his early days a stand up comedian to his iconic penning of the film "Fire Island", Joel shares his journey along the long road to success. From his early religious upbringing to coming out, Joel discusses his unique story that is inspiring many around him. Plus, he's pretty f'n funny! Joel's LINKS: Follow Him On Insta Bad Dates On Apple Psychosexual On Netflix Watch EP #794 with Joel Kim Booster on ⁠YouTube⁠! Text us or leave us a voicemail: [phone]TCB FOLLOW US: Instagram:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thecommercialbreak⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/thecommercialbreak⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@tcbpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.tcbpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ CREDITS: Hosts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bryan Green⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ &⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Krissy Hoadley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Executive Producer: Bryan Green Producer: Astrid B. Green Voice Over: Rachel McGrath TCBits | TCB Tunes: Written, Performed and Edited by Bryan Green To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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It's like hearing poetry in motion. Benjamin Moore, see the love. So obviously as Christian as my parents are, they did not take it super well when I came out of the closet, mostly because I did not come out of the closet. They read my journal when I was 17. Yes, gasp is right. It was rough because at that point in my life,

my journal was less of like an introspective thoughts and dreams journal, and more of just a BuzzFeed list of guys' dicks I was sucking, you know? Like, no content to sift through, just straight to the headlines. It was clickbait for my parents. They couldn't resist. They had to see it.

Um, it was tough for them. But what's even funnier, so I mentioned I was adopted. I have two adopted siblings. They're biological to my mom and dad. And I have an older brother, and a couple of years ago, he also came out of the closet, which is like, mwah, you know, like, I couldn't have planned a better prank, you know, like that.

Oh, you pumped him good, Jesus. I can't, oh, it's so funny. It's so delicious to me, because my parents, they really, like, they truly rolled the dice there, you know, like, they made one themselves, they got one off the rack, and they both turned out gay, you know, like, I don't know what the scientific argument is there,

but that feels like nurture, bitch, okay? That feels like your fault. On this episode of The Commercial Break... My mom and I are on about as good as terms as we could be considering our differences. I was emancipated when I was 17 when they found out I was gay, didn't talk to them again until I was in college, reconciled a little bit in college and then, you know, things have gotten steadily better.

I mean, right before my dad passed, we were in the best place that we'd ever been in as father and son, I think, for my entire life. So I'm really grateful that I had that time with him before he passed. And you know, my mom and I are, you know, good. I think, you know, she's not coming to my wedding. She's not supportive of that part of my life. But the fact is, is that it doesn't bum me out. It doesn't make me sad.

It barely think about it. Because quite honestly, I stopped expecting certain things from my family a long time ago, over a decade ago. The next episode of The Commercial Break starts now. Oh yeah, cats and kittens, welcome back to The Commercial Break. I'm Brian Green. This is my dear friend and the co-host of this show, Chris and Joy Hoadley. Best of you, Chris here.

Best of you, Brian. Best of you out there in the podcast universe. Thanks for joining us on a TCB Infomercial Tuesday. We're back on our home turf here in the studio, but we are happy, proud, excited to welcome comedian, writer, producer, actor, Joel Kim host, reality TV show host, Joel Kim Booster is here, and he's going to be joining us in just a few minutes.

May I, just for a moment, list some of the laundry items that go on his resume? Oh, I know, it's so many. Are you ready? Fun and Ploy, he's been on Conan. He did a Comedy Central standup, presents. He's on BoJack Horseman, Sunnyside, Shrill, the critically acclaimed Shrill, I think that was on Hulu, Big Mouth, Shrill, the critically acclaimed Shrill, I think that

was on Hulu, Big Mouth, one of our favorites, Search Party, iCarly, Bob's Burgers, Curb Your Enthusiasm, American Dad, Joel Kim Booster, Psychosexual, he did a stand-up special, the standout in LGBTQ Celebration, Celebrity Jeopardy, The American Baking Show, Lute, Glamorous, Is it Cake, RuPaul's Drag Race, Industry, and he is or was just wrapped up, Love Hotel with some of the favorites. Of the Housewives. Of the Housewives, I know Chrissy is into that, very much so.

So we'll have to ask him, we'll have to dig in to all the things. Joel Kim Booster is having a moment, Chrissy. And Fire Island. That was what I was about to say. I think he probably would be most known for writing, Booster is having a moment. And Fire Island. That was what I was about to say. I think he probably would be most known for writing, producing and starring in Love Island,

which has been- No, Fire Island. Fire Island, I say Love Island. Because I'm thinking of Love Hotel. Of Love, yeah. There is a Love Island. There is a Love Island, but he's not a part of that. I'm sure he likes watching it though.

I hear Love Island this year, I hear is spicy. I was reading some reviews and then I see Astrid is watching some of the, is it Bachelorette that's back? Is it Bachelorette? Is Bachelorette is back? She's watching that. So I'm sure I'll get sucked in at some point, standing in the bedroom, waiting to take a shower for an hour, like with my towel on.

Like, huh, let me just see what's going on with the kids. Let me just check in. And then an hour later, I'm like, oh my God, did she really say that to him? with my towel on. Like, huh, let me just see what's going on with the kids. Yeah, let me just check in. And then an hour later, I'm like, oh my God, did she really say that to him? Are they? She's trash. I know, that's why I can't even start it.

I know, it's crazy. Anyway, Joel wrote, produced, and acted in Fire Island, which has been known to be an LGBTQ classic that many people have critically acclaimed. It's a great movie. Yeah, and so I am excited to, have you seen it? Have you seen Fire Island? I have not, but I will check it out. It's now put on the list of the 165,000 things that Brian will never get to because he has children. However, I do find the time to keep rerunning

the same old British comedies night after night after night. It's your sleepy time. It is my, it's sleepy time tea for me to watch that. Maybe I should watch like Love Hotel. For us, it's the nature shows. My daughter loves the nature shows. She likes to watch those. Any of them. Yeah, we just pop one of those on and night night.

It used to be how the universe was made. What used to be my nighttime sleepy time tea. But then I started getting real cerebral about it and some of it was freaking me out a little bit. Yeah. Like as if I was tripping. You don't want to think too much. Yeah, I didn't want to think too much. I was like, is that possible? I mean, you know,

is it possible that you can go into a black hole and be stretched like spaghetti? I don't want to know that. Is it possible that that black hole in the middle of the Milky Way is sucking us all into the middle? But let us not dwell on bad things, Chrissy. Let us dwell on the good things. Let's get to the good stuff. Which is Joel, Kim, Booster, all of the links are in the show notes. You know how we roll around here like every other podcast on earth, we put the links in

the show notes and super excited to have a conversation with dare I say an up-and-coming icon Chrissy? That's right. I think we could go there. There you go. All right. We'll take a break and when we get back again through the magic of telepodcasting, Joel Kim Booster right here with Chrissy and I.

What do you think? I think we should do it. All right. We'll see you on the flip side. Okay. You're probably wondering why I, Rachel, have taken over the voice duties at TCB. It's pretty simple. Astrid asked me to shut Brian up, even for a minute.

Well, lovely Astrid, your wish is my command. Do you want to help Astrid too? You know you do. Leave a message for her, or me, or Chrissy, at 212-433-3TCB. That's 212-433-3822. You can be on the show too. Mm-hmm, just call and say something, anything. Or text us and we'll text you right back, promise.

Then head over to tcbpodcast.com and get your free sticker. It's your constitutional right to a sticker and we must abide, you get the point. Follow us on Instagram at The Commercial Break, and watch all the episodes on video at youtube.com slash The Commercial Break. Best to you, and Astrid, especially Astrid. No Frills delivers.

Get groceries delivered to your door from No Frills with PC Express. Shop online and get $15 in PC Optimum Points on your first five orders. Shop now at NoFrails.ca. Hey, what's up, Flies? This is David Spade. Dana Carvey. Look it, I know we never actually left, but I'll just say it.

We are back with another season of Fly on the Wall. Every episode, including ones with guests, will now be on video. Every Thursday you'll hear us, NC is chatting with big name celebrities. And every Monday you're stuck with just me and Dana. We react to news, what's trending, viral clips. Follow and listen to Fly on the Wall

everywhere you get your podcasts. Joel is here with us now. Joel, thank you very much. Where in the world do we find you? Where does this podcast find you today? I am in my home in Los Angeles. I will not say where, because I don't know your listenership.

That's right. Well, we don't know our listenership either. I wouldn't. Fuck no. Fuck no. We got some weirdos. I mean, every podcast I think has some weirdos. Bad Dates, by the way, which is your podcast, is great.

Chrissy and I were just talking about it. We have both, previous to even knowing you were coming on, have listened to the show. Tell the listeners what Bad Dates is about because the name isn't descriptive. Right. Yeah, I mean, no, it's kind of right there in the title, right, like I bring on a panel of three comedians,

funny people, friends, and we all just sort of go around the horn and share tales from the trenches, bad dates. I mean, since I took over, we've really expanded the definition of a date to include things like hookups. We have people come on talking about their 10 year long marriages that have failed. It's a wide net that we cast over at that dates,

but they're all funny and instructive, I hope. I hope that people are learning from the mistakes of my panel. They take away a lesson. Okay. So here's a good question. We'll wrap you into this conversation we've been having today. There was a reel that came up, Alex Cooper had a reel on call her daddy, and someone, what I would call a child, was complaining about his girlfriend's body count.

And I thought to myself, that's like one of the most immature things you could ever be concerned about. I mean, like a conversation about sexual health and safety and all that, great. But that's a mature conversation. This is the furthest thing from it. It's like, you know, jealousy and being upset. Yeah, insecurity. Yeah, like, oh, you're gonna unfuck those people?

Like, what are you gonna do? Either you like somebody or you don't. Yeah, she chose you, bro. Like, that's the thing. Like, she landed on you, you know? Yes. And that it should be all that matters, honestly. I really don't think body count is anybody else's business

but yours at the end of the day. Yeah, that was kind of our summation was, hey, listen, if you don't want to know the answer to the question, if it's going to really upset you that much, just pretend like the body count is one and that's you and you're the love God she's always been looking for. Otherwise, why are you even getting involved in the conversation? Yeah, I guess I really don't understand what people are seeking from asking that question. You know, like, I think it is different for everybody

who asks the question, but I guess for me, like, a lot of people I know who are concerned about their partner's body count, it is a, to them, they see it as an indication of a value system. And they wanna make sure that their value systems align. And, but for me, that doesn't make any sense because I don't connect any sort of like sexual freedom to a sense of morality.

Now, how they comport themselves, were they ethical about it? Were they truthful about it? Were they tricking people into having sex with them? And that's why the body count was so high. That's a different thing, that's context. But like, I think just body count in general is not, is to me anyways, not an indicator of how virtuous someone is at the end of the day. I could not agree with you more. I think that's really well said. And something

that we discussed also is like, you know, the morality of, I think that's where people are coming from. They're coming from this place of, do you have some kind of, it's like, that's a purity test or something. Right. Have you? Yeah. Especially when- Like a competition, I don't know. And listen, I don't mean to be like 2008 Tumblr right now, but let's be real. Like, people only care about body count when it comes to women. And it's deeply rooted in this idea

that like women's sexuality should be protected and preserved and it's this, you know, prize for the man that they eventually end up with. And I think it's like, you can talk around it all you want, but like at the end of the day, like that impulse, the impulse to care about someone's body count, especially your female partner's body count, comes from that place. And it's-

You put words in my mouth. It's a man-child, right? It's someone who's, it's just based in some kind of misogynistic fantasy that you're the only one that is ever going to touch that. So what is the worst thing you have heard on bad dates? Like what's the worst date on bad dates? Oh man, I mean, there's so many to choose from. They're all awful in their own ways.

I think like there is a story out where a guy accidentally shat his pants and then tried to frame the woman that he was sleeping with. Oh my God, what? Yeah, it was not the perfect crime, I'll tell you that. Yeah. But yeah, we got all sorts of, it runs the gamut from things that seem fairly benign,

like, oh, I got the ick because, you know, he wouldn't stop talking about his ex-girlfriend and then got picked up by the ex-girlfriend at the end of the day, you know, like things like that. Like pretty, you know, like bad for sure. But then there's also like plenty of stories of people who, you know, walk into what looks like the substance bathroom and, you know, fear for their lives and their organs. Yeah. The scary ones. Yeah. We get a nice variety for sure though. Oh my God. That's, I like that. We get a lot of

emails from people who like, I don't know, for some reason they think we're gonna be some kind of love coach to them or something. And we've gotten some wild stories, but I always am curious about whether or not, because of the nature of our show, if people are using their imagination a little bit more than they are using like anything based in reality.

But then we have one guy who wrote us and he said that he was engaged to someone and then the mom like took nude pictures of him in a bed. And so they were at an engagement party or a party before the wedding. And the mom who disliked him, they were all wasted. She ended up taking him up to a bedroom, lured him, disrobed him, took pictures of it to appear as if he was nude trying to pursue the mom.

And the whole thing blew up, like the whole wedding blew up. But then I thought to myself, well, dude, you just, you dodged a bullet, bro, because you were never. Yeah, that's not a family I'd want to marry into. Yeah, no, the mom that hates you is never gonna, you're never gonna. Next level.

Yeah. Tracy. Did you grow up, I read in an interview, marry into things. Yeah, no, the mom that hates you is never gonna, you're never gonna. Next level. Yeah. Tracy. Did you grow up, I read, in an extraordinarily conservative household? Yes, deeply conservative, Southern Baptist, evangelical, you know, the whole nine yards. Yeah, I think this is important to talk about during Pride Month too. So tell me, I mean, do you have a relationship with your parents now?

I'm sorry, I don't know if that's still here with you. Yeah, no, I do. I mean, my dad is dead, but my mom and I are on, you know, about as good as terms as we could be considering our differences. I was emancipated when I was 17, when they found out I was gay, didn't talk to them again until I was in college,

reconciled a little bit in college, and then, you know, things have gotten steadily better. I mean, right before my dad passed, we were in the best place that we'd ever been in as father and son, I think, for my entire life. So I'm really grateful that I had that time with him before he passed. And, you know, my mom and I are, you know, good. I think, you know, she's not coming to my wedding. She's not supportive of that part of my life. But the fact is, is that it doesn't bum me out. It doesn't make me sad.

It barely think about it because quite honestly, I stopped expecting certain things from my family a long time ago, over a decade ago. You know, half my life, I've lived half my life not living for my parents' or family's approval or caring about my family's approval. I haven't taken a dime from my family since I was 17. And that has become the cornerstone of my personality

because everything I have, my house, my car, my life is because I worked my ass off to get it. And I don't begrudge anybody who has a great relationship with their family and does receive support in some way. Like, you know, but I think that I'm really grateful that I am not a 35 year old who's still living desperately trying to get the approval of their parents, because I know a lot of people like that and it's torture.

I didn't always see two totally different situations. I'm not stepping in your shoes, but I didn't always see eye to eye with my father, had a rough relationship with my mother. My, you know, my, my childhood was, I guess it's all about perspective. But I read this from, I think it was Ram Dass said this. I read a book that he had written in one of the, in my early twenties, one of the things that he had said is that one of the most important steps

that a human being can take is to realize that your mom and dad are just words. They are human beings with their own thoughts and perspectives and they don't have to align with yours. And you don't have to have their acceptance. And you don't have to have their acceptance. And they don't need to be a part of your life if that doesn't align with who you are, who you want to go. It was like reading the Emancipation Proclamation.

It was, it disconnected the word mom and dad from my, from all these expectations that I had of them that may or may not have ever come true. And that really sweetened the relationship with them because I was like, they're just human and they can be assholes and they can have opinions that don't share mine. They don't have to be these heroes in my story

that are never gonna show up. And so I relate with what you're saying is that you can still have a good relationship with them, but they may not be everything all the time. Yeah, and you find the family that can fill in the gaps, right? Mm-hmm, chosen family. And that's what I've done as I've surrounded myself have a good relationship with them, but they may not be everything all the time. Yeah, and you find the family that can fill in the gaps, right? Mm-hmm, chosen family.

And that's what I've done is I've surrounded myself with plenty of people who provide the kind of emotional and familial support that a lot of people get from their families. And I just, you know, had to do a little digging and find it myself. Yeah, so you say you're unemployed, but you're really, you're just in between jobs,

I would imagine, because Fire Island, LÜT, Love Hotel. Okay, let's start with Love Hotel. And Big Mouth. Oh, and Big Mouth. Oh, thank you so much. What a wild show that is, by the way. The first time I watched it, I was like, this is awesome. It's incredible. So yeah, Love Hotel. Tell us, I'm a big Housewife fan. Brian is not, but I, of course- I also live in a mixed household, so it's difficult. It is difficult. Love Hotel, I mean, the premise is pretty simple and it's a pretty, it's a million dollar idea. You take four housewives, you put them in a resort with waves and waves of eligible bachelors, and you sort of just let them loose and see if any love connections are made.

And I was the host of the show. I was the love concierge, which is the title that they gave me, which is meaningless. You did a great job. Thank you. And yeah, it was really crazy because I'm also a huge Bravo fan.

And so it definitely felt a little bit like I was stepping into the Star Wars immersive hotel. You know, like I was just like, LARPing as a Bravo in the Bravo land. And yeah, it was definitely a learning experience. I'd never really done, like I never hosted before or anything like that. So I was learning on the job for most of it.

And you know, it's a saying of like, you're used to seeing these women through the safety of your television and then you're up close and personal. And it is a much different beast to sort of be wrangling them yourself. So funny. Who were some of the couples that you were most surprised by? I think I have to say maybe Luanne and James.

I didn't expect to make it. I think on first glance, I think we were all a little surprised by it, but the more I got to know Lou and the more certainly I got to know James, I think it makes quite a bit of sense because I think he worships her. And I think that is a huge plus for Luanne. I think, you know, she's been burned in the past. She's been burned in the past by guys who don't worship her. And so I think, you know, he's a goof. He's definitely, it takes a while to settle into him, but I completely understand sort of why they work because they are both goofs.

They're both like they love to joke around and he makes her laugh, which I think is like the big thing is I think like most people don't realize how important that aspect of things is until you have it. And so, yeah, you know, it's, listen, and listen, the woman is a professional reality star. They're still seeing each other, but, you know, she has admirers in lots of different places around the world.

And the thing is, is I think it works, it still works for them, you know? And so I think her life is so unorthodox that like, of course she would have an unorthodox relationship. So I am happy that she left the Love Hotel with someone that she's still in contact with, which is unfortunately not the case with all of them. Right.

Is it wild stepping into like the Bravo verse? Is people, is it like a whole new set of human beings that recognize who you are and? Yeah, I mean, I have been tangentially involved in the Bravo verse for a while, because I've appeared on Watch What Happens Live many times that people know I'm a super fan. So it wasn't like a huge leap, but it definitely, yeah, the Bravo fans are scary.

Bravo fans are loud and Bravo fans are not afraid to send you a death threat. Oh my God. I will tell you, I've had, my DMs, it's interesting. I've learned so many new slurs that I did not know existed for Asian people. Things, you know, retro slurs that they're bringing back. But you know, it's also been positive as well,

but it's just so easy, because the crazies are the loudest ones. But why are they angry with the host? Well, there's, listen, if you know, you know, but I think also, I don't think, there's a division amongst people who think I was a good host and who think I was a bad host. So I think that's a big part of it. I think that, you know, and I'll admit, like I was learning how to do the job on the job. Sure. And I think I definitely got better and settled in,

but there's a lot going on. There's someone in my ear telling me what to say. There's writers who have written clever puns for me to deliver. And, you know, just a little bit of space for me to be me and inject myself into it. And so I think I learned how to do the balance a little bit better space for me to be me and inject myself into it. And so I think I learned how to do the balance a little bit better by the end of the show

because I was able to be a little bit more myself by the end, but at the beginning, I was definitely in this mode of like, okay, they've given me what to say, they're in my ear directing me how to say it, and I'm just gonna do that. And then I think as they trusted me more and as I got to know them more,

they were more willing to like, let me be me. Well, I loved, I think you did a fantastic job and I loved your outfits. Thank you. Thank you. That was stressful. I had three days, they gave me three days before I had to leave to figure out my wardrobe.

And I wish I had a little bit more time. I'll tell you that. I was not a fan of everything I wore, but we made it work. Yeah, it looked great. Wait, so hold on. So you get a phone call and three days later they want you like filming? No, I get a phone call and it was, I had maybe a week or a week and a half lead. Okay. And then I sort of assumed that there would have,

they would have a wardrobe department there. You would make that assumption. Providing me with clothes. But you know, it's the first season and I think it is, you know, they were, they needed, that resort was not cheap. They needed to spend the budget in other bigger ways. To make the show look fucking beautiful, by the way,

I think it was gorgeous. But yeah, I really scrambled and pulled together everything I could find that would be decent and might work for the show. There are some misses, I will say, after watching it back, but I think considering the timeframe I had, the limited resources I had, I'm pretty happy with how I dressed on that show.

Oh yeah, I think it looks good. White t-shirt, dark pants, Joel, just go the commercial break way and just wear the same thing. I forgot who said it, David Byrne said, keep on wearing the same thing, people start to recognize you. It is beautiful though, by the way,

that resort is fucking gorgeous. Yeah. I mean, did you get this, you're staying in the resort, right? Yeah. We were there for three and a half weeks, stayed there the entire time, and I will say it was gorgeous. I have nothing negative to say about it, except I think any resort, if you're there for three and a half weeks, it's gonna- It gets old. It gets old. It's gonna drive you a little crazy by the end of it, for sure.

Yeah. Yeah, I hear you. Give anybody four walls and let them live inside it for a while and pretty soon those four walls are gonna start to look plain Jane. So tell us about LÜT. I am a fan of, how did you get involved with LÜT? You know, it's a really funny story and I love to tell it too because it's such a great instructive sort of

lesson for people who are struggling because What happened was is I was on an NBC sitcom called Sunnyside back in 2019 It has the distinction of being the lowest rated premiere in NBC It was pulled off the air after three episodes, which they had not done in about eight years. You said three episodes? Three. Yeah, three episodes. And this was well past the point when networks

were pulling shows off the air early. They just weren't doing that anymore. But they made an exception for our show. How sweet of them. Yeah, and you know, it was a moment in my life where I was like, wow, I just failed hard. This is humiliating and my career's over. I don't know like what I'm gonna do.

And it was for a long time, for two years, like sort of this thing that hung over me where I was like, I failed so hard. I don't know what I'm gonna do and so depressed. And then right as we were coming out of the pandemic, I got an email from my manager about Lute and Matt Hubbard who co-created Lute was a writer on Sunnyside

and loved working with me so much on that show that he created the part of Nicholas with me in mind. And so I still audition, but it was definitely one of those situations where all I had to do was not fuck it up and they wanted me. And so, you know, it's, I always tell people you don't know how the story ends, you know, in the moment.

You have to really give yourself some distance from it to see what the arc of this story is. And for me, it was a happy ending. And, you know, it's just funny, it goes to show that like the things that feel like failures and the end of the world in the moment can lead to, you know, bigger and better things down the road.

So true. Yeah. I think that's a real, I think that's very instructive that sometimes failures are actually validations and waiting, right? And you never know who's watching. So I think the other important thing, I was saying this to someone who wanted to start a podcast

and I said, listen, consistency, stick with it. It's gonna feel like failure over and over and over again. And maybe in the end it is, but at the very least, you did it, like you gave it a shot and you never know what's right around the corner. And like this- Just don't make the call in the moment. Yeah, never make the call in the moment.

I think this is a piece of advice that I actually got when I, um, was doing standup too, is that like so many people, something happens to them and they want to rush to the stage and, and tell the story about it. But so often it's such a smarter idea to sort of give it some time because again, you don't know what the shape of the story is until you're out of it. And I think so many people make the mistake of,

whether it is as a performance or just in a moment where they failed, they wanna tell themselves that this is the end of the story and they have no idea. It's just, yeah, it's a mistake I think a lot of people make. Are you still doing standup, actively working standup? Yeah, I just, I finished a tour in February, still going up around town as much as possible,

shopping it around, hopefully we'll be shooting it soon as my next special. And you know, it is getting more difficult, I will say. I think the busier I get, it's this weird joke about stand-up is that you get so successful as a stand-up comic and then they start asking you to do everything but stand-up. Yeah.

Which I've always been someone, I've always wanted to be a writer. I studied playwriting. That was always the goal was write for TV. And acting was always sort of like a pipe dream that I had, that I cared about, but never thought. I thought like the best I could hope for is to be a writer in a writer's room.

And that was sort of the, that was the big impossible dream. Like I never thought I'd make a movie. I never certainly thought I'd make a movie that I starred in or produced. And stand up was just easy because there was no barrier to entry to get into it. And it was an easy creative outlet that felt really fulfilling.

And then slowly it became the most interesting creative outlet that I had in my life. So I just decided to pull the trigger and do it as my main thing. And it's funny that as, as soon as I got successful as a standup, everything circled back around and suddenly people wanted me to act and people wanted me to write.

And so again, it's that thing of like, you don't know how the arc of the story until you're out of it. Yeah, and we hear this from a lot of comics too. I mean, you know, there's standup comics that are on the road constantly. They're working on the next hour, working on the next hour.

But we've heard from other comics who kind of have broken through just the journeyman kind of comic thing is that they get so busy, it becomes, and then you have to create the next hour, but when do you create the next hour when you're touring the same hour? It's kind of this, it's a vicious cycle.

It's, you know, Archimedes' razor, so to speak. You've got to do it over and over again. You... But a good problem to have. Yeah, I mean, so to speak, you've got to do it over and over again. You- But a good problem to have. Yeah, I mean, listen, are you gonna complain about being busy? Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Fire Island. Mm-hmm. Love Fire Island. Oh my God. Thank you. I think it came out in 2022, right?

Yes, yes. I'm still riding on the fumes of a movie that came out in 2022, but hopefully, I think I will be for a long time and I'm okay with that. And it's kind of a Pride and Prejudice type concept. It's a loose Pride and Prejudice adaptation, modern day retelling of Pride and Prejudice. In the same vein that like what Amy Hackerling did

with Clueless was a huge inspiration for what I did with Fire Island. Well, it was such a fun thing. And Margaret Cho, she's been on our show there, I loved her in it as well. Iconic. I mean, I grew up, I mean, she birthed me in a lot of ways. And so to get her in the movie

was just such a surreal moment for me. She named you in our interview as one of the comics that she admired to watch as one of the- I mean, and when I hear things like that, it's just, it's hard to even absorb or like, it just doesn't seem real because, you know, when you watch somebody, when someone like that who has shaped you and your conception of your own identity

and what's possible for yourself says something like that, it just, it's hard for me to absorb sometimes. I can imagine. Yeah, you grow up with your heroes and then your heroes are naming you as people that they're watching at the next generation to be the next heroes that it was. And in Margaret Cho, she breaks through.

It's not just, you know, sexually liberated or whatever classification you want to give her. She breaks through as like a legendary comic. She's just a human comic that defined stand-up comedy in a lot of ways for so many people. She is like, you know, I was taken aback when we had Margaret Cohen on the show because she, for me, was a hero. And she still, I just did a show with her last week

and she's still so fucking funny, you know? Oh yeah. And that is not always the case with people who've been doing it for a minute. And so it's always fun to watch her and she's still just as good as she was back when I was listening to her in high school. Do you get the sense that this movie is iconic?

Like it's becoming like, I mean, I know you don't want to fluff yourself, but. Yeah, I don't know that I would ever feel comfortable saying that myself. I think that I hope it is something that people will return to throughout the years, but I also feel like there's a part of me that's like, God, I hope that by the time, you know,

the reason movies like, but I'm a cheerleader, are still so iconic is because we haven't gotten one like it since, not really, you know? Certainly not a lot of them. And so it still is so distinct and important and iconic. And my hope is that we won't be looking back in 20 years and saying that Fire Island is still the only one that did what Fire Island did.

I hope that, you know, I hope people, I certainly don't hope that people forget about it, but I hope that there will be so many movies like it or similar to it that it doesn't need to be this singular entity that people return to. Yeah, no, that's interesting. Let me ask you something.

For those of the listeners that don't know Fire Island, why is Fire Island Fire Island? Why is everyone so enamored with Fire Island? The actual Fire Island. The actual Fire Island. Yeah. Oh, so Fire Island, it is a tiny little strip of land off Long Island.

And Fire Island, it's funny, it's known as like a gay vacation destination, but it's actually, if you grew up in Long Island, Fire Island is quite large. Yeah large and only two sections of it, Cherry Grove and the Pines, are historically gay enclaves. It's been around since the early 20th century. It's always been a safe haven for queer people. It's very difficult to get to and that's a big part of why it became a safe haven for queer people. It's very difficult to get to. And that's a big part of why it became a safe haven

for queer people. And it really was this sort of magical space where, you know, there are no straight people, you can be, you know, you can feel free to be as gay or queer or whatever, and surround yourself with gay and queer people. And it's great because when I first started going when I was in my early 20s, you step off that boat and onto the island and you spend a couple hours there and you realize, oh my God, there's no straight people here. And a weight is kind of lifted from you for a minute

because especially as a visibly gay guy, there's no ifs, ands, or buts about it. People clock me as gay before I even open my mouth. And there's a lot of pressure when you are in public spaces, places like New York or LA, and you're sort of like aware that like, oh, God, like I have to make sure that I comport myself in a way that maybe isn't flamboyant. And, you know, I don't want the straight people to see me do X, Y, Z,

and then make assumptions based on all gay people because they had a bad interaction with me. And you go to Fire Island, and that all dissipates. There's a sort of different set of insecurities and anxieties that go hand in hand with that island. But there is something really powerful about being in a space with all queer people and being free of the pressure of like knowing that, you know, everything you do is going to be pathologized to the rest of the queer community by some straight person.

That is very interesting, Joel, And as a straight man myself, that is a very interesting piece of, like you just opened yourself up transparently a little bit into the psychology of what I'm sure the kind of like this invisible stress, that this invisible world that you're kind of dancing between. I used to have an older gay man was my roommate

for a year, year and a half. And he used to say to me, it doesn't matter that people around me know that I'm gay. I still don't feel like I'm ever that pressure to be a little bit straight is ever really off me. And I don't know if I ever understood what he really meant until you kind of said it. It was like, you know, I always, I'm always dancing this line. I always have to think these thoughts. I always have to be sure I'm guarded. Pete And I think any sort of minority or marginalized person feels that to some extent, the pressure to be, you know, the best version and not misbehave and not ruin it for the rest of your group. I mean, I'm sure you will feel it as a woman, you know, like,

there's this idea of like, I have to be perfect. I have sure you will feel it as a woman, you know, like there's this idea of like, I have to be perfect. I have to do this. I have to be, you know, 50,000 things at once. Otherwise they're going to say women aren't funny or like, you know, or they're going to say it's just like you worry. And it sucks because then sometimes like, I do just want to be a gay guy and I don't want to.

And it's like, yeah, I am. I am a stereotype at times and I enjoy my life and I am good at it. And I just think it's like, you can get really tangled up in it really quickly. And it's why those brief moments when I get to go to Fire Island are so nice because you're able to let go of a lot of that for a week

and then slowly get reintroduced to it as you're able to let go of a lot of that for a week and then, you know, slowly get reintroduced to it as you come back to the mainland. Yeah. Did you, you said you started going in your early twenties. Did you identify, did you identify that you were gay when you were, when you were young? I think I, I said, I remember when I was four years old, I was like having a little sleepover with my brother and my sister in my sister's bedroom, little sleeping bags on the floor,

staring up at her glow in the dark lights, star lights on the ceiling and telling them that I liked looking at naked boys more than naked girls. And they thought that was a laugh riot. But I was being serious, and I still remember this to this day, and I knew like really young that that was the case. And then I slowly sort of learned that it was wrong

by the time I was 13. And, but I was pretty like, yeah, like confident in what I liked and who I was at, to some extent, at a very young age. And then, you know, you learn to suppress. Yeah. And so when did you come out? I came out officially at 16. I'm sorry, you said you came out at 16 years old?

At 16. Yeah, that's pretty young. Yeah, and this was pre-glee by the way. Right, right. Yeah, that's pretty young. Yeah, and this was pre-Glee by the way. Right, right. Okay, so it was especially brave what I did. Okay, I didn't have Ryan Murphy paving the way for me. Some of these Gen Zers.

Yeah, exactly. Well, I think that's super brave of you as someone who will never have to be in that position. I can't even imagine. And I have children of my own, and this conversation goes around with my wife and I a lot. You look at your children and you play the law of averages and you see behaviors and you see things and you go, oh, and you say to yourself, I only can hope and I can only pray

that we never say or do anything that would make them feel any kind of anxiety about being as honest and as real and as them as they want to be. And you know, as a parent, you can only hope to be supportive. I realize that I am not, that that, I am not, like that thought does not carry throughout every single parent in the universe, I wish it did, but it's pretty brave to even be 16 years old

and come out like that. Yeah, I mean, it definitely, it is, I think, even today to be 16 and come out. I made the, you know, post-Glee even, it's a scary thing to do. But, and it's all dependent on your context too. But I think like a big thing for me was that like, I've been getting called a faggot

since I was like eight or nine years old. You know, like I am not somebody who can hide who I am. And I think like everyone has always been, you know, telling me, was telling me that I was gay my entire life, calling me gay my entire life. And so you hit 16 at a certain point, and the calculus in my mind was sort of like, well, either way, even if I pretend to be straight,

people are still gonna clock me as gay and bully me for being gay. So you know what? I might as well just be fucking gay. You know? It's just like, either way, I'm going to receive this treatment from my peers. And honestly, after I came out, it was like easier almost. I think like there was just this like, you know, like because when kids, I think teenagers,

especially target someone who's closeted, who's like very clearly, you know, reads as gay, can't hide it, is not doing a great job of hiding it, whatever, what have you. When they finally own it and come out, it like sort of deflates a lot of the joy that boys get from, you know, trying to tell people that you're gay, because it's like, oh, now he's kind of beating us to the punch and it's not as fun anymore. When we thought he was just an effeminate straight kid who we could torture.

So, yeah, no, that's very interesting. Yeah, it's like almost like there's the pleasure in trying to poke at something that you're trying to hide. But when I'm not trying to hide it, it just deflates the situation a little bit. It's like, oh, OK, well, he's gay. It's like, yeah, no shit, I'm gay. Yeah. What's that?

Congratulations. Yeah. I figured it out at four. It only took you however long to figure it out. Yeah. Ha ha ha. Will there be Love Hotel season two? I don't know yet.

I think there's a lot of rumors. There's a lot of speculation about, you know, what the format will be, things like that. I think they were really happy with the show and I think that it was a hit for them and people seemed to enjoy it. And it'll be, and I think it's a great format for the network too, because it's the,

one of the best parts was to get to see these four housewives from disparate franchises sort of be in a space together. And then, you know, there's Ultimate Girls Trip that they experimented with as well. But this format I think is a little bit better because the problem with Ultimate Girls Trip was that when it ended,

because they're just on vacation, there was no storylines, there was no arc really to it. It's just sort of like, and done, going home. But with this, there's like an intrinsic sort of structure that lends itself to a beginning, middle end, you know, like there is a climax on this show that I think is really satisfying for a lot of people. So you get to see these ladies play, who aren't normally on shows together. And you also

get like a satisfying build up to an ending. And I think that is really great. And I think that's one of the joys of the first season of Love Hotel at least is that you see these four women who are normally in conflict with, if not each other than other women on their franchises really just be friends and support each other. And like, you know, it was girl code down the entire time they shot together.

And that's a nice change I think of pace for people who watch these shows. Yeah, that's interesting. Yeah, that's like a formula that Bravo doesn't, I mean, maybe they do on other shows, but these women that you're used to seeing in conflict with each other, all of a sudden the through line

is not conflict with each other, but supporting each other to try and find some other outcome that's positive for everybody. And for women that are in their 40s, 50s, 60s. Listen, I say this all the time and it's like, it's maybe a little tongue in cheek, but it's actually kind of real is that, I always tell people if you want to see women 50 plus

on television live complicated layered know, complicated layered stories, then unfortunately Housewives is one of your only options. Yeah, it's true. Because we do not see women in their 50s or beyond on television a lot. Certainly not centered as the main focus of the show. And so Say What You Will, you know, think it's trash, it is, but it is also like,

I think like a really, it is, but it is also, I think, a really fascinating look at these women who are, for a lot of people, invisible once they reach a certain age. And so to give them back this agency, and to give them, and to center their stories, I think is, you don't have to like it, but I think it's sort of silly to deny that it's a little, important's not the word, but well yeah, I guess important is it.

Because you know, women of that age deserve it. You know? It's a mega hit. These shows are mega hits. They are super successful. They breed rabid fan bases. People live inside of these stories. You know, they die for the next episode.

They, you know, you don't, and maybe not everybody likes it. I'm a huge fan of Trash TV. I love Trash TV. Just not, you know, that channel's not my channel. But I love Trash TV. We only have so much bandwidth. We only have so much bandwidth for Trash TV. Exactly.

Yours is TLC. Mine's TLC, which is trashier than any trash. But at the end of the day, these are mega hits, and there's a reason why. And I think that you might've hit on something is because so many people, they see little bits of themselves in these lives that these other, that these ladies are living.

And they say, oh, well, I can identify with that. It's an exaggerated version, but good television is an exaggerated version of ourselves. It's the only sort of corner of Hollywood that takes women in their 50s seriously in a lot of ways. You know, like I think so many actresses age into this age range and then are sort of discarded because their value is so tied up in how fuckable they are to a lot of these studios, you know?

And then they're just sort of abandoned. And I think, you know, it serves a really important purpose in the ecosystem of reality TV and TV in general, I think. And without them, we wouldn't have so much Andy Cohen. And you know what, I could take all that guy you can get. I love that guy. I do. I mean, it permeates the culture. So many people who don't even watch Housewives, they know about the table flip. Exactly.

They know about who gonna check me boo. They know about who said that. They know all the quotes, they know all the moments. So whether you like it or not, unfortunately it is a cultural juggernaut whether you think that's merited or not. Do you know, Joe, do you know why I got turned off to the Real Housewives of Atlanta?

Oh my gosh, we have to watch, because that's where we're at. We have to watch in Atlanta. Then I got to know some of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, some of the early Real Housewives of Atlanta ladies. And I just was like, this doesn't, like, it's not adding, what I'm seeing on TV is not adding up what I understand about their real life.

And I also understand I'm not dumb enough. Yeah, it's an exaggerated version. I'm not dumb enough. But then it just kind of turned me off. I was like, eh, whatever. But for, that's what TV is. Like it's a dramatized version of reality, right? I think it is a mistake to approach

any Housewives franchise as though it is a mistake to approach any Housewives franchise as though it is a docu-series. Yes. It is a lightly scripted reality experiment. Yes. And I think that it's so funny because a lot of people love to say things like, oh, they're not really friends,

they're not friends in real life, this is so manufactured, this is so fake. And I'm like, yeah, I don't care. Yeah, exactly. They are coworkers. Yeah. They clock into the drama factory. And like, yes, I don't care. Yeah, exactly. They are coworkers. Yeah. They clock into the drama factory and like, yes, of course, you're friends with people

at work that you aren't normally friends with in real life. Yes. And that's a real dynamic in and of itself. And it doesn't make it less, it doesn't make it any more fake. You know, it's just, it's like, yeah, when you work at Quiznos, you wouldn't necessarily fuck with Lisa outside of Quiznos, but you're mad at Danielle, so you're gonna align yourself with Lisa at Quiznos. That is how people operate at work.

You make alliances with people that you are not actually friends with to make it through. And I think if you frame it that way, that's how I watch these shows, is that they are workplace dramedies about people who are working as real. So I think if you, I think some people expect too much out of the reality portion.

And that's crazy because I was watching whatever, I don't know, whatever Instagram account. And there were people that were following around some of the 90 Day Fiancé people. And they were watching as over and over and over again, the film crew kept filming the people coming down the escalator at the airport for the, like, you know, oh my gosh, they're here from whatever far flung country.

You know, oh, you're here, here's my sign and my flowers and I love you and it's been 10 months since I've seen you. And the film crew just kept filming it over like 10 different times to get the reaction that they wanted or said that they could edit it in the way that they wanted to edit it. But I know that and I don't care because if I watch 90 Day Fiance,

I'm not watching because I think it's absolutely real. I'm watching because it's edited to be interesting to entertainment. And it's entertaining. That's right. Yeah. So. Before you go, talk a little bit about Big Mouth

because I swear this is like one of my husband and I's favorite shows. Did you work, you're a writer. I was, you know, I was a writer. I wrote on three seasons of the show. I wrote between seasons three and six on the show and it was one of the best jobs I've ever had. Nick Kroll is an amazing creative mind and boss.

And it was just so much fun. It was the most fun I've ever had in a writer's room because we just basically came in every day and relived our childhoods and mined them for storylines on the show. And it was just, yeah, it's just such a positive environment. And we all were there to have fun and really, you know, get to process some of our childhood trauma at the same time. Right. And for our listeners, it's an animated show on Netflix

that is basically... It explores the experience of puberty in a myriad of ways that are sometimes poignant, sometimes gross, sometimes funny, but we tackle pretty much every aspect of adolescence and puberty from as many angles as we can fit into a season. If you don't know Big Mouth, I don't wanna know you. Turn off my podcast. Joel is the host of the Love Hotel,

Fire Island available to stream. Where is it available to stream? Hulu. Hulu, Big Mouth on Netflix. Love Hotel on Peacock. Love Hotel on Peacock and LÜT coming back on Apple, right? Yep. That's right.

You're all over the place. It's a pleasure to have you. I hope you will return to our little podcast here. It's really nice to get to know you a little bit. Yeah, thank you for having me. I really appreciate it. Looking forward to seeing what you're up to next. And we'll be listening to your podcast too.

I love it. Yes, oh, Bad Dates. That's right, Bad Dates, the podcast, which is great. Thank you so much. Links in the show notes. Thanks so much, Joel. We appreciate it. Thanks guys. Why don't you text us and we can text back and then you can

text us in reply, then so on. It's a fun little game I've been playing and I think you'll be great at it. 212-433-3TCB. That's 212-433-3822. You could leave a message, too. If you do, maybe you'll end up being the voice of the show. But be warned, the pay is not great. You could go to the website and drop us an email, also, tcbpodcast.com. And while you're there, you can get a free sticker. Who doesn't want a free sticker? Just go to the contact us button and ask for one. Follow us on Insta at The Commercial Break and watch the episodes at youtube.com slash The Commercial Break. Now I'm gonna go back to that texting game. You wanna play?

Come on. Bye. Hey, so what did you want to talk about? Well, I want to tell you about Wigovie. Wigovie? Yeah, Wigovie. What about it? On second thought, talk about? Well, I want to tell you about Wagovie. Wagovie? Yeah, Wagovie. What about it? On second thought, I might not be the right person to tell you. Oh, you're not? No, just ask your doctor.

About Wagovie? Yeah, ask for it by name. Okay, so why did you bring me to this circus? Oh, I'm really into lion tamers. You know, with the chair and everything. Ask your doctor for Wagovie by name! Visit wagovi.ca for savings! Exclusions may apply. It won't take long to tell you Neutral's ingredients.

Vodka, soda, natural flavors. So, what should we talk about? No sugar added? Neutral. Refreshingly simple. Okay, Mr. Joel, Kim, Booster. What a pleasure. Such a nice guy.

I really enjoyed our conversation. At least I did not quote Ram Dass in this one. So there you go. I came close. I came close. But I figure, you know, Joel's lived probably more life than I have. So I better shut my mouth and let him let him do the talking. Yeah, let him do the talking. Yeah, let him do the talking.

Anyway, thank you to Joel for coming in. We really enjoyed our conversation. I will put him on the you are welcome back list. What do you think about that? I think so, he's definitely in that category. All right, stay tuned this week. We have exciting information about the next TCB stunt that Chrissy and I are going to be doing.

That includes watching an entire movie and Doing the commentary breaking it all down live and on the podcast Stay tuned as TCB introduces yet another dumb idea to you and we'll see if we pull it off We're gonna be doing it here in this studio So I think we can do it if we were outside the studio that I I would have questions About our actual ability or willingness to go do it. Also, I wanted to say about a former guest and hopefully returning guest, Reggie Watts

and his girlfriend, Kat. They are putting together a live late night show with some really heavy hitting celebrity comedians that are coming on. Kat is helping produce it. Reggie's going to be doing it. I love this. It's July 23rd.

I'll be talking more about that later on this week. And maybe, maybe, fingers crossed, we'll get Reggie in just for a few minutes and or Kat so that they can have a conversation with us about it. And I'll tell you where you can stream it live. I think there are limited tickets available. I think that's in Los Angeles, but hopefully this becomes a thing, like a thing that they do. I agree. But I can't wait to see this because I think I told Reggie you would be the perfect late night host. I think you did the first time we talked to him. Yes, he stole my idea

and then didn't invite me to be on. But I wouldn't invite me to be on either. If I had a list of people, Brian would not be at the top of it either. Okay, so all of Joel Kim Booster's shit is down here in the show notes. Just open up your little podcast player, take a look. All the links right there for you. At the commercial break on Instagram, 212-433-38, uh, 3TCB, questions, comments, concerns, content, ideas, and tcbpodcast.com, audio, video, and your free sticker. Okay, Chrissy, that's all I can do for today. I think so.

But I'll tell you that I love you. And I love you. I'll say best to you. Best to you. Best to you out there in the podcast universe. Until next time, Chrissy and I will say, we do say, and we must say, Goodbye. Goodbye. Everyone who loves to drive has a name universe until next time, Chrissy and I will say, we do say, and we. And you know Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic Motor Oil

maximizes engine protection. Find it at Canadian Tire, because Betty deserves the best. Pennzoil, long may we drive. Breaking news, McDonald's international menu items are vanishing. McPizza bites missing in Italy. Big Rosti stolen from Germany. Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich disappears in Japan. And a Biscoff McFlurry blackout in Belgium.

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