The Three Questions with Andy Richter - Cullen Crawford

Episode Date: February 10, 2026

Comedian and writer Cullen Crawford (Colbert, The Onion News Network) joins Andy Richter to discuss his new Netflix animated comedy show, "Strip Law," with Adam Scott and Janelle James, preferring comedy about “skeletons and toilets," growing up in the South, his admiration for the original "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" writer's room, and much more. Do you want to talk to Andy and friends live on SiriusXM’s Conan O’Brien Radio? Tell us your favorite dinner party story (about anything!) or ask a question - leave a voicemail at 855-266-2604 or fill out our Google Form at BIT.LY/CALLANDYRICHTER. Listen to "The Andy Richter Call-In Show" every Wednesday at 1pm Pacific on SiriusXM's Conan O'Brien Channel. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, everybody. Welcome back to the three questions. I'm your host, Andy Richter. And today I am talking to the very funny comedy writer, Cullen Crawford. He's a writer and comedian, and we've known each other for a long time. He's written for the late show with Stephen Colbert and the Onion News Network. His new show, Strip Law, which is very, very funny, is out next week on Netflix. So check it out. Here's my conversation with Cullen Crawford. Cullen Crawford, hello. Hi, Andy. How are you? I'm good. Thank you. We've known. We've known each other for a long time because we were Twitter pals. That's true. And then it became in real life, too, because we have a bunch of mutual friends. Very true. Yeah, yeah.

And when I first got to know you on Twitter, were you a comedy, like professional comedy writer at that point? I was probably at the onion at that point. So, yes. Professional, but like not in a way that anyone would know who I was. Yeah, yeah. And that was in Chicago, right? That was in Chicago. Yeah, yeah. Friends on Twitter now, it sounds like, like, yeah, we made friends in the third Reich.

Yeah, no. Well, no, because it's Twitter. It's not, I refuse to call it X and I, and I refuse to be part of it. Although, I see, I still see there's still, are you on it anymore? I got off of there. There's still so many people on it because I see, you know, these aggregate Instagram posts of just tweets. Yeah. You know, and it's like, what the fuck are you people doing over there? I mean, look, I get. It's. Hard to give it up. Like, if you have a, like, I built a following on there. And I just was like, you know what?

Me too. Fuck this. It's like on the Nazi website. Yeah, yeah. Do this. Well, and also, too, at the end, and I saw a lot of other people complaining about this, you know, who had pretty substantial a number of followers, like nobody's seeing anything. Yeah. I'm putting stuff out and I'm getting like where I used to get, I don't know, 300 likes or whatever.

It's like four. Yeah. Literally like, you know, 2% or 3% or. of what something was before. Yeah. And then you're getting called a cuck by those three people. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I love that.

Call me a cuck all you want. I actually misunderstood when Twitter once. I didn't, I, because I wasn't like up on, in the early days, I wasn't up on the lingo. And, uh, and I said someone once, I was like on a rant about people and like, and it was like limited. So you could, you know, like I had to do like a string of tweets. Yeah. And there was like one where I just did like,

and what's with all these people calling me a cook? And my response, what I said was like, my wife already sleeps with a fat guy. Except I don't buy swords at the mall. I get my humiliation by having sex with my wife. Thank you very much. Yeah.

Go ahead. Good luck, fatty. So where are you from originally? I'm from New Orleans, Louisiana originally. Oh, wow. No shit. Didn't pick up there? Yeah.

did, like up until about the age 10 and then just moved around the south, but always went back to Louisiana. Yeah, because I'm, I've spent, my ex-wife was from Covington. Yeah, I'm from Covington. I'm from Covington. Wow, wow, wow, that's amazing. Yeah, I didn't know that. That place is fancy as hell now. I know. It is not how it was when I was kidding. Yeah, no, I know. It's amazing. No, it's, I mean, because my mother-in-law had no money and, like, lived, lived in, like, an old rental house that had no air-conditioned. And she was living turn of the century. Like when it's 100 degrees there, it's just like, well, you don't open up any doors and you keep everything closed. And, you know, like mold growing on the old tin ceiling and stuff. But then you go down town.

It's like southern living. Yeah. And it's like, you know, boutiques. Yeah. It's wild. It's wild. Like, this is where I used to swim in the river with literal alligators. Like I could see them.

And now it's like, it's looking. like Savannah, Georgia or something. Yeah, yeah. And what, I mean, do you sort of identify as Southern then? I do. I mean, yeah, it's hard to come out of that place and not have it leave a mark on you in both good and bad ways, you know?

And I think New Orleans especially is like one of the few cities that is like its own thing still, you know what I mean? Everywhere else it's like homogenized a little bit. And so like I become a different person in New Orleans, man. I'm like so much more outgoing and like, you talk to a guy walking his dog and two hours later, you guys are doing shots together. Like, it's just, it's an insane place. I love it so much.

Yeah, yeah. And were your parents from there? Like, my mom's from there. My dad's from Chicago. Oh, okay. So that's why I ended up in Chicago after. Oh, so is they, oh, okay. Yeah, that's a good split, though.

That's a, you know, like good towns. Yeah. You know. And, um, and what did your folks do? My dad was sort of like various manager jobs. He worked at waste management for a while, like sort of sales managery jobs. Yeah, yeah. Couldn't really hold a job down.

And my mom was like very traditional Catholic. Like she just, she wanted to be a housewife. Yeah. But like money was an issue for us. So she became a drug rep. I heard drug and then a rep. She became a mule. Yeah, yeah.

So yeah, kind of a last key kid thing. And solid like middle class upbringing. Yeah. Yeah. In Chicago proper? No, I've never lived in Chicago till after school. Oh, okay. So we're like North Carolina or Virginia, just sort of around the south. I see, I see, yeah.

And where's it a funny? Do you have siblings? I have a younger brother and an older sister. Okay. And was it a funny family? No. Yeah. My dad was definitely clinically depressed and just kind of checked out,

like undiagnosed depressed guy. Listen, take it from me. You can still be funny. I mean, yeah. I mean, I'm sitting here. He like, he liked comedy. Like, he would introduce me to stuff. Like, I remember learning about mystery science theater from him.

Yeah, yeah. But, yeah. And then my mom had sort of, my mom was very much like an outgoing Southern lady big, like fried green tomatoes type. So, like, funny adjacent, I would say. But I was definitely the, like, weirdly, I remember Conan talking about this a million years ago, like, when you're in a family that you can't really voice dissatisfaction and you learn to, like, work it through humor.

Yeah, yeah. And that was very much a thing that I was doing. Yeah, yeah. Sort of like, I got, like, I got dark comedy really quickly. And, like, that was, like, my thing was, like, pointing out how fucked up everything was and our family and stuff in a way that was not appreciated. Yeah, yeah. It was definitely like sharpening it.

It wasn't, yeah, yeah, they didn't take it as a joke or. I mean, somewhat, but then it's like, hey, you got to stop talking like that. Yeah, yeah. And so, yeah, I would say not a funny family, but like sense of humor in the family. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I remember in high school, like, a girl that I, a girl that I liked, and who liked me too, but she had a boyfriend. But like when, and when it all went south and like we, you know, at the end of like a flirtation and a period of flirtation, and then it ends. And then it's like, I don't like you anyway.

And she kept like calling, she called me cynical. Like you're so cynical and cynical. And I had heard that from other people too. And at, you know, you know, first of all, I'm not good with criticism. Yeah. But second, I was like, cynical, what's that mean? And then I, like, over time realized like, oh, you mean like I notice fucked up shit? You don't ignore.

Yeah. And I'm sort of skeptical about a lot of stuff that most people don't question. Is this like 10th grade? Like. Yeah. Oh, no, this is more like junior, senior, senior. Okay. Yeah, yeah, in high school.

Getting called cynical in high school is like, how are you not cynical? I know, I know. You're like the most disempowered person on her. Absolutely. No. But I mean, it's, there is like a, you know, in a small town, it's just there's not a lot of, like, questioning. You know, like you. People don't like.

Yeah. Do what coach says. Yeah, exactly. That's how, that's how a lot of problems get started. If you just do what coach says. But yeah, I understand. And it is like, did you also feel like kind of you're in charge of morale? Because that's like I kind of felt that way too.

I think, well, for sure with my parents. Yeah, I was like basically my mom's fucking therapist. Yeah, yeah, yeah. A very unhealthy way. Yeah. But it's like I stayed up late worrying about my parents' problems, like as a child. Yeah. Not the best way to raise a kid.

It sure isn't. Yeah, yeah. No, I'm right there with you. Are you Catholic? No. Where are you? What are you? Whatever church was closest, honestly.

Whatever vague Protestant church was closest. And it never, except for when I was real little and I lived with my grandmother who was, who did all, you know, I don't even know that she was that religious. She just did a lot of, like, lip service to kind of Bible thumping, you know, like Phyllis Schlafly kind of shit, you know. And so, no. And then I, like, it's even into my young, you know, like early teen years, I was like, this doesn't make any sense. Yeah, man. Yeah, none of this makes any sense, you know.

And so I just, and I was involved in our church because I liked the communal aspect of it. And we had a really great minister who was very inspirational and who was friends with our family and would, like, would say things to. my mom like, well, you know how we agnostics are. He's a fucking minister. Yeah, yeah. It's like when you are a religious kid, like, I wasn't like one of those kids with stars in my eyes like, I got to be on stage.

But I was like, I got to be a priest, man. Like you get to get up once a week and tell everyone how it is. Yeah, yeah. That seems great to me. Yeah, yeah. And then puberty sort of put the kibosh on it. Right, right, right. Well, yeah, no, that's, I mean, the clergy is, there's show business.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, because you are, you are. you put on a show, you know, and if you're Catholic, it's more than once a week. Yeah. You get to do a show a number times a week. But, but yeah, I had this, but I had this, the same kind of thing with, like, oversharing. And, you know, and like, and my mom would say things like, you had such a good head on your shoulders. And, and, and she said, you know, you got to a point when you were, you know, 12, 13, where we'd have arguments. and you would win.

Yeah. And she's like, and so I just kind of started to listen to you and stuff. And when I was young, that seemed real, you know, and when you're in it, you feel like I'm helping. And then, you know, it's, I don't even think I even realized how bad that it all was until I had a kid. Yeah.

And when you have a kid, it's instantly, do you don't have any kids? No kids. When you have a kid, like it's magic spell is broken and you're like, holy shit did those people do some shit that you shouldn't do with a kid you know yeah yeah yeah even without a kid i would say like because i just turned 40 and like people were like well how's it feel to be 40 i was like i feel the same except like oh my parents weren't about shit like that was like my big revelation of like they were just they were listening to coach they were just like yeah i was supposed to have kids so i had kids and were supposed to be religious so really like

i was like they didn't like have a fucking belief in their body like yeah yeah yeah sort of like going through the motions of everything. Yeah, yeah. I at least, like, you know, it's stupid where I'm about, but I know what I'm about. So as you go, where was high school for you then? High school was Raleigh, North Carolina. And North Carolina? Yeah.

And how was high school for you? Who, bad. Bad. I like, again, very religious. And we moved to North Carolina when I was, would have been going into eighth grade. Uh-huh. And there wasn't really a Catholic middle school around us. And like, let's just have him.

He's like smart. Let's just have him skip eighth grade. So I went into high school not knowing anyone as a fucking 12 year old. Oh my God. How does that's a like, okay, I get it. Every parent makes mistakes. Yeah. Like how do you not just as an adult have this just the sense of like, no, no, that's, that's a bad idea.

It was I truly, I guess it's the religion trumping everything. Yeah. Like Catholic is what's important. Right. So let's just make sure that's... He'll get over it. He can't go to public school. It's the heathens or whatever.

Yeah, yeah. And I was like a well-liked kid in middle school. Like, I had friends. I wasn't, like, cool, but I had friends. And everyone was nice to each other. And I walked into high school and it was just like face first into a buzz song. Yeah, yeah. Oh, everyone's mean for no reason.

This is wild. Yeah. And, yeah, so I, like, didn't have a good time. And that was really where I, like, Sinical is probably the right word, like misanthropic as well, like just learning to like, well, I can hurt people's feelings. I can do that. That's my like how I defend myself. Right, right. I got real good at it. Yeah. Can't you tell my loves you. So when you graduate, you're only like 16 or something, right? 17, yeah. 17, yeah. But you're young all the way through. Yeah. Yeah. Does it get any better through those four years? I mean, at least sort of get your footing after you're not 12 and puberty actually occurs. I will say like maybe it's partially starting behind, but like girls were not really a thing in high school for me. Yeah.

But yeah, I got like a little group of friends. And, you know, like, again, it was like sort of the outcasty like kids, but not really nerds. Like, again, like the sort of cynical like we're not participators kids. Yeah, yeah. Who were very funny. You remember those kids in high school were like, you walk into a writer's room. you're like, man, like this fucking burnout kid I saw, like, hook his leg on a fence and almost bleed out is funnier than like half the people in here. So, like, yeah, very funny, very mean, but like, we did, like, sort of find friendship in each other.

And then, like, I was, like, again, like a smart kid, but the depression really kicked up in high school and, like, grades really fell off. So, like, I wasn't really good at school. Join the lacrosse team in North Carolina, which was very strong. strange, but it was like, I don't feel like I come off as a lacrosse guy, but I definitely, I played lacrosse in high school. But that's like an East Coast kind of thing that, you know, it's a different. This is not like the like Long Island, Maryland lacrosse. Right, right.

This was like dirt North Carolina kids. Yeah, yeah. But it was, it was cool. It was fun sport. It's cool. Yeah, yeah. I wish more people could play it. It's like I learned that later that like the sport was adopted sort of to keep poor.

people out of, like black people out of athletics because it costs so much to buy all the fucking gear. So it was like keeping low, it was like a sport that low income kids couldn't do. Oh, wow. So that's why all the like private schools really picked up on it. Oh, that's nice. Yeah. Superful. Why everything's. Racism ruins everything. It's true. No, Sam. Nice job, everybody. Good job, white people. That was high school. Yeah. And then, um, where do you go from there? I went to Appalachian State University in North Carolina. I, like, every time I moved to a new school, like, just starting over, like, not a lot of existing friends, but, like, I did really like it there.

I was drinking a lot at this point, which was not good, but like... Is that, like, self-medicating for the depression kind of stuff? Self-medicating and self, like, destruction. Like, I would, like, black out a lot. Like, this is more confessional than I thought it would be. Yeah. Come on. Give it to me.

baby yeah yeah uh but yeah i like sort of figured out like oh i like writing in college and i didn't think i was ever going to get to do that for a living but like right um i figured out a lot of who i was in college yeah yeah yeah and so that was cool and do you start dealing with the depression at all no hell no not at all this is like much later in life figured that show probably in the 20s starting to figure out like oh i'm not just supposed to feel either nothing or horrible all the time yeah yeah yeah no That was one, I mean, one, I do give my mother credit in that she was very open to what she called counseling. Okay. Like it wasn't, we didn't call it therapy or, you know, but like counseling.

So like when, even when I was at university, I went to University of Illinois for two years in Champaign and then transferred to Columbia College in Chicago for film. But while I was there at Champaign, it was like, there's a, there's a therapy, you know, like, I was like, I'm fucking, especially to. coming from a fairly unhappy dysfunctional home, but it still was like a vessel that held me. And when I got to college and I was on my own, it's just like a fucking cartoon cuckoo clock. Sproying! Just came undone.

And was like, but I did at least have this sort of like, that little bit of tools to go, hey, is there therapy here? Like, is there, like, can I talk to somebody about, like, how fucking miserable I am? Yeah. You know? That's pretty awesome, honestly. Yeah, yeah.

Although I did the first one, the first, my first therapist there, I won't give his full name. But he was like, he was like, he was very ginger, very red hair, red-haired guy with like weird facial hair. And his first name, his first name was king. So he kind of. Yeah, yeah, I don't know if he was Southern or what, but like, he did every book on his shelf of his like little office was. And, you know, and he was learning to do therapy. Every book was religious. Like everything is like, you know, and I just, and I was there for like a month.

And I, and I, maybe more, but I did, you know, I still was like small town enough that's like, I don't like all this religious shit. but I didn't, I didn't dislike it as much as I wouldn't. Like, it wouldn't be the instant sort of deal breaker that it would be for me now. So I was like, and I let it go too long and just like, and just got to the point where it was like he was sort of insulting me. And it was kind of like, you know, there was a lot of sort of like you get, you know, you need to find something outside yourself, which I was like, I bet I know what you mean by that. and pull yourself up by your bootstraps kind of thing, which is you just, it's really what you want to hear. This guy is real ahead of his time. Yeah, yeah.

But then I transferred to, I had another therapist there that was very, very helpful. And, and it began, you know, and I mean, I've been in therapy forever, you know. I mean, it's, it takes a place, for me, it takes a place of religion, just in terms of, like, that in, like, presenting a framework and, and a sense of progress. and feeling like you got a fucking handle on this shit, this being alive shit, you know? Especially, like, without it, it's like, I don't know about you, but like the world, the rooms I walk into, talking about bigger stuff is often not the most welcome.

You know what you're like comedy guys or whatever. Yeah, yeah. And it does fill that religious whole of like, here's where I'm going to talk about like existence and shit. Yeah, like, aren't you scared? Aren't you worried? You know, like we have this big brain that, is able to conceptualize our own demise.

Doesn't that kind of fuck you up sometimes? You know, like, yeah. No, there's comedy rooms. Sometimes there's not deep thinkers. See, I think we're all deep thinkers, but we're all terrified. Some are too scared. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So we're over, over correcting.

Um, well, what do you, I mean, do you think, because obviously you start then pushing towards, like, I'm going to write comedy. Oh. man. And, and well, I was like the opposite. I was about to graduate. I was like a semester away from graduating. And there was like some like, you know, like paperwork slash class that I needed to take. And it was like, I just couldn't face it. And packed up my car and drove to Chicago and never graduated. Yeah. And I didn't graduate either. And was like, okay, now it's 2008. The economy is crashing. And I have no college degree. So I was just like to. taking any job. Like, I was a baker. I lied about knowing how to bake and became a baker at a bakery. Wow.

I worked at a chocolate factory. I worked at career builder in sales. And then, so I'm just like doing anything. Like, the idea of writing is so far away from me at this point. Yeah. I'm just kind of, like, keep food in my mouth. And I took a job as a security guard at a hospital on the night shift. So I was at, and it was Northwestern Memorial.

I don't know if I should say that or not. Chicago, like in downtown Chicago. Yeah, I know. Yeah. And they had a building that's torn down now that was abandoned. Like, it was empty. And I was on the night shift patrolling an abandoned hospital. Wow.

From 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. And my job was to walk around and basically make sure it wasn't on fire. And the one active floor was the seventh floor, which was the psych ward for the ER. And everything else was empty. I'm walking around. So like if somebody came into the ER and they were acting out or they're, they're They put them in the psych ward in the abandoned building. Not even like, how about the first floor?

Yeah, right? Yeah, send them up to seven. So I would patrol this building. And on my first night, I'm like terrified. It's like art directed, scary. Like there's like literal splatters on the wall. There's graffiti. There's papers.

One floor is just empty cribs because it was a baby hospital. Oh. And I'm like, I'm walking down the stairs and the psych ward, the like emergency exit into the stairs. has a window in it. And there was a woman who's like, had taken makeup and just like smeared red and smeared black on her eyes.

And I turned the corner and her face is perfectly framed in the window. And I let out a scream. Like, I was so already scared of this place. And I turned and just like, I've never screamed involuntarily. Yeah, yeah. Like, so that was terrifying.

Yeah. So while I was at that job, I would sit on. Craigslist and just look for any work I could find. Yeah. At this point, I was like, maybe I can be a playwright. Like, that's like the one, that's the more realistic version of comedy writing for me. But I found a job.

Why was it more realistic? Because it was more concrete, like you could understand, like, okay, you write a play, as opposed to I'll work for the onion. Yeah. Yeah. Which is pretty nebulous. It also just felt like, well, entertainment business is for, like, other people. Fancy pants.

This is like a thing happening in Chicago and like it's kind of bookish. Yeah. I can like do this. And there was an ad for Groupon.com was hiring humor writers. And the idea was that like if we put little comedic like McSweeney's style essays at the bottom of the deals, people might come to just read them and then maybe buy coupons or whatever. Oh, wow. It was very, it was like a very successful company founded by a guy who was like an alt comedy nerd.

And I think he just wanted to like, stay true to his roots. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I like that, though. Yeah, I mean, yeah, yeah. It did not work business-wise. Of course not. Luckily, just people were already using the site, so it just subsidized.

Well, and people were, there was, that was at the time, too, where they were figuring out, what the fuck do you do with this internet stuff? Yeah. It's like, I did a couple, like, industrial short comedy videos for corporate clients that were like, where you're like, what is this going to, it'll be on the internet. What for? Like, just, I'm like, all right, I'll do it. You know, Paul Tompkins and I will work for three weeks making comedy shorts for eBay.

All right, you know. So I hired, like I applied to that out of Craigslist in the slush pile and got hired. And it completely changed my life. Yeah. I like met, because they were hiring all these Chicago comedy people, even for not comedy writers. Right, right. And I met the entirety of the Chicago comedy scene. It was like the friggin, was it, the Harvard Crimson?

The Harvard Lampoon. It was like the lampoon where I was like paid to write and learn how to be funny and basically no rules. It was like just don't talk about sex and don't swear. Otherwise do whatever. And I couldn't believe my fucking job was this. Yeah. And so through that I just like started doing sketch, started doing, we did a little fake, me and my friend Joe Kozala, who's this very funny stand-up. We did a live talk show at 1230 at night at Second City.

And so, like, that was how I got talk show writing chops. Long story short, the Onion came to Chicago. They had a bunch of openings, and I found out about it through that and got hired out of that slush pile. Yeah. And then that was like, you know, it was the Onion News Network. It was not the paper, which there is, like, people are, they don't want you claiming paper if it didn't work for the paper.

Okay. So I was writing videos for them. And just that was like boot camp, man. Like, you had to have 100 ideas a week literally. And you'd get, you'd use two of them. Yeah. Which is good because it's just like, it's a really good thing to quickly and early learn to avoid preciousness. Yes.

Oh my God. You know. And like, because I still see this in writer's rooms. I still have trouble like managing this with other people because I got real blunt because like, you got to go through 500 ideas a week with every writer. So you're just like, no, yes. And you learned very quickly. distinguish this idea is not funny from you are not funny? Yeah, yeah. And I think a lot of people

don't get that. Absolutely. No, they're, I mean, for a year, and especially for me, starting on late, because for me, like, I mean, I did improv and, and, you know, in live shows and had been making my living doing comedy, but like the Conan show was the first sort of real test of fire, you know, like, You know, things like go to Mardi Gras and make two separate days worth of comedy just on the fly. Yeah. And like, they didn't teach us how to do that. Money is being spent.

You have to come out of it with something. Go interview little Richard in his hotel room. Okay. You know, go to the Miss America pageant and make comedy. All right, you know. But, and it was like a really, I mean, it was Conan and Robert. smigel who were running the thing and deciding the thing so it was like incredibly high standards yeah and um and and it made for the comedy but also for the hiring so it was like it was like it was like people

too that were like openly disdainful of anything that could even be considered like almost almost like accessible yeah accessible was like fuck that i want comedy that makes people mad hell yes i want comedy that alienates, you know, as Chris Elliott once told me, he said, people either love me or are made angry by me. And that's, and that was like so many of those guys. So that's what I started making, you started like late period Picasso. Like you didn't learn to paint landscape. Exactly. Exactly. It was like absurdist nonsense. And again, and also like no time as my, the metaphor I've always used is we were laying tracks for a train that you could hear, come. You know, there's no time to get fucking precious.

So then when I left there and came out here to be, you know, like number one on the call sheet for a sitcom and also was like allowed to be in the writer's room, which was always like, you know, just made me my fucking blood boil. Like, you know, like, and I just go, you know, like, in those early days, go into writers rooms and I could just tell like these writers are like, oh, oh. And I get why a writer's room is wary of an actor coming in. Because I always think like, you know, you could be getting, and God love them, but like Mandy Pintin can coming in and telling you how to do the comedy, you know, or fucking F. Murray Abraham strolls in like, hey, guys, I got some jokes. But I felt like, look, that's not who I am. Yeah, yeah. And I just would, there were times where I just would be like, you motherfucker. Like you want to, you want to do a funny off motherfuckers?

And so, but they like let me be in the room. And I brought my New York Conan stuff. Yeah. And quickly realized like, no, the way, what you're supposed to do is when somebody pitches a clunker, you're supposed to go, well, I, I can, that's really great and really funny. I see where you're coming from with that, but I think that maybe it'd be better where I would just go, no, no, and I didn't even have the fucking leverage to do that, but I was just like, I sat, especially like in my first show

and Andy Work to Controls the Universe, I'd be like, we can't end the show on this. Like this ending of this show, it sucks. Yeah. It sucks. It's expected. It's lazy and easy and we got to do better. That's already crazy that the talent is like, this is too expected.

That's every comedy writer, or it should be. I know, I know, I know. Can't you tell my love? But anyway, so, yeah, so you get into the, and I mean, I met, is there a part of you that, like, does that become therapeutic in terms of like the depression and feeling like, okay, now? Because I always, because I always wonder about myself and I don't even exactly remember how such a sad person could go, you know what, I'm going to make people laugh. Like, I don't even under, I don't remember, like, how that math worked. It's almost like getting back to cucking. Yeah.

It's like watching them enjoy it. You're vicariously enjoying it. Right, right, right, right. Yeah. Like, I've made you a delicious meal, but I'm a bulimic, so I can't eat. Yeah, yeah. So, yeah, that was it for me. And, like, as I got good at it, I was like, oh, like, this gave me a sense of self.

This is all I care about. Yeah. And it, like, it solved my drinking. Like, it solved so much stuff for me. And then I was like, hey, maybe I should start to try and get healthy outside of this one thing that is so precarious. Every single job feels like a miracle. You can go away at any time. Yeah, yeah.

Maybe I should start to try it. And I'm still working on that. But, like, for sure, comedy, like, I was in, like, a nose dive and just pulled me right out of it. Yeah. And what? And how old are he at this point? Probably, like, 25. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Well, that's, I mean, you know, that's still pretty young. That's still a good to come out of the nosedive at 25. Yeah. Pretty fucking good, you know. And, and, and do you feel, do you start to feel what, what gives you a sense of poise in that you know what you're doing?

Like, is it just time? Is it, you know, like, at comedy or? Yeah, at comedy, yeah. I don't give a shit about your life. I don't have a sense of poise in my life. Comedy was like. if I can be a little snobby and mean. Again, like the Conan thing.

Yeah, yeah. The Onion was so hard. And then walking into all these professional comedy, like, getting TV jobs. And, like, again, this sort of feeling of like, oh, you're not like battle tested. Like, this is not that good what you're doing. And I was like, oh, okay, I can like walk into almost any room and be funnier than a lot of people. Yeah. I don't know if it's like not, that doesn't always translate to like.

like usable material for the room you're in. But like, just kind of being unimpressed by some people made me feel like, okay, I can and should be trying to do this. And I'm not scared of like literally any comedy writer's right. Right, right. Like I, and like, if I can nerd out just slightly for a little bit. The Conan room, I used to think about it, like dream about it. Yeah, yeah.

What a fucking room that you guys had going, like, just heavy hitter after heavy hitter. And like, I got, when I worked at Colbert, I shared an office with Brian Stack. Yeah. And just like, all I would do is just pitch him 90s Conan Bits and be like, would you use this? Would you guys have used this? Because like, all I care. Like my dream still if I had a time machine is like go try and be in that writer's row. Yeah, yeah.

No, it was, it was pretty, it was pretty amazing. And really, I do feel like for someone that doesn't have any sort of religious anything. Like, I don't know of a better word than Blanche. Like it just was, and I mean to get to work in that building at that time. And it was, and it also too, like looking back, and I don't think this is the thing, this sort of thing you get to learn until you're older. Like it just, I don't know that you could go through life and have it work out this way where you actually appreciate this amazing thing while it's happening.

Yeah. Because while it was happening, it felt like a fucking heart attack every day. It just felt like, you know, we were. And I mean, and even when it felt. felt like we got on the air, it still felt like just fucking stress bomb every day. And I mean, and I think Conan, and he talks about it, he felt, he's has said, like, I didn't think, I wouldn't think I was doing good work unless I felt miserable. Yeah.

Unless I felt awful all the time. And, and I think we all had a bit of that. And it's so kind of sad in Richard. Again, I don't know if it would work. I don't know if like if I went back there and bestowed myself like this sort of broader understanding of like, no, this is very good. And this is these are your salad days and enjoy them. I might as like just been like, I don't know. I never had another good idea after that.

You know, you hate to think that. Yeah. It's like. I don't think, I don't think being healthy mentally keeps you from being funny. No. But I definitely do think like I don't know that. in that particular situation. It ran on people like caring about this more than literally anything else on earth and putting

it all in there. And like when you're young, like that is kind of a thing. And I do think that especially comedy is often ruined by self-awareness. Oh, yeah. You know, and so like to have the self-awareness like we're doing amazing work is like, shut the fuck up. Just do another bit, you know, like just do, you know. use the bear suit again, you know,

there's something out. So, yeah, no, it was, and it was amazing. And also at that time, too. And this is the thing about writers' rooms, too, if they're run right. And, I mean, but, like, just, just face hurting from laughing. Oh, my God. Face hurting from laughing.

And having to learn a balance, too, because I was a newlywed at the time, and I'd go home, and I would have nothing from my, wife. I would just be like a rung out dishrag. And like in, and I, it's, and I, I mean, you can't tell somebody who you're not with when you're working 12 and 13 hours a day. I got nothing left for you. I've been laughing my ass off all week. Sorry. You know how hard is to cry laughing? Yeah, yeah. All the time. I'm with world class funny people. Let me just be a fucking dope all weekend and not say three words. I, yes. That is.

a hundred percent a thing I've experienced. It's also, you know that thing in Mad Men? You watch Mad Men. I haven't watched the whole thing, but yeah. They talk about the office. They're like, these guys are sharks. And like, if I wore the wrong shirt, everyone would kill me. And like, there is a little bit of that in the writers.

A little bit. Yeah, yeah. But I mean, if you let, you know, if you let it be that way. Yeah. But yeah. No, you did, you need a healthy dose of, fuck you. Yeah. Fuck that guy.

Fuck you. So what made you, do you get an agent? How do you get out of, how do you get beyond the onion and come out here and do all of this? I'm working in Chicago. I'm working at the onion, then quick hole. Like, I did really enjoy that place. I wasn't like desperate to get out of there, but I was like, okay, this could go away at any minute. Yeah.

And there was, this was when Colbert switched from Colbert Report to Late Show that there was, like, I had gotten my hands on the, like, submission email. again. I didn't have an agent or anything. And just through somebody else or? Yeah, just through a friend. Yeah. And I spent a month of like maybe sleeping three hours a night. Wow. All I did was eat.

I would go to work and then I would eat sleep and breathe like this fucking package. Submission. Yeah. And I worked so hard on it and got a meeting out of the slush pile again, which I was shocked. Like everyone was like, don't even try. Like you're going up again. And it was crazy. I flew out to.

People telling you don't. even try. And they're all fucking submitting to you probably. My boss at the fucking onion was like, I love Andy, but he was like, you're not going to get this job. Like don't, because I was, I was like not eating. Like I was like stressing out. They're like, yeah, yeah, take some pressure off yourself. Yeah. I was like, no, this is like water in the desert. I don't get opportunities. I didn't go to fucking Harvard. Yeah, yeah. And yeah, I got, I did like three interviews. They kept like calling you back for another interview. And every- fly to New York to have the interview?

Google video interviews and then New York, but like every round I made it, it became more scary. Because I was like, oh, I can fuck this up now. And so I'm like having panic attack. It was like maybe the worst month of my life was like trying to get this job. Yeah, yeah. And I remember my first interview with Stephen, I was like, I had no idea what to expect. And I was like, how do I like not be extremely nervous for this? And I was listening to, like buddy rich drum solos like walking into the interview before I called them I was like listening to buddy rich drum solos chugging a beer and doing push-ups and then like got up and hit sand and like it was like hey Stephen and it had the I'm not going to like best interview of my life so try that

everyone who's doing a zoom interview buddy rich buddy rich beer and push-ups yeah yeah um and then yeah flew out to New York and uh another interview where at the end of the interview they still didn't say and I was like, guys, I'm going to die. And Stephen could read it on me. He's like, go wait in the other room. And like, they talked a little bit and they came and it hired me. And it was insane. Yeah.

And then the summer before the show started, Trump got elected. Or, you know, Trump entered a candidacy and got elected while we were working on the show. And then my entire life revolved around Donald fucking Trump. Yeah, yeah. It was really. And I'm imagining you didn't give a shit about topical humor, political kind of stuff, that much. I mean, the onion definitely, like, you. when you can make a good point about something.

Like you sort of figure out like, but yeah, I didn't get it. I got into it for fucking skeletons and toilets. Yeah, yeah, exactly. And so then,

yeah, and then my job became like consuming the fucking stream of diarrhea that Donald Trump shits into the world every day and then transposing it for everyone. Yeah. And really like the light left my eyes doing that job. And it was no one's fault. But man,

I did not enjoy that. Yeah. No, it's really hard. I mean, and we sort of, you know, we started in 93 and then the Daily Show when John Stewart, because it was, you know, there was the daily show, but then John Stewart really turned it into what it is. And, you know, and it was just became this like Emmy factory. Yeah. It was like, seemed like what they were doing was so important.

And, and, you know, and we had to address the news, but, you know, ours was like to make Bill Clinton a horny hillbilly. You know, that was like how we handle it. handled the topical humor. But it would like, yeah, but it was, I just, I was so glad that we never tried to follow it. And that's, that's the credit. It goes to Conan. And we had a conversation about it after it, like talking about it years out, you know, and Conan said, he said, you know, I always had the sense that, say, you know, topical.

And, you know, and having judgments about topical, which were the similar to mine, which is like you're either like cheerleading or preaching to a choir, you know, you're not really, you're not really making jokes, you know. Yeah. Like it's a lot of like, yeah, that fucking guy's an asshole. You know. I mean, I don't like it's because I think you can do good work with. Yes.

And like the stuff that's good is really fucking good. Yes, yes. But the environment of doing it every day does not lend itself to that kind of work. And it's like, it's not exciting to me. And I know I'm being very like reductionist about or reductivist about it. But that's, but it just, it seems like eat your vegetables. Yeah. You know, it just seems like eat your vegetables comedy.

And Cohen said, he said, I always felt like absurdity in the long run, too, is going to be more valuable to the culture. Yeah. You know, like being silly and being nonsense in terms of a legacy and having a lasting sort of impact on people. people's lives in making them laugh, which is the bottom line. Like you're going to, because I mean, I look at old tweets of mine that were sort of politically based and they, and they, you know, a lot of them aren't even jokes. They're just like cries for help. But I've seen old ones and it'd be like, you know, if that fucking guy was in another

car, he never would have even gotten those bananas. I'm like, what the fuck am I talking about, you know? I don't even remember the instance. I mean, I think all that shit's fine if you just recognize for what it is, which is like, yourself soothing your own anxiety. Yeah, yeah. This isn't like for consumption. Yeah, yeah.

But yeah. And like, I think, you know, absurdism isn't, like, God, I'm getting so, like, thoughtful about something. That's all right. That's all right. Yeah. People are still listening. They're going to, they're out long for them, right? So, yeah.

Comedy like that is not always inherently apolitical. I think, like, oh, yeah. In a larger, broader strokes, you're, like, making fun of cruelty. and incompetence and like stuff that are like foundational to fascism. Absolutely. Absolutely. 100%. We should talk about strip law. That's what you're here for.

And this is the first show that you've run yourself? This is the first show I've run myself. And how is that? Man. Have you pitched a lot of other shows? I had pitched like, I think two other narrative shows that had gone nowhere. Animated or live action or? Kind of both.

Oh, okay. And like I think I like my. animation and live action to be kind of close to each other. You know what I mean? I absolutely do. I think King of the Hill being a little more realistic makes it funnier. And I think like 30 Rock being very cartoony makes it fun. I understand.

And so like I'm kind of pitching the same shows for either medium for the most part. I see. And yeah, took that pitch around. It wasn't, it was like, I went with some friends to Vegas. And we, it was a Saturday night and we were all kind of hung over and tired. And we just were like, let's just watch as an. Let's not go out tonight. So we stayed in and watched SNL and had like cheeseburgers in a hotel room.

Comedy dudes. And... It stays in Vegas. Fucking wildness. This isn't just a cover story. Yeah, yeah. This is what we actually did. And every ad was for, like, DUI lawyers.

And, like, every ad was just for, like, weird low rent billboard lawyers. And we were just riffing on it. And I remember there was one guy that his, like, hook was that he had, built a miniature courtroom for all the lawyers to practice in in the office. I thought that was the funniest fucking thing. Wow. And to advertise that. Like, hey, all right, that's good. And we started riven on the idea of like, if you lose, we will retry it in our fake courtroom and you will win.

And if you lose in that courtroom, like... And I was like, I just want to live in this world. This is so fun. And it's a wet, like, a courtroom is a, you know, like I always said this about Conan. Like, there's a man at a desk in a suit. Like, you have a built-in, like, crazy things aren't supposed to happen here. Yeah, yeah. It's the same thing as a courtroom.

It's like, there's a built-in reverence for it. So, like, let's just have crazy shit happen there. Yeah. And between that and the, like, gimmicky, billboardiness of, like, every town has a lawyer dressed like Tarzan. Yeah. Being like, trust your life to me. Right, right, right. I was just like, I love this world.

And I want to just, like, play with it. So I came with this pitch for Striplah about, like, the legal scene in Vegas is, like, these guys are the heavy hitters. guys dressed like Tarzan. Yeah. And let's just have like case of the week mixed with just wacky adventures in this world. And pitched it around. Then Netflix bought it. And then the next two years of my life became about Vegas Billboard players.

How long does it usually take from them saying yes to the first episode airing? Because animation has a long lead time. It's a long, it's probably about a year and a half. of like making the actual show. Yeah. And then, you know, six months of writing it and, you know, all the ramp-up stuff. Yeah. And they don't, the thing about development is they don't just give you a yes anymore.

It's not like, yes, we're going to make your show. It's like, yes, we'll pay you to write the pilot. Yeah. Yes, okay, we're going to make like a storyboard for the pirate. Yes, we're going to do a room and then halfway through the room, the show got greenlit. Yeah. So it was like, again, I'm not ungrateful for this, but I'd never had the big like it's happening moment because it's so like by stages.

You know, I always, to me coming out here was, I always like pictured it as a ladder. And there were each there were like rungs. And sometimes there was even like there's a next rung. Oh, wait, there's a rung before the next rung. And that and that you climb up this ladder. And the thing about the ladder, especially like back in the day when I first got here and it was sitcoms and primetime. which doesn't even seem to really exist that much anymore. But the thing about the ladder, too, is like, you could see the top of the ladder.

And there was like what seemed like all your worries just being blown up. You know, like just all the money you could want and just like pick and choose opportunities. And you can see it at the top of that ladder. And at any point on any rung, they can go flick. And just push you right off and you flop back to Earth. and it's over. Well, the funny thing also, though, is every rung in that ladder is full of miserable people wishing they were on the rung of boat.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No matter how high you climb, everyone's like, I fuck this. Like, they're mad at everyone. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so that was like, throughout this process, which was terrifying and frustrating and exciting, I really tried to just remember, like, this is fucking cool. We're making cartoons. Like, this is the coolest thing on earth.

Yeah, yeah. And just finding the joy in it, which was. it was really joyful and really fun to make. And again, similar to that writing that packet for Colbert is probably the next time that I felt that I am sleeping four hours

a night. When I'm sleeping, my dreams are about coming up with ideas for, like, literally waking up like mid-sentence, speaking it out loud of like, this should happen. And so I really burnt the candle at both ends of like, I don't know if I'm ever going to get to do this again. I am like,

my whole life is about making jokes about lawyers right now. Yeah, yeah. And, uh, you know, whether or not people like this show, uh, I feel good. I love it. Yeah. And I got to make a thing where I like left it all on the court. You know what I mean? Yeah. They, Netflix was crazy. Like, as partners, they let me do almost anything I wanted. I really have no one to blame except myself. That's great. But I got to put a thing out there. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, because you can get into that process too and you, and you will get a wall of people who are validating their salaries by having notes for you where they don't necessarily need to be notes, but it's like, I got to say something or, you know, or Bob's going to figure out

that I'm not saying anything. And then he's going to say, like, well, why are you here, Dennis? And I'm going to say, well, Bob, because I got a mortgage, you know. You can't not change it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But they really were like, the only thing they wouldn't let me do, and I don't even know if I should tell the story, but we had an episode that ended with a child killing God. and they were like, hey, can you just not kill God?

We don't want to get a million letters. And I was like, you know what? Nobody sends letters. Liar. Pipe bombs. So that was the one thing we didn't do was kill God in an episode. There's always season two. There's always season three sweeps week as you soften them up.

How did you like being in charge? It was mixed bag. You know, did. getting to make every decision is like, you know, when you're, you're frustrated about like, oh, they can't see it. I can't make them see it when you're pitching stuff. Yeah. In this world, you see it and you get to do whatever you want.

And like, it's hard to go back from that. But it was very funny to run a writer's room and be like, I have to, I have to be the person putting something out for them to pitch against and to one up and be crazier than. I was always the crazy guy. Like, no, let's do something way crazier. Yeah. And like, you can't be that when you're setting the agenda. Yeah.

You can't be antagonistic to your own ideas. Right, right, right. And then also, like, oh, I have to, like, I have to think about everything I do and say in a way I didn't have to do that before. Like, me making a gross-ass joke is not the same as me making a gross-ass joke when I'm, like, on equal footing with all my coworkers. Yeah. Now I'm in charge. And so, like, there'd be, you know, runs where the room would go off on. this crazy tangent about like something disgusting or whatever and I just have to be like I don't

approve of this. Yeah, yeah, yeah. In my head, I'm like, more, more, more. But just, yeah, thinking about how your decisions affect other people. Yeah. Which probably think I should have been doing the whole time. But it was really a lesson in that. Yeah. And like, yeah, it's not supposed to be fun. I'm not supposed to be fucking hanging out with these people. Like when I found out, I like begged them to have a text thread without me because I was like you should have that release valve like you guys should be getting drinks without me and complaining about me and stuff as opposed to like I'm your best friend and we're all going out after work all the time and I'm using you because I don't want to go home which I've had bosses do right um yeah no they that's and I've heard other like Lori

Kilmartin who's her Conan writer point she's she pointed out and I and was something I had noticed like you do not want to work for somebody who's in a bad marriage because you will be there all fucking night because they don't want to go home. Yeah. So yeah, it was weird. I kind of don't feel like I can go back. I mean, I would absolutely go back to it.

Because again, writer's rooms like, I've never had that feeling before. I've just like in tears laughing. Like, this is exactly where I belong. Even when the show sucks, which I've worked on some stuff. Sure, of course. It's still like the most fun environment in the world.

But yeah, it was weird being in charge. And I, it's also weird going from like everything I've ever worked on. You spend six months working on it. You write your scripts. Then you go away. And then a year and a half later something comes out. Yeah. And now I'm like having budget meetings and like hiring people whose job.

I have no idea how they do. And like over every stage of the boring grown up shit. Yeah, exactly. Every stage of production was something I had no experience in. I have to be like, you drew this bad. Right. Like I can't draw a fucking stick figure. Yeah, yeah.

But it was really illuminating, and it was cool. Yeah. And you learn a whole new respect for the whole medium. Yeah. Now, do you have beyond, I mean, does Striplaw just sort of like consume your entire perspective? Like, do you still have things on the horizon that you want to do? Are you, like, sitting on a feature screenplay? I'm definitely working on stuff, but Striplot, like, again, ate so much of my soul that, like, kind of waiting to see if we get to season two before I push anything else right now.

Yeah, yeah. And yeah, like I said, like I have to give it all to this. Like I don't even if it doesn't go anywhere, like I had to, I have to have one thing that I'm like, this was my thing and I'm 100% proud of it. And I got to do it. And it is, let me just talk about the show a little bit. Sure, of course. It is like an explosion of, it's a machine gun of jokes. I was like so tired of stuff not being funny.

Yeah. And I was just like, I got, this show has to, if you don't like this one, here's a number. another one coming. Here's another one coming. Because like, I don't feel like there's a lot of stuff like that anymore. So if you like wacky fucking comedy and you like shows like 30 Rock, which I'm realizing now is like 20 years old. Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you like that kind of stuff, if you liked naked gun, you just kind of like, please watch Tripwa, please support it because like we're trying to do that. Yeah, that's great. And it does. It makes me laugh still. I've watched it 200 times now and I still laugh at it. And it's not just because you're in love with yourself. It's not, no, I hate myself.

But he comes up with good jokes, that guy. Yeah. If you had any advice for the you that started writing group on ads, man, what do you think you would tell yourself? What would I tell myself? I mean, you want to tell yourself not to be so hard on yourself, but I kind of think that's how I got here. Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. You see a lot of people. I mean, you were an annoying. Guy, right? Yeah. You see a lot of people in like the local... That's annoying theater in Chicago.

You're an annoying man. Yeah, yeah. You see a lot of people who are like, this is funny because it's like just we talked about. Like it's funny because I'm doing it. It's like pretty funny. But, and I was like, this isn't as good as like the stuff that I like. So I have to keep, you know, flagellating myself until it gets there. Yeah.

And I kind of don't want to tell myself not to do that even though like I probably would have been a happier person. Yeah. But yeah, I think just like, you're so obsessed with status when you're coming up and you're so obsessed with like, again, like I want to be in the Conan room or I want to work with this person. And like that person's already done their thing. Yeah. Like just learn to value the funny people around you who are on your level and try and bring them up with you. I don't know if this is new advice or anything. No, no.

Well, I mean, most good advice is a variation of. a basic truism. Yeah. In that room you're dreaming of, like you said, you guys were all fucking miserable. Yeah, it's not going to be what you think it is.

So just like appreciate the people around you. If you are laughing at someone legitimately, like that person is as good as the famous person you're dreaming of working with. Precisely. Yeah. And cherish that. Yeah. No,

it's all, you know, it all boils down to like things that could be fucking needle pointed on a pillow and somebody's couch, you know, it says like, you know, live in the moment. And it is, but it is like basically you do.

And like any, you know, the notion of, I mean, this is a podcast. So I got to ask you things like, what advice would you give you yourself? But like that question, it is, it's a flawed thing because like you could give that advice, but the young you might not be able to hear it, might not be able to put it into effect. Might think you're fucking full. Like, yeah, yeah, yeah, fuck you. And that things kind of have to happen the way they have. happen. But also generally speaking, I think you do better being kind to yourself. Yeah.

Than you do being cruel to yourself. That's probably true. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think that you can still, you can still be miserable and you know, but, you know, I always look at it as like, who do I do my best work for? And it's people who treat me nice. Oh, yeah. Absolutely that. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, be nice to other people for it. Yeah, yeah. Well, but I mean, but that's, you know, to create, To turn that as an interior thing, if I'm telling myself I'm a piece of shit all a time, I'm going to be like, fuck you. You know, I'm not doing shit for you. I guess, okay, this is the other side of that, too, because I was so hard on myself and

because I, like, revered stuff so much, I backed into this fucking job. I wasn't like, again, I didn't think I was allowed to do this for everything. I was like, okay, they're paying me to write coupons. Great. Don't like push it. You're so lucky you get to do this. Okay, the onion, don't push it. TV, any TV job, don't push it.

Don't leave for this. whereas if I had the confidence of just like a normal person, I probably would have just moved to L.A. after school and like been so much further along in my career. Because I was like, that's unobtainable. These are super, these are gods among men who get to do this. Yeah, yeah. And they're not.

And like, you are as good as it as anyone if you work hard. Yeah. When, you got to be funny too. You got to be funny. You got to be funny. You're on funny motherfuckers out there. Let me tell you. Actually, no, you don't got to be funny.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, there's some, there's some, oh, I don't even want to. Strip law, premieres February 20th. You got some fucking hard, or heavy hitters, too. The voice is Adam Scott, Janelle James, Stephen Root.

Adam Scott, Chanel, James, Stephen Root, and Shannon Hezella, who's an up-and-coming actress is the other lead. Uh-huh. And I could not be more impressed by every single one of them. That's great.

Again, talking about terrifying shit. Like, I had to voice, I had to direct these people. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I was like, oh, could you like to hit this syllable? and they were all incredible. Our, like, supporting cast is incredible.

Anyone who's ever been funny on the internet is, like, on our show, except for you. Well, well, you know, I'm very busy. You're dancing, yeah. Yeah. But, yeah, I got, I go through so many people. Carl Tart, Drew Tarver. Keith David, thank you. Oh, yeah, yeah.

Keith David, man. I grew up watching every Keith David movie. I think he's the coolest man on Earth. Yeah, yeah. And getting him in a room and working with him was so terrifying. And there was like, and not because he's not nice. He's the nicest guy. But just like I built him up so much.

Yeah. And we were recording one day in like the little studio. I'm going to say it was like half this size with the booth. And he like right next to him. And we were doing a line and he like kept flubbing the line. And he just all of a sudden goes, fuck. And just keep David screaming, fuck. was maybe the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life.

Just this deep resonant, fuck. Yeah, yeah. And I was like, okay, sir, I'm sorry. It's okay. Don't worry about it. But yeah, he's incredible. Yeah. Man, I just could not be happier with all the people we got to work with.

Well, I'm going to watch the shit out of it. Because I didn't ask to see it before you came in. Also, I'll email you. All right. Email me, yeah. Also, here's the thing for your list. The thing I learned about Netflix is you can rate things, thumbs up, thumbs down, or two thumbs up. And if people could give this show two thumbs up, it would mean a lot to me.

Can they give it two thumbs up before it starts? I don't know. Maybe. Give it a shot, folks. It comes out February 20th, if not. But here's the thing I learned about the thumbs up system. You guys have so much more power about what gets renewed than you think. Oh, really?

Because of the thumbs. Thumbs. One thumbs up is worse than nothing. If you get one thumbs up, it's worse than if they didn't say anything. Wow. So you got like in shows will live or die. That's crazy. What a fucking mean thing.

What a mean, you know, like system. Yes. So please, guys, give it double thumbs up. Everybody. Trick the computer into making more stupid television. Well, Colin, thank you so much for coming in. Thank you for having me. Yeah, it's been great talking to you.

It's just so cool to get to talk to you. Oh, thank you. I know we're buzzed, but I was. Yeah, no. It was awesome. Well, yeah, give it time. And thank all of you for listening. I'll be back next week with more three questions.

And watch Strip Law. The Three Questions with Andy Richter is a team Coco production. It is produced by Sean Doherty and engineered by Rich Garcia. Additional engineering support by Eduardo Perez and Joanna Samuel. Executive produced by Nick Leow, Adam Sacks, and Jeff Ross. Talent booking by Paula Davis, Gina Batista, with assistance from Maddie Ogden. Research by Alyssa Graal. Don't forget to rate and review and subscribe to the three questions with Andy Richter

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