Best Friends with Nicole Byer and Sasheer Zamata

Episode: "Sasheer Might Try Bouldering" (with Tawny Newsome)

Release Date: October 29, 2025
Guest: Tawny Newsome

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the friendships, hobbies, and hilarious personal quirks of Nicole, Sasheer, and special guest Tawny Newsome—comedian, actor, and podcast host. The trio chat about fitness obsessions (especially bouldering and weightlifting), the unpredictable behaviors of dogs (and their owners), nostalgia for early friendships, and why it's fine to be mediocre at hobbies. They balance vulnerable discussions about body image and boundaries with classic goofball humor, all wrapped up in the comforting dynamic of best friends just hanging out.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Comedy and Genuine Enthusiasm

• Nicole, Sasheer, and Tawny discuss how comedians are usually assumed to be sarcastic—even when expressing real love for things. Tawny notes, “Sometimes when you love something, the intensity is so much that people are like—‘This has to be a joke.’” (03:01, Tawny Newsome)
• Nicole shares how Ben Schwartz thought she was only “doing a bit” about loving Sonic.

2. Hyperfixations and Gym Life

• Tawny admits her current “hyperfixation” is on fitness—"I will go so hard on a thing for, like, six months and then I'll be like, never speak to me about that thing again. But right now…it’s the gym, lifting, and bouldering." (03:31, Tawny Newsome)
• The trio swap workout routines, with Nicole discussing her injury from pole fitness, and Tawny sharing knowledge about “hypertrophy” and “sarcopenia” (“That would be such a good drag name, actually.” (05:08, Tawny Newsome)).
• They debate the merits of at-home weights vs. a gym and the wonders of adjustable kettlebells.

3. Bouldering & Outdoor Activities

• Tawny explains the basics of bouldering and why it appeals to “the weirdos”: “First of all, it feels very like…it feels like the weirdos. It's a bunch of queer people. A lot of people alone…with a huge set of headphones, just reading a book in between while they rest. And then they just go scurry up a thing. I was like, I like this energy.” (12:04, Tawny Newsome)
• Nicole contemplates trying bouldering, relating it to pole fitness strength.

4. Making Friends as Adults (in Fitness Spaces)

• Tawny states, “I would not talk to a person [in the bouldering gym]…I want to go with my boyfriend or alone.” (12:30, Tawny Newsome)
• Nicole describes how pole classes can lead to acquaintances but rarely deeper friendships. Sasheer adds, “Workout class does seem intimidating…You could just go in, work out, go home.” (13:44, Sasheer Zamata)

5. Body Image & Dysmorphia

• Tawny: "Doesn't every woman over 35 have body dysmorphia?" (14:22, Tawny Newsome)
• Nicole reveals hers is inverted—she always thinks she’s smaller than she is. “In my head, I'm like Thumbelina.” (14:24, Nicole Byer)
• All reflect on the 2000s and warped beauty standards. “How do any of us live and like ourselves after going through that?” (15:25, Tawny Newsome)

6. Physical Therapy (or Not)

• Nicole is skeptical of formal PT: “No, I don't do that…I just don't think it'd be helpful for me. I think I could just figure it out on my own.” (17:47, Nicole Byer)
• She describes self-directed rehab and gets gentle pushback (and understanding) from Tawny and Sasheer.

7. Outdoor Group Activities (or: Killing Time According to Teen Vogue)

• Research Assistant suggests options besides hiking: nature zines, sculpture gardens, geocaching. Geocaching is quickly vetoed—"No, we can't go looking for treasure in Los Angeles. It will be syringes." (22:12, Tawny Newsome)
• They discuss the ethics (and weirdness) of cemetery outings: "If I ever got a text that was like, do you want to go to the cemetery? I'd be like, nah, dude, no. No, thank you." (22:33, Nicole Byer)
• Sasheer shares a (respectful?) scavenger hunt in a cemetery.

8. Personal Boundaries and Friendship Communication

• Tawny admits: "I want too much info from my friends…I chronically tell people not enough information all the time." (26:47, Tawny Newsome/ Nicole Byer)
• They talk about sharing locations, boundaries about honesty with friends, and the sometimes awkward dance of telling the truth about plans (“I’m not available.” “What are you doing?” “She will not be arriving.” (25:39, Sasheer Zamata))

9. Defining Memories and Core Friendship Moments

• Tawny recalls forming a best friendship in Chicago: “We became very good friends. And anytime I've told her that story, she's like—‘I said that?’ And everyone else around her is like, that sounds like you.” (39:42, Tawny Newsome, about Bethany Thomas)
• Sasheer reminisces about “The Chatterboxes,” her first best-friend duo, and attempts at sustaining a pen-pal connection (32:18–33:17).
• Nicole’s pool-centric childhood friendships and her mother's unique brand of discipline: “She said, the rules would be you can’t swim alone, but I know you. You’d bring your stuffed animals outside and go, I’m not alone. And I said, you got me there.” (34:26, Nicole Byer)

10. Allowing Mediocrity in Hobbies

• Tawny: “Why do we live in this grindset fucking culture…where everybody has to be, like, top of their fucking game and it has to be content? Back in the day, people just used to do needlepoint.” (43:14, Tawny Newsome)
• Nicole: “I like being mediocre at several things.” (42:39, Nicole Byer)

11. Protective Energy, Gender, and Mosh Pits

• Tawny describes being a protective “force field” for smaller women in a mosh pit: “As a woman of size, and now, because I've been in the gym, I feel very strong…” (55:01, Tawny Newsome)
• They riff on Southwest’s old “passenger of size” terminology.

12. Quirky Anecdotes & Memorable Bits

• Nicole steals persimmons: The ethics of taking fruit over the fence vs. just knocking on a neighbor’s door. (“Have you had a Japanese persimmon?”)
• Parasocial podcasting: How friends/family act weird after listening to your podcast—"You can get a live podcast direct to your [phone]!" (65:50, Nicole Byer)
• Role-play of asking a neighbor for olives results in awkward hilarity. (59:08–61:40)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• "Sometimes when you love something, the intensity is so much that people are like—‘This has to be a joke.’ Or else my sense of self is, like, eroding."
  — Tawny Newsome (03:01)

• "Women, we have to lift weights so our bones don't turn to butter."
  — Tawny Newsome (04:06)

• "That would be such a good drag name, actually. Sarcopenia."
  — Tawny Newsome (05:08)

• "Hiking sticks are really good for your knees…Anyone who's not a mountain goat should be using trekking poles."
  — Tawny Newsome (10:42)

• "I just realized I asked a question that made me maybe sound like a serial killer: ‘How do you just be nice in public?’"
  — Tawny Newsome (13:32)

• "Doesn't every woman over 35 have body dysmorphia?"
  — Tawny Newsome (14:22)

• "In my head, I’m like Thumbelina."
  — Nicole Byer (14:24)

• "No, I don’t do [physical therapy]. I just don’t think it’d be helpful for me. I think I could just figure it out on my own."
  — Nicole Byer (17:47)

• "No, we can't go looking for treasure in Los Angeles. It will be syringes."
  — Tawny Newsome (22:12)

• "I chronically tell people not enough information all the time."
  — Nicole Byer (26:50)

• "I want too much info from my friends. I want details. I want what you’re nervous about!"
  — Tawny Newsome (26:47)

• "Why do we live in this grindset fucking culture…Back in the day, people just used to do needlepoint."
  — Tawny Newsome (43:14)

• "The number of times I'm like, I've been robbed—and the perpetrator was other purse."
  — Tawny Newsome (54:18)

• "As a woman of size…now because I've been in the gym, I feel very strong."
  — Tawny Newsome (55:01)

• "Fruit’s gonna let you know when it's not ready for you."
  — Tawny Newsome (63:09)

• "When I send people voice notes that get a little too long, I do call them personal pan podcasts."
  — Tawny Newsome (66:01)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Comedians and Sincerity: 02:49–03:21
• Gym Obsessions & Bouldering: 03:31–09:29
• Bouldering & Gym Social Scenes: 12:04–13:44
• Body Image Conversations: 14:22–15:29
• Physical Therapy Discussion: 17:46–18:59
• Group Outdoor Activities / Geocaching: 20:28–23:18
• Honest Friendship Communication: 25:02–27:14
• First Best Friends Memory: 32:18–35:49
• Best Friendship Bonding Stories: 39:42–43:14
• Hobbies & Mediocrity: 43:14–44:43
• Mosh Pits & Protective Instincts: 54:59–56:04
• Fruit Thievery & Neighborly Ethics: 58:40–62:05
• Parasocial Podcasting Weirdness: 64:44–65:50
• Farewells & Plugs: 66:15–68:11

Final Thoughts

This episode is a perfect encapsulation of what makes Best Friends so beloved: open-hearted friendship, no-holds-barred vulnerability, laugh-out-loud banter, and relatable quirks. Whether it’s discussing osteoporosis, mosh pits, or the surreal etiquette of asking your neighbor for olives, Nicole, Sasheer, and Tawny deliver both humor and heart.

Recommended if you:

• Love hearing about real friendships and adulting
• Are curious (or obsessed) with women getting ripped
• Enjoy playful, tangential comedy that never feels mean