The Three Questions with Andy Richter - Andrea Savage

Episode Date: October 22, 2019

Actress, comedian, and writer Andrea Savage (I’m Sorry) talks to Andy Richter about overachieving academically, using nervousness as a driving influence, terrifying prop babies, and her new podcast “Andrea Savage: A Grown-Up Woman #buttholes”. Plus, Andrea traces her path from deciding to pursue acting while studying abroad in Spain to joining The Groundlings to running her own show and beyond. This episode is sponsored by Dashlane (www.dashlane.com/andy code: ANDY) and Betterhelp (www.betterhelp.com/THREEQUESTIONS code: THREEQUESTIONS).

Fine? Just a weird thing to say to someone. I look fine. Yeah. I was gonna say you look great, but then I was like, everyone probably tells you you look great. So I decided to go with you look fine. Well, no. You look passable. Right? Yeah,, everyone probably tells you you look great. So I decided to go with you look fine. Well, no. You look passable.

Right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. You know. I agree. By the way, I 100% agree. I'm wearing a cap because my hair is dirty. Right.

No, you definitely look female. Thank you. By the way, that is a better day. That is one of my better days. Excellent. Well, this has already started. The podcast has already started. Oh, I hope this is being recorded.

Oh, absolutely. I need people to know that you look just fine. Well, hello, everyone, and welcome to the Three Questions with Andy Richter. I continue to be Andy Richter. And my guest today, well, she's a regular auteur these days Got her own show Based on her own life On, you know, the trials and travails Of being Andrea Savage

There's so many trials So many trials And so many travails Travails I wouldn't even know Both the trials and travails I'm not even I know I've been through travails

But I'm not sure what they were Or when they happened I feel like your body inside knows. Yes. And it's recovered from travails. Yes. And it's soothed you at night after your travails. Exactly.

So we were just talking before you got here, you've got to get to work. So we've got to make this snappy. Let's wrap this up. Yeah, yeah. Are we good? No, no, no. Unless you cry, this is a failure. Let's wrap this up. Yeah, yeah. Are we good? No, no, no. Unless you cry, this is a failure.

Oh, God. Wow. I don't cry. I'm not a crier. Are you not a crier? I'm not a crier. Are you really? So we're going to be here a while. Yeah.

When's the last time you cried? God, what a shitty, stupid question. Oh, no. What a cheeseball question, but whatever. I cried this weekend. Oh, did you? Last weekend. But that was because there was a lot happening.

But just like a casual sit here in an interview cry. It was an Emmy cry, wasn't it? Yeah. I was watching. I just got so emotional. Yeah. When, didn't watch the Emmy, so I don't have no. Over Billy Porter's hat.

Oh, by the way. If that doesn't make you. Oh, my God. Just hit you right where it. And it was all, well, that hat, too, was like, it was like an architectural magic act. Yeah. It's like, how does that thing stay on? It's like those cakes that they make where, like, they're sort of defying gravity.

Yeah, yeah. Also, yesterday when I was at work, I had the computer open as we're writing. Yeah, yeah. walk i guess and i wasn't aware it was like the reason behind gwyneth paltrow's surprising dainty walk well she's holding a jade egg in there she you can't you can't strut you know i i mean you don't she could have had to go to the bathroom you don't know i actually i never saw her dress i don't know what happened i know nothing about it except why is this seeming to be an alert that needed to come on my computer versus like a major American like movement. Do you have a dainty walk alert set up? Yes. Okay, well now that makes more sense.

What was the, what was the, did you. I didn't click on it. Oh, shit. Well, fuck. Now I got to go Google it. Because I can tell you what it was. What was it? Her dress was tight. Too fucking tight. I I got to go Google it. Because I can tell you what it was. What was it? Her dress was tight.

Too fucking tight. I don't even know what the dress looked like. I don't know what the dainty walk was. I don't know when she walked the dainty walk. All I know is I 100% would click on that article and it would just be her dress was very tight in the leg. Yes. And also, as part of a new holistic therapy, she became hobbled. She had her feet smashed.

It's on goop. Yeah. It's really, it centers her. She doesn't feel, you know, she doesn't worry about walking so much anymore. Now she just thinks about. There were actually little people under her dress that were holding her and walking her across the stage. Which you couldn't see because her dress was so long. Yeah.

So. There was a funny thing. There was just a funny thing that like J-Lo did some article and somebody was saying like the publicist obviously wasn't there, but she said something dishy that was kind of hilarious about Gwyneth Paltrow. She's like, what's she ever been in? Like name a movie. And it's like, well, Shakespeare in Love.

Shakespeare in Love. But I mean, beyond that, it's kind of like, well, I mean, the karaoke movie. Let's not take down Gwyneth Paltrow. Listen. Oh, look, I'm just pro J-Lo. I'm not necessarily. And so it's a feud. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

You've decided that this is. Well, yeah, you've got to, listen, you better choose your side because this is going to be, yeah. This is big? Yeah. Okay. And I mean, this is, aside from the climate, you know, catastrophe happening. Don't know what you're talking about. This is what you're going to have to decide.

This is what, this is going to be the dividing line. All right. J-Lo or Gwyneth. By the end of this podcast, I will have made my choice. Well, it is great to see you. You know, we, our paths have crossed and I've always, well, loved you. But I mean, I don't want to be weird. Because I want to, because to say love you might seem creepy, but I mean, no.

I didn't take it as like, love you. Oh, right. Okay, good. Because I feel like I met you, I remember the first time I met you, it was at Matt Walsh's house for like a Super Bowl game. Yes. And I feel like you and I started chatting. We don't see each other often, but whenever we do, we always have a nice time every time I see you.

Well, you're like somebody, and there are people, and it's, you know, I mean, you too. We meet a zillion people. Yes, we do. And there are people that you just, it's like, oh, yeah, you. I know you. You're my people. Yeah, you're mine. Yeah, yeah.

We're in the same boat here. Yeah. And that was evident from the beginning. I agree. I know you. You're my people. Yeah, you're mine. Yeah, yeah. We're in the same boat here. Yeah. And that was evident from the beginning. I agree. I think we can agree that Matt Walsh is the worst. Oh, God. What a fucking slob. What a slob.

I'll tell you, if I had to choose between Gwyneth and Walsh, that'd be easy. Honestly, the fact that he now can say Emmy nominated is the biggest disqualifier of the entire Emmy organization. I agree. Oh, my God. I've written so many sternly worded letters to the Emmys. Emmy nominated? Yeah. Please. That's all the letter says.

Oh. Please. Please. In all caps. And then my name. Andrea says. Please. Please. In all caps. And then my name. Andrea Savage. Yeah. Academy member.

I'm not, though, but I lie. Are you not? I don't know. How do I become one? You should fucking sign up for it. Really? Absolutely. And you're a showrunner, for Christ's sake.

You should probably be in the television academy Listen, nobody gives you a handbook Like these are the things you're supposed to do Do you have an assistant? Yeah Today, say, get me into the academy Like that? Exactly

Just, no please? Get me into the academy Yeah, do it with a lockjaw though Get me into the academy, Jennifer No, seriously It's easy Okay, I'll look into it's easy you're okay you're yeah you're in a your guild member you're on tv it's that's all it takes okay yeah well i feel like my letters are gonna pack an extra punch now they're probably like well this woman stop

she's not an academy member yeah yeah yeah okay that's good to know thank you well this wasn't for nothing then that's true now probably the Thank you. Well, this wasn't for nothing then. That's true. Now, probably the reason you're not an Academy member is because you didn't expect to get into showbiz. That's what I understand. I did not necessarily expect to get into showbiz. Yeah. I come from a very non-showbiz family. Even though you're from out here, right? I'm from L.A.

Born and raised in L.A. Whereabouts in L.A.? The Valley. Specifically the address. Oh. No, no, I'm kidding. Well, I don't live there Whereabouts in L.A.? The Valley. Specifically the address. Oh. No, no, I'm kidding. Well, I don't live there anymore, so I'm thrilled to give it. At any rate.

Well, it's probably. I don't know those people now. Whoever lives there now is probably so sick of the tours that go by. Oh, could you imagine the throngs of people on Orville Avenue and Woodland Hills? There you go. Check it out, people. Orville Avenue. I grew up on Woodland Hills. There you go. Check it out, people. Orville Avenue. I grew up on Woodland Hills.

Yeah. I, yeah, I was born in LA. My parents got divorced when I was two. And then I lived, we kind of moved around, but then by the age of four, I was in Woodland Hills. And are your folks LA people too, or did they come from elsewhere? No, both my mom and dad grew up in LA.

Wow. Which is, I am legitimately like- Yeah, you are like gold card LA. My daughter is third generation LA. Jesus. Yeah. That's crazy. I know.

My mom grew up in the Valley. My dad grew up on the West side. Yeah. And- So he was slumming? He was slumming with a valley girl. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah.

And yeah, my mom went to Van Nuys High. Oh, wow. Yeah. Did you go to public or private school? I went to private school. Which one? I went to what is now Harvard Westlake. Oh, classy.

That's where the smarties go. I was going to say I was a smartie. I still consider myself a smartie. You are a smartie. I am a academic a Smartie. You are a Smartie. I am an academic person at heart. Oh, are you? And I'm a very, yeah, I was a very good student. I liked studying.

I liked doing well in school. I went to Cornell. I was pre-law. Oh, wow. So I feel like I always talk about I have these battles that literally I think is the number one thing that I battle with now is I call it the Cornell and the Carney that just like battle in my head and have always judged in my own head what I do for a living. And then the Carney side of mine, if I go to Cornell for a while, starts to burst out and act out. And it's hard balancing those instincts that both very strong instincts in my own head. Yeah.

Well, I mean, when you say that, like, what embarrasses Cornell about Carney? Everything. Everything. It's irresponsible. It's... In what way, though? But you're making a good living and you're... Now.

I mean, now I can justify it a little bit more. And by the way, this isn't, there's no realism to it. It's just judgments that were in my head. Yeah, yeah. I think also no one in my family is in the entertainment business. So it just, everyone's, we're all, everyone's doctors. It was all very logical. Yeah.

Were your folks professional people? My dad just retired, but it was an orthodontist. My mom was a dental hygienist. Oh, wow. But my stepdad was commercial real estate. My uncles were lawyers. My other aunts and uncles were doctors. Like, everyone was very practical.

Yeah. Do you have siblings? I have four brothers. And are they podiatrists? A dentist, doctor, computer engineer, and then ones in the wine industry. Wow. Yeah. So everybody is very, not that they don't have senses of humor and that kind of thing,

but it was not a house of creativity. Frivolity. Like humor. It wasn't like people were creating stuff. Yeah. So I was really sort of out on my own in that way. Not judged, but it just seemed very um just lame I think growing up in LA the idea of being in the entertainment industry seemed very lame and very

um unintelligent it just and now I'm growing up like growing up near a coal mine and be like I don't want to work in that coal mine. And it's funny. I mean, it's ridiculous now to think about it, but I definitely had a judgment. I would never even have admitted that I wanted to be in the entertainment industry. Yeah. And it took me so long to actually accept that this is what I was doing. Even the first decade of what I was doing, I was constantly like, well, I'll probably be going back to law school any moment now. Wow.

Like it was always that. Yeah, yeah. Were you the funny one in the house? I was the funny one. I think, yeah. I was the funny one in the house. And encouraged to be so. Yeah.

I mean, that's a thing that little girls aren't encouraged to be funny very much. No, they are not. Boys are. You're like, the class clown is a boy and a class clown girl is, you know, like, young lady, how dare you? Yeah. I think changing a little bit now. But definitely back in the 40s when I was growing up. Me too.

It was, yeah, it was not. And by the way, it wasn't like my friends were that funny. But I was funny, but I wasn't like you other comedians that were like, I was doing things at parties. Yeah, yeah. I was funny. I was doing videos and tape recording with my friends. But it wasn't until I got into – I came into comedy in the lamest,

not cool way, musical theater. Oh, yeah. Like it wasn't like my parents listened to richard prior and like i stayed up late watching snl it was like i loved oklahoma and their big faces they'd make it was it's so like now were you were your parents musical theater people or is it something you stumbled on wow like i'm like i don't know how i stumbled into any of this because it was not introduced you don't remember like when's the first you don't remember how I stumbled into any of this because it was not introduced you don't remember like when's the first you don't remember the first time where you're like musical theater like wow

I remember go my parents would take me to go see stuff at the Pantages sure um and I would see musical theater and be like I want to do that and I think I can do that yeah yeah um and once I started doing some musical theater and when people were like, you're funny. In high school? In, yeah, high school. Is when I was like, oh. And then, and I hate this, I found that when I started to be like 14, 15 and started making more guy friends who were really funny, that's when I realized, oh, I'm funny. funny, that's when I realized, oh, I'm funny.

Yeah. And I hate that that's, as a woman, like when I realized it, because just my other friends' girls just weren't that funny at that time. And it was around that age that I was like, oh, I can be sarcastic and I can keep up with you and we can banter and that's my language. And my first boyfriends were like that. Yeah. And that's when I started kind of being like yeah I'm funny uh-huh and but you there's no you're just like no I'm going to

Cornell and I'm gonna do free law I can be a funny lawyer yeah yeah or not funny or whatever I also didn't know that improv existed I didn't really know that you could be a stand-up. There was no improv at my high school. There was no comedy troupe. As there shouldn't be. Jesus Christ. I bet you now, now. By the way, now you have kids. You know that there's people taking improv for kids. My daughter would, had improv in grade school. Yeah. And I mean, it's, she's in middle school now and I don't think that they do it anymore, but it was, you know, which is improv started as Viola Spolin invented these games for kids. Yeah. For like kids, I think, that probably were autistic, you know, that there's some awful, you know, terrible phrase for what they probably called them back then.

I think we know what the phrase is. Yeah, yeah. Not great. Yeah, but she, you know, was like for kids with learning disabilities, she created these exercises and then somebody, you know, said, hey, these could be done on stage. And so you're like, yeah, it kind of makes sense. And I mean, and I, you know, and I don't, I wasn't worried about the grossness of improv because there has been this improv explosion, which actually I don't mind at all because I think it's –

Because there's like improv camp, summer camp. Yes, yes. And my daughter was in a camp this summer and it was like they would have like twice a week improv. Yeah. And she really liked it. Yeah. I mean, it's a fun thing to do and it's certainly to get out of your head and talk in front of people and... I think everybody should take an improv class.

Yeah, yeah. Because I do think it just gets you out of your head. Yes. Now, you know, there's a glut of it, so there's a lot of shitty, awful improv out there. Well, I don't want to watch any of those. Oh, yeah, yeah. No, no, not for audiences, but just safe in a classroom tucked away. I don't, you know, for me, I don't, I don't do a lot of improv anymore. And I,

and I just, because like, I mean, I've said before, it's like, when I leave the house, I don't leave the house to get nervous. You know, I leave the house to get less nervous. Like I'm going to go do something that's going to make me less nervous. Not, so it's like, I don't, and I don't, I honestly don't care that much about an audience's approval. I don't, like, I talk to people on this thing and elsewhere who are like, just the energy of that audience. And I'm kind of like, yeah, it's nice, but, you know. But also you, your job. Yeah, I get a lot of that.

You're in front of an audience all the time yes because I will say that's the number one thing I miss yeah um and I'm crazy I like if I could I would love to perform every week in front of an audience I miss it so much do you consider like maybe trying stand-up or doing stand-up and I did stand-up um years I would do, if I had the time to like go out five nights a week and go on the road and get your thing done. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because you have to put so much work into it. I would do that in a heartbeat. Yeah.

I really would. I love stand up. Fucking kids ruin everything. Oh, kids. Just work. Yeah. I will. Because I've been sort of.

Well, I mean, that's fine. I haven't seen that guy in months. I will, because I've been sort of. Marriage. Well, I mean, that's, I haven't seen that guy in months. I mean, I don't know. Yeah, marriage. I mean, and, but I miss it, like deeply miss it. It's something that I'm actually like really trying to wrap my head around. Yeah. Because I, that's why I got into comedy was from performing live. Right.

And I actually like making myself nervous. Oh, you do? Mm-hmm. Wow. Yeah, I think it drives me. I like pushing myself to do new things and make myself nervous or make my tummy hurt, as I like to say, a little bit. It makes me feel like I'm still challenging myself and pushing myself. Yeah.

Because I get boredom or quietness, I start losing my mind. Right. Now, did that start when you started doing shows in high school, that sort of like learning to like the nervousness? Yeah. Yeah. Like sort of getting off on the fear. On the stage fright, yeah. Yeah.

And it's always sort of, even like I just started this podcast and I'm totally nervous about it. Shouldn't have probably done it. It's been so much extra work. It's making my life crazy. I don't know why everyone lied to me and was like, it's so easy. Start a podcast. What kind of podcast is it? It's a podcast I ask people three questions.

You liar. You son of a mother. Yeah. It's called Andrea Richter. And the three questions. Sure. And I'm really, I'm really looking forward to it.

Wow. No, it's a comedy, hour long, you know, celebrity chat based show. Yeah. Yeah.

So the waters are full. It's called Andrea Savage, A Grown-Up Woman. Hashtag buttholes. Hashtag buttholes. That's my favorite part. Thank you. And it really is an excuse for me to get as close as I can to performing live, but at least having some fun with people I find fun.

Yes. It is literally like we play games. It is pure comedy, pure joy. Because for the past three and a half years doing my show, most of my life is extremely stressed and extremely serious. Yes. Even though the show comes out very funny, it is not easy and it's not like I'm going around laughing all day.

Right. And so I really was like, I- It's a tremendous amount of pressure on you to not, I mean, it's enough to be the star of a show, but then to also have it be your baby. Your baby. It's just also just all the things that you have to be on top of.

Marketing, to sets, to locations, to casting, to the writing, to all the editing, to the press, to the, you know, it's just, it goes on and on. And I miss my friends and I miss just sitting and laughing because that's coming up through comedy yeah I mean how many late nights are you just up laughing with your friends oh that was I mean everything that was when I started doing improv that was the main thing the doing the shows was fun and challenging and stuff. But like I've said this before, doing it in Chicago,

doing improv in Chicago, especially like in the wintertime, it's a Chicago thing like, ah, boiler's out, place is closed because it's 36 degrees in there, and then no show. And those were the nights where I'm like, awesome, because we're all here, we're dressed kind of decently. And we're going to, so let's just go get fucking drunk together. And that was 10 times better. And it was the same thing.

It was being funny with funny people, probably being too loud. I had this division in my, because I went to film school in Chicago. Oh, really? Yeah. And then I started doing improv. And there was this transition in my life where I'd have parties, and it would be film school friends and improv friends. And the film school friends would be like, why are they all so loud?

I can't imagine a more annoying group to be around. Oh, my God. It was just like goth kids on one side, and then know, guys named Matt yelling. Yelling. 17 mats. Taking their pants down. Yes. Doing weird things with, you know, like, I don't have a dick.

Like, I don't know. All embarrassed because they wore the same Blackhawks jersey, you know. Are they embarrassed? Not really. Yeah, not at all. But I really miss that community and that feeling. I think there's nothing other, with the exception of my daughter, nothing makes me as happy in my life than being with people I love who make me laugh.

Oh, and it sucks that, you know, the professional, you know, like sort of the culmination of your professional ambitions keeps you. That sucks. And by the way, there are days that are fun and we laugh on set. But it's like when you're, I can't be, even on set, it's like, yeah, I'm enjoying the scene, but I have all the other things to be doing. I'm not hanging out in the green room. You know, I'm not hanging out like when you're an actor on something. And by the way, I'm not going to sit here

and be like, my life sucks. But I have noticed that I disappear for so long too. That when I come out, I'm not part of anyone's life. Yeah. Like all my friends. And you do. Oh, I disappear. You disappear.

And it's, but the same thing. And you've got the combination of a single camera show and a child. And a child. And both of those are things that make your friends forget you. Yes. You know? Yeah.

So between the two, because I literally, I disappear because all I do is work and be a mom. Yeah, yeah. That is like all I do because I try to make it not that noticeable on her life of a change. Yeah. Which is hard to do. How old is she? 10. 10, yeah, yeah.

And that's it. That's all the bandwidth I have. Yeah. But I get bummed. I'm like, I love this. This is why I got into this business is to fuck around. Yeah, no shit. Yeah.

To have fun. To have fun. I've done a couple of things in sort of that were like drama you know like straight drama and i am fucking shocked it's like a set full of people so serious are not having fun and it's like what why are you doing this why do you do this for a living if you don't want to because even you know CSI, you ought to have fucking fun on the set, for Christ's sake. Yeah. It's all autopsies and shit, but still, you know.

Can't she have some laughs? Yeah, yeah. Poke the corpse. Yeah. You know? Yeah, dramedies are okay. In terms of just pure drama, I've done so little. Yeah.

But I did do this one movie with Hilary Swank, fancy. And she had. What was the name of it? I'm blanking on it right now. It's like. Oh, I love that. I do that shit all the time. Also, it changed its name.

Yeah, yeah. I don't know. I've done guest spots on shows and people will be like, oh, I saw it. And it's like, what was the name? Yeah, I worked with him on, you know, and it's always something like, know like family guys and or you know family rules or we're all family or whatever you know and i just can never remember and she's hillary swing is suffering from a debilitating um i believe als yeah and um it's getting worse throughout the film and there is a scene does not sound funny no it was not funny and she's got to get in character like i get why she's not doing bits sure and then action absolutely um but there was

a scene where i have had a baby and i give her the baby to hold but she's gotten so far in her illness that she starts to drop the baby i know that's a little funny. Nobody but me found the humor. And I really had nobody to glance with. To do bits with. The baby that they had me use was not a real baby for most of it. And it was the craziest prop baby. It looked like it was going to murder you. And it was a weird, too believable of a texture.

Yeah, yeah. And suddenly I just had one of those outside experiences where you're looking like going, this is my life. I'm holding this demon plastic baby, handing it to Hilary Swank who's dropping it and I'm supposed to be upset. I don't know. For some reason it really hit me. Yeah, yeah. That this is insanity. Yes. And I had to ask if I could step away for a minute. Like I was like, hey, I just need one minute. And I had to ask if I could step away for a minute.

Like, I was like, hey, I just need one minute. And I had to step away. Did they think you were crying? Yeah, I was like, listen, I need to take a minute. And I had to step away. And then I just went, like, in a bathroom and just looked in the mirror and was like, as if I was to a friend, like, what is happening? What is happening?

And then came out and seriously performed the scene. And everyone was lovely on the movie, and the movie's good and all that. But I was like, maybe this isn't for me. Yeah, yeah. Have I ever told about being on the Rob Lowe show, Lion's Den? Oh, I did. Okay. I remember that show.

Yeah, yeah. I did a bit on that. Yeah. And I was just asking if I told it already. But no, I did a bit on that, and it was i was just asking if i told it already but no i did a bit on that and it was i was supposed to i was playing a guy that like ruined the home team it was a rip from the headlines where years ago a guy fucked up the cubs chance to get into the okay the playoffs because he reached out to grab a foul ball that could have been caught and what it ended in

blah blah blah blah so they had me in this thing and again it was like i was like fucking around and everyone's like what are you doing fucking around like i'm fucking around what are you talking about i didn't fuck around yeah i stepped into the bathroom because i knew well enough to not stand there and fuck around now if there had been some if there had been a hillary swank pretending to have als who. Who needed to get in character. I probably wouldn't have fucked around. Yeah. But this is like. Yeah. Okay.

A guy ruined the baseball team's chances. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're right. You're right. You're right. Okay. I just, I had to say, because I was, the scene was with Matt Craven and David Krumholz. Okay.

They're lawyers. Okay. Krumholz is mad at me for ruining the team's chance. And he's trying to hold in his anger. And he finally goes like, just tell me why you did it. Why did you do it? And I had to say the line, because I knew if I caught that ball, my kid would think that I hung the moon. Oh.

Oh, God. Who? Why would they write that? I had to say that fucking multiple times. And I think I even on set said, you know, no one says hung the moon. Yeah, that's when you go, hey, can I play with this a little bit? Maybe put it in my own words. Nobody says hung the moon except people sitting around a conference room writing a shitty show.

Like something in like, I love Lucy. You hung the moon, baby. You hang the moon. When it's almost theater and it's almost TV, like in that transition where it was like, that's crazy. Right. Post-coital, oh, baby, you hang the moon. Oh. Yeah.

You know? I might throw that in the repertoire. See what happens. You hang the moon. Although in a sexual situation, it might mean ass stuff. Oh, God, no. Yeah, yeah. He knows that's not on the table so

i've made that extremely clear yeah but the hashtag your show is buttholes that's maybe sending a mixed message no he knows it's been thoroughly thoroughly covered no by the way um the reason that hashtag buttholes is in my title not because it's just like stupid whatever is because the whole point of my podcast is bringing on people who prove basically just because you are technically a grown person doesn't mean you have to be fucking lame right and i'm right i'm literally people watch my show and they're like you it's inspiring to me because maybe i could get married and it wouldn't have to suck yeah maybe i could have a kid and it doesn't ruin my life. You make being a grown-up look kind of fun.

So now I was like, well, I'm just the tip of the iceberg with that. I know so many people who are still enjoying their lives who aren't Peter Pan syndrome. Right. Like they pay bills. Yes. They live their lives, but they also aren't taking themselves so seriously. Again, put an emphasis on fun. Put.

On having fun. Yeah. And not that you, not the people who like reject being responsible. Yes. To all ends. Yes. To become only fun. That you can have a balance.

And I think as a grown person, because everyone who comes on my show has to say my name is whatever and this is how I say buttholes. Because you can't take yourself too seriously and be a grown-up and say the word butthole. Right. It immediately makes you laugh. You can't be mad at someone and call them a butthole. Right. And not have them laugh.

Right. And then you end up hugging. Yes. Like, there's no way. So it is sort of, I think the word is weirdly magical. There's not a lot of other words that I think a grown-up saying. Yes. Well, and it also-up saying makes you laugh. And you can't be taking yourself too seriously as an adult if you're like, well, you know what?

Buttholes. Yes. And because I'm 100% on board, maybe too on board, because what I'm going to say is the word also conjures up a visual. Yes. And to me, it's also a reminder. We all have this ridiculous orifice. That does things. Yeah. That's very multi-purpose, but always gross.

Always gross. In an awful way and a fantastic way. And you can't act like you're so above all the childish stuff in the world that you can pretend you don't have a butthole right because i know you have one yes yeah i i i know it sounds stupid and also too but i actually put thought into this i actually do think because the word butthole also isn't a swear word yeah like it doesn't have like asshole right right there's something kind of cute. It's like a little kid could say it and you wouldn't go, you wouldn't really scold them too hard. No.

Yeah, yeah. And it also, there's also too the thing about your butthole can ruin your day. Or make your day. Or make your day. Depending on what's going on down there. What's going on. Really. Yes.

And that happens whether you're the Pope or whether you're, you know, Bob Vila. There's a good reference for the kids. Yeah, no, I endorse it.

And also the fact that I... I endorse buttholes. Thank you. Yeah, go ahead. That's a free ad for buttholes. Ooh, you're not going to want

that they pay? Great. Oh, shit. That's the other reason why I hashtag buttholes. It's a multi not going to want that. They pay great. Oh, shit. That's the that's the other reason why I match that buttholes. Yeah. Multi-level marketing campaign that I'm being paid handsomely for. You're an influencer. I'm a butthole influencer.

Yeah. Can't you tell my loves are growing? So at Cornell, do you do any let's get back on the biographical track here. Yes, sorry. That's all right. No, this is delightful. Do you do any kind of theater-y stuff? Yeah, I was pre-law, but I did tons of theater.

Yeah. So I was in the theater department. Not a lot of comedy, though. Yeah. It was mostly, you know, because it's like theater departments tend to do very dramatic weirdo plays the children's hour yeah or just or things that you're like what is this nobody's ever heard of it when you tell someone they're like i've never heard of that right um and they try to be all avant-garde and the girls parts are the boys and the boys are the girls and it gets all

flipped and yeah um so i did theater there i was funny with my, at that point, I knew I was funny, like with my friends. Yeah. But I didn't do comedy. Maybe there was an improv troupe there. Don't know. Yeah. I didn't know about it. Are you mostly with theater kids at that point?

No. Yeah. No, I was mostly with my outside friends. Oh, okay. Yeah. But I still, I don't know. I mean, but I was half and half and even was like that in high school. Yeah.

Where it was like, was, had my outside friends and then very close with the theater weirdos. Yeah. You know, I kind of went back both sides. Again, the battling. Yeah. Yeah. Never mixing or committing to one. Yeah.

Just instead feeling shitty about both of them slightly at all times. That's fun. Yeah. Way to go. Thank you. I feel good about, I feel good about that choice. Were you dating funny guys or were you dating business guys? I always dated funny guys.

Yeah, yeah. Business guys. Later when I got into comedy, then I went through a string of comedy guys. Yeah, yeah. Because that was comedy guys. That's what you got to do. That's what I was around. The people that were funny were comedy guys.

I like a funny guy. Yeah. I always have. Me too. Yep. Me too. I mean, well, just, yeah. And I like a funny lady.

Yeah, yeah. And now I have so many funny friends who are women. But I didn't, and it wasn't until really, I will say, when UCB came to LA, because I was a groundling. Yeah. And I didn't do UCB, but I had friends like Matt Walsh and some other people who did. And so then when UCB LA started and all these people from New York moved out here, then

suddenly I started having all these funny female friends, which delights me beyond. Yeah, absolutely. delights me it's beyond yeah absolutely i think and it's i i think it's it's just so great to have because honestly like funny ladies are the fucking best yeah i mean and i and i've said this before like i i don't mean this to be like hooray for me i such an ally. Because it could very well just be that I'm tired of male comedy. Because that was what I've had for decades was male comedy. And I was in improv groups with like a token woman or no woman whatsoever. I was the token woman for most of my life. Yeah, yeah.

And now I don't, now it's, there's, that doesn't, there aren't token women. There are women on improv teams. And we tend to work harder. Yeah. And to prove ourselves. And so now, like,

like those women are kicking ass. Yeah. And, you know, which is amazing. Yeah. And I also think, too, that because comedy

has been so male for so long, that I would say most male comedians are kind of trying to be funny in a way that other males have been before. Whereas, I mean, granted, there have been women in comedy, but it hasn't been like the oppressive zeitgeist of the industry. Yeah. So women are funny in the ways that they're funny, you know. Women are funny in life. Yeah, yeah. I mean. Not all of them, but them but you know but then there's a lot you know i'll tell you right

now there's a lot of really unfunny men yeah oh i know and i feel like if i had to put them side by side if i just put the population of people i know just even like moms and dads at my school oh yeah the women are much funnier. Yeah, yeah. Than the men. Yeah. The men are just like barf. Oh, that's true. They're so serious. Especially dads.

Right? Dads just quit. They're just. They just quit. You know? Yeah. Like, well, I got this couch and these kids. Yeah.

And blah, blah. Yeah. Yeah. And the women might be like, I'm barely holding on. But they're sort of like, well, I guess I'm going to kill myself. At least there's a levity. That is hilarious. Yeah, at least there's sort of a sarcasm, like a little something to hold on to versus just bland dad.

Yeah, absolutely. And I've said this before, Twitter is an amazing place for women to be funny. Yes. And that's one of the great things I've always loved about Twitter, is that the platform is fairly egalitarian, where it's just, and there's something, too, about that little odd chunk, very restricted in terms of like, you know, like you have to have economy of words and stuff, that I think, for some reason, women are good at. I don't know, like, how to, you know, like you have to have economy of words and stuff that I think for some reason women are good at.

I don't know like how to, you know, sort of. I think as women try harder because we've always had to. Women and other people, races, other gender, like people who've had to prove themselves over time. You do. Right. I think the people who aren't committed to it get weeded out because it's too hard so there's maybe fewer but the ones who are doing it are like i'm i fucking work 24 7 like i will wake up early i work my ass off and that isn't necessarily the case for men because it's a little easier to get into the industry so you don't have to be necessarily

as fully committed always yeah yeah well now when do you start going from yeah law lady pre-law lady theater secret theater theater queen you know what i did study abroad my junior year where i did spain in sevilla oh dirty dirty spain okay i mean it's obviously it was a it was a sex trip no i'm kidding by the way my mom i think thought it was a sex trip my mom thought i was having so much sex in college but wouldn't talk to me about it but would just send articles about um like aids and um just you know, being careful. Yeah, yeah. This, that, and the other, not really speaking about it.

But it made it seem like she thought I was fucking my way across Cornell. Yeah. Like things about statistics of how many people people were having sex with. I was a serial monogamist. Yeah. Like wasn't. And then when I went to Spain, we were at Costco, and she very casually got a large box of Costco-sized condoms for me to pack in my suitcase, but without addressing it really, but just like, you can bring this for you. And it was like 70 condoms.

It was like, Mom, what do you think I'm going to be doing? I think I kissed one Spanish guy. Yeah, yeah. Like, nothing. Well, you can put your stuff in them when you go to the beach. I think I kissed one Spanish guy. Yeah, yeah. Like, nothing. Well, you can put your stuff in them when you go to the beach. That is true. You know? That is true.

You're lighter. Your glasses. It's waterproof, I guess. Exactly. Yeah, yeah. Oh, my God. Yeah. But anyway, it just made me think of that.

But while I was there, I think it was because I got away from Cornell, got away from my family, got away from everything where I was like, I think I have to try it. I think I have to try being an actor. And this is when you're in Spain. Yeah. Are you out? Have you graduated? No.

I'm a junior in college. Okay. So I'm like, what am I going to do? I've always assumed I was going to go to law school or business school. And I was like doing theater. And it was like, this is what I love. But it was like that little voice was able to be a little louder away from everybody when I was in Spain and sort of also living a kind of freer life. And, you know, and it was-

Eating a lot of ham. So much ham. So good. Oh, the paella, don't get me started. And I was like, all right, I think I got to do this. I'm going to come home and tell everybody. And I'll do it for a year. I'm sure I'll hate it. And then I'll go back to being serious.

Yeah. So I sort of framed it in a, it's almost like a, what's that thing that Amish people do? The rock and the rum springer? Rum springer, yeah, yeah. So it was like, I'll let myself have some fun, and then I'll go back to being a real person again. What did that entail? What were you going to do? I was going to move to New York and get on the stage.

Oh, wow. Before you graduated Cornell or after? No, after. After, okay. I was going to graduate Cornell, and then I was going to move to New York and become a theater actress. Yeah. I was going to apply to theater graduate schools. Yeah. Which I did. Yeah. I got into none of them. Yeah. I was going to apply to theater graduate schools. Yeah.

Which I did. Yeah. I got into none of them. Oh. I think I applied to like four or five. Of course, like the best ones that each took only like eight people. Right. And do you have to audition for those?

Yeah. You have to audition. And it was like, I wasn't trained like theater actress to be able to get into Yale. Right. What was I doing? Or Juilliard. I wasn't trained like theater actress to be able to get into Yale. Right. What was I doing? Or Juilliard. I've always had an unhealthy level of confidence about myself and courage. But I don't know why.

Yeah, yeah. But a deep level of confidence that has helped and hurt me. It's hilarious. I actually know that kind of deep confidence. But I go into most things pretty positive that it's going to work out. Why wouldn't it? Yeah, yeah. Now, is that, does that, because you have to audition for all of these schools.

Yeah, I think it's like four schools. You audition all at once. Does that hurt? Is it hard? Oh, my God. No, I was, I'd never not gotten into something that I wanted to get into ever. Because I was an overachiever. Yeah.

So this was like, I'm sorry, what? But also, okay, okay, pull myself up by my, you know, bootstraps. Yeah. I, after college, I told my family that I was going to do this. I think everybody was like, okay, she needs a year to relax. She's worked so hard. I think everyone was like, that's fine. We'll give this to her.

My college advisor literally just pretended I didn't speak. Like, I was like, I think I'm going to take a year off and I'm going to really

try to do acting. And this was Cornell, pre-law, they didn't even know what that meant. It just took a beat and was like, okay,

well then after that, which, you know, and it just wasn't. When you come back to law school. Yeah. And like, so let's talk about that. Like, they didn't even acknowledge it. I went to New York and stayed with a friend like okay well then after that which you know and it just when you come back to law school yeah and

like so let's talk about that like they didn't even acknowledge it um i went to new york and stayed with a friend for a little bit i you know wrote letters to agents i attacked the theater like i was attacking law school yeah like very logical very that kind of thing i managed to get a couple meetings with some agents in New York and they all were like, you're from LA. Everyone here is trying to get there. So start there. Go home. Don't get on the stage. Nobody's interested. Go to LA, become successful there. And then you can get on the stage because that's all anyone's interested in now are people who are known coming to New York. Yeah. And I was like, oh, well, okay. Gross.

Gross. Yeah. But okay. And I went home and literally like got a waitressing job. Yeah. And then started submitting in the back of the Backstage West magazine. How long were you in New York? Two months.

Oh, wow. Not very long. Yeah, yeah. I was back. Yeah. And I started from the bottom. Just going to like cattle call audition cattle call or just submitting through the backs of like backstage west and then there's

another one too to student films i did a big commercial mailer oh wow got a commercial agent um like i just really just built it the way it happens. Yeah. You know, didn't know anyone in the entertainment business. Yeah. And then just did it. Yeah. And almost quit a thousand times. Yeah. And almost went back to school a thousand times. But kept getting lured further and further into the clutches.

Yeah. Was it just because you just get, like, enough of a job? Yeah. Yeah. And I was always like, if i stop moving forward i'm done um but i always would force something to happen to make myself move forward i was very much a self-starter so i would do cold reading workshops where you pay to meet casting directors and it's like 30 people in a room and you all

read something and then but i got a couple jobs that way yeah and i ended up on a kids show called sweet valley high for a season and then i did groundlings uh-huh and that's when i think everything really shifted really into comedy and that's what started my writing and that's what that's when i really was like okay now i said I sort of have a path. Yeah, that's what I was going to say. When did you decide to have a comedic voice as opposed to just – Groundlings. Yeah. Yeah. And did you join Groundlings just because that sounds fun kind of thing?

You know what? I didn't know what it was, and I know that sounds crazy. I was so ill-informed about comedy. I didn't know Second City and other cities. Like, I didn't know comedy. Yeah. But I was taking a cold reading workshop, cold reading audition workshop,

and Chris Parnell was in the class. And he and I became friends, and he was in the Groundlings at the time. And he was like, you should audition for the Groundlings. And I was like, what's that? And he's like, go see a show. And I went and I saw a show,

and Jennifer Coolidge was in the show. Oh, wow. And I was just like, oh, my God. Yeah. That's the funniest woman I've ever seen. Look at all these funny people. Yeah. I want to do that.

Yeah. And so I auditioned. And then, you know, you have to get through the whole fucking school and the whole thing. But that became, like, my world. Right. Until I was cut after being in the Sunday Company. And then was not a, you know, and it's like a cult. Like, it's been your life for four years.

Right. And then you're out. Wow. Yeah. Yeah, see, I don't know much about the Groundlings just because it's, you know, coming from Chicago and coming out here. But yeah, all those, it can be such a weird little

great place. Petri dish, you know. It's a Petri dish and it's also, and I learned so much there. It's how I learned to start writing comedy. But it has actors voting on other actors. So the actors in the main company are the people who vote from the Sunday company, which is like the secondary up and coming company, to decide who becomes main company. So you've got insecure, threatened people voting on who's going to potentially be their biggest rivals.

Yeah. It's not a great system. No. And it was a terrible system for women. Yeah. Women were just cut, cut, cut, cut. And then they would end up with like two women and 30 men in the main company. I think it's better now.

Yeah. From what I've heard. Yeah. Yeah. better now yeah from what I've heard yeah yeah most you name an improv comedy sort of troop school and you can say it's better now it just is generally better now which is which is great yeah but that's really when I finally was like okay yeah I'm in this yeah probably I'm getting too you know it's getting too late for me to go back to school anyway. So I'm fucked if I don't make this work. And when did you start selling shows?

Because I know you sold shows like crazy that just kind of. Never happened. Yeah. How many? How many do you know? I believe it was seven. Wow. Yeah.

I think I sold seven shows before. I'm sorry. Wow. Yeah. Well, how does that? It's crazy. Wow. Yeah. How does that, it's crazy. It's crazy and. It's such a weird like purgatory of success. It's a very successful failure for many years that no, there's no outward sign of it.

Yeah. Which really doesn't matter. But at a certain point you're like, I want people to know that I've been doing something. But you are making a living in show business yes totally like definitely and making a decent living yeah you know um but with nothing you know i would act in a pilot every year i'd be cast in one like the lead of a pilot and i would write a pilot or two every year and none of them would go yeah and they would get made or sold some of them would get made Yeah. And they would be- They'd get made or sold. Some of them would get made. The pilots would get made, you know, and then sold.

And yeah, you were being paid for everything. Yeah, yeah. But just nothing was going my way. Like, you know, it was a show called Dog Bites Man, which is what I know Matt Walsh from, that we became writer-producers on that in the show. And that made me be like, oh, I could write, especially write for myself. Yeah. And then I learned how a writer's room works and outlines and scripts and all of that kind of stuff.

And then right after that, I think like two months after that was done, I sold my first one to Comedy Central, which did not end up going. Yeah. But that's where I sort of went like, oh, I could write and produce. Yeah. And I should do that for myself because people, especially back then, were not writing for women. So it was really like, okay, well, no one's going to write this for you. So you got to do it yourself.

Yeah. And especially if you have a unique voice, you know, yeah, that's, yeah, you kind of have to. Yeah. If you have a unique voice, you know, yeah, that's, yeah, you kind of have to. Yeah. Yeah. If you're just really, you know, like, I'm sorry, the logline is the exact same as curb or better things or fleabag or, you know, anything that's just a single point of view show. It's just a person getting through life.

Yeah. And the only thing that's different is the execution. Absolutely. It's all execution. And that's only point of view and only specificity and only, you know, voice. Right. Yeah. A mom's point of view could be anything, you know.

And your first instinct of that is, ugh. Yeah, yeah. Because moms have always been boring. Yeah. And harried. Yeah, yeah. And mad and sexless. Yeah.

boring and harried and mad and sexless. Yeah. So, yeah, so I just, that's when I started realizing, like, I can do more than just be an actor. Yeah. And I think for me, I have to, or I'll get bored and. You know, what strikes me is just that you say that there's this kind of clash between the Cornell and the Kearney, but holy shit, do they benefit each other? They have, ultimately.

Because what you're describing to me, all you're describing to me is a sense of direction and ambition that I would give one of my testicles for. I'll take one. They're old. I'm not going to look at it and do stuff with it. I'll just, I'll take it. Just brag about it. Yeah, I have one of Andy Richter's testicles in my garage.

In the glove box. Yeah. Well, no, but I mean, it's... No, it is. And it's like that kind of directedness that was, that pre-law directedness is like. It has 100% ended up now helping me. I wasn't sure if it would or if it was just going to make me always never feel happy with my choice of career. And I was always going to just sort of feel like I was failing one side or the other.

But now it really 100% has. And you're making peace with that, you think? I think so. Yeah. And I'm in therapy now. Yeah. And working on this. Yeah. How long? About four or five years now. Yeah. Yeah. That's great. And it's been now. Yeah. Yeah. That's great. And it's been great. Yeah. Yeah. I started not, yeah, around turning 40. Yeah, yeah. And it's been fantastic.

And so I do think I'm coming to peace with it, at least in this project. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. When this is done, I'm sure it will all go wild again. Yeah. But also like midlife, I don't won't say midlife crisis but like when you are evaluating things at midlife i do sit there and i go am i living my life as to risk you know to down the middle yeah and would i there's a part of me it's like i want

to live my life and be a little wilder in my day-to-day because my day-to-day life is pretty constricted. Yeah. You know? But, yeah. I mean, I couldn't do the show I'm doing and do it at the level and quality that I think I do it at if I didn't really approach it really from that lawyerly, like, type A kind of – Yeah. That way. Yeah. Well, it's – you're lucky.'s you're lucky i mean you know what i mean as much as you say like that it causes a conflict in you i do i do know i'm lucky it's

that i have that yeah it's fantastic to push myself through i'm a slob you've done okay for yourself No, I know, I've done okay Well, absolutely But I mean, I also have been Truly Lucky to have been Within this kind of bulletproof Show business vehicle With Conan O'Brien for all those years And I, because, you know

And it was one of the things that made me You know, I had been I had been the star of three network television shows. What's the one that I loved that you did? All three of them? No, two. I'm not fans. No, I actually don't know.

No, but the one that Jonathan Groff did. That's Andy Barker P.I. I loved that show. That was my favorite, too. Yeah. That was my favorite. And, you know, it's funny because I— I love him.

He's fantastic. He's the smartest, funniest. Yeah, yeah. It's not the Jonathan Groff, the Broadway star. No. Yeah. Who's also fantastic. Yes.

But that's not who I'm speaking of. No, Jonathan Groff is a hilarious, and also too, just like one of the best human beings in the world. And he was the head writer on Conan. That's right. While I was, you know, the last kind of half of my first stint there. Okay. And shortly after I left, he left too. Not a coincidence, I don't think. I mean, the minute I was gone, he knew that that ship was sinking. Yeah, obvious. We all did. And then it

continued. Yeah, yeah. We were all surprised. Yeah, yeah. All surprised. Wow. I don't know. After I left, it must have just been a lot of sympathy viewing. That's the way I look at it. All I know is I lost a lot of money on that because I was betting on that just sinking into the ground when I heard that. What? You have a weird bookie. Yeah, yeah. You have no idea. He's got a voice box.

Yeah. No, Andy Barker was a great show. I loved that show. It was really fun. Your other two shows might have been fantastic. I can't remember what they are now. No, I did Andy Richter Controls the Universe was the first one. Oh, that was a fantastic one too.

It was a really good show. I forgot about that one. And then in the middle, there was one that I just was an actor on called Kunteplitz that was on Fox. And it was kind of like- Vaguely, the name sounds familiar. It was kind of like- I forgot about Andy Richter Controls the Universe. Yeah, it was also better. It was kind of like, I forgot about Andy Richard controls you.

Yeah, it was also fantastic. It was, Quintuplets was like, standard, kind of dirty, family, you know,

racy, kids talking dirty, basically. You know, that Fox kind of, you know. And, but it's funny

because I, I know that like, you've said, all those shows that you created, most of them were well received everyone liked them hey this is funny this is great yeah but here's why we're not going to do it yes and that's what what you know not every single one was the best thing you've ever done but I would say after the first couple like they were all well received yeah and good yeah see andy barker pi uh was originally passed on uh-huh and then

somebody spoke up for it in like a in like a meeting with ge right and then they found some money to make a few episodes but the person who passed on it was ultimately the person in charge of saying yes or no of course so i all it really in hindsight it was like yeah sure go shoot your five or six episodes but i i did say no you know i'm gonna i'm gonna make sure i ended up right at the end yes and and it was i mean conan was the creator of the show was his idea and And we were on, I think there were six episodes, and it was on four different time slots, which is a really- There was only six episodes of that show? I think so. God, I remember it so well.

Maybe there was nine. It was a mid-season show. It wasn't a full- It wasn't. I see someone's picking up their phone to figure out how many episodes. Thank you. But you'd think I would know. I mean, but-

You'd think. I don't. I'm not good with numbers. But Conan would get in touch with the person because more than any other show I ever, of the other three shows, there was not one negative word about it. No.

It was just, this is great. This is good. This is great. This is good. This is unique. This is funny. This is emotional. And Conan would call this person and be like, hey, you see the reviews? And the reaction to it was like, yeah, yeah, they're good. They're good.

Honestly, with people like that, calling and saying, did you see see the reviews is like the worst thing you can do because it just makes them dig their heels in more well but i think that conan knew that at this point that he had and i'm not saying what conan did like was not so i'm just going in my history now just living with people and being around people sometimes, there's nothing you're going to make that kind of person who needs their idea to be their idea and it needs to be their instinct was right. Yes. It doesn't matter if everyone, like, loves it out of nowhere. Yeah. It's that kind of person.

Well, and it's also, too, a very common thing that happens is there's so much ego involved in when someone gets to be in charge. And so they basically, all they let continue when they become in charge, generally speaking, is the bona fide hits that they can't get rid of. Yes. But all of the sort of things that are growing get killed. Yeah. All of like the sort of things that are growing get killed. Yeah.

Because what's the benefit for me that for this thing that somebody else shepherded did become a hit? I like it. There's no upset. You know, when there's a new alpha male in an ape troop and he kills the offspring of all the previous alpha male. Yeah. Because like, I don't know, new bloodline, new genes. And that's the thing is when someone new comes over, takes over the network and you're developing a show, you're like, ah, fuck. Yeah. And that happened to me a couple times too.

Absolutely. Because you know it's like they're going to be like, no. And then there are the couple people who actually trust the people they hire and they have the confidence to be able to go, fuck, I was wrong. Yeah. You guys did it. Yeah. Great. How can we make this?

How can we support this? Yeah. Rare. They're few and far between. Those are the people who end up having successful networks or successful whatever. Right. And I'll say, I keep that in mind as somebody who's, quote unquote, in charge on my show. try very hard to have learned, take things from all of the things I've learned through being in the industry and make better choices. And one thing is because I do hire lots of people,

department heads and this and that, and try to give people autonomy and let them, like if I'm like, I don't know about that, prove me wrong. Yeah. Please. And then I'll be like, great. Yeah. You just helped me. Yes. Yes.

Thank you. You're also doing yourself a favor when you have people that you trust that you can delegate to. Because that's one more thing you don't have to worry about. Because when you do have a person that you've hired who is not doing what they need to be doing, I end up doing it because it still needs to get done. Yeah. And I'm not going to let it get done poorly. So then I will have to take it over. Yeah.

And it is worse on me. Have you had to fire people? Yes. And it's horrible. Oh, I imagine. Yeah. Not very many. We're very careful.

And I will tell you what I've been very unpleasantly surprised by is the lack of taking any responsibility of anybody that I've had to let go. Where it is like we have given you chance after chance after chance. Like you have to know that this isn't working. And you lay out the case for like this is why. And it's not like this is coming out of nowhere. People have spoken to you. I've spoken to you. This and that. I try to do it as nicely as possible and try to not bring a lot of people in the room.

I try to do it personally. And every single time, they turn it on me that it's my fault, that they didn't do their job right. Wow. And I'm just like, one, would you say that if I was a man? I don't know. Yeah. Yeah, there's no way to know. I don't know. There's no way to know.

But also, like, wow, people do not take any responsibility, especially on Twitter, on anything now. Yeah. You just hide. And then if somebody calls you out and is like, you actually didn't do this. Yeah. They just attack you. And you're like, what does this have to do with me? I wasn't involved in this job at all.

Yeah, yeah. And it also, too, like, whenever that I encounter that kind of person, I'm just like, you do realize you are hamstringing yourself at a chance of, like, personal growth and a fulfilling emotional life. Because, you know, there are- Yeah, and even above that, wouldn't you rather we part amicably? Yeah. Because someone's gonna call me for your reference. And if I just go, hey, you know what?

It didn't work out with us, but I think they're a really good person. Now I know they've done a couple more jobs. They're probably great. Yeah. Versus they were like awful. And then when we actually went to have a conversation about it, they were rude.

They filled their diaper. Yeah. And were assholes. Yeah. And this is a small town and it gets rough. So I'm like, even if you're just being nice at the end to protect yourself. Yeah. Smart. Right, right. Yeah. Smart.

Right, right. Yeah. I've always said that. If you are the most calculating person in the world that just wants crass output from people, be nice. Yes. Be nice. Truly. If you're just pure evil and you don't give a shit about anyone around you, but you just want them to do what you want, be nice. Be nice. Truly. If you're like just pure evil and you don't give a shit about anyone around you, but you just want them to do what you want, be nice.

Be nice. Make it a nice working environment. Yeah. Even if you're faking that you care to make their lives better. Yeah. Like, yeah. It is, yeah. Yeah.

It's interesting. Now, do you see the show? You're writing a new season. I'm writing a new season, season three right now. And what do you see for the show? Like how long do you want it to go? Is it something that you'd like it to go for 10 seasons or? I don't think it's the kind of show that can sustain 10 seasons and keep a quality.

Do you, how do you feel about that? Because I'm of the opinion that there's a lot of shows, they just go on too long. That's my opinion. And that, you you know like that's one great thing about english shows yes is that they are they are limited and it's like this is a story it's this many episodes the story's over yeah we're all going to go do something else and i will say right now even with season three i um before before we agreed that we were going to move on to a season three i asked the network if i could do an exploratory writer's room for a month to make sure that i felt like we still had quality new stories to tell that's great we weren't going to become

caricature and we weren't going to you know lose the nuance and i don't want everyone to become monsters on the show which i think single point of view shows you just have to keep getting crazier and crazier. And so, and they were fantastic and they let us do that. And then we're like, yeah, there are still quite a few areas that I think we can attack in a great way. What a good boss you are. What a good showrunner you are. Oh, thank you. It's also selfish. It takes me 13 months of the highest level of stress and all this. And if I'm going to, at the end of it um not have a good show yeah i'd rather and i know how hard it is to get a show that people love and that you are proud of on the air but i also think shows go on too long and i have made the promise to myself that when i

think it is at that time i will end it even if it's a bummer and it's gonna be like fuck now i gotta start over yeah i will what what do you think start have you thought about what starting over is yeah i think i would probably uh take a little break of developing television um i um have a couple feature um things that i'm developing right now that i don't really have time to get deeper into but i would love to write and direct a movie yeah and i think that that's feasible. I think there's an, you know, one being a woman that's in demand right now in that world. And also I've done it now. You know, I direct, I write, I produce. I know how to do the whole thing now. And I have a couple things that I've

wanted to do that I think I would do. You know, I've started this podcast. I'd like to perform live again. Yeah. So I'd like to do a small level of touring in some capacity. I also would love to just act on someone's show. Yeah. And, you know. That's one thing.

I mean, like I have, like I was saying, I have had the benefit of being in this long vehicle that's just, I mean, long running vehicle that's just provided me with steady income and visibility. And a really huge thing is a really easy schedule and lots of time. Like, I've been doing this show for nine years. That's nine years that I was able to be home for dinner. Oh, yeah. And that's... It's everything. It's everything.

Yeah. It's everything. And I miss acting. Yeah. I really, really miss acting. And when I get to do it, like, now, it's a kind of a healthy nervousness for me because I don't act. And then I get a gig, and I'm like, and the first couple of days, I'm like, I don't know if I can do this. I forget how to.

And I feel so rusty. And, like, there's just, like, this crust that has to be knocked off. And do you get any pleasure out of that putting yourself in that position anymore the pleasure that i get because when it when i when that phenomenon first started where i like where i started to first feel that or where i where i had a role that was kind of because there's a lot of roles i can just you know yeah yeah they sleep. Yeah, yeah. They're just, they're that thing and they're just.

They're you. Yeah, yeah, exactly. And, but ones that are a little stretch or that take a little more thought or a little bit more like, you know, how am I going to sell this lie of being this person? When it first started, I didn't like it. I was terrified. And when it first started, I didn't like it. I was terrified. I was like, oh, shit.

Because then I'm looking down the road at like, because, you know, I want to be a character actor until I'm, you know, until I'm very old. I want to be, you know, I want to be like the old man in things. And then, you know, you start a job and it's like, fuck. Do I still got this? Yeah. Can I do this still? Did I just sham my way through everything before and have a moment where everyone's going to know? But then after a couple days, just getting the muscles working again, it's like, oh, yeah, yeah. I can do this.

And I'm getting enough nice feedback that I believe. Yes. Because there's people blowing smoke, and then there's also people that you trust telling you, like, hey, that was good. Yeah. And that matters. Yeah. And that, so, like, I'm more used to it now, where when I start something that might be a few days of a job. Yeah.

There's a little, like, oh, yeah, right. Oh, right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But that's the part I get off on. Yeah. It's making sure I still have those moments in my life. Yeah. That make me nervous. Yeah. that make me nervous, that make me

question like, oh God, can I pull this off again? It's like, I think I get a little addicted to that adrenaline, like that kind of thing. Yeah, yeah. Was that always a healthy addiction to that, you think? I think so, yeah. Yeah, I've always sort of, yeah, that's a thing. Use that as a... Yeah. It's bad. Like my mom always is like, you've never been good at being bored. Yeah. You definitely like to live heightened state. Right. Which sometimes it's like, it takes me a little bit to calm down and just relax.

Yeah, yeah. And just be okay with not doing a thousand jobs and projects and at once and um but that only lasts very very rich you know I can't do it for long I like to be doing something yeah is it hard on your daughter when you're working so much or have you figured out a way to make it work it's I mean I know this is kind of a boiler pre boilerplate question but it's question, but it's a real question. And it haunts me every day. We're going to the third season. And it's been now basically from like six to ten. I think seven, maybe.

And I would say in the middle. I work really hard. I write no exterior night scenes, so we never shoot at night. I make sure that our writer's room is within a couple miles of our school and my production offices and my post-production facilities. Nice. We only shoot until 6.30 at night. Yep. I have to keep working.

You know what I mean? But I come home, I do dinner, bedtime, and then I go back to work. Oh, wow. But I try really hard. Yeah. then I go back to work. Oh, wow. But I try really hard. I feel like during the writer's room, you know, it's not, I'm not around as much, but it's not super crazy. Yeah. Production is hard. Production's hard. Just it's long hours and I have to work on the weekends and rehearse. And by the end of production, I noticed her regressing and it sucks

yeah yeah and then i'm like we got this got we gotta wrap this up yeah yeah it's hard yeah but now we've been through it a couple times and we're able to talk about like we know this part's gonna be hard but then we're gonna get to the other spot and then she knows i'm coming you know yeah and i don't disappear for good it's not like I'm going out of town. Yeah. And I am home for dinner. Yeah. You know? Yep.

It's not, I'd be lying if it was like, oh, yeah, it's totally perfect. It doesn't affect her at all. Yeah. Of course it does. Right. It affects my marriage. It affects everything. Yeah, yeah. Well, way to go.

Way to go fucking it up? Yeah, yeah. You had to have your own show. Well, whatever. All right. I guess you'll work it out up? Yeah, yeah. You had to have your own show. Well, whatever. All right. I guess you'll work it out later. Yeah, yeah. No, I mean, you'll have the money to pay for her therapy.

That's all I'm saying. I'm not paying for her therapy. No? She's got to get a fucking job. Nice. I'm not going to live off my money. I was actually going for that. Fuck that little deadbeat.

Yeah. Yeah. I'll pay for a little bit, but I do sometimes sit there and I go, this kid's life is so good. Yeah. What does she have to be in therapy about later? I have to give her something. Yeah. If this is the thing.

My mom worked a lot. Yeah. For these four years, her five years, her show was on the air. Yeah. I'm fine with that. Yeah. Throw her a bone. No. She's not just a boring asshole that was on the air? Yeah. I'm fine with that. Yeah. Throw her a bone? No.

She's not just a boring asshole that was like, well, everything was great. Because I learned a lot of lessons. Most of my learning is like doing the opposite of something that I saw someone else fuck up. Of course, yeah. And so there has been lots of my parenting has been informed by don't do that. Yeah. And I think that my ex-wife and I have done a really good job of being honest with our kids and being respectful of our kids. letting them be themselves and apologizing to them when we fuck up and like admitting our own humanity and allowing them to question us,

you know, to not feel like they're stymied and stifled just because of there's some like authority figure that you don't question. Yeah. But they're still like, A, they got our brain chemistry. They're going to be in therapy for something. They got our brain chemistry. So there's in therapy for something they got our brain chemistry so there's all that you know

just that stuff but also if you didn't have something you'd be so boring yeah you gotta give them little they need some challenges yeah

because life is without a lot of challenges right and complicated people tend to create complicated people so yeah yeah

so it's yeah you know they're all fucked up. Well, it's not our fault. But also, I just sort of like to, when something happens, I'll be like, wonder if that's going to be brought up in 20 years. Like, you know what I mean? Like, I'm just like, hmm, well, there's a good one.

Yeah, well, it's done now. Cat's out of the bag. You're welcome. You've got something to talk about. All right. And if really that's going to be the thing you talk about,

you know what I mean? Sometimes I'm like, if that's the thing, then you're welcome. Your life has been perfect. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let me tell you about the stuff

I went through. Which also was never that crazy. So there you go. See, I am able to say a couple of things with my kids where they're like,

it's hard. And I'm like, check this out. Here's a little page from with my kids where they're like, it's hard. And I'm like, check this out. Here's a little page from dad's book. Yeah. Like, ooh, ooh, right. Okay. Yeah.

Yeah. I probably have a couple of those. Yeah, yeah. Well, I think we've covered the where you've been, where you're going. Great. Andrea Savage, what have you learned? Today or just in life? I don't care.

Listen, we're getting near the end of this thing and I've got to get lunch. All right. I have to do stuff too. All right. What have I learned? But basically, one, that luck isn't a real thing, but you can be prepared for the right opportunities. But make sure you've done the hard work so when those opportunities arise, you're prepared to take the most advantage of them. Yes. Because it's a combo, and I think sometimes people are like, well, I just didn't get lucky.

Yeah. Or, well, I'm waiting to get lucky. Or, oh, I got lucky. And it's like, no, it's a combo, and I think sometimes people are like, well, I just didn't get lucky. Yeah. Or, well, I'm waiting to get lucky. Or, oh, I got lucky. And it's like, no, it's a combo. You have to be ready to take the opportunity when you maybe saw a little luck did go your way. Yeah. Yeah, because when I think about the people, this is just the showbiz part of it. When I think about the people I came up with, I cannot, and I've thought about this before,

I can't think of one person that has been unjustly underemployed. I agree. You know what I mean? I've talked about this at length with people. Yeah. In the beginning, when I first started, there were people who'd get a job, and you were like, how the fuck did that happen? Whatever.

Yeah, yeah. Or people that were sort of late coming to getting jobs. But I will say those people now are really no longer on the scene. Yeah. They kind of flashed and then went away. But the people who just have worked hard and deserve it are the ones that have the longevity. Yeah. And don't be afraid of working hard.

I think sometimes in comedy, working hard seems lame and everyone's like, I don't like trying. Yeah, yeah. Get out of that. Yeah. Not trying is not as cool as you think it is. That was more like a 90s alternative comic. Like, I'm not going to even try to make a joke. I got my notes on the stage.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've done no effort. Yeah. It does seem like we're moving from that and we're moving to it's okay to make an effort and actually those people were making effort yes they just put on an act yes to pretend that they weren't yeah um and i don't know i guess just if you know as a grown woman now who is married, does have a child, has a job, take something that you loved. For me, it luckily is my job and comedy, but it is like hanging out with my friends. Make sure you still have a little of that of who you were before all that happened in your life now.

And I think you will be happier. Yeah. Because I have spent a lot of time being like, can you be a grown up and have responsibilities and be happy? You know, that's kind of what my podcast is about. And I really think it's a mindset. Yeah. And it's a lifestyle of making sure that you haven't forgotten little pieces of your original you and carrying them throughout. Yes.

forgotten little pieces of your original you and carrying them throughout. Yes. Well, and also, this business, if you don't have a strong footing, it will push you into like being some kind of – Well, yeah. You have to have outside anchors. Yeah. It'll push you into being – because this business especially, you know, in a position like yours and somewhat like a position like mine, just being on TV and being talent in things, there is a, you're

treated like you can't do anything wrong. You know, like you, like if you said, like, I, I need the carpet in my trailer changed. Somebody would go like, okay, you know, because you kind of, you know. And I, so like people of weak character, when they are told you can't do anything wrong, they start to believe it. Yes. And they turn into some weird facsimile of a human. Yeah.

And I know them. I mean, not a lot of them personally but i know them and it is like it is such a again a lesson in like as in a negative lesson like don't let that happen yeah make sure that you know like oh no you can still fuck up you can still be wrong all the time you just said like if you said change the carpet in your trailer i'm like i would never do that i know i would be like we need that money in the budget for something else and be like well no does everyone have carp in the show no i'm not gonna be the one person who has car i go like so the other yeah create like the other direction yeah um but i i think even for people listening who are in the entertainment industry, just taking whoever you were, whatever hobby, whatever you like to do, because people are like, my life is boring now.

How can I have fun in my life? Is it all just being a parent? Is it all just going to work and slaving for a mortgage? It's like, who were you before? You can still be the same. You don't have to change that much. I'm still basically the person personality wise

that I was before I had a child and that kind of stuff. Yeah, yeah. And if you can kind of do that I think you win. Yeah. It's all about winning people.

Yeah. That's the number one thing I've learned. It's all about winning. If you don't win kill yourself. All right. Speaking of winning seasons one and two of I'm Sorry are available on Netflix, and Andrea has a new podcast, Andrea Savage, A Grown-Up Woman, Hashtag Buttholes, with new episodes available weekly.

Yeah. Thank you for coming on. Thank you for having me. I love you. It's really been fun talking to you. I love you, too. And I'm very happy you asked me to be here. And I'm very happy that I'm going to be on your show because it's a fun thing to talk about.

Being a grown-up and having fun is like— We just play games and we laugh. Love it. Yeah. Well, and thank you all out there in podcast land for listening. And we will catch you next time on The Three Questions. podcast land for listening and we will catch you next time on the three questions the three questions with andy richter is a team coco and earwolf production it's produced by me kevin bartelt executive produced by adam sacks and jeff ross at team coco and chris bannon and

colin anderson at earwolf our supervising producer is aaron blair associate produced by jen samples and golitzaek, and engineered by Will Becton. And if you haven't already, make sure to rate and review The Three Questions with Andy Richter on Apple Podcasts. This has been a Team Coco production in association with Earwolf.