Podcast Summary: Disgraceful with Grace O'Malley

Episode: Drunk Stand-Up & Grammy Glitz with Devon Walker

Date: February 12, 2026
Host: Grace O'Malley (aka Unwell)
Guest: Devon Walker (SNL writer, comedian, host of "My Favorite Lyrics" podcast)
Supporting Cast: Nora O’Malley (Grace’s sister and unofficial HR)

Episode Overview

This episode of Disgraceful brings Brooklyn’s comedic energy to the forefront as Grace O’Malley auditions Devon Walker—SNL writer, stand-up comic, and Grammys pre-show host—for the coveted co-host chair. The conversation winds through drunk stand-up sets, sibling dynamics, the changing face of comedy, pop culture moments, generational divides, and deep dives into both Devon and Grace’s unconventional paths. Grace’s sister Nora pops in to keep things grounded and personal, while mutual riffing powers insightful and authentically hilarious takes on modern comedy, music, and the “bit quota” challenge.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. “Are You a Fun Drunk?” and Stand-Up Beginnings

Timestamps: 01:01–03:09; 07:45–09:22; 15:41–18:54

• Grace: Admits to a disastrous early history with drinking:

  “I used to black out and I’d have to, like, get carried out and I’ve always been a big girl, so that’s been like. That’s a two man. So that’s the only two men I’ve ever gotten.” (01:03)

• Devon: Shares about early stand-up missteps, writing a new set every time and getting drunk before performing. He jokes about not getting better because “I didn’t know any better!” (08:06)
• Discussion on the different approaches of comics—some like Sinbad and Chappelle famously don’t write down material, just riff on stage.
• The anxiety of performing and “trying” is reinterpreted as admirable, not “cringe.” Emphasis on effort over apathy.

2. Family Backgrounds and Generational Gaps

Timestamps: 03:10–11:17

• Devon: Grew up in a huge blended family; oldest sister is 55, his youngest sister is 25. Dad started early:

  “That’s all Papa baby. That’s all my dad putting numbers on the board for several decades.” (04:57)

• Grace & Nora: Discuss growing up as siblings with a wide age gap, noting how those differences shape their sibling relationships and attitudes (Gen Z vs. Millennial).
• Devon is adamant about not letting Gen Z "bully" him out of his Millennial status:

  “I’m not going to let these fucking children bully me and they’re not liking the shit that I like.” (11:11)

3. Comedy Career Paths & Validation (SNL, Podcasting, Badges)

Timestamps: 06:00–07:41; 07:45–09:22; 24:00–25:55; 28:04–29:10

• Devon: Explains how working at SNL served as a career benchmark his family understood:

  “If there’s one thing that older people can wrap their head around, it’s that show.” (06:00)

• Both lament that in stand-up, you rarely feel successful, and hitting obvious milestones is the only tangible “badge” of progress.
• Grace jokes about her own nontraditional path—abandoning college, moving to NYC on a whim during Covid, and starting comedy via podcasting.

4. Creative Risk, Effort, and the “Try” Debate

Timestamps: 11:13–13:07

• Both reject the current trend that effort is cringe.

  “I think it’s so much cooler to try. I think it’s… I like people who swing and miss.” (11:34 – Nora)

• Devon shares admiration for creatives at film festivals—even when projects suck, the willingness to try gets respect.

5. Substance Use and Comics: Weed, Drinking, and College Stories

Timestamps: 15:41–19:21

• Devon and Grace bond over not getting along with weed, for reasons of anxiety and overthinking.

  “Weed just like. It just. It just puts me in my own head in a way that like. Yeah, it just.” (16:16 – Devon)

• Devon recounts a memorable incident in college involving homemade dabbing contraptions and extreme coughing fits:

  “I coughed for 40 minutes. Yeah, 40 minutes. And then I was dizzy, and then I had to go home. Stop it. What’s. We don’t need to do that.” (18:13 – Devon)

6. Making It in the Content Game (Podcasting, Socials, and Indie Hustle)

Timestamps: 21:32–24:09

• Devon hosts his own indie podcast (“My Favorite Lyrics”), emphasizing self-funding, breaking even, and the pressure to be a modern comedian and content creator:

  “I started it because I was like, I got to get in the content game, but I just didn’t want to be like… posting stand up, like, all the time.” (22:09 – Devon)

7. Grammys Coverage and Wild Changes in Pop Culture

Timestamps: 24:00–28:23; 30:30–34:03

• Devon shares his upcoming gig as pre/post Grammys host for E!, preparing by boning up on Best New Artist contenders and TikTok stars.
• Both note how the music landscape is now so fragmented by TikTok algorithms that even “music people” are surprised by gigantic stars they’ve never heard of.
• Memorable quote:

  “Now it’s all TikTok. And also, everybody has such a distinctly different algorithm…now it’s like, I follow music and I keep up with it…and every year I’m like, oh, so this person has 20 million followers and like, the biggest song in America. How is this never—I've just never crossed my…?” (25:36 – Devon)

8. Industry Tales: SNL, Interviews, and the Big Questions

Timestamps: 29:10–30:28

• Devon on being constantly asked the same SNL “origin story” questions by strangers:

  “I’ve told the story of like how I got on the show probably 10,000 times.” (30:05 – Devon)

• Grace and Devon riff on lazy interview questions vs. actually meaningful connection and notes on comedy heroes (Barbara Walters shoutout).

9. Lightning Round: Grammys "What Would You Say?" Encounter Game

Timestamps: 31:03–34:47

• Grace quizzes Devon on hypothetical encounters with musicians at the Grammys, e.g.:

  Grace: “Justin Bieber, I’ve never [met]…what could you say to the Biebs that the Biebers never heard?”
  Devon: “I do hope that for the Biebs…I think we were so mean to him…He’s 15 years old and he has $10 million.” (31:42–32:04)

• Discussions about empathy for former child stars, Taylor Swift’s effect as a “kingmaker,” and notes on K-pop, indie acts, and up-and-coming artists.

10. Musical Reference Game and Lyrics Challenge

Timestamps: 66:20–73:43

• To close, Grace and Devon take turns reciting song lyrics off-key for the other to guess, resulting in a hilarious, meandering pop/jay-Z/Chancellor/Outkast medley.
• The bit showcases Devon’s deep pop culture and music knowledge, even conflating two different similar DJ Khaled/Justin Bieber collaborations:

  “So they both have Justin Bieber on the hook and DJ Khaled songs and the same featured artist. So…it’s really hard not to conflate them…” (71:19 – Devon)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Exchanges

• On Generational Divides:

  “We got to stop trying to pretend like we want to be where they’re at. You know what I’m saying? I don’t want to be Gen Z. I was born in 1991, and I like that about myself.” (11:10 – Devon)

• On Comedy Badges:

  “It’s like a badge…careers, like, it’s like Boy Scouts…that’s like one of the biggest, shiniest badges.” (07:26 – Devon)

• On Taking Risks:

  “I like people who swing and miss…even if I don’t like the art, I really respect people who go after something…” (11:56 – Devon)

• On Early Comedy Days:

  “I was doing Stand up here and there in the city, just doing it the wrong way. Writing new sets every time and getting drunk when I did it. I was like, why am I not getting better?” (08:05 – Grace)

• On Podcasts and SNL:

  “I feel really grateful that I worked at SNL…if there’s one thing that older people can wrap their head around, it’s that show.” (06:00 – Devon)

• On the Future:

  “I feel a lot of like…I’m just…I don’t know, I feel like, like you said, I feel like shit just like works itself out and so 100%.” (28:04 – Devon)

• On Bobby Bones:

  “He was not very cool to us. And honestly, that experience really made me be like, yeah, I don’t think I want to do broadcasting.” (47:18 – Devon)

• On Sibling Relationships:

  “Oh, that’s my sister. We always have to preface. …Cause then we’ll, like, start fighting, and it’s like, ‘oh, Grace. You, like. You’re kind of mean to, like, the people you work with.’ Like, no, it’s my sister.” (34:41 – Grace)

Fun Fact & Deep Cut References Round

Timestamps: 42:28–56:02

• Devon describes working at Texas grocery chain HEB, niche bar “A Sing Den” in Austin, a failed internship with radio host Bobby Bones, and why he lost his southern accent.
• They riff about “Market Basket” in Boston, Wawa in Philly, and the uniqueness of regional U.S. grocery stores and accents.
• Grace proves research chops with deep personal trivia for “bit quota,” drawing out stories that surprise even Devon.

Closing & Shoutouts

Timestamps: 74:09–75:57

• Devon shouts out his podcast producer, Carmen Kerrigan:

  “She really does a lot of work and it would not exist without her. Carmen, if you ever hear this, I appreciate you.” (74:09)

• Plugs My Favorite Lyrics: “Kind of like rap genius, but like with jokes…a really fun time.”

• “Cooler than Freddie Jackson sipping a milkshake in a snowstorm,” he terms Grace’s studio the “coldest podcast I’ve ever done, but super cool.”

• Grace and Devon:

  “Comedy wise, me—Grace—and I legitimately met once. We do not know each other at all. And look at this rapport. Everybody can’t do this.” (75:45 – Devon)

Final Segment: “Sing the Lyric" Game

Timestamps: 66:20–73:43

Hilarity ensures as Grace and Devon challenge each other to guess hip-hop, pop, and country lyrics performed in deliberately off-key, unrecognizable melody (e.g., Jay Z, Chance the Rapper, Outkast, George Strait).

Takeaways

• Devon Walker emerges as a thoughtful, humble, sharp comic navigating fame’s weirdness, generational snobbery, and comedy’s shifting landscape, all with deep family roots and earnest appreciation for risk and realness.
• Grace O’Malley proves herself a host able to draw out backstory, vulnerability, and wild anecdotes from guests—while keeping things loose, personal, and unfiltered.
• Their musical interplay, mutual admiration for effort, and openness about creative uncertainty make this episode a warm, resonant, and deeply funny listen for comedy nerds and newcomers alike.

Essential Timestamps

• [01:03] – “Are you a fun drunk?” and pitfalls of early stand-up
• [06:00] – SNL as a “career badge” and family’s understanding
• [08:05] – Drunk stand-up and “doing it the wrong way”
• [11:11] – On generational divides and embracing Millennial status
• [15:41] – Substance use and why weed doesn’t work for either
• [22:09] – Indie podcast grind and not wanting to post endless stand-up clips
• [24:00] – Grammys pre-show gig, TikTok pop culture, and music algorithms
• [29:10] – On SNL question fatigue and meaningful interviews
• [31:03] – “What Would You Say” Grammy artist encounter game
• [66:20] – Lyric Recitation Game: Guess the song segment
• [74:09] – Devon’s shoutout, podcast plug, and studio “temperature” review

For more Devon Walker:

• Listen to his podcast “My Favorite Lyrics”
• Follow him for stand-up, upcoming projects, and his Grammy red carpet coverage
• Support indie comedy and, most importantly: “Try. Swing and miss. It’s cooler than you think.”