Best Friends with Nicole Byer & Sasheer Zamata
Episode: Sasheer Doesn't Have A Favorite Color LIVE (Re-Release)
Date: November 13, 2024
Host: Headgum
Venue: Regent Theater, Downtown LA (during the Netflix Is a Joke Festival)
Episode Overview
In this lively, unscripted live re-release, Nicole Byer and Sasheer Zamata bring their signature blend of comedic friendship to a live audience at the Netflix Is a Joke Festival in LA. The duo dives into conversations about luck, friendship, hot dogs, favorite colors, odd superstitions, period tracking, and everything from pole dancing to diapering ducks. They also field hilarious and heartfelt audience questions, give advice on friendship and relationships, and reflect on their own bond, all while riffing on pop culture and personal quirks.
Key Discussion Points & Memorable Moments
1. Unpacking Random Superstitions and Live Show Antics
(00:16–04:20)
- Nicole and Sasheer lounge onstage, enjoying the novelty of having a couch. They riff about the thinness of the seat and spotting firetrucks outside.
- The classic superstition about walking under ladders sparks a discussion.
- Nicole: “Walking under a ladder is considered as bad luck. This superstition is 5,000 years old.” [02:18]
- Discussion leads to Egyptian pyramids and audience members who have visited them.
- The energy is loose and silly, setting a warm, interactive tone for the live episode.
2. Celebrity Encounters, Friendship, and “Hot Dog Gate”
(04:41–07:58)
- Sasheer shares her experience meeting Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, and Kelly Clarkson while taping The Kelly Clarkson Show, tying in the theme of enduring friendships.
- Sasheer: “I looked at Jane and Lily and I was like, I hope that we have an everlasting relationship, working and friendship as long as you guys do.” [06:12]
- Nicole hilariously spirals through FOMO, jealousy, and pride.
- The conversation detours to their infamous joint hot dog appearance on Kelly’s show—Sasheer’s bacon-wrapped hot dog requests, hot dog theft drama, and the devastating realization that hot dogs are a migraine trigger for her.
- Nicole: “It is not on you to eat less hot dogs. It is on science to catch up.” [08:05]
3. If You Were Bill Gates Wealthy…
(08:47–10:01)
- The duo fantasizes about what they’d do with unlimited money.
- Sasheer: “Like, do I want to help someone in my family? Do I want to help my community? Do I want to help… science?” [08:59]
- Nicole: “I was like, I'm going to hire six muscly men to just be in my home.” [09:27]
- Tongue-in-cheek references to Elon Musk’s “ending world hunger” tweet, buying Twitter, and the randomness of billionaire priorities.
4. News, Technology, and Tracking Your Period/Horniness
(10:41–12:11)
- Tech tidbits: Nicole’s revelation about free period tracking on smartphones, use of paid vs. free apps, the News app, and how much data these tools collect (including horniness).
- Nicole, deadpan: “My second day of the period. You tell your phone you're horny?” [11:51]
- Sasheer: “I tell this app that I'm horny. Yeah.” [11:56]
- Nicole’s candid sex talk segues into a wild deep-dive on Pornhub couples and evaluating authenticity/love in online porn.
5. Office Fandom and TV Longevity
(13:41–15:57)
- Nicole raves about discovering The Office (“I don't know if you've heard, but The Office is great”), polling the crowd on when they stopped watching, and expressing awe at nine seasons of syndication.
- They muse about the dream of having a long-running series.
6. Nailed It! & Drunk With Power
(15:58–19:08)
- Nicole shares tidbits from filming Nailed It!, getting special treatment, and ongoing requests for cakes and lasagna—from cake logistics to being "drunk with power" on set.
- Nicole: “But I want the cake … it is not adding to the actual show in any way.” [18:14]
- Sasheer: “You're drunk with power.” [17:59]
- The Madonna Inn’s legendary pink champagne cake gets multiple shoutouts.
7. Is Any Food “Worth the Journey”?
(19:25–22:19)
- Fierce debate: Would you travel hours for a favorite food? Nicole’s love for food quests vs. Sasheer’s pragmatic stance.
- Nicole: “I once waited three hours for fried chicken and it was the most delicious fried chicken I've ever had.” [19:52]
- Sasheer is mostly "let’s just eat what’s nearby"—until Nicole escalates to a “zombie apocalypse hot dog” scenario.
Audience Participation & Playful Segments
8. ”What Bird Are You?” Friendship Quiz
(22:32–34:36)
- The hosts are guided through a personality quiz (“What bird would you be in another life?”), full of banter about clumsiness, falling, migratory habits, agile vs. speedy, seasons, and favorite colors.
- Nicole, mock-peril: “If I don't get duck, I'll die.” [22:54]
- Both ultimately receive “bald eagle” as their result, leading to patriotic jokes and website suspicions.
9. Can Nicole Have a Pet Duck?
(34:36–38:30)
- Extended riffing on the pitfalls of duck parenthood: cleaning up after ducks, diapering techniques (including a live demonstration via video), and general sympathy for ducks’ trauma.
- Nicole: “The whole Internet, all of Google was like, really adamantly against me getting a duck.” [34:36]
- Sasheer: “I tried to, I guess, have a duck when I was little…” (36:17); detailed story about childhood duck egg mishaps and her mother’s brutal honesty.
10. Makeup Talk
(38:54–40:55)
- Sharing beauty product tips: eyebrow pencils, gifts from set, and specific brand shout-outs (Gucci, Lip Bar, Black-owned business stories).
- Nicole: “Gucci, if you have the money, has a wonderful makeup line…” [39:40]
Advice Session: Listener and Audience Q&A
11. Coworkers, Threesomes, and Disclosure
(40:55–44:45)
- Listener dilemma: Should I tell my coworker I had a threesome with a guy she hooked up with?
- Nicole: “You never have to disclose that you've fucked anybody. I have fucked so many people that you have fucked. I'm kidding. I haven't.” [44:09]
- Tangents about “snow sisters” (formerly "Eskimo sisters") and Nicole’s invention of “tandem fucking.”
12. Magic Mushrooms & Best Friend Boundaries
(46:40–54:37)
- Caller feels awkward for arranging to do shrooms with their best friend’s roommate instead of their best friend.
- Sasheer: “It doesn't sound like the best friend wants to do that. They're allowed to say no…Don’t do it alone your first time.” [50:08]
- Live audience member Teresa weighs in on the importance of safety, comfort, and openness in psychedelic experiences. [52:16]
- Nicole’s story: “the first time I did shrooms… one of the girls fell into the closet and I thought the closet ate her and I left her.” [53:07]
13. Audience Questions Rapid-Fire
(55:03–76:40)
- Shoutouts and friendship across continents (Nikki in Hong Kong)
- Body Swap: What would you do if you woke up in each other’s body?
- Nicole: “I’d honk them titties. I’ve never had big ones, so it would be an experience.” [56:22]
- Sasheer: “I would try on all your wigs. And maybe I just, like, get on that pole.” [56:33]
- When Your Best Friend’s Partner Annoys You: How to support without judgment.
- Weird DMs & Romantic Fantasies: Listeners recall past stories; Nicole explains why no one has ever sent her a truly romantic freaky DM (lots of food-insertion requests instead).
- Nicole: “People literally want to fill me with clam chowder or, like, put me on a table and fuck me while Guy Fieri watches.” [63:23]
- How to Make a Best Friend as an Adult: Advice for partner who loves snakes/anime. Ideas: conventions, manifesting, rethinking existing friendships.
- Definition Correction & Vocabulary Bit: The proper meaning of “tandem”—causing mild existential crises onstage.
- How to Keep a Sex Partner in the Friend Zone: Danielle's tough situation and advice on honesty.
- Nicole: “That dick is great…I love it. You dick me down so good. But, like, I'm truly not looking for a relationship. And if you can't handle that, we have to stop having [sex].” [74:42]
- Theme Songs: Each chooses a theme song for the other.
- Sasheer picks “Muppet Babies” for Nicole, Nicole picks “Family Matters” for Sasheer.
- Nicole: “Well, there's another magnitude. That's it!” [76:40]
Notable Quotes with Timestamps
- On Billionaires & Priorities:
- Nicole: "I was like, I'm going to hire six muscly men to just be in my home." [09:27]
- Sasheer: “Like, do I want to help someone in my family? Do I want to help my community? Do I want to help… science?” [08:59]
- On Period Apps:
- Nicole: “My second day of the period. You tell your phone you're horny?” [11:51]
- Sasheer: “I tell this app that I'm horny. Yeah.” [11:56]
- On Shrooms Advice:
- Teresa (audience): “If you're around people who you don't feel comfortable or safe with, it can really just fuck with your head and ruin it completely.” [52:16]
- Nicole: “So it's like, yeah, do mushrooms with someone who will save you from the closet.” [53:43]
- On Friendship Formation:
- Sasheer: “It’s possible your partner already knows their best friend, but they don’t know it yet…We realized we had more to talk about other than comedy and improv.” [69:12]
Structure & Flow
- Opening banter: Sets the tone with playful audience interaction and observational comedy.
- Personal stories: Frequent dives into each other's work, backstage gossip, and mundane mishaps.
- Tangents: Unapologetic movement from sex talk, food lust, to deep dives on random topics (e.g., ducks, period tracking).
- Live quizzes & games: Keeps things interactive and audience-engaged.
- Audience advice: Both playful and sincere, ranging from polyamory etiquette to psychedelic safety.
- Closing: Song themes and heartfelt farewells, affirming their vibrant friendship.
For New Listeners
This episode is a stellar showcase of Nicole and Sasheer’s chemistry—equal parts irreverence, support, wit, and vulnerability. Whether dissecting superstitions, answering wild audience confessions, or debating the ethics of eating cake on set, their rapport is infectious and the laughs are genuine. The live setting only underscores their quick wit and ability to connect with fans on the fly.
If you enjoy:
- Unfiltered best friend banter
- Comedy mixed with heartfelt advice
- Audience interactions and live spontaneity
- Topics from the silly to the sincerely practical
…you'll love this episode.
[End of summary]