Jeremy Piven Previews His Stand-Up Tour

Summary

Podcast Summary: Jeremy Piven Previews His Stand-Up Tour – All Of It (WNYC)

Date: October 17, 2025
Host: Alison Stewart
Guest: Jeremy Piven

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Episode Overview

This episode of All Of It features Emmy Award-winning actor Jeremy Piven as he discusses his transition to stand-up comedy and previews his upcoming show at Sony Hall in New York City. The conversation covers his roots in theater and sketch comedy, his experiences with different audiences around the world, lessons from his actor parents, navigating onstage challenges, and his ongoing desire to return to the New York stage.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jeremy Piven’s Comedy Origins and Stage Roots

• Stand-up as a New Avenue: Piven reflects on his evolution from acting to stand-up, noting how audiences’ expectations for a known actor add pressure but also opportunity.
  • "Whatever they're placing on me is not my concern. Whatever their preconceived notions, love, hate, whatever... It's my job to make you laugh." – Jeremy Piven [02:33]
• The Challenge of Stand-Up: Despite an extensive stage background, Piven describes his first stand-up set as “terrifying,” admitting it’s a uniquely vulnerable experience, even for a seasoned performer.
  • "Even though the stage is my home, it's terrifying. And so I had to really prepare for that moment." – Jeremy Piven [03:22]

2. Family Influences & The Piven Theater

• Mother as Mentor: Piven shares anecdotes about performing and rehearsing with his mother, Joyce Piven, who was both his mom and first acting teacher.
  • "Everything I said as Ari Gold I said to her face. And my character was very vulgar. But she never batted an eye because she's a pro." – Jeremy Piven [05:08]
• Key Lessons: From his parents he learned the specifics of being present onstage—knowing who you are and who you're talking to—and the importance of confidence and self-belief.
  • "You’re enough, which is very empowering, so that you don't doubt yourself. You need to be delusional to perform. It's like a superpower." – Jeremy Piven [08:34]

3. Differences in Audiences (US vs. Abroad)

• Audience Reception: Piven discusses how American audiences tend to know him for one character (Ari Gold), while international audiences see him more as a legitimate, classically trained actor.
  • "In Australia and the UK, their reference for me is, I'm an actor. Here, it's more like, 'Hey Ari! I'm a douche because of you, bro!'" – Jeremy Piven [09:53]
• Cultural Context: He notes that in places like the UK and Australia, acting is respected as a craft rooted in training, whereas in the US, celebrity and persona sometimes dominate perception.

4. The Art and Process of Stand-Up

• Immediate Feedback: Piven contrasts the instant feedback of stand-up with the delayed gratification of filmed work, emphasizing the “palpable energy” and intimacy of live performance.
  • "First of all, immediate gratification. There's no tape delay. You're all breathing the same air. There's an energy that's palpable." – Jeremy Piven [05:34]
• Self-Editing and Growth: He underlines the importance of recording his sets, revisiting performances, and continuously learning—sometimes seeking advice from legends like Seinfeld and Whoopi Goldberg.
  • "What's so fun about it is you're your own director... You're the director, you're the writer, you're the performer, you're a one man band." – Jeremy Piven [11:51]

5. Navigating Challenging Moments Onstage

• Handling Hecklers and Sensitive Topics: Piven shares a recent experience addressing anti-Semitism from an audience member, emphasizing the difficulty of teaching and being funny simultaneously, while not getting triggered personally.
  • "That was the highest level of difficulty that I've dealt with so far. How do I make this funny, don't get triggered, have a teachable moment, be funny?" – Jeremy Piven [12:53]
• Mentorship Matters: He finds guidance in conversations with other great comedians on how to handle tough moments with empathy and poise.

6. Return to Theater and New York Stage

• Longing for Theater: Piven reminisces about his stage work (notably "Fat Pig") and shares a desire to return to live theater in New York—hoping one day to be onstage again.
  • "I would love to get up on stage again in New York. That would be the dream. It's funny. I walk these streets and go, 'God, why aren't I in a play?'" – Jeremy Piven [15:10]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Do I sound bitter? Cause I am. Yeah. I'm performing in a mall next to a Dave and Buster's. Right. So I'm a little bitter." – Jeremy Piven, from his stand-up set [00:45]
• "If you're doing Shakespeare and they don't understand you, it's not their fault. It's your fault. So if they're not laughing, you can't blame it on them... It's your job to find a way in." – Jeremy Piven paraphrasing his mother [05:18]
• "There's no difference between comedy and drama, which sounds insane. But, growing up, they let us know that you're enough... You need to be delusional to perform. It's like a superpower." – Jeremy Piven [08:34]
• "I'm so lucky because I have guys like Jerry Seinfeld to go to and go, 'Hey man, how did you handle that?'... And last night I ran into Whoopi Goldberg and I said, 'What do I do?' And she was like, incredible." – Jeremy Piven [13:16]

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Key Timestamps

• [00:45] — Stand-up set clip: “Do I sound bitter? Cause I am...”
• [01:32] — Early acting/stage training: “Part of my acting training came out of NYU...”
• [03:22] — First stand-up experience: “It was doing charity at the Laugh Factory...”
• [05:29] — Differences between acting and stand-up: “Great question, by the way. First of all, immediate gratification...”
• [06:34] — Mother as acting coach (Ari Gold lines): “No, I run lines with Joyce Piven because she's been my acting teacher...”
• [09:53] — Audience differences: “In Australia and the UK, their reference for me is, I'm an actor...”
• [11:51] — Learning from each set, handling hecklers: “It's really important to record all your sets...”
• [12:53] — Addressing anti-Semitism on stage: “That was the highest level of difficulty that I've dealt with so far...”
• [15:10] — Wanting to return to theater: “I would love to get up on stage again in New York...”

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Tone & Atmosphere

The conversation is candid, humorous, and reflective, balancing lightness with discussion of serious topics (like anti-Semitism and audience challenge). Piven is self-deprecating but also passionate about his craft, and Stewart guides the interview with warmth and sharp curiosity.

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Final Note

Jeremy Piven’s episode is an engaging exploration of how one artist blends drama, comedy, and personal growth—always seeking new creative challenges and remaining open to where the audience leads him next.

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For tickets to Jeremy Piven’s Sony Hall stand-up show: “We’re almost sold out... Don’t hesitate. Grab those tickets so that we can hug it out.” – Jeremy Piven [11:22]

Transcript

[A]

This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. We may have hit a trifecta with our next guest. Only on the country's largest public radio station in New York City would you find listeners who would know Jeremy Piven From Entourage on HBO. Mr. Selfridge on a PBS and old school when people went to the movie theaters. And because it's New York, you can add his stage work too. Piven has added to his resume stand up comedy. The Emmy award winning actor will be at Sony hall this Sunday as part of his multinational stand up tour. Here's a clip from one of his sets about the ups and downs of acting.

[B]

Guess who? Guess who the highest paid actor in Hollywood is. The Rock. Right. He's never taken an acting class. Do I sound bitter? Cause I am. Yeah. I'm performing in a mall next to a Dave and Buster's. Right. So I'm a little bitter. Yeah. He's on a celebrity space shuttle right now, counting his money with Kevin Hart, coming up with their next movie. Right. By the way, can you hear me in the back? You wanna know why I took an acting class?

[A]

Jeremy Piven joins us now. Nice to meet you.

[B]

Nice to meet you.

[A]

So you've been doing this a while?

[B]

Yes, in fact, part of my acting training came out of nyu and no one has ever asked me where I went to school. You know, you, you, you know, I, I ended up in, in the uk studying Shakespeare at the National Theater. And in the uk, one of their first questions is, what university did you go to? And here, you know, you can spend 116,000 on college. And I'm Jewish and that's a lot of money, believe me. And no one ever asked you. So I'm so happy and excited to be back in New York. You have no idea. This is, I was born here. I can't claim it. I grew up in Chicago, so I can't, you know, call myself a New Yorker. Maybe someday. I love, I love it here. But the people here are real and they're survivors and they're tough and I love it.

[A]

And they tell the truth.

[B]

They, they tell the truth.

[A]

Usually people have to get, you know, they do. See, they go underground to like the Comedy Cellar and they do stand up sort of as they gear up to figure out their set.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

How did you get started? I mean, people must have recognized you when you got on stage.

[B]

Yeah, but that's, that's the great thing about life is that whatever they're placing on me is not my concern. Whatever their preconceived notions, love, hate, whatever. You know, I'm getting up tonight at various spots in town just to kind of try new material. Because, as you know, more than anyone, every day we have new material, we can't even keep up with it. You know what I mean? It's such fertile ground. It feels like the world is unraveling in front of our eyes and we just, you know, that's. I think why stand up comedy right now is kind of more successful than ever is. Cause we all really need to laugh. And we're looking to people to make sense of all this.

[A]

Do you remember your first, your first real standup set?

[B]

Yeah. It was doing charity at the Laugh Factory because I have a huge heart. Don't worry about it. Biggest heart in Hollywood. And it was, you know, toys for the kids. And I had been on stage since I was 8 years old. And so I, you know, I've been on Broadway, I've. I've been in over 80 movies, blah, blah, blah. And yet when you get up there with a microphone and you're alone, it is. Even though the stage is my home, it's terrifying. And so I had to really prepare for that moment. And I was pinned up against the wall and I had training wheels because there was this comic named Russell Peters who's this kind of like, you know, been doing it forever. And I knew that Russell, because his forte is crowd work, I knew he would throw me into the deep end. And he did. A thousand percent. And you have to understand, standups love to watch prolific actors drown. There's nothing funnier to them. Do you know what I mean?

[A]

Yeah, yeah. There's a guy, that guy thinks he's funny.

[B]

Ooh, the cowards love to watch a hero fall. No, I'm just kidding. But so knowing that, and even though I came from Second city in the 90s with Chris Farley and all those people and my background in sketch comedy, among other things, I knew it's a, it's a different muscle. So I had jokes in my back pocket and they worked. And I was, I was hooked. So that was the first time. And then, you know, you get up everywhere and you get up, you know, it's funny. You're saying that, you know, people have expectations of me. I, I love all of it. Whether you have no reference for me or you have huge expectations, all it's my job to make you laugh. And as my mother said, she was my first acting teacher. You know, if you're doing Shakespeare and they don't understand you it's not their fault. It's your fault. So if they're not laughing, you can't blame it on them that they're tight or whatever. It's your job to find a way in.

[A]

What do you get out of standup comedy that's different from acting a lot?

[B]

Great question, by the way. First of all, immediate gratification. There's no tape delay. You're all breathing the same air. You're in it together. There's an energy that's palpable. And selfishly, they get a sense of who I am because, you know, people, you know, may say my name. Oh, that's the dude. Ari Gold. He yells a lot, right? He's a douchebag. Nah, I hate that guy. Why do you hate him? I don't know. I just hate him. Do you know him? No. Okay, well. But. But it's funny because I used to. And I unpacked this on stage. You know, backstage stories about, you know, being on the set of Entourage or whatever. And I would run lines with my mother for everything. And so everything I said is Ari Gold I said to her face. And so. And my character was very vulgar. And. But she never batted an eye because it's. She's a pro. She's an artist.

[A]

We actually have a clip of that from your show.

[B]

Let's go.

[A]

Let's listen.

[B]

I love listening to myself.

[A]

A lot of bleeps, but let's listen.

[B]

No, I run lines with Joyce Piven because she's been my acting teacher since I was 8 years old. Think about this for a second. Everything that I said is Ari Gold I've said to my mother's face. I swear to you. Because she's my acting teacher. So I run lines. I don't do lines with her. I run lines with her, right? So, like, from back in the day, she never cracked. No matter what I said as that character, I said some of the most vulgar, offensive. And my mom just stayed in the pocket, right? Just brilliant. I'm a mama's boy, clearly. So. Yes. So. So it would go something like this. She would get her glasses out. She's got her pen, she's got the script, right? I go, okay, mom, test me on this monologue. You ready, Mom? Let's go.

[C]

Lloyd.

[B]

Have you had so much squirted in your eyes that you can't see what's right in front of your. There better be a Scud missile heading towards us, Yoko or I will you out with a strap on. It's pretty good. We're not in the pretty good business. Let's go again.

[A]

Oh, you put Juliana, our engineer. It was that close. That close. The dump button on that one.

[B]

Sorry about that, Juliana, you know, but, you know.

[A]

But she was right there with you.

[B]

I love it. She was very good. Good timing on the bleeps. It actually worked. But the Sony Theater Sunday night is where, you know, there will be no bleeping. The gloves are off, and we're gonna have a great time.

[A]

What did you learn from your mom? Your mom passed away. I'm sorry. But she was a teacher. I mean, and your father, they ran a theater workshop.

[B]

The Piven Theater.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. What didn't I learn from her?

[A]

What did you learn?

[B]

Oh, my God. Endings are important. You have to place yourself, locate yourself when you're acting, who are you speaking to? Which, yeah, it sounds very, you know, to get very specific, you know, as an actor, you're opening, and let's say you're doing a Shakespeare monologue, and you're playing Richard iii, and who are you talking to? Exactly. And it may not sound like a lot, but it's kind of everything to locate yourself. So you can get it very specific. There's no difference between comedy and drama, which is. Sounds insane, but I guess growing up, when they threw up us on stage, they let us know that you're enough, which is very empowering, so that you don't doubt yourself. So you're very delusional. Even as a child, you need to be delusional to perform. It's like a superpower, and, you know, it's endless. What she taught me, it would take me way too long. But those are a few things.

[A]

I'm speaking to actor and standup comedian Jeremy Piven about his standup tour. He'll be at the Sony hall on Sunday, October 19th. You were in Canada. You were in New Zealand, Australia on this tour.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Have you noticed a difference between American audiences and other audiences?

[B]

Yes, very much so. In Australia and the uk, you know, they know me. Their reference for me is, I'm an actor. Because they know that to be an actor, you have to go through all these rites of passage. You have to go to drama school, which I did. I did all that. And here it's more like, you know, hey, Ari, when they see him on I'm a Douche, baby, because of you, bro. Take a pic, bro. Let's go, bro. You know what I mean? So. And my mom warned me. She. When we were running lines initially for the pilot of Entourage, she goes, I know you. You're going to commit fully to this character like you always do. And you're going to be in people's living rooms and they're going to think you're Ari Gold. And you know, I thought she was crazy and you know, boy, was she right. But overseas, they know intrinsically, for whatever reason, and this isn't an indictment about USA or any of that, because I'm an American and proud to be, for whatever reason, they just truly understand. Wow. If you're an actor, you've had to have gone through it, you've had to have paid your dues and there you are. They, you know, they love Ari Gold because overseas taking the piss is their national pastime, which, you know, is national pastime of New York. Well, so that's why I think, why, you know, I think, you know that I'll say, you gotta go where you're loved and I'm loved in New York. And speaking of which, we're almost sold. Sold out. So I don't want to push anyone, but I wanted to see you guys. So don't, don't hesitate. Grab those tickets so that we can hug it out.

[A]

What do you do if. When you're on stage.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And you've hit a rough spot, like you might be bombing a little bit.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

What do you reflect on when you get off? State your delivery, the performance, the crowd?

[B]

Great question. It's really important to record all your sets and then you go back and listen to it and you definitely, obviously listen to the new stuff. How did that work? What did I miss? Is it a timing thing? How did the, you know, what are all the variables? And so what's so fun about it is you're your own director. So you're the director, you're the writer, you're the performer, you're a one man band. You know, the other night I had this joke about gay pride month and Holocaust Survivor day, and the guy in the front row goes, well, that makes sense. And it just kind of stopped me. And I'm Jewish. And you know when you can tell, okay, that's real. He's not trying to be cute. I said, oh, you don't like Jews? Nah. And he doesn't like Jews. And it's funny because, so, you know, you just said, how do you. And I'm Jewish. I was bar mitzvah and I'm proud to be Jewish. And there's a lot of confusion about the culture. And I really think the variable with racism and anti Semitism is the lack of knowledge about someone else's culture. That's a huge variable. And he's young, and I hung in there with him, you know? Cause I was feeling rage. I was feeling rage, and yet I'm up there. And so how do you. That was the highest level of difficulty that I've dealt with so far. Because how do I, you know, make this funny? Don't get triggered, have a teachable moment, be funny. It was a lot of things all at the same time. So I kicked him in the head. No, I'm just kidding. No, I didn't. You know, I'm so lucky because I have guys like Jerry Seinfeld to go to and go, hey, man, how did you handle that? And he just, you know, gave me a masterclass. And he had some pro Palestinian protesters that interrupted him. And he handled it like just a genius. And he took their side and said, we're both looking for an audience. This isn't your audience. I'm doing well. You're not doing well. So he was so empathetic. And last night I ran to Whoopi Goldberg and I said, what do I do? And she was like, incredible. Her advice to me about. I said, have you experienced, you know, I experience anti Semitism. You experience racism, and. Course she has. And how she navigated it. And I'm just very lucky that I have these beautiful mentors that I can kind of go to. And they don't hesitate and just kind of. They're very kind with me. And they, they, they let me know how they deal with it. And it's an incredible moment for me, so that I, you know, you never stop learning, you never stop growing. Seinfeld's been on stage for half a century, you know, and he's still getting better, which is insane.

[A]

I saw you with Keri Russell and Andrew McCarthy in Fat Pig, Fat Pig.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

Way back, way back. Do you have any ideas about being on stage again? Are you staying with stand up comedy for now?

[B]

Wow. Wasn't that a great play?

[A]

It was a great play.

[B]

That was a great play. Neil LaBute is a genius. And we were, you know, that's one of those beautiful New York moments where I was, you know, off Broadway and they were so good, and I would love to do that play again. It's so relevant now, and the message is so incredible. And he fell in love with this bigger woman and couldn't honor his love because I think he cared too much what the world thought of him. And he admits that. And that's even more tragic if he was. He was self aware and not brave. So it was. That was. That's. Oh, my God, I'd love to do that play again. Oh, yeah, believe me, I would. I would love to get up on stage again in New York. That would be the dream. It's funny. I walk these streets and go, God, why aren't I in a play? But, you know, it's funny, these moments right now, there's someone out there that goes, oh, yeah, well, I got. Well, let's get labute and remount, you know, Fat pig. You know, if I run into Neil, he goes, oh, my God, that production of that was my favorite. And I'm just thinking, okay, that was your favorite. I haven't heard from you in 14 years, my man. You know, the phone works. I want to turn into a New York guy and go, hey, your finger's broken, bro.

[A]

Let's go, Jerry. Vivian will be at Sony hall on Sunday, October 19th. Thanks for coming in.

[B]

Thank you so much. That was great.

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