The Three Questions with Andy Richter - Introducing: We Got Company with Sebastian Maniscalco

Episode Date: September 7, 2026

To kick off the very first episode of his new interview series We Got Company, Sebastian Maniscalco sits down with comedy legend Jerry Seinfeld for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look into the minds of two stand-up masters. Jerry and Sebastian pull back the curtain on their comedic process, from the risks of testing new material at dinner parties to whether either of them can actually be considered “social.” Sebastian shares how meditation changed his life—and why Jerry deserves the credit for getting him started—while Jerry reflects on his gratitude for the industry and why, after more than half a century in comedy, he still finds pure joy on stage. Jerry also turns the tables on Sebastian, pressing him to reveal his ultimate dream opportunity in show business. Plus, Jerry surprises Sebastian with an incredibly special gift to celebrate the launch of the show. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey there. Today I'm doing something a little special and bringing you a sneak peek into the debut episode of Sebastian Manuscalco's new interview series, We Got Company, with special guest, the iconic Jerry Seinfeld. In the episode, Jerry and Sebastian unpack a whole lot, including how to be a good house guest, whether Jerry thought his series Seinfeld was going to be a hit, and even why we have him to thank for the coveted American Express Black Card. Here's a clip where the two discuss how Jerry feels about life as a stand-up comedian now decades into a successful career. So you've been doing this, what, 50 years? 50 years, right? Yeah.

Last year, 50 years, 51. I was 20. I'm 72. So do you still have the same, is it still the same joy you feel now going on stage? Then you... Exactly. Exactly. Maybe more.

More now. Well, look, Sebastian, you know. How many people, I don't know, how many years are you in? Twenty-eight. Twenty-eight. Thirty was a good guess. In twenty-eight years, how long is the list of coming goes that you have seen of people that have fallen off of the branch hanging on with white knuckles and every, it's... So I feel so grateful that I have this, that I can still, that I love it, that people, that people,

people still like when I do it, that we have this relationship, that we've gone through life together doing this, I can't, I just can't even describe how appreciative I am of it. When you go out, everybody knows you, right? Everybody knows Jerry Seinfeld. Do you feel like coming up

when nobody knew who you were, did you get the same joy out of making strangers laugh than, like, say, you are fans. It's a little bit more fun. This is a part of comedy that's gone that is a sad, sad loss. Opening for music acts in Vegas or Atlantic City, a lot of places like that,

and they don't even want to see a comedian and you go out there and make them like you, that is a great experience. Yeah. And you get good and it's fun. I miss doing that. That's why I still do corporate kids. because they don't really, they're not in a show mood.

You've done them. Those are, don't you think those are great experiences? I love those because it brings a challenge there that you don't have when you do a show in Las Vegas or a normal show because it just, the people just got out of a meeting or a dinner or then you get up there. And there's a bit of like, okay, I got to make these people laugh. There's a lot of dynamics going on in a corporate event that you don't just see in a, normal public events. So, yes, I like that. But, like, for me, I enjoyed, like, going into a comedy club with 35 people on a Wednesday night.

No one knows who you are. And kind of getting them on my side. Sometimes when you go out, people know what to expect. Yeah, it's fun. Don't get me wrong. But I'm just saying I enjoyed the kind of challenge of making a group. Like, did you play a lot of black rooms growing? A few.

A few. Like, those. You have those in Chicago? No, I didn't do a lot of comedy in Chicago. I did more of the comedy up here, like Fat Tuesday used to be at the comedy store and enjoyed going up there. Oh, yeah. I knew a lot of those people didn't know kind of my act or whatnot. Right.

And making a group. Oh, that must have been fun. Oh, I loved it. Yeah. I loved it. It's something that I thought was a challenge. And I often, I was telling Lana, again, I was enjoying more, I think, stand up when I was on the come up than I am now because I feel a little bit more pressure to deliver. And back then I didn't

really feel that pressure. I just felt like a little bit more free. Interesting. Well, you do, you know, if you look at some of the numbers of ticket prices that people are paying, you can feel a little, boy, this, I've really got to deliver a special show here. I don't even like to know. I think you have some idea of what's going on. I have no. idea. No idea. I'm like the... No idea. I don't care if we're sold out, what they paid. Don't care. You don't look at the...

No. My job is the front of the stage to the curtain. That's it. I don't care. What can I do about it? I don't know. I just like, why aren't the tickets selling in X place? You don't have any of that? No, because there's no rhyme or reason to it. It's never going to make any sense. You're always going to have off nights. There's always going to be shows that don't

sell. who cares? God, I do. I mean, yeah, I care that I don't want to go in the toilet, you know. Getting Jerry Seinfeld is your first guest, not a bad get. If you want to keep hearing about the early days of their careers, check out that episode of We Got Company over on the Sebastian Manascalco show feed wherever you get your podcasts.